Dolomites with the twins
By Sinead Mussen • May 16, 2026Want an itinerary built around your preferences?
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Free to useDay 1
ROME • Aug 8
- Leave central London at 12:00 for the airport
- Be at the airport by about 12:45 for the 14:45 London -> Rome flight
- After landing at 18:20, aim to leave the airport by about 19:30
- Be at Roma Termini by about 21:30-22:00 with dinner/snacks sorted before the 23:00 overnight train
- Treat 22:15 as your latest comfortable station-arrival target
Day 2
Aug 9
Youth Hostel
- Wake: on-train / arrival morning
- Leave Bolzano again by about 09:00-10:00 once oriented and stocked with breakfast
- Route: Bolzano/Bozen -> Brixen/Bressanone -> bag drop at Youth Hostel Brixen
- Plan: light setup day with groceries, station orientation, and pass/admin tasks
- Optional add-on: head toward Geisleralm only if arrival/setup is smooth; use 13:00 as the latest leave time from Brixen
- Gear hire: if needed, check Intersport Rent Brixen first, then Sportservice Erwin Stricker
- Book/check: buy your 7-day South Tyrol Mobilcard today if possible and validate before each bus or train
Day 3
Aug 10
Youth Hostel
- Wake: 05:45
- Leave: 06:30 from Brixen
- Route: Brixen/Bressanone -> Ponte Gardena/Waidbruck -> bus 350 or 351 -> Ortisei/St. Ulrich -> Seceda lift system
- Plan: first useful lift, main Seceda section, then return to Brixen
- Cable car: Seceda cable car is the core uplift; simplest version is lift up/down, balanced version is lift up, ridgeline walk, lift down
- Hike: about 8-12 km, roughly 4-6 hrs walking
- Depart back: leave Ortisei / Seceda side by about 16:30-17:30
- Book/check: reserve a summer Seceda timeslot in advance; Gardena Card covers Seceda but still needs a reservation, while Dolomiti Supersummer does not cover Seceda
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Day 4
Aug 11
Residenze Sonnenschein
- Wake: 05:00
- Leave: 05:45 from Brixen
- Route: Brixen/Bressanone -> Ponte Gardena/Waidbruck -> bus 350 or 351 through Val Gardena -> bus 471 toward Passo Sella
- Plan: Rifugio Friedrich August first, then a lighter Alpe di Siusi / Seiser Alm scenic section before transferring east
- Cable car: use the Alpe di Siusi / Seiser Alm uplift to keep the day lighter after Friedrich August
- Hike: about 6-10 km, roughly 2.5-4.5 hrs walking
- Depart back: leave the Passo Sella / Ortisei-side area by about 15:30-16:30
- Transfer: return to Brixen, collect bags, then continue east via Fortezza/Franzensfeste toward Villabassa/Niederdorf for Residenze Sonnenschein
- Book/check: screenshot the rail leg plus 350/351 and 471 timings the night before, and check uplift closing time if using the cable-car version
Day 5
Aug 12
Residenze Sonnenschein
- Wake: flexible reset morning
- Leave: no hard early departure unless needed for groceries or transit admin
- Transfer: Brixen/Bressanone -> Fortezza/Franzensfeste -> Dobbiaco/Toblach
- Base: Guesthouse - Cultural Center Gustav Mahler, Dobbiaco/Toblach
- Plan: light transfer day, then pivot into a fun San Candido afternoon instead of a full reset day
- Afternoon block: take the cable car up toward Rifugio Gigante Baranci, then do Fun Bob if timing and energy are good
- Evening: add Jora Mountain Dining as the cooking-class-style dinner / pasta experience; reserve ahead if you want this locked in
- Gear hire: Globo Alpin in Dobbiaco/Toblach is the practical technical-rental stop; Snow Service in Cortina is the low-price fallback for poles / boots / packs if you still need anything later
- Book/check: buy or validate the South Tyrol Mobilcard if needed; screenshot bus 442 for Braies, shuttle 444 for Tre Cime, and the Dobbiaco -> Cortina -> Passo Tre Croci chain for Sorapis
- Prep: food, cash, offline maps, layers, power bank, hard alarms for the next three days
Day 6
Aug 13
Residenze Sonnenschein
- Wake: 05:45
- Leave: 06:15 from Dobbiaco/Toblach side
- Route: Dobbiaco/Toblach -> bus 442 -> Lago di Braies
- Plan: make Braies the first east-side hike because it is the shortest and cleanest public-transport day from the new base
- Hike: about 3.5-4 km, roughly 1-1.5 hrs easy walking
- Depart back: leave Lago di Braies by about 13:30-15:00 and return to Dobbiaco for an early night
- Book/check: bus 442 needs advance reservation / prepayment in peak season; screenshot outbound and return booking the night before
- Transit note: Mobilcard covers eligible local segments but not the reserved 442 leg
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Day 7
Aug 14
Residenze Sonnenschein
- Wake: 05:00
- Leave: 05:30 from Dobbiaco/Toblach side
- Route: Dobbiaco/Toblach -> shuttle bus 444 -> Rifugio Auronzo / Tre Cime access
- Plan: put Tre Cime + Cadini in the middle of the block as the main priority day from the Dobbiaco base
- Hike: roughly 12-15 km total, about 5-7 hrs walking
- Depart back: leave the Tre Cime / Rifugio Auronzo side by about 15:30-16:30
- Book/check: bus 444 is booking-critical both outbound and return; have tickets and boarding details screenshotted before sleep
- Priority: if one day gets taxi / private-shuttle rescue budget, this is the day
Day 8
Aug 15
Residenze Sonnenschein
- Wake: 04:45
- Leave: 05:15 from Dobbiaco/Toblach side
- Route: Dobbiaco/Toblach -> Cortina d'Ampezzo corridor bus -> Dolomitibus 30 / 31 / 51 to Passo Tre Croci
- Plan: keep Lago di Sorapis last in the hike block because it has the most fragile transport stack and works best once the simpler Dobbiaco-based days are done
- Hike: roughly 11-13 km round trip, about 4.5-6.5 hrs walking
- Depart back: leave Lago di Sorapis / Passo Tre Croci side by about 14:00-15:30
- Book/check: no hard reservation identified, but screenshot every leg the night before because this is the most fragile transport stack of the trip
Day 9
Aug 16
Residenze Sonnenschein
- Wake: based on your flight time from Venice Marco Polo Airport
- Leave: work backward from the 16:15 FlixBus from San Candido/Innichen and leave Dobbiaco/Toblach early enough to reach San Candido with margin
- Route: Guesthouse - Cultural Center Gustav Mahler -> Dobbiaco/Toblach station -> regional train east to San Candido/Innichen -> walk to the FlixBus stop -> Venice Marco Polo Airport
- Primary transfer: 16:15 FlixBus from San Candido
- Stop target: arrive in San Candido around 15:40-15:50 and be at the FlixBus stop about 15-20 min early
- Backup route: rail via Fortezza/Franzensfeste to Venezia Mestre, then airport shuttle to VCE
- Book/check: prebook the FlixBus, verify the exact San Candido stop location, and screenshot both the local connection and coach ticket the night before
- Timing rule: build in heavy airport buffer and do not plan sightseeing on departure day
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