trek itinerary… pre-trek info… book
Let the cable car take the strain! A super network of cable cars, chairlifts and a funicular railway makes day walks from the sublime Val Gardena area accessible to all. From easy strolls to full-on mountain trekking paths, tell us what you want and we’ll create the perfect mountain holiday for you – whether you have children with you or you’re looking for hard days of mountain hiking, or full-on action with bikes and vie ferrate.
We know that some of you prefer to have a base for your holiday, rather than trekking hut to hut, so we have included our Dolomites Day Walks itinerary, based in the spectacular Gardena Valley, located in North-East Italy. Base yourself in one of the three villages which make up the Val Gardena – Ortisei, Santa Cristina or Selva di Val Gardena. Why not stay in our preferred family-run boutique alpine hotel, hosted by the adorable Mjriam? All the villages offer hiking trails from the doorstep, and all are part of the integrated transport system which means a car really isn’t required.
This walking holiday can be either guided or self-guided, and is perfect for those preferring to have the flexibility to pick from a range of easier or harder day hikes. You can choose how long you would like to stay – we suggest at least a week to give you a good chance to explore some of the paths in each of the various walking areas around the Gardena Valley, but shorter or longer trips are also very possible.
The Val Gardena area is one of our very favourite parts of the Italian Dolomites. The Sella Massif the Sasso Piatto, Sasso Lungo, the spikes of the Odles Peaks, and Marmolada, the highest peak in the Dolomites all surround the walks and bike rides in this immaculately-kept valley, with its gorgeous hotels and manicured window-boxes of flowers.
The Val Gardena is immersed in some of the most stunning scenery that the Italian Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site has to offer. Cable cars take you swiftly up from Selva di Val Gardena to the area of the Sasso Piatto and Sasso Lungo where you can find gentle or hard walks, and the famous Sella Massif with 3152m Piz Boe dominates the end of the valley looking down over the charming town of Selva di Val Gardena.
The gentle walks of the Alpe de Siusi area are easily accessible by cable car from the Ortisei in the Gardena valley, as is the wonderful Puez-Odles Nature Park area with its striking needle-like Odles peaks – this basin is a particular favourite of ours!
The Alta Via 2 passes through the Val Gardena area, and offers some challenging walks and some via ferrata for those that are willing and able!
This trip truly offers you the chance to be flexible to choose what you do each day. As the valley area is linked by a fantastic, integrated network of cable cars and a funicular railway, together with a frequent and free bus system which make getting around easy. You can get passes for the cable cars for unlimited use over a period of several days, or you can pay for them individually. All this makes it a great destination for people who want to have the chance to shorten walks, catch up with their friends, wait, sunbathe or meet up at one of the many excellent mountain-top cafes, restaurants and refuges.
There really is something for everyone in this part of the Italian Dolomites. Ann Foulkes, owner of trekMountains has led day walks in this area for several years, and knows it extremely well, so we can offer you a programme tailored to your needs, with differently graded walks in all the walking areas for each day of your walking holiday. In that way, there is the option if your party prefers different types of walk that some of you can do the harder walks and some the easier walks in the same area as each other. This means that you can be as flexible as is possible, and meet up at key places, perhaps to share lunch or a beer immersed in the Alpine scenery.
We can offer a full programme of easier and harder day walks with full turn-by-turn instructions and maps, and information about the bus and cable car and funicular railway options that are open to you. You won’t need a car there at all! We genuinely love this area, and strongly recommend it to you. It is a fabulous area – we promise you – you won’t be disappointed!
Watch our video about Trekking in the Dolomites of Italy:
Self-guided or guided?
We offer this trip both guided and self-guided. Self-guided trips can be run for 1 person or more.
Dates:
The trip can be run between late June and late September on dates to suit you.
Price:
The price of your trip will depend on the type of accommodation that you prefer, your preferred length of trip and whether you want to do the trip guided or self-guided. Please contact us for more information – we’ll chat with you about what your preferences are and give you a quotation accordingly.
Click on the links below for more information about the Dolomites Val Gardena Day Walks hiking holiday:
