A DOLOMITES ROAD TRIP: 5 DAY ITINERARY
The Dolomites has been on my travel bucket list for years, and I finally got to experience it last weekend, and it did not disappoint. The almost fluorescent green alpine meadows, the huge white mountains, and turquoise blue colour of the lakes made it seem majestic, almost like a fairytale. Below I’m sharing my exact itinerary and Dolomites tips in the hope that you will go and experience it yourself. It is definitely one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited!
TIP 1: When to go? When you read blogs they always say the best time is from April - October, and I’m so glad we went towards the end of this. October was still warm [although chilly on top of some of the mountains], sunny, and it was heading into low season so less busy than peak summer. I’m not sure I’d fancy doing some of the hikes in mid thirties in July/August to be honest! I also loved how the Autumnal colours were started to show on the trees too.
Tip 2: What to bring? It depends on the time of year of course, but I’d suggest layers. We went from shorts to fleeces throughout our trip! Don’t forget a good pair of hiking shoes, re-usable bottle, and decent backpack for all your outdoor adventures.
Tip 3: Do I need wheels? The best way to see the Dolomites and all it has to offer is by wheels - it is one of those places that is just so stunning that even just a drive is enough to keep you entertained for the day. It is roughly a 20 hour drive from the UK, but as we were short on time for this trip we decided to leave my van behind and fly into Venice [you can also fly into Innsbruk in Austria] and rent a van.
As I had never been to Venice before and the pick up time for the van wasn’t until 2pm, we decided to get the bus into Venice city centre on our arrival and spend the morning exploring the beautiful floating city. It is only half an hour on a bus from the airport so is very easy to nip in for the morning [you can also leave your bags at the airport]. We had breakfast on the canal, and albeit expensive it was very stunning, and fun to watch the water bustling with gondoliers, taxi boats, and locals going about daily business. Venice is definitely worth checking out if you have the time, but now onto the best part… the Dolomites!
DAY 1:
We picked up the van from Indie Campers, whose depot is about 5 minutes from Venice airport. We went with a VW Transporter with pop up roof, and although a bigger van with a toilet and shower may have been more comfortable, the roads can get pretty narrow in the Dolomites [not to mention some Italians drive like maniacs lol] so I’m glad we opted for the smaller van. For 4 nights I could put up with wild wee-ing every night haha.
After picking up the van, we drove from Venice to Karersee Lake, and even just an hour outside of Venice the scenery becomes sky-scraping mountains and wooden alpine lodges - it is so beautiful! By the time we arrived at our destination the sun was setting and the mountains were going pink. An incredible taste of what was to come. As always, we found our spot to camp using Park4Night, and although there seemed to be loads of options we parked in a car park for vans [with no services] here: https://park4night.com/lieu/92797/ for 5 euros.
On the drive up we made a pit stop at ALDI and stocked our van fridge up, so the evening was spent cooking some dinner and chilling out.
DAY 2:
We set our alarms for 7am and walked from the van to [and around] Karersee Lake - a beautiful turquoise lake surrounded by huge pine trees. The walk there and back took us about 90mins, and once back at the van we made some breakie, and then set off for adventure number 2!
We drove 1 hour to a town called Ortisei. After parking the van in one of the many car parks there, we headed into the little town for a quick espresso at one of the local cafes, and then on to one of the many bike rental shops where we rented an E-Bike each. Now, you might think that’s pretty lazy but I’m so glad we opted for the electric bike as the cycle trail was 3 hours long, and very hilly at times - it just made the ride so much more enjoyable, so I would def recommend!
From the bike shop we cycled the small distance to the Seiser Alm cable car and rode it up the top of the mountain where the Panorama tour trail starts. It is the most incredible trail with epic views throughout. You go past the largest alpine meadow in Europe, the Alpe de Suisi, up and down mountains, past alpine restaurants, past cows, horses and goats, and all the way down to the bike shop. It took us about 4 hours with a lunch break and lots of stops for photos! This was probably my favourite thing of the whole trip, and cost about 150 Euros with the bikes and one-way cable car tickets.
After returning the bikes, we grabbed a well deserved beer and pizza in the town before heading back to the van to drive the short distance to Val di Funes to see the famous Santa Magdalena church. If you put this into Google it will take you to a small car park - park the van here and walk to the panorama viewpoint for the best view of it. The church is one of the most photographed church’s in the Dolomites [and there are a lot of churches!] and although nothing special about the actual building, the greenery of this mountain behind it was just so incredible. Definitely worth checking out!
As the sun was setting we drove on another 90 minutes to Lago di Braies, as we wanted to be there for sunrise. We arrived in the dark and stayed in this Park4Night spot [which cost 8 euros]: https://park4night.com/lieu/87549/
DAY 3:
We started the day with a sunrise hike around Lago di Braies, and I’m so glad we got up early for this. This spot is very instagram friendly, and even at 7am there were at least 20 people having their photo taken infront of the boats, but at around 10am when we had finished the hike, the crowds had really descended - like buses of them! So definately get there early, otherwise it’s just not as magical… Another tip - make sure you do the walk around the lake - I think many people probably just stop for the photo, but the lake views just got better and better as you walked around. Plus, the 90 minute hike really makes you feel like you earn the insanely naughty Nutella croissants you can get from the cafe by the church at the end :)
By this point we were needing a shower, but instead we opted to go to a day spa so we headed to Bad Moos for the rest of the day and oh.. my… god… best 45 euro’s I’ve spent! The drive was only 35 minutes, and the spa was incredible. You get given robes and slippers, and have access to the indoor and outdoor pool [complete with jacuzzi beds], as well as access to the spa which had multiple saunas, a steam room, cold plunge, and more wierd and wonderful spa areas - there was even a jet spa for your calf muscles! You also had access to the gym, a Rose Quartz relaxation room, as well as unlimited teas and cake. Seriously - best ‘shower’ of my life. The only thing to mention is - no swimming costumes or trunks allowed in the spa. You can wear a towel that they provide, but if you want to feel liberated - go naked!
After a day of relaxation, and feeling clean and refreshed we then drove an hour to the car park at Rifugio Auronzo. You have to pay a 30 euros for the toll road and this gives you 24 hours access, which includes sleeping in the van at the top. And although windy at the top, the views were absolutely insane. We went to the Rifugio Auronzo bar for a drink there that evening - you can also get food there too.
DAY 4:
We started the day with an alfresco breakie overlooking the mountain views, and then started the Tre Cime di Lavaredo hike. It takes roughly 3 hours, and you can do it clockwise or anti - either way, the trail takes you around the iconic three peaks of the Dolomites. It is classed as a ‘moderate’ hike - so it’s fairly flat throughout, with some random steep inclines/declines. Totally manageable though, and in general a pleasant hike. The views were incredible! We stopped for lunch near the end, and just soaked up the sunshine and the mountain views.
We chilled for a little bit at the van, before heading off to Cortina D’Ampezzo - a nearby luxury ski resort town [you can tell it is luxury from the calibre of shops!]. We parked at this free car park: https://park4night.com/lieu/24277/ which was by the river, and walked into town for a drink before spending the night in the van in the car park, along with a lot of other vans.
DAY 5:
In the morning we grabbed a croissant from Pasticceria in town, and then started the 3 hour drive back to Indie Campers to drop off the van. We had some time to kill before our flight home, and asked our taxi driver for a recommendation for the best pizza nearby and he did not disappoint! We got a taxi to Pizzeria Ristorante Serenella, which was about 5 minutes from the airport and stuffed ourselves full on pizza and coffee - a great way to end the trip!
And that’s it! It was pretty jam packed at times, and there was so much more we could have done and seen - but for a short trip, we did and saw plenty! I completely fell in love with the scenery, and was in complete awe of the colours, especially of the meadows. I hope that the above inspires you to book a trip, and hope you love it as much as I did.
Feel free to send me a message on social if you have any questions!
Ciao for now :)