Dolomites
The Dolomites. No words could adequately describe how absolutely breathtaking this destination truly is. My husband and I traveled to the Dolomites during our Ultimate Italian Honeymoon Roadtrip. In this post, I will be focusing on Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm), which is the highest Alpine European Meadow. I will also briefly cover Lago di Braies.
The Dolomites encompass a large area. To adequately explore the entire area, you need at least a week or more. This was a stop on our Italy Roadtrip, so we only spent a couple days here. The Dolomites are a UNESCO World Heritage site covering a total of 104,902 hectares. On our next trip, we would love to visit the South Tyrol and Cortina d’Ampezzo regions in addition to re-visiting Alpe di Siusi.
In order to explore the countryside, renting a car is the most logical way. We rented a car from Hertz Europe in the city of Verona. If you are flying, Venice is also a close airport to the Dolomite region. We decided to start in Verona, because we took a train from Rome and we were ending our trip in Venice. From Verona, we drove toward Alpe di Siusi. We stopped at numerous sites along the two lane road, including Lago di Carezza.
We also couldn’t help snapping this iconic photo of Val di Fune.
Alpe di Siusi
Alpe di Siusi is an area in which the roads are closed to motorized traffic between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. The roads are only open to pedestrian traffic and bikes.
We decided to stay at the gorgeous Alpina Dolomites Hotel during our stay. There are several resorts in the Alpe di Siusi area. Taking a Gondola into Alpe Di Siusi is also an option if you would like to expore the alpine meadow without acquiring lodging. There are two gondolas that you can use, St Ulrich Seiser Alm from the town of Ortisei or Seiser Alm from the town of Siusi. Neither of these lifts open before 9 am, so you won’t be able to get an early start or witness the sunrise over the gorgeous alpine meadow.
Lodging
We chose the Alpina Dolomites hotel because it was our honeymoon, and I wanted something a little luxurious. Even though we booked one of the nicest suites available, it was only 250 euro per person per night. Yes, this was a lot more expensive than our other accommodations during this road-trip, but the resort, service, and food was second to none.
Bear in mind, we did travel during shoulder season. We visited in September. This is at the end of the busy summer tourist season, and prior to the busy skiing season. Alpina Dolomites also offered an all-inclusive(ish) option on check-in. Unfortunately, I don’t remember exactly what the cost was. We did choose this option, because it included the standard buffet breakfast and dinner. The dinner was a gourmet 5 course meal every night. The food was absolutely amazing.
Our room was an extremely spacious suite. We had a balcony with this gorgeous view, a separate living room, huge walk-in closet area, and an enormous bathroom. I did like that the toilet room was separate. It housed a toilet, sink, and bidet.
The bathroom had a huge bathtub, beautiful shower with rain heads, a towel warmer, and an infrared sauna. This was actually our first time using an infrared sauna. Since Italy, my husband has asked on numerous occasions if we could put one in our new house. We have not as of yet…in case anyone is wondering.
The hotel also boasts a gorgeous spa area, fitness center, as well as this pool that is partially indoor/partially outdoor and opens up to a gorgeous view of the peaks. Our hotel also included free hiking trekking poles if you were interested. You could also utilize the guided mountain hike service, rent bikes, or even go on a guided mountain bike excursion. We went on our honeymoon, but they do offer a playroom for little guests. They have an activity program from 3-11 pm for guests 5 years of age and older and they also have a children’s table for dinner.
The great thing about the Alpe di Siusi area is that there are many hikes in which you can trim some miles off of by taking the ski lift. This is extremely convenient when you can’t use motorized vehicles. Taking a ski lift can take one to three miles off of your hike.
The first day, we spent the evening enjoying the hotel amenities and relaxing from traveling. The next morning, we set out to explore a trail behind our hotel.
We were actually unfamiliar with the ski lift system, so we hiked up a hill and added an extra mile or so onto our trip. We definitely could have saved our legs for later that day. We explored this circuit trail and found this exquisite wood carving of Christ on a cross. I have never seen a wood carving so beautiful and here it was on the side of this hillside, in the alps of Italy.
As you’re walking on this trail, it’s quite surreal. You’re walking through gorgeous, green meadows and there are enormous peaks all around you. The best part is, the only sound you hear is cowbells. The cows are honestly, SO adorable. I really would have taken one home with me. Shane kept saying that he felt like he was in the Sound of Music.
We hiked along this trail until lunchtime, and then stopped at a local rifugio to eat. If you are unfamiliar with the term rifugio, a rifugio is a bed and breakfast type of lodging. They are often located along hiking trails and have dormitory style housing. Most rifugios also have a separate restaurant that hikers can utilize along their trek. Most of these are inaccessible by cars. The rifugio we stopped at was named Dibaita Puflatschhutte. Please don’t ask me to pronounce it!
The restaurant offered typical German and Italian fare. I had an Italian meal and Shane had a German meal. The only languages spoken at this rifugio, (and actually in most of the Dolomites) were Italian and German. I had completed ample research prior to going, so I made sure to be prepared and have my phone equipped with Google Translate. I also made sure that Italian and German were easily accessible offline in case I did not have service to the Internet. The food was absolutely amazing. We sat on a deck with these gorgeous views. I would definitely recommend going back.
Forcella Denti di Terrarossa
The main trail on my bucket list at this destination was a pass along the trail to get to the Rifugio Alpe di Tires. We took the ski lift from the Alpina Dolomite side across the the meadow to the Alpenhotel Panorama. Keep in mind, during the shoulder season in which we were visiting, the ski lifts closed at 5:00 PM. It was also a requirement to keep your ticket in order to obtain round trip transportation. The destination of our lift drop off was 2.4 miles by foot from our hotel.
This hike was the hardest hike I’ve ever done, simply because I was so exhausted from the previous hiking/walking on this trip. I had my hiking poles which, usually helps with my knee pain. It did not do anything for the pain I endured on this hike.
We hiked through a gorgeous, rolling meadow and proceeded to the base of a mountain, with an absolutely grueling number of switchbacks. Walter’s Wiggles doesn’t hold a candle to these!
My knees really struggled getting up the switchbacks. I was in a lot of pain. Enough so, that I told my husband multiple times to go on without me. He refused.
When we reached the summit, it was breathtaking. He told me it was beautiful, but he wouldn’t have appreciated it as much without me by his side. (*swoon right*) You have to remember that we were on our honeymoon haha. The sweet talking game was still STRONG.
We semi-sprinted back down the trail. Well, if I’m being honest…I basically hobbled down with my hiking poles. We were extremely limited on time and I knew I didn’t really stand a chance to make it back to the hotel on foot if the ski lift was closed. There was no way that my knees could endure an additional 2.4 miles.
We made it to the ski lift with five minutes to spare and even snapped this cool selfie pointing to the peak we just summited.
We were able to go to the room to rest, hit the sauna, and enjoy our fabulous gourmet dinner downstairs. It was the perfect evening. If you are someone that prefers not to do a lot of research to plan your own activities and you prefer a guide, you can click this link to look at several guided tour options.
Lago di Braies
The next day, we tried to leave early to go to Tre Cime di Lavaredo and Lago di Braies. We attempted to check out of our hotel before sunrise so we could witness it at Lago di Braies, but unfortunately the night shift staff at Alpina Dolomites were unable to process our credit card for checkout. He didn’t know how, so we had to wait for the day shift staff to arrive in in order for us to check out. This put us behind by a few hours and we were unable to do Tre Cime later. This was due to the long line at the park entrance.
We also arrived at Lago di Braies later than we anticipated. It was extremely crowded. I have read that it is always crowded, whether it’s morning or night, but it is still such a stunning site. The crystal clear, aquamarine water reflects the Italian peaks so pristinely.
The parking is limited and you must pay a fee. In 2022, a parking restriction was instituted. Between July 10-September 10 and the hours of 9:30 am-4pm, you cannot drive through the Pragser Tal Valley and park at Lago di Braies. During these hours, you must park 5 km away and use public transportation, bike, or proceed on foot. You can rent a rowboat by the hour on the lake, and if you would like to get one of the Instagram worthy sunrise photos in a rowboat, you must book these in advance.
Again, after leaving Lago di Braies, we attempted to go to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo hike. The line at the park entrance was extremely long. We were in the middle of a road trip and we wanted to finish our Italian tour in Venice. So, we opted to skip Tre Cime. It will definitely be on our next to do list when we visit again. I would love to go back and spend more time exploring the Dolomites regions.
If you would like to read more about our 2 days in Rome or our Italian road trip click here. If you have never been out of the country, and you are looking to start traveling internationally, please read my post on Tips for first time travelers out of the US. I hope you enjoyed the article!
