Nothing prepares you for the otherworldly beauty of the Dolomites, whose sheer pink and yellow limestone pinnacles tower like monuments over quaint villages, flowery meadows, wooded valleys, and sun-soaked trails. Italian, Austrian, and ancient Ladin cultures intermingle peacefully in the small, scattered villages in this mountainous corner of Italy. The Dolomites also boast a surprising variety of beautiful wildflowers in the grassy meadows below the mountains. This inn-to-inn tour makes a circuit the Val Gardena, our favorite corner of the Dolomites.

Our tour begins in Bolzano, a beautiful small city filled with plazas and museums, where you'll catch a 1 hour bus to Ortisei, also known by its Tyrolean name of Sankt Ulrich. Ortisei is a charming village in the heart of the very traditional Val Gardena, with miles of hiking trails radiating in every direction. We'll start with 2 nights Ortisei, followed by 2 nights in remote mountain inns, including the historic mountaintop Schlern hut, and finish with 2 more nights Ortisei. Both of our mountain inns feature private rooms, and our 3-star hotel in Ortisei serves as a comfortable and welcoming base.

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, 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!

For our hikes, we'll have 2 loop dayhikes from Ortisei, bookending an unforgettable 3-day inn-to-inn circuit of the valley. There are many route options, and a lot of flexibility to the hikes, and we should finish each day 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 restaurants. These are multi-course feasts, often featuring delicious local Austrian and Italian specialties.

The Dolomites is truly a special region. With beautiful inns and hikes, this Dolomites tour will make an unforgettable vacation.

Day 1 Arrive in Italy and transfer by train to Bolzano, your gateway to the Dolomites. Bolzano is a pleasant city with large squares, outdoor markets, and a captivating natural history museum (home of the famous Ötzi iceman). From here, you'll take a bus to Ortisei, a charming village with narrow cobblestoned streets lined with elegant shops. We'll enjoy a wonderful welcome dinner and settle in to our comfortable and friendly 3-star hotel for the night.(Hotel Stetteneck)
Day 2 Ortisei is surrounded by pleasant hiking trails and is blessed with beautiful views from every corner. For our first dayhike, we may choose to hike through the U-shaped Langenthal valley, or into the Puez-Odle National Park. Return to Ortisei for a 2nd night. (Hotel Stetteneck)
Days 3-4 Hiking hut-to-hut, we'll head up through a narrow gorge to Schlern hut, an historic mountain inn atop the mighty Schlern peak, with breathtaking views in every direction. We'll have private rooms but no showers at Schlern hut. After a night here, we'll continue on a high-level traverse above the Alpe di Siusi, the largest mountain meadow in the Alps, to the towering Sassolungo mountain group, to rifugio Plattkofel, a remote inn tucked away on the edge of the rocky group, with private rooms and showers. (rifugios Plattkofel and Schlern)
Days 5-6 A rugged traverse around the Sassolungo group brings us to the beautiful Sella pass, where we'll catch a bus or hike back down to Ortisei. On our last day, we like the hike through the high scenic meadow trails of Seceda, where we can look back on almost our entire route. In the evening, you can unwind in the village sauna or pool and enjoy the excellent cuisine at our tasteful 3-star hotel. (Hotel Stetteneck)
Day 7 Today we say arrivederci, and depart for our post-tour destinations.

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