Venice to the Dolomites!
On our last visit to Venice we decided to do a day trip to the north and visit the Dolomites area of Italy. The grand Dolomites are an amazing UNESCO site in Italy. With jagged mountains, green pastures and beautiful clear lakes visiting the Dolomites Italy should be on everyones bucket list item. Our tour to the Dolomites from Venice end up being one of the best we have ever taken.
We hired a private tour company which arrived at the pick-up location near the parking station in Venice. We soon found out that our driver Luigi was knowledgeable and very informative, so we quickly knew our tour of the Dolomites would be a good one.
I really had no idea what to expect on this Venice to the Dolomites tour. There are times we choose not to do any research before going to specific places so that we can have some surprises and get the wow factor. This was one of those times. In fact, I actually a few weeks before going I had to ask Kevin where are the Dolomites?
Where is the Dolomites ?
The Dolomites Italy are located in the North east portion of Italy. These Northern Italy dolomites expand across the regions of Trento, Bolzano and Belluno.
How to get to the Dolomites in Italy:
Getting to the Dolomites is relatively easy.
If you are interested in touring the Dolomites you can get there by car . Venice to Dolomites is approximately a two and a half hour drive.You can also get to Cortina from Venice by train and bus.
Travel to the Dolomites
Luigi helped us make decisions for our Venice to Dolomites day tripby asking what we were interested in; shopping, sites, food, history- so basically we said yes to all. A map of the Dolomites Italy was brought out by Luigi. His suggestions were to take in a few small towns in the Dolomitesto explore, drive through the countryside and have a nice lunch.
How high are the Dolomites?
The highest elevation is at 10,968 feet on the Mountain Marmolada. This mountain lies between Trentino and Veneto.
Are the Dolomites part of the Alps?
The answer is yes. If you look at a map of the Dolomites mountains you will see they are part of the same mountain range.
Driving in the Dolomites
As we headed north towards the Belluno province on our Dolomites tour from Venice we learned all about the surrounding mountains, life in the area, wildlife and any questions we had were all answered. We were able to get some great pictures of the Dolomites too.
The greenery, lakes and mountain views we saw took my breath away. I believe we went at a perfect time, early May, the weather in the Dolomites was not to hot and flowers were all in bloom. A spectacular day in the Dolomites.
FaAuronzo di Cadore, Pieve di Cadore were some of the towns in the Dolomites Italy region we visited. The architecture throughout the area was a mixture of Italian, Swiss and even German influence. We came across some hotels in the Dolomites that looked like they would make beautiful accommodations for special holidays in the Dolomites Italy.
Skiing in the Dolomites
Ski holidays in the Dolomites, must be a skiers dream!The 1956 Olympics were held here in Cortina. It was very unique place to hold the Olympics because many of different events were within walking distance of each other. Skiing the Dolomites was one of the top attractions of the 1956 Olympics.
Other things to do in the Dolomites
Of course, some of the best things to do in the Dolomites involve outdoor activities. As we were driving through the mountains I was really surprised to see and find out the sport of mountain biking Dolomites is so popular. These Italian mountains are steep! At times we came across bicyclist climbing at almost 90-degree angle!
Hiking the Dolomites is another popular activity. If you like to hike I can just imagine the views you will see, surly you will see the best of the Dolomites.
Final Thoughts on the Italian Mountains Dolomites
We loved our tour for the day, Venice Dolomites day trip. Being able to customize the tour is always an extra bonus and Luigi was wonderful as a tour guide. If you have the extra funds I highly suggest the day trips you take to be a private or small group tour, you get more out of it and you have less stress. An area of Italy we had never explored, our Venice Dolomites tour was one of the best we ever experienced. I would love to go back again to these amazing mountains to stay in beautiful resort high up, secluded and surrounded with all this magnificent beauty!