lrice

Hi all,

I am working on three different itineraries -- this one would be a 10-day trip to Venice and the Dolomites. Our group is my husband and myself in our early 60s and six young adult kids -- a party of 8.

Does anyone have any leads to reasonably-priced family accommodations for the Dolomite part of this trip? We could rent a car in Venice and drive up to the area, keeping the car for a few days to get around. Or we could train to Bolzano, stay in town and use the busses to get to the Alpe di Siusi.

I've searched Airbnb for 4-bedroom apartments and houses in Bolzano and Ortisei and am not finding much.

Thank you!

Jean

What time of year? How far into the future are you searching?

I wouldn't rent a car to hold 8 adults plus luggage. I'd rent 2 cars. The giant vehicle would be a pain to park and not fun to drive on the winding roads. Before you decide to use only buses, make sure you know what you can actually do, where you can go, etc., in a day.

Are you only interested in the Alpe di Siusi area? Do you plan to drive into the mountains and over the passes?

Paqngo

I would not want to stay in Bolzano and bus up every day. Maybe find two apartments that are next to each other? If you find one ask the owner if they know of another close by or contact them to see if they have a 4 bedroom. I just looked at Air bnb and VRBO and saw places. But your budget and dates will affect the choices. Good luck. It is a beautiful area.

lrice

Thanks Both! We are going the third week in August. Brutal for crowds but it's the only time we can go in 2023.

Yes, we could rent a mini van or yes, perhaps two cars. We also could rent two apartments as well. What towns would you look in?

Paqngo

We stayed in Ortisei for 5 days and loved it. But I do have some other towns that I would like to stay in next time. Bressanone and Castelrotto are both on my list. I am sure others will chime in with some great recommendations.

ms_go

The Val Gardena website, https://www.valgardena.it/en/, has a search and booking engine that includes apartments. I only did a cursory search, but it looks like there are options for 8 people. Any of the towns in the Val Gardena - Ortisei, Santa Christina and Selva - would provide easy access to lifts and hiking. There are similar sites for other regions of the Dolomites, including Alta Badia and Val di Fassa.

We've been in August a couple of times, as we've been restricted by school and work schedules. The first time, we stayed in Selva in Val Gardena. The second trip, we stayed in Vigo in Val di Fassa. I wouldn't call it "brutal" for crowds, especially once you get off on some trails, but the roads can definitely be slow, with a lot of traffic. I also wouldn't want a minivan. Two cars would be easier to drive and park and would provide more flexibility.

Jean

Where to stay depends on what you find available in your budget and amenity limits, but you also have to think about where you want to explore if you only have "a few days." Driving speeds are fairly low, so the distance you can cover comfortably in a day isn't great. I prefer mountain passes over alpine meadows, so I'd rather stay in a location closer to the passes and multiple lifts. One problem you might encounter in your search for some types of lodging is your plan to stay less than a week. Hotels/B&Bs might be easier for a short stay.

An AirBnB would be nice for a family group, but if you picked a small, family-owned hotel you might be the majority of guests. Some of these small lodges also have an apartment or studio with kitchen. We stayed at Garni Walter in Ortisei on one trip. We were given a Val Gardena Mobilcard (public trans) to use during our stay, but we only used it on a couple of lifts. The buses didn't work well for our daily excursions.

Hotel - Garni - Apartment Walter - Ortisei - Holiday in South Tyrol

I highly recommend the Ice Man Exhibit at the archeology museum in Bolzano, but I wouldn't spend any nights there. You could drive Venice-Bolzano, have lunch and visit the museum, and then drive to your destination.

lrice

Thank you! I will check out all of the links. Several rooms in an atmospheric B&B would also work! Great.

A villa in Tuscany or gite in France are so much easier to find and cos efficient than a 3 or 4 bedroom in some of these tiny popular towns and villages. I found a fantastic old home in Sarlat! Lol

neckervd

it will be rather easy to find accommodation in Italian resort towns after August 26th. But before? Good luck!

Jean

Good point from neckervd... Ferragosto is Tues., Aug. 15th.... the last big summer holiday for Italians. I don't know if the effect on lodging in the Dolomites would last until Aug. 26th, but if you have any flexibility on your dates or itinerary you should check on availability later in the month.

lrice

We don't have any flexibility this year. DD is in law school and she has a small window to get away with us. Thanks all!

Jean

Definitely look beyond just Bolzano and Ortisei... just about anywhere between (generally) Ortisei and Cortina.

scrb11

Venice and Val Gardena are not the best match.

Venice is close to Belluno and Cortina d'Ampezzo while the gateway to Val Gardena is more Verona or Innsbruck, Austria.

neckervd

Public transport is not the problem. There are trains from Venice to Bolzano or Ponte Gardena (with a train change at Verona) and connecting buses to Ortisei every hr,

scrb11

Would there be as good car rental options in Bolzano?

in case the OP doesn’t want to rely on buses in the mountains?

bvlenci

One of our relatives has an apartment in Selva, where we've stayed. It's a beautiful area, and there are various lifts there and close by. However, it is very crowded with tourists. Nearly every building in the town center is a hotel or guest house. Our relatives bought the apartment because they go skiing there and they were tired of the hassles with finding accommodation and a parking spot.

Last summer we spent several days in the Val di Zoldo, near Belluno. It's also a beautiful area, with plenty of lifts and mountain hiking possibilities, but much more peaceful and less crowded. My husband and I agree that if we were thinking of buying an apartment in the Dolomites (maybe in our next lifetime) we would prefer the Val di Zoldo to Val Gardena.

One advantage, for your purposes, is that you can drive there from Venice in an hour and a half. Also parking was not a problem there.

If you really prefer Val Gardena, I would recommend Selva rather than Ortisei. They're fairly nearby, but Selva is more "in the mountains".

I agree that the Iceman Exhibit in Bolzano is exceptional.

lrice

Hi all,

Happy New Year!

As a quick update, this trip has changed a bit. The week in the Dolomites will be 5 nights in late September. It will only be me, my husband (early 60s), and our 23-year daughter who went to Bolzano and Alpe di Siusi on a solo trip last year. We will hike 2-3 days, but I'm also interested in markets, and a day trip to Bolzano and the Ice Man exhibit. We will not have a car.

Coming from three weeks in some "To Be Determined" town in Northern Italy, I am thinking of finding an apartment in Castelrotto; maybe stay at Hotel Cavallino d'Oro (they have a couple of rooms for three people. It seems a touch bigger with more going on. More restaurants, more shops, easy access via bus to Bolzano, and walkability to Suisi, St. Valentin, and the Pglegerhof Herb Farm.

Ortisei sounds smaller, darling and a bit more upscale -- is that right? I think we might like Ortisei better, but I think we will want to take an easy bus to Bolzano for a day trip and I can't find that Ortisei offers that.

From here, we will take a train to Milan or Munich (whichever is the cheaper flight.) We will stay 2-3 nights, then head back to the U.S.

Would love any comments! Thank you!

Jean

Five nights equals 4 days. One day in Bolzano, and 2-3 days hiking. Without a car, I don't think you'll have much time for markets although there is a market in a different piazza in Bolzano every day. (I think Saturday is the biggest.)

Could you fly out of Venice? Much closer than either Munich or Malpensa.

Have you studied the public transportation routes/frequency to learn where you could explore easily in a day? By the 3rd/4th week of September, bus service won't be as frequent as in the summer. Ortisei is farther from Bolzano but closer and more accessible to some of the spectacular passes.

https://www.suedtirolmobil.info/en/m...ney/timetables [currently showing mostly timetables thru Sept. 12, 2023]

I admit a bias for driving in the Dolomites. I love crossing over the passes, hiking from the crests, and getting up-close to the mountains, not viewing them in the distance. I feel Castelrotto is barely IN the Dolomites, although I know it has its fans.

You should also know which lifts will still be operating.

scrb11

I've not been to Bolzano but I've driven out of Val Gardena a few times, driving down towards Verona.

That path goes by Bolzano.

When you get past Ortisei, you go downhill on a steep, winding road. It's narrow. Takes about 15-30 minutes I'd say and you have to concentrate.

If you're on a bus on the same road, I'd tried to sit forward as much as possible. Being at the back of a long vehicle while it winds back and forth may not be too pleasant.

I don't know about which airport to use to go to or leave from the Dolomites. If you're on the Belluno/Cortina d'Ampezzo side, Venice would be closer.

From Val di Gardena, it's either Innsbruck or Vernona. In either case, you probably would have to connect through airports in Germany or maybe Switzerland, depending on the airline.

lrice

Thanks Jean and scrb11!

It looks like the 170 goes regularly between Bolzano and Castelrotto and the 172 goes between Bastelrotto and Ortisei. (We wouldn't feel comfortable driving over passes and such.)

There is a direct train service from Munich, Innsbruck, Milan, Verona and Bologna to Bolzano. Venice will be part of this Northern Italy itinerary, so we could end our trip there and fly from Marco Polo Airport.