Our typical day starts with a delicious buffet breakfast at our hotel - a feast of freshly baked bread and croissants, local meats and cheeses, cereal, fruit, eggs made to order, coffee and freshly squeezed juice - which gives us the energy needed for the task ahead. Soon we'll be out on the trail, where you'll get to choose between an easier or more strenuous hike for the day. Each morning, you'll be handed a lunch to carry, and at a mid-point along the way we'll choose a beautiful spot to stop and enjoy our picnic. We get a lot of compliments on our imaginative lunches - making them something to look forward to as well!

We should finish our hike around 4 pm, giving you time to wash up, relax, perhaps settle into the pool, or just gaze upon the outside panorama from your room balcony. After that, we'll enjoy dinner together at our hotel's fabulous restaurant. These are multi-course feasts, often featuring delicious local Austrian and Italian specialties.

The Dolomites is truly a special region, and with a gorgeous hotel and charming village to go with and numerous exciting hikes, this Dolomites tour will make an unforgettable vacation.

Day 1 Arrive in Italy and transfer by train to Bolzano, our meeting point in the Italian Dolomites. Bolzano is a pleasant city with large squares, outdoor markets, and an captivating natural history museum (home of the famous Ötzi iceman). After we meet, we'll have a wonderful welcome dinner and settle in to Bolzano hotel for the night.(Hotel Citta)
Days 2-4 Transfer in the morning to Ortisei, a lovely Ladin village flanked on all sides by superb hiking areas. We'll spend these days exploring the area around Ortisei. Some of our hiking choices include the Alpe di Siusi (the largest mountain meadow in the Alps), which is crossed by a number of easy to moderate trails. Another option is the quiet, narrow Vallongia valley in the nearby Sella range, leading to an impressive loop to a hut high in the mountains, or the dramatic circuit of the towering Langkofel group. In the evening, you can unwind in the sauna or pool and enjoy the gourmet cuisine at our tasteful and luxurious 4-star hotel. (Hotel Grones)
Days 5-6 Some of the group may choose to stay in Ortisei for dayhikes (we'll be booked through for all 5 days), while others may prefer to head out for a night to a remote mountain hut. Return to the Hotel Grones via alternate trails the next day. I've listed our optional hut night as day 5, but depending on weather, we may move that to another day.
Day 7 Today we say arrivederci, and depart for our post-tour destinations.

sign up now

Arrive:	Plan to arrive June 29 at the latest (flights from the US would depart the day before). The closest airports are Innsbruck, Verona and Venice, but Munich is also convenient. There is a train station at the airport that will take you to Bolzano/Bozen. The Swiss Card rail pass is not useful for this tour and you should buy tickets as you go instead.
Depart:	Plan departure for July 6 at the earliest. If you have a morning flight, plan on 1 night at a hotel in your departure city.
Note:	Those in the group who signed up early will be in the Hotel Gardena, and anyone joining from April on will be in the Hotel Grones. We will eat our dinners together at the Gardena, but breakfast will be at whichever hotel you're staying in. The price of $2395 reflects a $300 discount over the original, Hotel Gardena-based tour