Dolomites Travel Guide
Dolomites Travel Guide
The Dolomites are a stunning mountain range in Northeast Italy. This region of Italy has become immensely popular with outdoor enthusiasts. It features epic hikes, stunning ski resorts, cute fairytale towns, boutique hotels featuring epic views.
This unique region in Northern Italy is part of South Tyrol & you’ll find a mix of German and Italian influence (and will hear both languages spoken) making it very different than the rest of Italy. Also you’ll notice every town in the Dolomites has both an Italian and German name (which can be a bit confusing if signs only have one) so it’s good to know both.
Jump To:
- *Backpacks & Bubbly – Top Picks for Drinks With A View*
- Where to Stay in the Dolomites
- Best Things to do in the Dolomites
- Getting Around the Dolomites
- When to Visit the Dolomites
- How Long to Spend in the Dolomites
- Safety for Solo Female Travel in the Dolomites
- Dolomites – Top Blog Posts
Disclaimer: This article contains some links where I earn commission through booking. There is no extra cost to you, and I only recommend things I’ve used and love or places I’ve stayed and enjoyed!
*Backpacks & Bubbly – Top Picks for Drinks With A View*
The Dolomites cover a massive area, so picking just one spot for drinks with views is a bit of a challenge since there is no shortage of epic mountain views. A few of my favorites are:
Parkhotel Holzner – Bolzano
From downtown Bolzano there is a cable car that brings you up to a tiny little town, Soprabolzano, the cable car only takes about 15 minutes one way and costs 10 euro round trip. It’s also free with the Bolzano card.
Parkhotel Holzner is a stunning hotel right near the station with a restaurant open to the public that offers a patio with the most stunning Dolomite views.
Jimmi Hütte – Selva di Val Gardena
Jimmi Hütte is located up in the mountains and also needs to be accessed via cable car, the views are so worth it. From Selva di Val Gardena, take the Dantercepies gondola up, you’ll need to walk about 10 minutes to get to Jimmi Hütte.
Bar Cima Tofana – Cortina d’Ampezzo
At the Cima Tofana mountain station you’ll find Bar Cima Tofana, which offers some of the most stunning views in the Dolomites. To get there you’ll start in Cortina d’Ampezzo and ake a series of cable cars to reach Cima Tofana.
Where to Stay in the Dolomites
The Dolomites don’t look like a super large area on a map, but the area is bigger than it seems, and the winding mountain roads mean navigating from town to town can take much longer than it looks on a map.
There are a few main towns in the Dolomites I recommend staying in, but I’d make your decision based off what you’re trying to see, how much driving you’re willing to do & how long you have.
Bolzano (Bozen)
Bolzano is often referred to as the gateway to the Dolomites. I loved this town and have stayed there twice this year. It can be reached via train and you can rent a car in Bolzano for visiting the highlights of the Dolomites. This charming town has tons of hotels, restaurants, and a cable car that brings you up into the mountains for some of the most stunning views.
- Parhotel Laurin – upscale, conveniently located, on-site restaurants, great breakfast, patio & on site bar
- Hotel Greif – mid-upscale, conveniently located, great breakfast
Brixen (Bressanone)
Brixen is one of the oldest and most beautiful towns in the South Tyrol/Dolomite area. It makes for a great home base for exploring the Dolomites.
Selva di Val Gardena
Selva di Val Gardena is a town located in the Western side of the Dolomites that is another great option. It is one of the most picturesque areas of the Dolomites and has plenty to offer for hotels and restaurants. This is one of the best areas in the Dolomites to stay for skiing and snowboarding.
Cortina d’Ampezzo
Cortina d’Ampezzo is a great location for exploring some of the highlights of the eastern Dolomites. It’s one of the larger towns, which means it has more to offer in terms of accommodations and restaurants for all budgets.
Merano
Merano is technically located in the Italian Alps, slightly west of the Dolomites, but has one of my favorite mountain hotels in that area. Staying in Merano will mean a bit more driving for hitting some of the highlights of the Dolomites, but it’s only 30 minutes from Bolzano.
- Miramonti Boutique Hotel – this stunning boutique 5 star resort offers epic mountain views from every room, two infinity pools, multiple saunas, a cold plunge pool, on-site restaurant and more. I cannot recommend this hotel enough!
Best Things to do in the Dolomites
Take the Cable Car & Scenic Train in Bolzano
Bolzano has a cable car that leads to some of my favorite Dolomites views! The cable car is about a 5 minute walk from the main train station in Bolzano. The cable car takes about 15 minutes to the top. A round trip ticket is ten euros, for 16 you can add on a ticket for the train at the top. The scenic train navigates between a few small mountain towns and offers amazing views of the Dolomites.
There are also a few great hotel restaurants to grab a meal or drinks with views at the top of the mountain.
See the Infamous Lago di Braies (Pragser Wildsee)
You’ve probably seen Lago di Braies on instagram at one point or another. This alpine lake features some of the most picturesque turquoise water with the Dolomites looming in the background. In the summer the lake also has a series of wooden rowboats that you can rent, or just take cute pictures of.
I visited in the spring, so the boats weren’t in the water yet, the lake wasn’t also completely full yet as the snow hadn’t fully melted!
Even in the shoulder season, this place was busy midday! So I can only imagine how the summer is. I would try to get there earlier in the AM if possible. There’s a few parking lots right near by, You’ll need to pay a couple euro an hour for parking.
Visit Seceda
Seceda is one of the the Dolomite’s most popular viewpoints, and is definitely worth the trip! It is accessed by cable car from Ortisei (Urtijëi) There is plenty of parking in the area around the cable car. From the top of the cable car you only need to walk about 10 minutes or so to the viewpoint.
Explore Charming Vipiteno (Sterzing)
Vipiteno is one of the cutest towns in the Dolomites. The charming medieval town features a series of colorful buildings, making it look like something out of a storybook!
Take the Cable Car to Jimmi Hütte
Jimmi Hütte offers some of the best views in the Dolomites and is well worth a trip! To get to Jimmi Hütte you’ll need to take the Dantercepies cable car from Selva di Val Gardena. From the cable car station at the top you’ll need to hike about 10 minutes to Jimmi Hütte.
Drive the Scenic Passo Gardena
Driving anywhere in the Dolomites offers a series of epic views, but there are a few mountain roads or passes that offer some of the best views. Passo Gardena was my particular favorite. These roads are windy and full of hairpin turns, so go slow, you’ll want to anyways to enjoy the view!
Find the Panoramic Viewpoint in St. Magdalena
St. Magdalena is a one of the most picaresque towns in the Dolomites that offers views of rolling hills, charming churches with the epic backdrop of the rocky Dolomites on a clear day. Google maps has a few of the various viewpoints in St. Magdaela marked, so you can find them there! This town can be reached by car and some of the viewpoints need to be accessed by foot.
Venture to Cima Tofana Mountain Station
Cima Tofana is another one of the best viewpoints in the Dolomites, you’ll need to take a cable car to reach this one as well. It involves taking a series of cable cars from Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Visit Lago di Carezza (Pragser Karersee)
Lago di Carezza is one of the most beautiful lakes in the Dolomites. It’s a classic alpine lake with turquoise waters, pine trees, and the Dolomites in the backdrop. I was unfortunately there on a cloudy day, so you couldn’t really see the mountains in the backdrop.
Go Skiing/Snowboarding
The Dolomites has some of the best skiing and snowboarding in Europe. There are 12 main resorts in the region and they’re covered under the same Dolomites Super Ski pass. Some of the most popular of those 12 are
- Cortina d’Ampezzo
- Alta Badia
- Val Gardena
When to Visit the Dolomites
For Hiking
June – October are when the hiking trails will be open as there will be no snow in the mountains.
For Skiing
Mid December to Early April is when the ski resorts are open. There will be limited snow and certain areas will be close at the beginning and end of each season
April, May & November
Shoulder season in the Dolomites can be a good time to visit if you’re looking to save some money and are ok with not skiing or hiking. I visited in April and saw tons of stuff by driving, also I was able to splurge on a 5 star accommodation.
How Long to Spend in the Dolomites
3-4 days
Depending on what you want to do, how long you should stay in the Dolomites varies. 3 or 4 days gives you plenty of time to drive to all the highlights and do a few short hikes or spend a day skiing. If you’re an avid hiker or skiier you may need more time!
Getting Around the Dolomites
I definitely recommend renting a car for getting around the Dolomites. It’s a bit of a remote region and public transportation exists between the major cities and towns, but to see a lot of the top sites you need your own car. Also the drives are some of the most scenic parts of the Dolomites!
Safety for Solo Female Travel in the Dolomites
4 out of 5
The Dolomites and the towns in the region are very safe! The only reason I don’t give it a 5 out of 5 is that a lot of the activities involve hiking, skiing or driving on windy mountain roads and areas with no service. All of which are fine to do alone, just make sure someone knows where you are!
