Dolomites or Switzerland?

Switzerland's landscape is more dramatic...I love Switzerland. Hopefully you won't just drive through without stopping.

Hands down....Switzerland.

Considering that you will be leaving Reutte and going to Venice I would definitely consider the Dolomites. You would have a little more time to stop along the way and enjoy the scenery and take photos. If you would start at Bolzano and take the Great Dolomite Road you will find some amazing views. Also, you could visit Otzi the Ice Man in Bolzano. The kids would enjoy that museum. It would be great if you could stop for at least one night along the route, maybe Canazei, to allow more time for this beautiful area. The Switzerland drive is also beautiful and if you go that route it would be nice to allow more time. A couple of nights at least. But if your Venice reseravations are already made and you have to drive through in a day I believe I would go the Dolomite Road. It is a beautiful drive. Hopefully you will be able to take a gps with you.

My $.02? W/O a doubt SWITZERLAND. Even Zurich is beautiful.

Lots of encouragement to go to Switzerland! But someone told me that the Austrian Alps were prettier than the Swiss ones- so if I am spending several days in the Reutte area, would Switzerland Alps just be more of the same?
However, photos I've seen of the Dolomites look somewhat like the Badlands here in the U.S., just much bigger and more dramatic... I wasn't crazy about the Badlands so I think I would need a good reason to go there. I live in Texas and traveled all over the West and hiked down into the Grand Canyon several times. Desert type mountains are dramatic and gorgeous when they change colors but that is not an unusual sight for us.
Thanks, I really appreciate input from you guys.

Hi Nicole,
... In Austria there's a stretch of almost level hiking trail called the "Europe Panoramaweg" (panorama path). To use it do this:- go to Kals (am Großglockner) and take the chair lift up - almost to the trail - then a short uphill walk to get to the path. Walk along the path in the direction of the Kals-Matrei Törl (a kind of natural 'gate' with a service building). Just beyond the Törl continue walking - now slightly downhill - to reach the chair lifts that take you down to the town of Matrei. This is an incredibly wonderful scenic hike with many 3,000 meter peaks in view, weather permitting. At Matrei, you may take a Postbus the short trip back to Kals, if you need to return there. [In our case, we took the Postbus to Kals, did the walk of about two hours, and returned from Matrei to our hotel town of Lienz by Postbus.]There's no experience like seeing the alps on foot from an altitude!
Gute Reise! P

Hi Nicole,

First, skip Liechtenstein.
While we love Switzerland, we love the Dolomites even more. Makes more a lot more sense to me as going through the Dolomites is more en route to Venice from Reutte. Here are some websites you may find interesting.

www.val-gardena.com

www.alpedisiusi-seiseralm.com/index.html

www.altabadia.com

www.montanara.it

Our recent photos are at:

www.worldisround.com/articles/324504/index.html

www.worldisround.com/articles/343800/index.html

Hope this helps.

Paul

Hi again Nicole,

Just another suggestion...
My opinion would be head to Innsbruck then south to Klausen/Chiusa and head into Val Gardena, over the Gardena Pass into Val Badia and then on to the Falzrego Pass towards Cortina d'Ampezzo. From there head towards Venice. Spectacular scenery, pretty villages and drives over a couple of fantastic passes!

Paul

Hmmm... thanks, Paul. I'm reconsidering the Dolomite route. If I did, that would bring me nearby Reifenstein Castle which Rick says is one of top 2 castles in Europe... Have not heard too many others talk about it, though. Also historic tunnels in Lagazoul. Know anything about either of these spots? Or special places to stay like castle hotels or monasteries?

Hi Nicole,

We almost saw Reifenstein castle (just on the outskirts of Sterzing/Vipitino) but didn't get to tour it. Long story short... You need 4 people to have a tour. We had 3. The woman would not let us in. My wife made the winding steep climb up to the castle with a broken foot. At the entrance, we met a man waiting to take the next tour. He spoke German. He told the woman how hard it was for my wife to get to the castle, but no luck. He even told her we would pay for the 4th (non existing person). Nope. She "slammed" the door and that was that.

On the Falzarego Pass, we just took the cable car, didn't go and see the tunnels, etc. This website may be of help.

www.dolomiti.org/dengl/Cortina/laga5torri/ospitalita/RifLagazuoi/index.html

Paul

Nicole
Folks who have never seen the Dolomites would be inclined to vote for Switzerland. It amazes me how few of the posts here talk of traveling to South Tirol - evidence of certain traveling biases.

We love the Swiss Alps as much as we do the Austrian mountains (my homeland). However, for sheer drama and almost magical views no place (but the Tatra Mtns. by the Czech/Polish border) can best the Dolomites. Europeans flock to the area that tourists from other lands drive through - on night trains no less! Do yourself a favor and take the route suggested via Grödner Tal and then to Venezia

By the way, I also saw the Badlands on my wife's insistence and we were sorely disappointed - looked like a soil erosion area with barren hills. I told her that travelers coming from the East would consider the Badlands a natural phenomenon, but after seeing the dramatic rock formations of Bryce Canyon and Monument Valley, there simply is no comparison.

The Dolomites are nothing like that: the lush landscape and steep hillsides cling to the craggy limestone. Villages beckon from afar, and the castles that punctuate this land give the area a special flavor. South Tirol also is a agricultural fruit basket and the vinyards are worth exploring. Only in the Bernese Oberland have I had a similar near-religious experience. That's why we are determined to spend several days this summer traveling South Tirol from Lienz, Austria west to our Swiss friends in Sargans.

BOTH! swiss or itlaian... which you like better to eat or speak? they are different and unique in their own ways. Im not sure but the swiss may have more huts and restaurants high up - but they both have lots of cabins and well marked trails. If you havent been hiking extensively - this is my favorite super small back door-style hiker company www.alpinehikers.com - they have small tours all planned out with/with=out guides (but troy is a great leader and fun to travel with!) - many is swiss alps or dolomites.

As Martin suggested, and it was in my thoughts also, I sincerely hope that those who chime in with their opinions on which place to go to have been to BOTH.

Hi pat,

Just to say we have been to Switzerland (stayed in St. Moritz, Zermatt, Luzern, Wengen and Appenzell), stayed in Liechtenstein (Triesenberg) and on three seperate trips have stayed in Alta Badia, Val Gardena and Val Venosta in the Sud Tirol.

Paul

I've only been by Reifenstein once, it was closed so we couldn't tour.