Arrive in Italy and transfer by train to Bolzano, your gateway to the Italian Dolomites. Bolzano is a pleasant city with large squares, outdoor markets, and an captivating natural history museum (home of the Ötzi iceman) and is worth a stop if you have extra time.

Arrival: Bolzano. We’ll arrange a private taxi to pick you up in Bolzano, and take you on the 50 minute trip to Ortisei, a charming village with narrow, cobblestoned streets lined with elegant shops – and your base for hiking for the next few days.  We normally plan this trip for a 5 pm pickup in Bolzano, but this can be adjusted to suit your schedule.

Ortisei is surrounded by pleasant hiking trails and is blessed with beautiful views from every corner. One favorite hike takes you up to the Seiser Alm, or Alpe di Siusi, the largest high alpine meadow in the Alps. Siusi is threaded with trails of all varieties, with gorgeous views of the Sassolungo and Sassopiatto group, and the massive Schlern mountain.

Walk through flower-filled meadows, past alpine farms and huts, perhaps stopping in for a special gourmet lunch at a favorite local restaurant. In the evening, you can unwind in the sauna or pool in Ortisei, and enjoy the gourmet cuisine at your tasteful hotel.

Another favorite hike starts right from town through a hidden valley behind Ortisei. Hike up through wooded trails past the oldest chapel in the valley, gaining more and more spectacular views as you ascend. An optional detour brings you to the Pic mountaintop for a 360-degree panorama.  Now through the Seceda meadow, a variety of trails lead past alpine farms and huts where you can stop for lunch.

Options include hiking down to the village of Selva, where you return to Ortisei by bus, or continuing up toward the jagged and famous Odle mountain group, where a cable car whisks you back to Ortisei.

Today’s hike starts with a funicular train ride to a ridge high above town, and hike through high scenic meadows.  We love hiking to the Brogles hut, where you can scan practically the entire Gardena valley and gaze upon the jagged needles of the Puez-Odle peaks towering over the Funes valley.

A quiet trail from here brings you back down to a gondola to Ortisei. In the evening, spend some time exploring town.  Dinner will be on your own tonight in Ortisei.

We’ll send a private taxi to your hotel to pick you and and take you one valley to the east, the Alta Badia region, and the pleasant little village of San Cassiano.

If you’d like to hike today, a long and beautiful trail leads you through the U-shaped Vallunga valley, up to the Gardena pass, and down to Corvara in the Alta Badia region.  We can arrange for your taxi to meet you here.

Alta Badia, is a wide valley with numerous hiking possibilities. The meadows of Pralongia above town beckon with miles of trails, and surprising views in all directions.  Take a gondola up to the meadow and walk along scenic trails to the Pralongia hut, for a delicious lunch.

This is also a popular biking area, and you can rent e-bikes in San Cassiano.

A big uphill hike heads south from San Cassiano into a dramatic valley through the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park and up to the famous Lagazuoi hut. Lagazuoi was the scene of fierce fighting during WWI, and many trenches and tunnels remain to this day, with informational placards describing life as a soldier on the front.

It’s also a beautiful hike in its own right, passing the friendly Scotoni hut, a small lake, and gaining incredible views from Lagazuoi itself. From the top, a cable car brings you down to a bus to return to the valley below.

You’ll start today with a short bus ride, and then a breezy gondola high above the nearby town of Badia to the small chapel of la Crusc. A very pleasant trail starts below the mountains and offers delightful views as it traverses the hillsides back down to San Cassiano.

Dinner will be on your own to explore in San Cassiano.

After breakfast, your taxi driver will meet you at your hotel to take you back to Bolzano or Bressanone. Alternate final destinations can be arranged on a custom basis.

Departure: A private taxi to Bolzano, a 1½ hr trip, is included in your tour.  We normally book a 9:00 am taxi, although this can be adjusted to fit your schedule. We can book additional taxis or custom travel to other destinations, at extra cost, if needed.  Venice is 3 hrs from San Cassiano by taxi, and is the closest major airport.