The High Dolomites

Another amazing week's walking from Inntravel. The whole experience could not have been better. The walking notes are fantastic and the walks were spectacular. Stand out for us were, 1) the ascent of Sciliar, followed by the ridge walk via Tierser Alpe, amazing scenery opening up on every turn. A long day but well worth it, and 2) the ascent of Plattkofel, testing walking but a fantastic sense of achievement. The Plufatsch plateau is a great base, and all the distinctive peaks that you climb are visible from different angles in the various locations.

My favourite day was walking up Sciliar and back along the ridge walk to Tiersl Alpl. It seemed to go on for ever and we were rather late for dinner but it was so rewarding.

Loved the huge variety of plants and other wildlife every day - and the cows.

Thoroughly enjoyed our swim in Laghetto de Fe.

Loved all the little churches, and hidden corners with interesting places to find.

Our notes with plenty of good information made our days all the more interesting.

If you love mountains then the High Dolomites is a great choice for a walking holiday. We're Alpine enthusiasts and so this was a perfect option that allowed us to explore the spectacular delights of the Seiser Alm (aka Alpe di Siusi). However it's best not to think of this holiday as a journey but more like a summer version of a ski holiday. What we mean is that the physical landscape of the Seiser Alm is very open, so you can take in views of the places you visited yesterday and will visit tomorrow in one broad vista, and you can easily see the connections between the peaks, valleys and hamlets. This ensures that there are lots of opportunities to view the stunning landmarks from different vantage points, at different times and in different weather conditions.

We'd recommend that you take the time to study the walk notes and the map thoroughly before you go, as some of the hotel-to-hotel walks duplicate sections of the circular walks, and it's worth thinking carefully about what routes you want to explore on which days. We're strong walkers and so we found that the longer walks (17km) were easily achievable within the suggested times, even allowing for plenty of refreshment breaks in the fabulous refuges. We often extended the routes, in some cases up to 24km, as the excellent Seiser Alm map offers a multitude of well signposted paths and forest roads. A highlight for us was making a full 20km circuit around the base of Langkopfel and Plattkopfel with a detour up to the Rifugio Vicenza for morning coffee - but use the Florian chairlift to get up to 2,100m to start your walk!

It's also worth knowing that the area is now very popular with MTB and e-bike riders, so some routes can be quite busy. If you prefer a little more solitude then seek out the footpaths (red dashed lines).

All the hotels are excellent, with first class leisure/spa facilities. The restaurants at the Hotel Urthaler and Sporthotel Floralpina serve very good meals and those with specialist dietary requirements are well catered for. But, be aware that vegetarians and vegans etc. may find lunchtime options more limited. The numerous refuges and guesthouses serve broadly similar menus combining Italian and Tyrolean dishes. Wonderful homemade pastas, dumplings and stews appear frequently and local specialities are well represented, including top notch cheese, copious amounts of Speck and plenty of wild game.

We highly recommend this holiday having had a challenging but exhilarating 8 days of walk in a very beautiful and memorable place.

This was without doubt, in some parts depending on the chosen walk, a challenging walking holiday. That said, all the challenges presented stunning views and were well worth the effort. On a warm September evening we were able to look across into Switzerland and Austria and see snowcapped mountains far in the distance. We were extremely impressed with both the organisation of the holiday and the warm welcome and quality of the hotels in which we stayed. Food was excellent and all the rooms were good. Would thoroughly recommend this to anyone who has a reasonable level of basic fitness and yearns for mountains and scenery. We will be planning another Inntravel holiday as soon as circumstances allow…

I had high excpectations for this holiday, but those were exceeded! The stunning scenery, including both the awesome mountains themselves but also the rolling green valleys and meadows and woodlands, the sweet villages, the food and accommodations - it was simply perfect. My son and his girlfriend would have been happier with a slightly more challenging hike for each place, but I was very satisfied with the given options (we took the most challenging every day). Highly recommended, especially if you like pretty strenuous hiking. 

My personal highlight was Option C [longer High Route via Rifugio Bolzano & Tierser Alpe] from Compatsch to Saltria. Walking poles would be extremely helpful on this holiday, especially for veteran walkers!

A good week ... challenging enough - Pass was, indeed, less difficult (in fact, rather enjoyable) than looked from below - for a 75/63 yr old couple ... 

Apart from the one day when the skies opened, the ideal weather will certainly have helped.

We loved the walks every day which were varied in both scenery and difficulty. On a more leisurely day we took the cable car down to St Ulrich which was a lovely little town where we enjoyed lunch. By the way, the cable car was more expensive than quoted in our guidance notes - each ticket cost 19.80 Euros return. The hotel Floralpina had the most beautiful spa area with pools / sauna / steam rooms and treatments if you should choose one. Our last day was rainy, so we spent the day relaxing in the spa area and loved this time as much as the walking. One little point to note is that some restaurants / mountain cafes would not accept payment by credit or debit cards but would only accept cash in Euros. We actually didn't read the whole of our Inntravel information and missed the fact that we had to catch a bus or taxi from the airport to the train station. But some friendly passengers guided us to the right bus stop. The bus is very efficient and much cheaper than a taxi. Thank you for all that you did to give us a really lovely time away - this was our first walking holiday and we really enjoyed it. We will definitely be looking to return to do another similar trip in the future and will recommend Inntravel to all our friends.

The entire trip was absolutely wonderful.  Hotel Floralpina was spectacular, modern, friendly with incredible surroundings.  Hiking was challenging, but rewarding.  We had one rainy day, which was a much needed rest day, spent using the outdoor pool - in the rain, and eating!  We are planning to return!

We were blessed with 6 days of picture postcard weather, so our holiday was truly spectacular. The week before it was cold, so we packed our warm clothes that we didn’t need. There were many shops in both Kastelruth and Compatsch, where you can buy hats, gloves, warm jacket, if needed. So there was no reason to add extra weight to our luggage. The accommodations were excellent, especially the Floralpina Hotel; however we liked the food better at the Hotel Plaza in Compatsch. Guests should try to be there on a Sunday when bands play traditional German music at a couple of the restaurants in Compatsch. Locals were dancing, drinking and eating and having a great time enjoying the sunny warm day. We found the free hiking maps in the hotels to be much better than the big map sent with our materials. The whole Alpe di Siusi is beyond beautiful, with the soaring Dolomites and the verdant green of the pastures. This area offers something for all hikers from novice to advanced, and the many restaurants to relax and to have lunch on the mountainside were charming.

The Dolomites were stunning and a great walking destination. Inntravel looked after us and made the whole experience flow easily. We appreciated the walking notes which were very detailed. Stayed in some great hotels.

Nice hotels and great walking routes with good maps and route notes. Luggage transfers on time. 

We had nine days without a spot of rain! The walking was therefore fantastic, with glorious views from the high points of the various walks. All of the mountain huts were delightful, and we had refreshments at many of them. The Saltris hotel was outstanding and we were pleased we had booked a fourth night. This was one of the best holidays we have ever had!

This was our third Inntravel trip. We really enjoyed walking in this unique and beautiful area, with multiple choices for more and less challenging hikes, and plenty of alpine huts to stop at for an espresso or lunch or a beer. The walks had spectacular views, and the directions and maps were generally accurate and useful.  The weather was changeable and very useful to have waterproof jackets and boots.  Also helpful on the very rainy days to use the bus system which was quite functional. The hotels Cavallino d'Oro and Sporthotel Floralpina were exceptional - upgraded rooms with balconies very worthwhile with beautiful views, staff was extremely helpful, food was excellent.  Hotel Plaza by contrast was quite tired and staff were unhappy. We will definitely return to this area again and will count on Inntravel on our future explorations around Europe.

This walking holiday took us into truly spectacular scenery and yet we were never far from a cafe or Hutte for refreshments. In fact at the time of year we went some of the routes were quite crowded particularly the ascent of Petz. I preferred getting away from the crowds particularly option B from Saltria which skirted a ridge and was covered in beautiful wild flowers.

The final hotel the Floralpina is exceptional with very comfortable rooms, great facilities and vast amounts of delicious food. The only negative aspect was a lot of walking on hard roads which you can avoid by taking some chairlifts.

Another point to note was that our taxi from Saltria was at 10 but our flight not until 19.40. We put our cases in left luggage at Bolzano and spent some time there. If the same happens to you I can recommend this. It is a beautiful town with the wonderful museum of archaeology.

This was an excellent walking holiday in the most beautiful High Dolomites in the South Tyrol. Staying at Hotel Florapina with its excellent facilities, which were a joy to use after a long day's walking, was the highlight for us. We hiked Sciliar and Plattkofel and found the walking notes very helpful but equally the routes are very well waymarked which made it easier. Plattkofel is very challenging because of the terrain which is rocky and scree like and must be undertaken in good weather as the Inntravel notes suggest. It is not for the faint hearted as most of the route is vertiginous!

We cannot praise Inntravel enough as the organisation from booking to receiving our travel pack, travel arrangements and adding in our extra nights in Innsbruck, was just superb. The key for us was the ability to speak at length to a member of Inntravel team at the outset to discuss what we wanted from the holiday and that the person we spoke to was so knowledgeable about the area. We are already planning the next walking holiday and would highly recommend Inntravel.

We loved the trip overall. Hikes were challenging and beautiful. The Dolomites are breathtaking mountains. Everywhere you turned was a new spectacular view. Loved all the mountain huts and had lunch at a different one every day.  We were surprised at how crowded the trails were - we never felt like we were alone for long, and some trails had a constant flow of people passing by.  But generally this did not deter from our enjoyment of the hikes. Very few people spoke English well, even the hotel staff, but this was generally not a problem. Hotels ranged from ok (Hotel Plaza) to quite nice (Cavallino d'Oro) to downright amazing (Sporthotel Florapina). The quality of the food at Florapina was the best we'd had on any Inntravel trip, and perhaps on any holiday. We would totally recommend this trip, but perhaps at a less busy time of year if you like a little more solitude.  

The walks were quite challenging but very rewarding for a couple in their early 70s used to walking in Yorkshire. The scenery is magnificent and the flora in early July was wonderful. The two highlights were the ridge walk from Rifugio Bolzano to Tierseralpl Hut (we omitted the hour it would have taken for the ascent of Petzberg) and the walk to Langkofelhutte. We used the chairlift to Williamshutte to avoid both up and down on the latter walk. Used it to go up on the next day to Plattkofelhutte where we walked 1km to the east along the Friedrich August Weg for views to the next valley then back along the grassy ridge to descend at Passo Duron. The flowers were particularly good on this walk and Edelweiss were found just to the east of the cheesery at Plattkofelalm. Hotels were all excellent and in Kastelruth we enjoyed two very good dinners at the Saalstube restaurant.

We have travelled to many countries and have usually gone long haul in the belief the best destinations are further away but the High Dolomites has been a revelation. It is one of the best holidays we have ever had. The scenery is stunning and the range and standard of services faultless. We intend to explore much more of Europe now.

Stunning scenery and outstanding walking, we have been ‘bitten by the bug’ and will definitely be doing another walking holiday!

This holiday was fantastic. We felt so well guided on our walks yet we were independent. Each walk provided such variation from the lush meadows to the snowy mountain tops. The mountain huttes were so characterful and we loved their charm as well as the food they served. The standard of accommodation was amazing. The choice and quality of food was wonderful. I have never tasted such amazing cheeses. Thank you so much Inntravel for organising such wonderful walks and accommodation.

Arrive at airport 2 hours before plane leaves. With on line check in and self service bag drop, many think that they only need to arrive 1 hour before. At 4.30 in the morning, the self service Easyjet bag drop queue is heaving and much slower than having an attendant doing it for you. It is possible to make picnics from the little food shop in Compatsch, but we found no shop in Saltria. However we had good lunches at the Plattkofel and Langkofel huttes. Careful not to over eat at Floralpina!

The frequent and full cuckoo song, plenty of marmots if you look carefully, the variety of meadow flowers that changed from area and height. Lovely stop for coffee at Hotel Villa Gabriella, Kastelruth area.

There are some opportunities to swim / dip on the walks. Around Compatsch, route A2 or if weather not good tackle the long walk on the way to Saltria.Had a fair bit of snow walking to tackle. Don't take notice of weather report of whole Dolomites from UK,fairly accurate daily reports given at hotels, but found needed most of our walking gear. 

We first did this itinerary 12 years ago; it's the first time we have ever repeated an Inntravel trip, and we were not disappointed - helped of course by glorious autumnal weather.  We would strongly recommend doing this trip in late September or early October - the Seiseralm is particularly beautiful at this time of year, and the views were so clear.  We went back specifically to tackle some of the harder walks e.g. climbing the Schlern, and it was well worth it.  We endorse all the favourable comments made by other travellers about the area, the walking and especially about Hotel Floralpina.

This is a magnificient hiking playground in spectacular country.  The stupendous Dolomite terrain is truly remarkable.  The trails are well constructed and the hut system is closely spaced and accomodating.  The richness of the trail networks, and quality of signage and maps permit easy improvisation on intended routes as conditions (weather, energy, time).  Many lifts and gondolas are running in the warm weather months affording the option of getting to the high country for hiking at elevation quickly and easily early in the day if one so desires.  On our mid-September trip we noted that they area was well-loved and well-used.  On some trails we would encounter other parties as often as every few minutes, while in other areas perhaps every 20 minutes or so.  This is a genuine mountain experience, but without much wildness or remoteness.
The countryside is a mix of large stands of conifers and open agricultural spaces maintained impeccably for grazing and hay, studded with likewise well-maintained farmhouses, huts and work buildings, so, except for the steep and high terrain has what North Americans would consider a groomed quality.
The planning and support put together by Inntravel made it possible for us to apply essentially all of our energy to getting the most out of being out in this terrain.  Inntravel's package took all of the guesswork and suspense out of addressing the practicalities of lodging, meals, and local travel.

We have just returned from another wonderful holiday with Inntravel. The scenery and hikes on the High Dolomites holiday are magnificent. We especially enjoyed the hike out of Compatsch that had us summit Mt. Petzberg and the breathtaking scenery of the longer return via Tierser Alpe. The climb to the peak of Mt. Plattkofel out of Saltria was challenging but certainly worthwhile. We had terrific weather throughout our holiday which certainly made the hiking (and dramatic views) more enjoyable. The delicious meals and the luxurious accommodations at Hotel Floralpina were a real treat.  

This was a great trip. The walks from Saltria were outstanding as was Hotel Floralpina. We had an excellent experience and would recommend this Inntravel holiday to independent walkers who enjoy convenience and luxury without having to be on a group tour. For us, it was a great combination of cultural experience, food, walking, physical achievement, comfort and an opportunity to make new friends. 

The terrain was spectacular, most of the accommodations were excellent and the people were welcoming and friendly!

We had a fantastic time on our High Dolomites adventure. Definite highlights were the extended walk from Rif Bolzano to Rif Tierser-Alpl-Hutte and the climb to Platkoffel. Ending the trip at Hotel Floralpina was a real treat and there are so many walks around there we are very glad we chose to stay an extra day. We will definitely travel with Inntravel again.

Our highlights were walking 35k steps in one day to go up to the Sciliar, across the top of the ridge to the Refuge and then back down to Compatsch in one day. The climb up the Plattkofel was really amazing, too! We loved how well-supplied all the refuges were so even though we couldn't buy many lunch supplies in the villages, food was not a problem.

Downloading ViewRanger onto your phone means that you hardly need to consult the route notes whilst walking.

We would highly recommend the High Dolomites to anyone who loves stunning scenery combined with mountain peacefulness.

A beautiful warm sunny week with clear blue skies. We enjoyed a variety of walks recommended in the notes and were able to pace ourselves for the climb up to the plateau above Compatsch, and the Rosszahn pass. The map provided was excellent and we were able to take the path to the Plattkofel but then walk the ridge towards Dialer Kirch returning to Zallinger Berghaus on a lower path. There were wonderful views both sides of this ridge. The stunning scenery around Kastelruth and the Seiseralm plateau is amazing and walkers will find plenty of choice of routes in this region.          

At Casterotto, Hexenkeller was terrific for dinner.  Get the gamberoni.  Also in Castelrotto,  the restaurant at Zum Turm-- the venison, the trout salad (a meal in itself) and the chamois (a special).

In Verona, Osteria Enoteca Alcova Del Frate or its big brother up the street.   Splurge on a bottle of Amarone wine.

An Aperol Spritz-- at any bar!

INNTRAVEL NOTE: Mrs Reed combined our High Dolomites and Lake Ledro to Lake Garda walking holidays with stays in Verona and at the Berghotel Zirmerhof in Radein.

Enjoying a refreshing drink at one of the many fabulous "Hutte" surrounded by the magnificent peaks of the Dolomites, bathed in the afternoon sunshine.

The walking became more amazing as the week went on. Our highlights were - walk 1 from Compatsch, in particular the extension via Tierser Alpe - you are suddenly right inside the high Dolomites and it is well worth the extra walking (if the weather is ok) - and walk 3 from Floralpina via the Langkofelhutte - surprisingly varied landscape including breathtaking mountain surroundings and the most wonderful location for a hutte.  Our group split between walk 1 and walk 2 from Floralpina - walk 1 was very steep and unstable underfoot and probably best with sticks - but with stunning views. All the Hutte/Refugio were highlights too. In Kastelruth the restaurant Hexenheller does good Italian food. Don't forget a swimsuit for Floralpina - even the non-swimmers in our group loved the facilities. 

If anything, your notes and website do not state how amazing the Dolomites are. This is more than a walking holiday, it is a semi mountaineering one as well.

We had a fantastic holiday with Inntravel. The accommodation was great, transfers were on time. I especially liked how the places and the hikes were collated in a way that initially we had easier hikes with small elevation, and in the last days we had the more challenging hikes. I also liked the selection of hotels and that we changed several hotels, which provided a variety of impressions. We enjoyed everything and had the best time. Already looking at other itineraries for the next year, as we want to do it again!

The quality of the accommodation was excellent in both Kastelruth and Saltria. The staff in each hotel was terrific, as were the facilities. The locations were great but for different reasons. The first was well situated in the quaint town of Kastelruth, while the solitude provided by the location of Florapina was amazing too. The walks were also well planned and documented and provided sufficient choice in the difficulty of the walks. We are very happy to have chosen Inntravel for our holiday. 

This was a fantastic holiday. Our first with Inntravel but we’d love to go again. We really appreciated the choice of walking levels each day, as we didn’t always feel up to the most taxing option especially as we were both recovering from heavy colds. All of the walks were well chosen and clear to follow. We got a very warm welcome from all of the hotels who knew we were coming.

Particular highlights were: the Sciliar mountain and Rifiugio di Bolzano - so exciting to go up the mountain we had been skirting around for the days before, views and flowers were amazing and the historic Rifiugio was such an interesting place; marmots below Plattkofelhütte, which we spotted because the notes told us where to look; Sporthotel Floralpina with its fabulous food, great facilities and a terrific room. The Cavallino (and many hotels in the area I think) gives out a free bus card which works in the valleys but not on the Seiser Alm. We found this a bit confusing (though useful) so it would be worth including a sentence about this in the notes. 

Fantastic scenery, challenging but hugely rewarding walking.

We really enjoyed this holiday, it was one of the best we have taken with Inntravel. The High Dolomites are spectacular, the walks though demanding at times are achievable and rewarding and provide fantastic views. The mountain huts provide welcome refreshment and are really well located. All the hotels were good and the Hotel Floralpina is a great hotel with great food and facilities.

The Dolomites are just magnificent. We think we chose the correct trip as we wanted to go high. Fitness permitting the harder higher one goes obviously increases ones reward...we did take time out before and or after the very long and demanding walks and it made a difference.

We took a extra night at The Floralpina hotel and it's worth it - great facilities, beautiful environment and generally excellent food.

This was a marvellous trip.

Staying at Hotel Floralpina made us feel like movie stars. Walking through the meadows and mountains was just so wonderful, especially the mountain huts where we had our lunches. The best hut was Edelweiss Hutte between Compatsch and Saltria. All the people were very friendly and it was nice greeting other walkers along the way. We can’t wait to come back.

The High Dolomites was a fantastic holiday.  We had not been to this part of Italy before and were bowled over by the fabulous scenery.  The suggested walks were very good and we loved the hutte which we made full use of for coffee and lunch (and sometimes afternoon tea)! The alpine meadows full of flowers are spectacular at this time of year (second week of July) and we had timed our holiday to make the most of that.  It did not disappoint.  The hotels used by Inntravel were all very good and were very pleasant to return to at the end of the day.  In particular, we enjoyed the Sporthotel Floralpina in Saltria.  It has wonderful facilities with a pool, sauna, jacuzzi, etc, the rooms are extremely comfortable and spacious and the food exceptional. We are keen walkers in our 60s and found some of the walks challenging in a good way, very rewarding. We added three days in Verona on to the beginning of the holiday and that was very special too, we particularly enjoyed seeing Aida in the roman arena even though we're not opera buffs. 

Our journey in the High Dolomites was, overall, a delight!  Our accommodations were comfortable, our hosts were friendly, and the luggage transfer went without a hitch. A week after returning home, we are still mourning the loss of the daily breakfast buffets, especially the incredible spread at the final hotel. We appreciated the convenience of the package, with background information and route information provided in a very accessible manner. The Dolomites are a wonderful place to walk and the trails were a good fit for us as experienced walkers seeking a moderate level of difficulty. 

We combined the High Dolomites with Traditions of South Tyrol and it worked very well. This was probably one of our best Inntravel holidays with great hotels and walks. We are definitely grade 2 walkers rather than grade 3 but making use of cable cars and chair lifts we were able to access some fantastic walks. A highlight in the High Dolomites was taking the chair lift up to Williamshutte and climbing to Plattkofel Hutte where we explored the plateau paths around the hutte, seeing edelweiss in profusion on the way to Plattkofelalm and enjoying amazing views. Lunch at the Plattkofelalm ( visible from Plattkofel Hutte) which makes its own bread and cheese is recommended. 

The transfer by car to Karthaus for Traditions of South Tyrol was very easy.

The Goldene Rose Hotel is a wonderful comfortable hotel, well placed for walks accessed by efficient local buses up and down the valley. Again, the walking and views are spectacular. The meals are excellent and staff and the owners, Paul and Steffi, very friendly and helpful. The highlight here was the night in the refugio at over 2,800M. This is a traditional wooden refugio with great views over the glacier (see it soon before it melts away, the retreat of the glacier in photos from 1968 at the refugio is frightening). We got the cable car up to over 3000M and walked down to the refugio - a steep but stunning walk in the high mountains. After arriving at the refugio we had lunch on the terrace overlooking the mountains then explored a path  that goes over the border into Austria, not far at all. Dinner was very good, rustic mountain food and plenty of it. Next morning we walked down the path 3 with views over the mountain ranges as far as the eye can see. This is a lovely well graded path though it took us longer than the optimistic sign at the top suggested! 

We took a trip to Bolzano to see Otzi which was well worth the two bus rides to get there. We caught Bus 201 to Bolzano from Merano instead of the train which worked well for us as it drops off in the centre of Bolzano. The cycle ride to Meran was also great fun.

To finish our holiday in Verona, we enjoyed a meal at the Antica Bottega del Vino, one of the Inntravel recommended restaurants then saw the opera Turandot at the Arena. A great end to an amazing holiday.

Inntravel does it again!

A wonderful experience and as a first self guided walking holiday abroad, the notes were excellent. The scenery and flowers exceeded expectations.

We have been on many Inntravel holidays but this topped all of them. It was exceptional in everyway, the experience of a lifetime I'd say. Walking is utterly outstanding. Knock-out views from start to finish every day. If you want to walk IN the Dolomites, this is the real deal. Plenty of superb hüttes to eat and drink in along the way (can recommend the Apple Strudel in all of them!). Hotels are everything you could possibly want, superb rooms, superb beds, superb service, superb food. 

Loved Floralpina...could have moved in there !!

Lovely to  have the pool and outdoor jacuzzi.

The whole area was great, everything so clean and efficent, well signposted walks, great refreshment huts / cabins en route each day.

The meadows were stunning.

We had super weather and thought the entire area was beautiful.