The Dolomites

The Dolomites take 4–5 days from two bases: Cortina for the eastern part and Ortisei in Val Gardena for the western one. The season is Jun–Sep for hiking; Dec–Mar for skiing, and the region has no airport of its own.

The region has no airport of its own, so you come in from two directions. The eastern part is built around Cortina d'Ampezzo, reached by bus from Venice, and the western part around Val Gardena, reached from Bolzano. Public transport is Cortina Express bus (Venice–Cortina); SAD line 350 bus (Bolzano–Ortisei), and the ride takes about 2 h 10 to Cortina. Distances inside the region are long, so a day is planned around a single spot.

From Cortina the first road leads to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo: it is 14 km to Misurina. A seasonal toll road with mandatory booking reaches the trailhead, and the loop trail around the three peaks takes 3–4 h (loop trail around the peaks). Next comes Lago di Braies, about 46 km from Cortina. In high season only one combined ticket applies there, with limited hours; the details are in the Lago di Braies card.

The rest of the eastern part is two places that work very differently. The Giau Pass is a mountain pass, 43 km from Cortina, that you cross by car without a ticket; you stop at the top, look and drive on. The Marmolada is the highest peak in the Dolomites at 3,343 metres, and a cable car runs from Malga Ciapela up to Punta Rocca, 43–46 km from Cortina.

The western part starts with the move to Ortisei, about 65 km from Cortina. From there a cable car goes up the Seceda in two stages, and a separate one from Siusi reaches the Alpe di Siusi plateau. The plateau is the largest high alpine pasture in Europe, and walking or cycling onto it is free. Bolzano is about 40 km from Ortisei, so this side combines easily with a day in the town at the bottom of the valley.

With fewer days you stay with one base. With more, you move from east to west partway through the stay; the whole way from Cortina to Bolzano is 131 km.