International (Europe/Japan/Southern Hemisphere) 2024 7-Day European Blitz: Munich->Innsbruck->Dolomites - Advice Appreciated!

[Pumba]

Here’s one vote for you to post a detailed report when you return.

I can’t guarantee how detailed, but meal pics and highlight views will be posted….i’ll also do some scouting on which town might be the most convenient seeming for us Mericans, in case a future group trip is in store…..didn’t you go to europe sometime in the past few years with your son? Any insight? I am completely not remembering this correctly… I realize Europe is a big general term…

 

[lone pine]

Hello All, welcome to yet another thread on the Dolomites!

First, thank you to all who have posted on the topic @Cheizz and countless others. I've read most of the recent threads which have helped inform the few decisions I've made so far. Also, big shout out to @Tony S for planting the idea in my head last summer. I am copying some of your trip itinerary, friend!

Europe has definitely been on my bucket list for awhile. The vast area and logistics to cover in such a short time are making me a bit nervous, so i would appreciate any tips from the regulars in this area. I am traveling with my partner who is not as enthusiastic about skiing, so this will be a a combo sight-seeing/ski holiday/and eating trip. We plan on 4-5 days of skiing based out of Ortisei.

ITINERARY SO FAR:
• Feb.9, Fri - Red-eye flight NYC to Munich
• Feb.10, Sat - Arrive Munich -> Drive Innsbruck, where we will spend a night (we are renting a car from Munich airport)
• Feb.11, Sun - Drive from Innsbruck to Hotel just outside Ortisei
• Feb.12-16 Mon-Fri AM - Ski!
• Feb.16, PM - Drive back to Munich
• Feb.17, Sat - Fly back Munich -> NYC

Given the short amount of time we'll have to ski the Dolomites, I have a few questions:

• Would it be worth joining a multi-day group tour/lessons to help us understand the lay of the land? I am nervous about wasting a lot of time trying to figure out logistics between regions/resorts.
• Can anyone recommend good guides or schools that do these types of day tours?
• If you only had 4-5 days to ski the Dolomites, what would you recommend as the must-do circuits/runs/regions - given this years low snow?
• We are serious foodies and have half-board with our hotel. Any recommendations for refugios /on-mountain huttes with great lunch food?.... We are also looking for restaurant recommendations in Munich and Innsbruck.

Many Thanks to those who can offer insight!

kara

The Hilton Munchen City on Rosenheimer has been our go-to hotel in Munich, and it is on the way out of town. A great restaurant within walking distance is Wirtshaus in der Au.

 

[Bolder]

Thank you for all the replies! I have a lot more logistical/navigational questions which I'll address later this evening when I get home from work. Thanks for the tip to avoild the Sella Ronda as a destination in itself. I will view it more as a "circle line" - a means to get to other areas. I know there will be crowds. I like to stay away from them whenever possible.

Thanks for stoking the excitement for the scenery AND food! I knew from the beginning that this would probably turn out to be a food + views tour with a skiing in between.

MUNICH - we haven't booked a place to stay yet. I have pre-emptively booked dinner at this place (https://www.madamchutney.com/) since I suspect we will be schnitzel-ed out by the end of our trip....But we will most definitely stop at a traditional beer hall for some drinks and the atmosphere. I am also considering this Lebanese place: https://www.beirutbeirut.de/

DOLOMITES - since we are on half-board, I have looked at some potential lunch places. Anyone have thoughts/experience with either of these places?

Sofie Hut on the Seceda in the heart of the impressive Dolomites

on the Seceda in the heart of the impressive Dolomites

www.seceda.com

Gostner Schwaige - haute cuisine on the Seiser Alm

Genuine mountain hut cooking in interaction with nature, flower chef extraordinaire Franz Mulser serves delicious menus and fresh dishes.

www.aussergost.com

Any other lunch/viewpoint recs appreciated!

While I would normally be fine to "wing it" on the mountain, I am still considering a tour for some of the days. The maps online don't seem entirely clear and the relative distances between areas are hard for me to gauge, plus it will be our first time skiing in Europe. I am considering these two outfits for tours:

Ski guiding in the Dolomites - skiing with a mountain guide | Alpine School CATORES - Val Gardena / South Tyrol / Dolomites

Mountain Guides Catores | Alpine School. Let's spend a wonderful day together on our beautiful Dolomites mountains.

www.catores.com

Dolomites Explorer

Escursioni giornaliere per sciatori esperti per scoprire le meravigliose piste delle Dolomiti, patrimonio mondiale UNESCO.

ortisei.skischool.shop

Thoughts, experiences?

INNSBRUCK - any must see sights or bars/restuarants? We may take a side trip to the village Hall

DRIVING/ROADS - one thing I forgot to ask is how windy are the roads? I have motion sickness and need to know if I should pack a lot of Dramamine.

Thanks again! I will be back online later.

k

I haven't been to Gostner Schwaige (https://www.aussergost.com/en/food-drinks/) but it looks really good! Have definitely skied past it many times. Other spots on Seiser Alm that we like are Saltner Schwaige http://www.saltner.eu/ (get there early or service is slow) and the Sanonhutte https://www.seiseralm.it/it/attivit...8ECEF4472EA115F0253B109314-g-sanonhuette.html

On the Seceda, we like Troier Hutte (it's on far skier's left, has it's own detour trail. The view are mind blowing, food is also quite good: http://www.troier.com/en/winter-seceda.asp

Windy roads: If you are coming from the north on the autostrada, the road to Val Gardena will for sure induce motion sickness. We have had to pull over a few times for those who suffer from it.

 

[SKI-3PO]

I can’t guarantee how detailed, but meal pics and highlight views will be posted….i’ll also do some scouting on which town might be the most convenient seeming for us Mericans, in case a future group trip is in store…..didn’t you go to europe sometime in the past few years with your son? Any insight? I am completely not remembering this correctly… I realize Europe is a big general term…

I’ve now done 4 Europe trips with the family including this past Christmas to the Arlberg region of Austria. Definitely looking at the Dolomites in the future. All of my Europe trips have been that week which has resulted in higher crowds and varying snow conditions. As a result our trips have been more food/scenery focused than the kind of skiing that is typically most interesting to me in the US. Still - amazing experiences that I would do again. I haven’t driven on any of these trips - either trains, buses or other shuttles to resorts. I would highly consider not bringing my skis in the future and renting instead given my limited success in my ski bags making it on my flights - especially if I’m not paying for a family of 4.

 

[Pumba]

I’ve now done 4 Europe trips with the family including this past Christmas to the Arlberg region of Austria. Definitely looking at the Dolomites in the future. All of my Europe trips have been that week which has resulted in higher crowds and varying snow conditions. As a result our trips have been more food/scenery focused than the kind of skiing that is typically most interesting to me in the US. Still - amazing experiences that I would do again. I haven’t driven on any of these trips - either trains, buses or other shuttles to resorts. I would highly consider not bringing my skis in the future and renting instead given my limited success in my ski bags making it on my flights - especially if I’m not paying for a family of 4.

Mini Euro-Gathering ahead? I will bring all the Dolomites intel I can gather. I am sure @Tony S will have thoughts as well!

 

[Pumba]

I haven't been to Gostner Schwaige (https://www.aussergost.com/en/food-drinks/) but it looks really good! Have definitely skied past it many times. Other spots on Seiser Alm that we like are Saltner Schwaige http://www.saltner.eu/ (get there early or service is slow) and the Sanonhutte https://www.seiseralm.it/it/attivit...8ECEF4472EA115F0253B109314-g-sanonhuette.html

On the Seceda, we like Troier Hutte (it's on far skier's left, has it's own detour trail. The view are mind blowing, food is also quite good: http://www.troier.com/en/winter-seceda.asp

Windy roads: If you are coming from the north on the autostrada, the road to Val Gardena will for sure induce motion sickness. We have had to pull over a few times for those who suffer from it.

Mmm, adding these to the list. Thanks for the tip on the roads. We will coming from the north, driving from Innsbruck to Ortisei. I will load up on non-drowsy Dramamine so I can still enjoy the views.

 

[Bolder]

I’ve now done 4 Europe trips with the family including this past Christmas to the Arlberg region of Austria. Definitely looking at the Dolomites in the future. All of my Europe trips have been that week which has resulted in higher crowds and varying snow conditions. As a result our trips have been more food/scenery focused than the kind of skiing that is typically most interesting to me in the US. Still - amazing experiences that I would do again. I haven’t driven on any of these trips - either trains, buses or other shuttles to resorts. I would highly consider not bringing my skis in the future and renting instead given my limited success in my ski bags making it on my flights - especially if I’m not paying for a family of 4.

I think that the Dolomites offer a unique experience, skiing quality aside (which, to be honest, is not mindblowing), which is the main point of travel. I always tell anyone interested in skiing Europe to head there first, as you're almost always guaranteed to have great food, incredible scenery, at least decent skiing (because of snowmaking and grooming) and great weather (300 days of sun a year), with reasonable prices to boot. You might have a fabulous experience in the French, Swiss or Austrian alps, but I think it's less of a sure thing. Just my opinion.

 

[Cheizz]

You really don't need a guide when skiing on groomers. There are signs everywhere and if you're not terrible at reading a map, you'll be just fine. Spend that money on a second lunch instead.

 

[Pumba]

You really don't need a guide when skiing on groomers. There are signs everywhere and if you're not terrible at reading a map, you'll be just fine. Spend that money on a second lunch instead.

Hey @Cheizz zz and @Bolder, I hear you.

My interest in joining a tour is so we can efficiently navigate getting from resort to resort without wasting time getting lost, etc. Our trip is very short, just 4-5 days of skiing. I figure guides will also give us history and fun facts about the different areas, plus help us navigate/avoid crowds.

Many North American resorts offer complimentary mountain tours - this is the type of thing I'm interested in. I'm not seeing anything similar advertised on any of the sites....Some of the hotels I looked at did offer complimentary ski tours, but those didn't have rooms availability for our stay. This is kind of spur of the moment/hastily planned trip!

A couple examples I am concerned about getting lost or taking all day to do is skiing from Ortisei to Alta Badia, Arabba/Marmolada, and Val di Fassa (on separate days). On the map, these look pretty far from each other with lots of different lift options/connections. For example how long do you think it would take for us to get from Ortisei to the Alta Badia Hidden Valley/Lagazuoi run with the horse tow? Should we expect this to take an entire day? .... We will also have a car, so driving is an option, but that would diminish the whole skiing from town to town thing that is a novelty we were looking forward to.

Since we will be staying in Ortisei, I think we will be fine exploring Seiser Alm and Val Gardena on our own.

Thanks again for all your insight! I'm sure I'm over-stressing about this and we will have an amazing time no matter what.

k

 

[Cheizz]

Not sure who recommended Lagazuoi, but that's the farthest point to try to get without driving over at least one mountain pass first. Although it's a great run (behind the horses is a nice experience although in reality, you'll be skating on the flats towards the horses for longer than you will tow behind them), there are much nicer, more achievable day trips from where you will be staying.

To clarify, you're trying to get from Ortisei (pink circle on the left) all the way to Lagazuoi (green circle on the right), maybe just for the horse thing (blue ellipse), which also takes a bus ride to get to the Lagazuoi lift from Aramentola. Hardly feasible, even if you had a guide of some sort.

 

[Pumba]

Not sure who recommended Lagazuoi, but that's the farthest point to try to get without driving over at least one mountain pass first. Although it's a great run (behind the horses is a nice experience although in reality, you'll be skating on the flats towards the horses for longer than you will tow behind them), there are much nicer, more achievable day trips from where you will be staying.

To clarify, you're trying to get from Ortisei (pink circle on the left) all the way to Lagazuoi (green circle on the right), maybe just for the horse thing (blue ellipse), which also takes a bus ride to get to the Lagazuoi lift from Aramentola. Hardly feasible, even if you had a guide of some sort.

View attachment 223155

Okay, I guess we will have to save the horse-tow experience for another trip....I also just re-read your first response to me in this thread and you, @Bolder and @Asterino basically laid out a trip plan, thank you! We will drive to Selva for a quicker start to get to Alta Badia from Ortisei.

Right now, I am thinking we will spend our week like this.

Monday - Val Gardena...Maybe warm-up at Seiser Alm first, or better to go straight Val Gardena via lifts 2(St.Ulrich) and 3(Furnes/Seceda)?
Tuesday - Alta Badia
Wednesday - Arabba/Marmolada
Thursday - Val di Fasa or Val Gardena again
Friday - Seiser Alm - we will only ski for a half-day, so this is the most convenient and it seems small in comparison to the others

We are driving back to Munich on Friday afternoon. Does anyone see any issues with driving back at night? i.e treacherous icy moiuntain roads?

If the above plan seems like over-kill for a short stay, what resorts would you eliminate?

Thank you!

kara

 

[Asterino]

Just to entice you... took a day of with the girlfriend and the goal was a bit of skiing and some good food and views (never an issue).

Below is the Lagazuoi... armentarola ;-)







Of course you can eat something too.

 

[Pumba]

Just to entice you... took a day of with the girlfriend and the goal was a bit of skiing and some good food and views (never an issue).

Below is the Lagazuoi... armentarola ;-)

View attachment 223168


View attachment 223169


Of course you can eat something too.

View attachment 223170

View attachment 223171

OMG!!!! looks incredible.

Sadly we will have to save that section for next time….But that gives us reason to go back to the Dolomites. This is just a prelim scouting mission, haha.

I can’t wait for the trip now. Let me know if you are are around the week of feb.12-16. Maybe we can have a run together!

K

 

[Cheizz]

If you want great views, frozen waterfalls and great food, just ski the Longia run back to Ortisei (on the Seceda side) and have Apfelstrudel at Anna's....

 

[Pumba]

If you want great views, frozen waterfalls and great food, just ski the Longia run back to Ortisei (on the Seceda side) and have Apfelstrudel at Anna's....

Cool! There seem to be too many good places to stop and relax on the Seceda side. I guess we will have to lap it if that's possible.

k

 

[fatbob]

Best restaurant in Innsbruck IMO is the Everest Inn Nepalese. For more traditional tirolean stuff the Stiftskeller near the Golden Dachl is pretty good. Best bars are those frequented by the student crowd like Moustache

Cafe Bar Moustache · Herzog-Otto-Straße 8, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria

★★★★★ · Cafe

maps.app.goo.gl

I wouldn't stay in Innsbruck without trying to get a few hours skiing in. Patscherkofel is probably easiest though Axamer Lizum isn't far. Both do limited time tickets.

 

[Cheizz]

Cool! There seem to be too many good places to stop and relax on the Seceda side. I guess we will have to lap it if that's possible.

k

You can. You can lap it all day long if you want. Both the Seceda (to Santa Cristina) and the Longia (to Ortisei).

 

[Asterino]

You can. You can lap it all day long if you want. Both the Seceda (to Santa Cristina) and the Longia (to Ortisei).

Yes both are amazing pistes, that you just can keep doing!

Week of 16th I'm at work in Paris (yes sometimes I need to work) but have a lot of fun! I hope you'll like it!

 

[Zirbl]

I figure guides will also give us history and fun facts about the different areas

Austrian emplacement Feldwache 4

The FW 4 is the only emplacement on the Dolomites front line during WW1 that can be reached on skis in winter.

lagazuoi.it

 

[Tony S]

Today was a nordic day. We skied up on the Seiser Alm. I have never ever skied in such a jaw-droppingly beautiful spot. Everyone in the group said the same. Possibly the high point was accidentally skiing into an alp horn concert at Ritsch. If you think it's just a bunch of honking, think again. Beautiful music.

We took the gondola from Ortisei up to Mont Seuc, then downloaded on a double chair to get onto the XC trails. Then we skied about 6km up and up to the Hotel Panorama, where we had lunch. Then we skied a bunch more and had coffee and strudel at the Sonne. The trails were groomed immaculately.