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The High Dolomites

By Carole Gallagher

I’m a keen walker and over the years my husband and I have done some of Inntravel’s most challenging walking holidays: the Grand Cerdagne (Mediterranean Pyrenees), the Mountains of the Auvergne (Massif Central), Italy’s Green Heart (Umbria) and the Heart of the Alps (France’s Queyras Regional Park). What all of these have in common, besides the long, rewarding days of walking, is the mix of intimate 2- and 3-star village hotels where you generally stay one night, two nights maximum. To choose the High Dolomites Walk this time around was therefore something of a departure from the norm for us: not only were we going to move from hotel to hotel less frequently, but the three hotels that we would be staying at would all be 4-star establishments with wide-ranging facilities.

Kastelruth, where we began our holiday, is a perfect picture-book village steeped in traditions, and the Posthotel Lamm, whose own history stretches back over 200 years, is ideally located opposite the church. I loved it. It is relatively large, but we were made to feel at home by the attentive staff from the moment we stepped through the door. Even at dinner – which set an exceptional standard that was maintained throughout the holiday – the maître d’ made sure that he spoke to the guests at every table in the old-worlde restaurant.

Two nights here were not long enough – I could easily have stayed several more days, and am determined we’ll return to Kastelruth in the not-too-distant future. On our first full day, we chose a walk from the four routes suggested in the walking notes, heading up the valley through pine woods and meadows, and passing a beautiful 14th-century church. We also made the most of the spa facilities. Somewhat surprisingly, given their quality and the fact that they are free of charge (you only pay for massages and dips in the Turkish bath), we had them almost to ourselves – and moved between the jacuzzis, steam room, sauna, swimming pool and relaxation room as we pleased. It was a fantastic way to start our holiday.

The next day we took the easy route to the Seiseralm, Europe’s largest high plateau, walking across meadows and enjoying a scenic cable-car ride onto the plateau. We stayed just two nights here at the hotel Plaza, which in hindsight suited us, as it wasn’t as atmospheric as the other two hotels. Our circular walk on the plateau (a grade 3 option) started pleasantly enough: we ascended to a famous, castle-like hütte high on a ridge in the middle of the Seiseralm. Had we made that our target and headed back to the hotel then, it would have been a really great day. It is perhaps because we were enjoying ourselves so much (the scenery was, again, amazing) that we optimistically dismissed the clouds gathering in the distance as nothing to worry about and carried on along the ridge. Unfortunately, the elements did not hold back and we got a thorough soaking. Oh well, you live and learn! The restaurant at the Hotel Plaza was as excellent as the Kastelruth, and once again I savoured some of the best cuisine I’ve ever tasted.

Leaving the Plaza, we had a choice of route to get to our next destination, the Hotel Floralpina. Fancying another easy day, we parted company from our friends, who preferred the more challenging walk via the Roßzahne Ridge, and took the direct route through meadows and around the Großes Moos marsh.

With its striking wooden façade and window-boxes overflowing with flowers, the Hotel Floralpina presents a very favourable first impression that, if anything, is enhanced when you step inside. The interior is of the highest quality, with professional yet friendly service to match, and once again the restaurant excelled - perhaps my favourite meal being the Tyrolean buffet on the second night, when the chef carved our choice of an incredible variety of meats and different cuts, and second helpings were de rigueur.

We’d chosen to spend three nights at this secluded spot, and enjoyed walking for several hours each day before returning to our hotel in the mid-afternoon to relax and make the most of our very comfortable surroundings – the hotel boasts a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna, plus indoor and outdoor pools. On our first day there we decided to head to the 2,958-metre-high Plattkofel, a rocky, wedge-shaped mountain that is one of the Dolomites’ most famous peaks. On the upper slopes was a rather sophisticated hütte (the direct translation of ‘mountain hut’ doesn’t do it justice) where we stopped for a lunch of sausage and eggs, enjoying the wonderful camaraderie among the walkers. It was so lovely that I decided to stay there reading and sipping a beer while my husband and the two friends we were holidaying with continued to the summit itself. They returned a couple of hours later with tales of how exhilarating it had been to stand on the cliff-edge (being wedge-shaped, one side of the mountain is almost vertical) and survey the surrounding peaks, but I felt I’d had just as good a time in the comfort of a chair and I didn’t feel I’d missed out.

Our second walk from the Floralpina was considerably gentler, along a path that ascended gradually to a hütte where we paused for a coffee before continuing over moorland. We then walked along the top of a broad but steep-sided ridge, marvelling at the views of the needle-like peaks all around us and enjoying the breeze. To return to the hotel we had the choice of a descent on foot or by cable car. We chose the latter, which I lived to regret as it was the most vertiginous cable car I’ve ever been on, but at least the views were fantastic (though, suffering from vertigo, I couldn’t bear to look!) and we gained an extra couple of hours in the hotel before we had to leave.

I’m convinced it won’t be the last time we opt for the same formula of high-quality hotels with restaurants, flexible (and by its very nature, varied) walking and plenty of time for relaxation.

– For a thrilling 14 night holiday, you can combine the High Dolomites walk with the Valleys & Villages of the Dolomites, by walking from Bad Dreikirchen to Kastelruth.

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