The Val Gardena is easily and quickly reached by bus from Bolzano, a beautiful small city filled with plazas and museums. You'll start with 2 nights in Selva, a tiny village at the upper end of the Val Gardena, with miles of hiking trails radiating in every direction. This will be followed by 3 days (2 nights) of hut-to-hut hiking high above the valley, overnighting in remote mountain inns - the tidy Tyrolean Plattkofel hut and historic mountaintop Schlern hut. Then you'll circle back to the Gardena valley for 2 nights in Ortisei, a charming village with narrow cobblestoned streets lined with elegant shops. Both of our mountain inns feature private rooms, indoor bathrooms (Plattkofel has showers as well), and delicious home-cooked meals. Our standard tour features comfortable 3-star village hotels, while the deluxe tour opts for more luxurious 4-star hotels in Selva and Ortisei, with beautiful pools and spas, and great food. You won't want to leave!

Your 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 you the energy needed for the day ahead. Before setting out on your hike, visit a bakery and market for lunch supplies, or bring some money for a stop in one of the alpine restaurants along your route. Soon, you'll be out on the trail for 6-8 hours, with many hiking options to choose from. You'll carry extra clothes in your daypacks for the 2 nights in huts, and your luggage will be transported for you from Selva to Ortisei.

You should finish your 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, you'll enjoy dinner at your hotel restaurant. These are multi-course feasts, often featuring delicious local Austrian and Italian specialties. Our hotels all serve fabulous food, and dinners will be hearty, filling, well-earned and very delicious.

The Dolomites is truly a special region. With gorgeous hotels charming villages 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, where you'll be met by a private taxi that takes you to Selva. Bolzano is a pleasant city with large squares, outdoor markets, and an captivating natural history museum (home of the famous Ötzi iceman), and a night or two here makes a natural pre-tour or post-tour extension. Arrive in Selva with time to wander the village and enjoy the crisp air and dramatic views from town. (Selva)
Day 2 Selva is surrounded by pleasant hiking trails and is blessed with beautiful views from every corner. A dramatic first dayhike leads you through the U-shaped Vallunga valley, and up to the Coaz hut, perched on a high, rocky shelf. Return to Selva for a 2nd night. (Selva)
Day 3 Pack extra clothes for 2 nights away, and leave your remaining luggage to be transported to Ortisei. Hiking hut-to-hut, you'll hike high above the valley on a circuit of the towering Sassolungo mountain group, to rifugio Plattkofel, a cozy mountain inn tucked away on the edge of the rocky group. Rifugio Plattkofel is more a small mountain hotel than a hut, with private rooms, hot showers and great food. (Plattkofel hut)
Day 4 Continue on a rolling high-level traverse hemmed in by rocky towers. Today's hike is relatively easy, with very little altitude gain and loss, and this enjoyable walk takes you past the Tierser hut, perfectly placed for lunch, to Schlernhaus, an historic mountain inn atop the mighty Schlern peak, with breathtaking views in every direction. Schlernhaus is a lodge-style inn built in the late 1800's, and is spectacular. You'll have private rooms but no showers tonight. (Schlernhaus)
Day 5 An easy downhill traverse of the Alpe di Siusi, the largest mountain meadow in the Alps, promises more panoramic views of the region, eventually leading to a gondola that whisks you down to Ortisei. Numerous trails give you options for longer or shorter hikes. You'll finish the day in the village of Ortisei, with a charming, pedestrians-only main road, and a wide range of classy hotels and shops. (Ortisei)
Day 6 On your last day, start with a cablecar ride to a ridge high above town. Here, one of our favorite hikes in the valley takes you through the high scenic meadow trails of Seceda, beneath the rugged Geisler mountains, where you can look back across the valley on almost your entire route. In the evening, you can unwind and enjoy the gourmet cuisine at your tasteful village hotel. (Ortisei)
Day 7 After breakfast, your taxi driver will meet you at your hotel to take you back to Bolzano.

sign up now

Prefer a village-based self-guided tour? See our Self-guided Dolomites Dayhikes, a 6-night hiking tour based in Ortisei.

All self-guided tours include hiking maps, detailed route descriptions (including longer, shorter, and rainy day options), train schedules, sightseeing suggestions, and lots of useful information to help ensure a successful trip. You'll also have a local contact to call if you have any questions or problems during your trip. The taxi transfers are optional, and can be left off if you prefer to take the local busses for a more affordable tour.

Not included are lunches, drinks with dinners, travel on busses or cablecars to and from trailheads, or extras charged to your room (such as laundry, internet, etc).

Availability is limited in August, but is usually possible to arrange. Our 4-star hotel on the deluxe Dolomites tour are wonderful, but Ortisei also has a pair of absolutely superb 5-star hotels that can be a very worthwhile splurge for a luxurious vacation. Please ask if you're interested.

If you'd like to lengthen or shorten this tour, upgrade hotels, or create a customized tour of the Dolomites from scratch, let us know. We have extensive experience in many parts of the Dolomites, and will be happy to work with you to build the hiking vacation that best suits your needs.

Learn more about custom and self-guided tours