Val Gardena Active Program

Hello - in the beginning of august 4 of us are flying into Milan from NYC and then going to Val Gardena (Oritsei) for a 3 days. After that we are going to Badia then back to Milan.

Do I need a car for the first part of the trip. MXP to Val Gardena? I will need one for Badia and beyond. Should I just at Milan or take a taxi / transfer to the Dolomites and rent from Val Gardena?

Thank you

I am planning a 13-day trip to the Dolomites this Sept and will arrive from the East Tirol side of Austria (direction of Lienz) by car. So, naturally, my first stop is to visit Tre Cime, after which I will travel to see the Odle Group of the Dolomites. How many days shall I spend in this area? I am thinking of about 3-4 days, to account for likely rainy days that renders hiking along the Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop trail impossible. In this case, I can also enjoy some of the Alpine lakes and smaller towns. My questions:

1. It seems that Cortina is the most popular choice of a home base in this region. However, there is no accommodation choice that fulfills my requirements and budget (at a low level of about $170 per night max). Also, I am worried about potential construction noise and dust from construction for the future Olympics. Where else is a good base for 3-4 days? For example, is Padola too far? My next stop will be in the Val Gardena or Val di Funes area. I will have a rental car, but have not driven in Alpine mountains much.

2. Which cable car or gondola rides do you recommend in the Tre Cime area?

3. Beside the loop trail, what are the other easy and enjoyable Tre Cime trails?

4. What other nice places should i visit in this area? Lake Baies is one.

5. Will I need hiking poles for the Tre Cime loop trail? Should I buy some here in the US or buy them in Austria? I don't hike much, if at all, in the US. Even when I do, I won't need any poles.

Once this segment of my Dolomites trip is planned out, I will plan the Val Gardena/Val di Funes part. This is a bigger area and there appears to be more moderately priced lodging options.

Any further advice is appreciated. Thanks!!!

Hello!

My active, 12 year-old son & I are going to The Dolomites for 5 nights at the beginning of July. We'll be based on Ortisei & I wondered if someone might share top activities to do & great nearby towns to see. We're bringing our bikes & we'd love some easy to medium-difficulty hikes. I don't know much about the gondolas or via ferrata & our hotel hasn't given us any suggestions beyond the local pool.

Also, we have 1 extra day/night before we drive to Milan. Can anyone suggest a great town to visit on the drive down?

We are optimistically planning a trip to Austria and Italy for December. Our current itinerary has us in Val Gardena for five nights and then we'll head to Cortina d' Ampezzo for five nights the week before Christmas.

One of us skis, but doesn't plan to. We're more interested in winter hiking, and we've found plenty of options in Val Gardena.

What we're not sure about is Cortina d'Ampezzo - because it's ski season and so close to Christmas, we're finding accommodation is quite expensive (and limited - we're looking for a moderately priced apartment) and we've been unable to determine if this area offers ample winter hiking opportunities, or if we'd be better off basing elsewhere and perhaps making a day trip to Cortina d'Ampezzo.

We're experienced winter hikers - not mountain climbers. We've spent many Decembers in Europe hiking (we prefer hiking over snowshoeing) and usually find plenty of trails, but these areas are completely new to us so we're not sure what to expect.

Would appreciate any insight or suggestions.

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What are some things to do or interesting activities that don’t involve the beach and seaside towns? Looking for family/kid friendly activities - farm visits, sculpture gardens, monuments or museums (outside Genoa), wineries, anything else really.

Appreciate suggestions

Optimistically planning a month long visit to Austria and Italy in December.

Our initial plan was to spend five nights in Val Gardena (have booked an apartment in St Cristina) and five nights in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

We're now considering spending five nights in Dobbiaco/Toblach or San Candido instead of Cortina, as I've been told the landscape is entirely different than Val Gardena and it will provide a nice contrast. It also looks like its easier to get to (we're traveling by train and bus).

I'm having trouble finding apartments in Cortina that won't break the bank, and I get the distinct impression that Cortina is sort of the St Mortiz of Italy. Correct assumption?

We prefer quiet, laid back areas. We will not be skiing, but rather winter hiking, and it looks like both areas offer plenty of winter hiking options.

Thoughts on differences between the two and which would provide a more low key holiday would be greatly appreciated (we'll be there from December 17-22 if that makes a difference).

Should we choose to forgo Cortina, is there any reason to choose Dobbiaco/Toblach over San Candido, such as easier access to cable cars that lead to groomed hiking trails, etc?

Hi there,

If anyone could help with the following, we would be hugely grateful!

My partner, our very active and walking/ climbing/ running 14 month old anc me need to spend a night in Rome in mid-July. We will be coming via train from Florence some time on aSunday and taking a flight out of Rome on Monday lunch time. We are looking for somewhere with easy access to the station, but also somewhere that might provide a little bit of luxury and a treat for the final night of our trip. We imagine it maybe too hot to see much of the city with our toddler (and we will only have the afternoon) so wondered if there was a hotel that was set up to receive families or couples with children - or if anyone has had a really good hotel experience in central Rome they can recommend!

We usually stay in Airbnb’s or camp, so this is new for us.

Our budget is around 200 euro of the one night, give or take.

Thanks in advance

(Oh, and we are up to date on all the necessary covid tests/ quarantines as well as being fully vaccinated)

Hi,

My partner, our 14 month old and myself are trying to decide whether to take a trip to Italy next month - one that has already been delayed twice due to covid. We would love advice from anyone living in Italy or who has recently travelled there. We’re interested on how keen people living in Italy are to have tourists at the moment, what the atmosphere is like day to day in terms of covid restrictions and any tips on keeping a very very lively and curious 15 month old happy - one who loves to run about, chat to people and be busy...

My partner and I are in our 30s and well travelled (and have done 8 trips in the Uk since the birth of our daughter). We have both been fully vaccinated and are comfortable using masks outdoors and indoors. We are prepared to have and pay for the 5 covid tests necessary and the Uk quarantine anc our trip is already booked but is fully refundable so the stakes are fairly low. All our accommodation hosts are still enthusiastic for us to come.

We’re starting in Venice then had planned to take a train to Florence before hiring a car anc spending some time in a farm stay just north of San Gimoniano. We fly back from Pisa.

We live in London.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all!

I'm visiting Austria next week from the USA. I wanted to check out the Dolomites.

Are there active border crossing stations at the border? If so what paperwork will I require?