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Dolomites Val Gardena & Ampezzo

The Dolomites mountains of northern Italy are so spectacular they’ve been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s a vast area with nine sub-regions, so we have a number of itineraries  that offer fantastic hiking with a delicious meal and comfortable hotel at the end of the day. See below for one of our favorites.
Duration: 7 nights/8 days
Dates: 2024: July 7-14
Trip starts/ends: Bressanone 6 p.m. Day 1 / Venice airport or train station around 11 a.m. Day 8
Activity level: 3+/4 – HIKE: Classical hiking with rough and rocky terrain, sustained hills, and more mileage. We can also develop easier 3+ departures. [more info]
Group size: min 4 - max 14

Highlights

  • Hike past fields of wildflowers, deep pine forests, charming mountain huts and the picturesque villages of this amazing Unesco World Heritage Site
  • Admire the dramatic jagged peaks formed by fossilized coral reefs
  • Enjoy hearty and delicious Tyrolean-Italian fusion cuisine
  • Explore the picturesque villages of the Val Gardena and Val d’Ampezzo
  • Tour the remains of WW I bunkers and tunnels and learn about the area’s fascinating history
  • Experience authentic South Tyrolean cuisine, from dumplings and strudel to hearty pastas
  • Learn about the traditional Ladin culture, who even have their own language

Trip price includes

  • 7 nights in 3 and 4-star hotels
  • 7 breakfasts and 5 dinners
  • all visits and transfers as per itinerary
  • gondolas and chairlifts as per itinerary
  • at least 1 bilingual guide to accompany you throughout the week

Not included

  • all lunches
  • drinks other than water at meals
  • anything not mentioned in the inclusions

ITINERARY

Day 1: Independent arrival in Bressanone

Make your way to the delightful city of Bressanone (or Brixen in its German form), which is accessible by train from Milan (4 hrs), Venice (3.5 hrs) or Innsbruck (Austria, 1.5 hrs). The city’s history goes back thousands of years as it lies at the confluence of two rivers and is on an important route through the Alps, so take some time this afternoon to wander the colorful streets and admire the Medieval-Baroque architecture. Overnight Bressanone. Hotel included.

Days 2-4: Arrival and hiking around Ortisei

A short transfer takes you to the start of your first hike to breathe in the fresh mountain air and then enjoy two days of fabulous hiking with some of the best views in Europe. We take chairlifts and buses to start our hikes and enjoy the fresh air at altitudes upwards of 2,500 m (8,200 ft). Hike past spiky limestone massifs with towering pinnacles that jut up into the sky. We stop for lunch every day at welcoming mountain huts that surprisingly put out some of the best pastas and soups we’ve ever had! Top it off with a piece of pie and an espresso and you’re good to go for another few hours! Relax post-hike at the hotel pool or with a soak in the spa. We dine together again every evening. 3 nights Ortisei.

 

Days 5-7: Transfer and hike around the Val d’Ampezzo

You’ll see the scenery shift as we head east into the Veneto region but the scenery is no less dramatic. Hike around the Cinque Torri (the “Five Towers,” a group of vertical rocks that draw rock-climbers from around the world) and the nearby Nuvolau peak. You can also explore the open-air WWI museum which bears witness to the harrowing battles that were fought here in trenches and tunnels. Our other hikes take you through vast meadows and pine forests in an unspoiled natural protected area. Relax back at the hotel sauna before dinner. 3 nights Cortina.

 

Day 8: Tour Ends

Your tour ends this morning with a 2-hr transfer to the international airport in Venice. Let us know if you’d like us to schedule a few days here for you!

 

from €3,650
[info on prices]

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Activity Levels

Some tours have a range of activity levels through the week, where some walks may be more challenging than others, but this will give you a general idea of the type of walking/hiking involved on your tour.

1 – EASY: City walking, all or mostly paved, minimal climbing
2 – GENTLE: Moderate hills & easy terrain
3 – MODERATE: Some sustained hills with occasional steep grades on a mix of terrains
4 – HIKE: Classic hiking with rough/rocky terrain, sustained hills, and longer mileage
5 – CHALLENGING: Challenging hiking with steep climbs and descents over rocky terrain and some longer mileage

See below for more detail:

1 – EASY: City walking, all or mostly paved, with minimal climbing (though some cities may have steeper inclines). Archaeological sites may be unpaved but the grades and difficulty level is easy. TOURS: Sicily Coast-to-Coast and any “light active” version of a tour

2 – GENTLE: Moderate hills & easy terrain
The terrain is easy to navigate with packed earth or gravel roads. There are some climbs but nothing too challenging. TOURS: Tuscany, Puglia, Provence
[2+ The “plus” indicates more challenging terrain though the walks are gentle].

3 – MODERATE: Some sustained hills with occasional steep grades and rocky terrain
Here you find a mix of terrain with some steep stretches.
TOURS: Corsica, Sardinia, some of the Dolomites tours, and some hikes on the Greek Islands
[3+ The plus indicates rockier terrain or lots of stone steps (Amalfi, the Cinque Terre) or greater elevation gain/loss (the Dolomites)].

4 — HIKE: Classical hiking with rough terrain, sustained hills, and more mileage. These hikes are on a mix of rough terrain, sometimes involving steep stretches and difficult footing. TOURS: some of our hikes in Sardinia, some of the days in the Cinque Terre, some of the variants of our Dolomites tours.

5 – CHALLENGING: Longer days, challenging climbs, rocky terrain. We don’t do a lot of seriously challenging tours but we do have a Dolomites trip where we hike from hut to hut, so that’s probably the closest we get to a 5.

Info on prices

Some prices indicated on our website are for 2023 while others are already for 2024, and they all depend on the number of sign-ups and other factors (hotels, activities, and inclusions that may change with each departure) so please contact us for details.