{"id":309201,"date":"2025-11-21T17:38:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T17:38:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/how-to-visit-the-dolomites\/"},"modified":"2025-11-21T17:38:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T17:38:41","slug":"how-to-visit-the-dolomites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=309201","title":{"rendered":"How to Visit the Dolomites"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The Dolomites<\/h2>\n

Several years ago I visited the Dolomites for the first time with my family, splitting our time between Val di Fassa<\/a> and Val di Fiemme<\/a>. I absolutely loved the trip, but I admit that I still didn\u2019t have a good feel for the Dolomites overall. There are 12 major ski areas, 7 nature parks, and dozens of peaks and valleys. Planning a trip as a first-time visitor can be overwhelming. Visit Trentino helped organize our first trip \u2013 otherwise I would have had no idea where to start. <\/p>\n

This year three friends and I wanted to visit the Dolomites, so I found myself starting from scratch. How do we get there? Do we need a car? Where should we base? What hikes should we do? This is how we organized an amazing four days. Hopefully it helps you plan your trip! <\/p>\n

Where to Stay in the Dolomites<\/h2>\n

One thing that I did right on this trip is that I found Cyprianerhof Dolomit Resort<\/a>, and I booked it because the setting looked amazing, it had good reviews, and it was family-run. I\u2019m so glad I found it. If you search TripAdvisor for Dolomites hotels, well, good luck. It\u2019s not as easy as most places in the world \u2013 you really need to know the different areas and towns and then search within them. And like I said, I still don\u2019t have a good feel for all of the various areas, even as a travel writer. So dive in and research, or copy my homework and simply book Cyprianerhof.<\/p>\n

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\"Dolomites:\"Dolomites:
Arriving at Cyprianerhof. Those are the only clouds we would see all week.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

How to get to Cyprianerhof<\/h2>\n

Once I chose Cyprianerhof<\/a>, I had to figure out how to get there. Luckily it was fairly easy. I chose to fly into Venice, spend a few days there (since my friends had never been), and then take a train to Bolzano, the closest major train city to the hotel. We took a water taxi from our Venice hotel to the train station (highly recommended), got on the 10:48am train to Verona, and then connected to a Bolzano-bound train, getting in exactly three hours later at 1:48pm. I always book Italian trains directly at trenitalia.com<\/a>, and then use the TrenItalia app to access the tickets. Otherwise you can simply pull up the PDF of the tickets from your email when the ticket checkers come around. <\/p>\n

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\"Venice\"Venice
Venice is always fun for a couple days, especially in the spring and fall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Arriving\"Arriving
Arriving in Bolzano, one of the major gateways to the Dolomites<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

At the Bolzano train station I had pre-arranged for a rental car to be waiting for us. That seemed to be the only reasonable option, since otherwise there are no rental companies within easy walking distance. I booked through toRent Bolzano<\/a> based on really good reviews online. It was seamless \u2013 they texted me in advance with the exact parking space in front of the train station, and a rep was waiting to give us the keys. We were at the hotel half an hour later. I should note that the car was expensive, \u20ac468 for four days. That included insurance and an early-morning drop off, but was still a lot more expensive than I\u2019m used to paying for cars in Europe. So that\u2019s the downside to arriving in Bolzano by train and renting a car.<\/p>\n

Cyprianerhof Dolomit Resort<\/h2>\n

When we arrived at the hotel we learned that it\u2019s a hiking hotel. During the summer and fall, they offer multiple daily hikes. Just sign up. When there\u2019s snow, they switch to snowshoeing and winter hiking. Plus there\u2019s a gondola right across the road that can take you up to Rosengarten for your own hiking, and to the Carezza Karersee ski area. <\/p>\n

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\"The\"The
The main pool at Cyprianerhof<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The hotel is all about getting out into nature during the day, and then relaxing and revitalizing at the saunas and pools in the afternoon, so you\u2019re ready for the next day. The most popular booking option seems to be half-board, with breakfast and dinner at the hotel \u2013 which makes sense since there aren\u2019t really other restaurants nearby. Dinners are five courses, but you can opt out of anything. The food was different every night, and consistently excellent. Service was outstanding. Most employees have been there for years if not decades.<\/p>\n

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\"Where\"Where
Breakfast options at the hotel include an omelette bar, a lot of fruits, breads and meats, and any coffee that you want. I loved the setting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Where\"Where
Dinners (and service) were excellent! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Salmon\"Salmon
Went for the salmon tartar our second night<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

There are rooms for one person up to five people. You can borrow backpacks, hiking equipment and mountain bikes for free. There\u2019s a fee for e-bikes, and for ski rentals in the winter, but otherwise most of what you would want\/need is included. I loved the saunas (go to at least one of the infusions!), pools and scenery. Plus waking up to cow bells just outside my room was magical! We stayed four nights, but wish we could have stayed at least a week. It\u2019s that idyllic. <\/p>\n

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\"Where\"Where
A family room at Cyprianerhof\u2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Where\"Where
\u2026including bunk beds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"The\"The
The hot tub has a perfect view! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Where\"Where
Relaxing in the salt room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

What We Did in the Dolomites<\/h2>\n

We didn\u2019t know about Cyprianerhof\u2019s hiking options before we arrived, and had already arranged for a guided Rosengarten hike our first day and a guided e-bike ride our second day, working with Our Whole Village<\/a>, Claudia from the Dolomites<\/a> and Eggental Tourism<\/a>. Then our third day we took advantage of having a rental car and did the Latemar Labyrinth hike. Specifics on each:<\/p>\n

The King Lauren Tour (Rosengarten\/Catinaccio)<\/h2>\n

Isabel from Eggental Tourism and Claudia met us at our hotel and took us across the street to the Tires Gondola to start our King Lauren Tour<\/a> day hike. Note: you can ride on top of the gondola, so do it! That 9:30am gondola then connected to two other gondolas and we found ourselves at the base of the Rosengarten massif before 10am. From there we hiked several kilometers to Paolina Hutte for lunch. The hike was easy \u2013 I think kids could handle it without complaint \u2013 and the views are stunning. From the restaurant we took the Paolina Chairlift down to Carezza Karersee, where we walked to Lake Carezza. We then hiked to the Tschein Chairlift, which took us back up the mountain, connecting to the Tires Gondola down to the hotel. Overall it was a perfect introduction to the Dolomites for my friends who hadn\u2019t been before. It was great to have guides, but with the AllTrails app and the information on the Eggental website, we easily could have done it ourselves.<\/p>\n

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\"Where\"Where
Cyprianerhof from the gondola<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Eggental:\"Eggental:
With Claudia and Isabel on top of the Tiers Gondola!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Hiking\"Hiking
An easy hike at the base of Rosengarten<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Hiking\"Hiking
Stunning views! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Discovered\"Discovered
Discovered we were all wearing Unbound Merino<\/a>. IYKYK. If Unbound would like to license this for their next catalog, just reach out! \ud83d\ude42 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Hiking\"Hiking
Frequent photo stops! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Dolomites\"Dolomites
How is this real? <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Lunch\"Lunch
Lunch at Paolina Hutte<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Lake\"Lake
Lake Carezza. We were told that there is far more water in the spring and summer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Between\"Between
Between Lake Carezza and the Tschein Chairlift up<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

E-Bike Tour to the Stellar Observatory<\/h2>\n

Our second full day, we took the same Tires Gondola from our hotel to Frommer Alm and met up with Georg from Carezza Skiservice<\/a>, who had e-bikes and helmets waiting for us. Once we learned how to operate our e-bikes, we started out for the Stellar Observatory \u2013 not because we were going to visit the observatory, but because it was a good turnaround spot with a restaurant. The ride overall would be considered easy-moderate if you\u2019re an experienced mountain biker, but for us it was challenging. Of course that was our fault \u2013 every time Georg asked us if we wanted the easy path, or the more difficult path with better views, we went with the views. We left Frommer Alm at 9:30am, reached the observatory around 12:15pm, had lunch, and then were back at Frommer Alm by 3:30pm, including taking the Carezza Gondola up to Frommer Alm with our bikes at the end. Some of the ride was on paved roads and bike paths, but most was on dirt roads through forests and cow pastures. Definitely one of my favorite rides ever, just more difficult than I thought it would be, with serious inclines, tree roots and rocks. Again, we could have chosen the easy route and didn\u2019t! I highly recommend doing this with a guide.<\/p>\n

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\"e-biking\"e-biking
Leaving Frommer Alm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Riding\"Riding
Riding through the Dolomites<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Water\"Water
Water stop with fall colors<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"The\"The
The horses were a nice touch! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Cows\"Cows
Cows too<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"After\"After
After lunch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Dolomites\"Dolomites
Seriously one of my top rides ever! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The Latemar Labyrinth Hike<\/h2>\n

We could have done absolutely anything our last day, from driving to lakes to doing a hike with our hotel to visiting Bolzano. We chose to do a moderate hike that looked gorgeous, the Latemar Labyrinth<\/a>. We could see the Latemar massif from both our previous hike and our e-bike ride, so it was fun to get up close. We drove roughly 20 minutes from Cyprianerhof to Karerpass | Passo di Costalunga, where we parked (you pay when you leave the carpark) and then hiked from there. We followed the directions on the Eggental site (linked above), but also used the AllTrails app and opted for a much more difficult climb at the end instead of going straight back to the car, which was a good move \u2013 the views were stunning. We started the hike at 9:45am and ate lunch at Antermont around 2:15, at the end of the hike near the parking lot. Highlights were the views and the fall colors, with the yellow larches everywhere. I\u2019d absolutely do this hike again! Dolomites perfection.<\/p>\n

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\"Hiking\"Hiking
Hiking towards Latemar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"The\"The
The larches were amazing! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"The\"The
The boulders of the Latemar Labyrinth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"At\"At
At Latemar, looking over towards Rosengarten<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"One\"One
One last climb<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Do You Need a Car in the Dolomites?<\/h2>\n

As I mentioned above, our rental car was expensive. We used it to reach the hotel the first day, to head to\/from the Latemar Labyrinth the fourth day, and then to drive back to the train station on day five. If we didn\u2019t have a car, we could have taken a public bus from next to the Bolzano train station to the hotel (bus 185). It\u2019s free with a South Tyrol guest pass, which the hotel sends you after you check in online. That would have been easy. However, returning to Bolzano, the bus doesn\u2019t start operating until 6:02am, arriving at the train station at 6:43am at the earliest. Our direct train to Florence was at 6:42am, so that wouldn\u2019t have worked. The alternative was to pay \u20ac70 for an early morning taxi \u2013 or simply book a later train. <\/p>\n

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\"Our\"Our
Our car, between Cyprianerhof and the Latemar Labyrinth hike<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

So we could have gotten by without a car, but we likely wouldn\u2019t have done the Labyrinth hike the last day, which was amazing, and we would have needed to book an early morning taxi or a more expensive train. So it\u2019s your call, based on your schedule and what activities you want to do. When I return with my wife at some point, I\u2019d be very tempted to skip the car and just base at the hotel for everything.<\/p>\n

How Much Does it Cost to Visit the Dolomites?<\/h2>\n

Cyprianerhof<\/a> averages around \u20ac250 per person per night for half board. Some dates are less, some are higher. Our rental car was \u20ac468 for four days. Our three-day Eggental Mountain Passes<\/a>, which gave us access to all gondolas and lifts, would have been \u20ac72 per person if Eggental Tourism hadn\u2019t provided them. Our private e-bike ride would have been \u20ac250 plus \u20ac60 for each bike rental, although the Carezza Ski and Bike school also has less-expensive rentals and weekly group rides. Our train tickets were \u20ac26 per person from Venice to Bolzano and \u20ac25 per person from Bolzano to Florence, all on fast trains. Lunches weren\u2019t expensive. Hiking is free.<\/p>\n

Dolomites \/ Eggental \/ Cyprianerhof Overall Thoughts<\/h2>\n

This was a perfect trip, and made me realize how easy it can be to visit the Dolomites. Flying into Venice and then transferring to Bolzano worked well. Fall was a great time to visit \u2013 we had perfect weather (sunny and generally 60-70f \/ 15-20c for our activities), and the fall colors were beautiful, although they hadn\u2019t quite peaked the second week of October. I absolutely loved Cyprianerhof and want to return. Sitting by the pool, or in the sauna or hot tub, and looking at Rosengarten in the late-afternoon light is wonderful. A one-week stay would be ideal. A four-night stay wasn\u2019t long enough. <\/p>\n

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\"Late\"Late
Late afternoon at Cyprianerhof\u2019s natural pool<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Dolomites\"Dolomites
And looking back towards the saunas and Rosengarten<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

While the sauna area is adults-only, there were several families at the resort while we were there, and there are pools and kid areas perfect for families. Likewise there are kid-friendly hikes all around.<\/p>\n

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\"So\"So
So many indoor and outdoor pools and relaxation areas <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Eggental is the region with Rosengarten and Latemar and is a great base. I know everyone has their favorite areas of the Dolomites, but I thought Eggental was perfect, and with Bolzano nearby, it\u2019s easy to reach. Eggental has two of the Dolomites\u2019 major ski areas (90km of slopes, 80 km of cross-country ski trails) and in the summer has 500km of hiking trails and 200km of mountain bike trails. Plus there\u2019s all sorts of other winter and summer activities. We barely scratched the surface. <\/p>\n

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\"Hiking\"Hiking
Hiking at Latemar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Dolomites Traveling Companions<\/h2>\n

I traveled throughout Italy with Kim (@stuffedsuitcase<\/a>), Karilyn (@nobackhome<\/a>) and Lindsay (@lindsaynieminen<\/a>). Any photos of me above were taken by one of them! <\/p>\n

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\"Pizza\"Pizza
Pizza at Antermont after our Latemar hike<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n