I’m off to a wedding in Salzburg in August, but we have booked our flights so that we arrive a week earlier in order to go climbing/biking/relaxing in the alps for a week first.

Keen to head to Dolomites, but unsure where to stay in summer. Does anyone have any recommendations for towns/resorts? I don’t know the Dolomites very well at all.

Selva, Val Gardena
Cortina
Corvara, Alta Badia
All big enough to provide lots of choices for hotel, pension, food, bars, shops etc and lots of walking, via ferrata & cycling to be enjoyed

I’ve been 6 times since 2002 to do VF so email me if you have specific route queries

Lots of nice bits of Austria closer than the Dolomites too.

By the way it will be REALLY busy then as it’s peak holiday season in Europe

We stayed in Dobbiaco / Toblach. It was nice, much quieter than the more Italian bits. Not the same ski-lifts and stuff though – less of a resort place.

Also stopped briefly in Cortina, which is outrageously expensive, everything was fur coat shops and stuff, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re absolutely loaded and like being ripped off, we ended up heading further north after a couple of days. On the other hand, it is set up for mountain biking with the ski lifts and things.

There are first world war battlefields up in the high alps there which are incredible – worth a visit, and obviously they are on via-ferrata routes too.

Cortina can be very expensive but when we’ve stayed there we’ve camped and ate in sensibly priced restaurants. It also has lots of bars and a co-op if you want to go self catering
It doesn’t have to be expensive

Theres a 4/5 part write up on pinkbike of the area.

Ah, this is all brilliant, thanks guys

Probs not the right area, but I hit Bolzano and Ria del Garda and somewhere else starting with a B in 2004. Liked them a lot, prob crap for climbing.

If you do choose the Kronplatz area as described in the Pinkbike article then I can thoroughly recommend staying with Sonja & David at Gasthof Neunhaeusern.
We stay with them regularly in the Winter when we ski Kronplatz.

Hotel Stella Montis in Campitello, great food, small village

I’ve stayed in Cortina. It was OK. The Italian Dolomites are good for Via-Ferrata, but culture and cuisine wise they’re more Austrian than Italian, so the food is poor by Italian standards…

Arraba – look at ‘Colletts holidays’ for an idea of what its like in the area – photos give a great idea of the via ferrata available.

We rented an apartment from the internet as there are lots vacant as they are used for ski ing in winter, about 4 hours drive from Venice.

Alternatively head over towards Berchtesgaden for some mountainous scenery, or into the Salzkammergut around Hallstadt.

Sandwich, Berchtesgaden looks fantastic! Much closer to Strobl (where we are staying for the wedding) too.

Have you been?

Cortina is pretty beautiful in summer!

😉