Val Gardena, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

5Lydia K 5:00 PM Feb 18, 2023

Wow, wow, wow : fantastic hiking!!!
We visited in early September because our goal was hiking in the area around Ortisei. And wow, wow, wow!! Ski lifts, cable cars, furniculars are everywhere. Not 100% of them operate in the offseason but the maps available at hotels are pretty specific. Be sure to double check hours of operation so you can time your return correctly. Each day was spectacular and different. We stayed in Ortisei and sometimes took buses at the start or end of our days. Some of the trails are not open in the fall season (after Sept and before ski season starts) so be sure to do your research if going in say, October or November. The conditions can become too reacherous for hiking (the week after we left it snowed at some of the higher trails and they were closed to hiking) and I think they do trail maintenance. My only less positive comment would be that the buses were always packed with many standing. It's hard to imagine how people manage with skis! Perhaps there are many more buses in ski season - but we could have used more buses on the routes in September. This goes for the buses to/from Bolzano as well. If at all possibe - go see this gorgeous part of the world!

5Stewart2013 5:00 PM Nov 12, 2022

Amazing mountains Accessible hikes
We spent almost 2 weeks in Val Gardena. We like to hike so on the recommendation of the owner of the hotel where we stayed we bought and all-lift all-valley 10-day pass. This pass gave us unlimited access to all of the chairlifts, gondolas, and follicular's in the Valley. Note also that there is free bus service from one end of the valley to the other. The combination of the two allowed us to spend every day sightseeing and finding more trails to hike. Ike's were anywhere from a mile to 12 miles and included up to six different chairlifts in one day. In fact, it was possible to go from the valley of Val Gardena to Corvara in the next valley over by way of buses and chairlifts.. A few years ago we hiked the Tour de Mont Blanc over a period of 13 days. During That tour you hike long distances every day including walking over glaciers. Spectacular. This valley is spectacular in another way. While the mountains were geologically amazing there were not the glaciers you had to contend with as you did on the tour de Mont Blanc. However, the hiking is very steep and so I would recommend everyone of every age consider buying and learning how to properly use hiking poles to make hiking up easier and hiking down safer.