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Boys walking the trail toward mountains in the Dolomites.

Visiting the Dolomites Without a Car – It’s Possible, & Sometimes Preferable

Are you trying to decide if you should rent a car for your visit to the Dolomites or just try to explore the area using public transport?

I’ve been visiting the Dolomites since 2004, and I’ve done both, many times.  I’ve driven cars and vans, covered the area on bicycle, and sat on countless buses, gondolas and chairlifts!  I won’t give you a clear answer like I can for most other regions in Italy (rent the car!), but I can go over what you should consider when deciding.

Not only is visiting the Dolomites without a car possible – sometimes it’s even preferable!

Let’s take a look at:

  • When to use public transport in the Dolomites
  • When to drive a car in the Dolomites
  • Recommended bases for exploring the Dolomites without a car
  • How to visit the Dolomites without a car – step by step
  • Helpful vocabulary for public transport in the Dolomites
  • A basic sample itinerary for visiting the Dolomites without a car
  • Tips for families

Good To Know:  If you’re planning on traveling to/from major cities in Italy, it’s easy to travel by train (no need for a rental car).  Otherwise, I suggest renting a car.  The Dolomites is the only area in Italy that I happily visit by public transport (or recommend that others do as well). 

When I Prefer to Use Public Transport in the Dolomites

Boy wearing brown coat and rolling suitcase walks on cobblestone sidewalk toward large neon green building. It's the bus station in Bolzano, Italy. Cars in a traffic circle on the left.
My son, walking to the Bolzano bus station on our way up to Fiè allo Sciliar

There are certain times and scenarios when I prefer to visit the Dolomites without a car:

  • In winter, with snowy and icy conditions
  • On short trips to the area without a lot of luggage
  • When we plan on moving around a lot in the area (to villages, hikes, etc)
  • During really busy times of year when I’ll have to search for parking
  • If our hotel is close to a bus stop
  • If our apartment doesn’t have parking

You may want to read about
How to Visit the Dolomites in Winter Without a Car
Cycling Dolomites Bike Paths

When I Like to Drive My Own Car in the Dolomites

Boy pushes brothers in stroller down main pedestrian street of Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Yellow buildings on left. The buildings have a traditional Austrian/German vibe with flower boxes on the windows. Church bell tower in back and mountains looming behind.
In Cortina with my boys. We drove a car on this trip to the Dolomites.

And, there are times when having a car feels like the best choice.  For example:

  • When I’m traveling with a baby
  • If we’ve got a lot of luggage or baby gear
  • When I don’t want to deal with close quarters (sicknesses)
  • If we’re in a large group
  • If I don’t want to deal with transport schedules or where to put our luggage if we want to hike somewhere between hotels.  I want to just hop in the car and go, and not worry about what to do with our luggage.
  • When my husband comes with us (he does the driving), and I can just navigate on our Dolomites road trip
  • If there are places we need to be really early (like at a scenic spot for a photo) or late (like a dinner at a restaurant)
  • If I know we’ll be visiting places that aren’t really accessible by public transport (for example, Laghetto di Fiè is hard to reach by public transport, as is the Pflegerhof Herb Farm near Castelrotto).  Lake Molveno is easier to reach by car too. 
  • If I have a passenger who tends to get car sick.  I can control my speed and we can stop if we need to.

Read more about
Driving in the Dolomites
Renting a Car in Italy
Parking in Italy

Getting Gas in Italy
Car Seats in Italy

What We Do:  If I’m visiting on my own with my boys, I usually drive a car up to the Dolomites.  But, I do make some trips to the area by public transport.  If we travel as a family, we take the car (my husband prefers driving, and I’m fine being the navigator!).

Where to Base Yourself in the Dolomites Without a Car

Three boys walk on flat gravel trail in the Dolomites. Large mountains in background and grass on either side of trail.
On the Resciesa hike with my boys. We reached this by funicular from Ortisei.

I think the easiest places to base yourself for a Dolomites trip without a car are:

  • Bolzano – city visit but you can still reach hikes and mountains (Renon, Alpe di Siusi)
  • Fiè allo Sciliar – tiny village with walks from town or hikes from nearby Alpe di Siusi
  • Cortina d’Ampezzo – hikes from town or take the bus to nearby hikes like Cinque Torri
  • Ortisei (Val Gardena) – great base in a large village / small town; easy to reach great hiking on Resciesa, Alpe di Siusi, and Seceda.  You can also look at the other Val Gardena towns (Santa Cristina and Selva di Val Gardena).

FAQ: 
What about making a base in Corvara in Badia?  While I love Corvara and its surrounding villages (like San Cassiano, also in Alta Badia), I personally wouldn’t visit without a car.  It’s pretty ‘deep’ into the Dolomites, so you’d spend quite a bit of time reaching it and traveling back out.  I also find we use our car a lot when we stay in Corvara (to drive to Cortina, have dinner in Colfosco, drive to hike the Cinque Torri, etc).   You can do it, but I choose not to.

Check out
Visiting Alpe di Siusi
Alpe di Siusi with Kids
Alpe di Siusi with Kids in the Winter
Alpe di Siusi or Seceda – Which Should You Choose?
Seceda with Kids
Cortina d’Ampezzo with Kids
Visiting Fiè allo Sciliar
Fiè allo Sciliar with Kids
Visiting Ortisei
Ortisei with Kids
Bolzano with Kids
Things to Do in Bolzano
Accommodation Options in Italy

Dolomites Without a Car – How to Do It

  1. Make sure it’s realistic for where you’re staying and what you’re planning on seeing and doing. 

Example 1: We’re basing ourselves in Fiè allo Sciliar (above Bolzano) for a week with our family of 5.  Fiè is a walkable village, and we can reach playgrounds, grocery stores, and hikes on foot.  We can also utilize buses to reach Alpe di Siusi (aka Seiser Alm) and other villages and cities like Castelrotto, Ortisei, and Bolzano.  It’s easy to arrive in Fiè by train (to Bolzano) and bus.  We’ll leave the car and use public transport!

Example 2: We’re a family of 3 with an infant.  We’ve booked a 3-day stay in Corvara in Badia, nestled deep in the Dolomites.  We’ve got a stroller and quite a bit of luggage (hey, we’re traveling with a baby!).  We plan on using gondolas to reach scenic viewpoints and have lunches in mountain huts.  In this case, it’s not worth taking the bus to Corvara, because it will take a long time – not worth it for a 3-day trip.  It will also be a pain moving baby gear and luggage on and off trains and buses.  And while Corvara is a walkable town, it will be nice to have a car so we can be flexible with the baby.  If we want to visit a nearby town like San Cassiano, we can head back whenever we want for baby’s nap (or our own). 

Example 3: We’re heading to Bolzano in December for a few days of holiday fun and to check out the Christmas market.   We’ll arrive by train and move around on foot.  No need to rent a car.

Example 4: We’re planning a 10-day trip (as a family of 4) across the Dolomites from Bolzano to Cortina d’Ampezzo, visiting villages and hiking along the way.  We’ll rent a car because we don’t feel like figuring out the bus schedules, waiting for buses, or trying to figure out where to store our luggage if we want to stop and hike between hotels.  We’ll either rent a car before we get to the Bolzano (if the price is right), or we’ll take the train to Bolzano and rent a car there (in the city or at the Bolzano airport).  When we get to Cortina, we’ll either keep driving to our next destination, or we’ll drop off our car and take the bus to Venice, if it’s our destination.

Example 5: We’re a couple visiting the area to take photographs of some of the areas popular sites (Lake Misurina (Lago di Misurina), Lake Braies (Lago di Braies), Lake Carezza (Lago di Carezza), the Tre Cime di LavaredoWe want to arrive early to avoid crowds and get the best shots, and some places on our list aren’t accessible by public transport.  We’ll choose a car rental for this trip.

Example 6:  We’re a group of 5 and we want to do a hut-to-hut hike.  We’ll use public transportation for our trip:  First a train to Bolzano, and then a bus from Bolzano to the Alpe di Siusi gondola.  Then, we’ll hike on Alpe di Siusi and finish our hike in Cortina d’Ampezzo.  From there, we can take the Cortina Express direct bus to Venice where we catch our flight home.

  • Use sudtirolmobil.  I’m usually a big fan of Google Maps for navigating in Italy, but in the Dolomites, sudtirolmobil is king.  You can download the app or use the website on your phone’s browser.  Get real-time bus and gondola info, buy tickets, and plan your route.  Note:  There are other sites and apps for the area (like DolomitiBus), but I find sudtirolmobil to be the best by far.
  • Don’t pack your days.  If you plan on visiting the Dolomites using public transport, take it easy.  Don’t try to visit 3 towns in one day.  You’ll spend too much time on the bus, and you’ll always have to keep an eye on the time so you don’t miss the last bus back!
  • Learn the lingo.  If you’re using the sudtirolmobil app, you can access it in English.  But, it’s important to know some public transport words and phrases because you’ll be looking at signs (some posted, some digital) for buses and cable cars.  Check out some important words to know below.
  • Ask your accommodation for transport cards.  Before you dish out your €s on transport, ask your hotel or apartment if they provide the area’s transport card (different names depending on where you’re staying, like Mobilcard, Val Gardena Mobilcard, Südtirol Guest Pass, etc).  It’s often included in the price of your stay, and trips on buses (and some cable cars and trains) are included – see your particular pass’s website for details.

Check out Travel Apps for Italy That I Use

Read more about visiting Italy in JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember.

Helpful Words and Phrases for Visiting the Dolomites Without a Car

Punto di partenza – departure point

Destinazione – destination

Quando – when

Partire adesso – leaving now

Mezzo di trasporto – mode of transport

Più veloce – fastest

Meno strada a piedi – least amount of walking

Senza cambi – without changes

Scale – steps

Scalini – stairs

Ascensore – elevator

Biglietti – tickets

Lunedì, martedì, mercoledì, giovedì, venerdì, sabato, domenica – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Giorni festivi – Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays

Giorni feriali – Monday through Saturday

Giorni feriali escluso sabato – Monday through Friday

In ritardo – running late

Good To Know:  It’s a good idea to know both the German and the Italian names for your destination, as sometimes only one is listed.  And, some places are noted in a 3rd(!) language, Ladin.

Also check out
Italian Phrases for Travelers
Basic Italian Phrases for Kids

Sample Hiker’s Itinerary for Visiting the Dolomites Without a Car

Boy hiking on packed dirt path on Pieralongia trail in the Dolomites.
Hiking on Seceda with my boys

Here’s a very basic itinerary that uses Ortisei as a base for 4 days.  The two days on either side include travel, but you can use part of each day for exploration of Ortisei (or Bolzano). 

DAY 1:  Train to Bolzano.  Walk 5 minutes to the bus station and take the bus to Ortisei.  Ortisei is your base for your trip.  Walk around town and have dinner.

DAY 2: Walk to the Mont Seüc gondola and take it up to Alpe di Siusi for the day.

DAY 3: Walk to the Resciesa Funicular and take it up to hike for the day.

DAY 4: Take the bus to Castelrotto and explore the village.  You can do short walks from Castelrotto, or just rest your legs a bit!

DAY 5: Walk to the Seceda cable car and take it up to Seceda for the day.

DAY 6: Take the bus back to Bolzano and then train to your next destination.

Good To Know:  If you want to explore Bolzano, you can use the luggage deposit on track 1 of the Bolzano train station.

Visiting the Dolomites with Kids – Do You Need a Car?

You can definitely visit the Dolomites without a car – and with kids.  I’ve done it multiple times, and it’s the only area in Italy that I’d voluntarily explore without a car with my family. 

Here are some tips and things to know about using public transport to visit the Dolomites:

Buses don’t have seatbelts

Even if you’re not driving a car, you can always hire a private driver for longer excursions or complicated trips (for example, if you want to go to a particular restaurant and there’s no bus back at night).  Vico Travel and Taxi Sandro are reliable companies that I’ve used for over 20 years. 

Pack as light as possible, because you’ll be loading luggage on and off buses and trains.

See my
Italy Packing List
Italy Packing List for Kids
Italy Packing List for a Baby or Toddler
Family Packing List for the Dolomites in the Winter

Bring medicine with you if you’ve got a child that gets carsick.  Buses will take you up and down winding roads (like either side of Passo Gardena or Passo Giau).

Check gondola and chairlift schedules if you’re traveling during a low season (mid-September through November, April through mid-June).  While you can reach many places on foot, with kids you’ll want to take advantage of the lifts and cable cars.

Have older kids or teens carry backpacks when you head out to explore.  Mamma won’t be able to carry everything needed in the Dolomites (water, layers, rain gear, snacks, etc), so anyone who can help needs to! 

Read more about
Train Travel in Italy with Kids
Dolomites with Kids (Summer)
Dolomites with Kids (Winter)
Where to Stay in the Dolomites with Kids
7-Day Family Itinerary for the Dolomites

You may want to check out
Things We Love to Do in the Dolomites
Florence to Bolzano Train
How to Get From Venice to the Dolomites

I hope you enjoy your time in the Dolomites without a car!  Or, if you’ve decided you want your own two wheels, that you have an incredible South Tyrolean road trip!

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