Getting Around the Dolomites: With And Without A Car

The Dolomites, spanning the regions of Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia in northern Italy, are a stunning yet complex destination to navigate. While the scenery is world-class, getting around the Dolomites – especially for first-time visitors – can be confusing due to regional transport differences and the vastness of the area.
We’ve explored the Dolomites both by car and public transport, and each option has its pros and cons. Driving offers flexibility and easy access to remote valleys and trailheads, while public transport is more sustainable, cheaper, and works best if you stay in well-connected towns like Ortisei or Dobbiaco.
In this guide, you’ll find practical tips for both approaches, including route suggestions and advice on reservations. With our insights, you’ll be able to confidently plan your Dolomites adventure and focus on enjoying the breathtaking landscapes
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Plan Your Trip With My Favorite Resources!
– Best accommodation site: Booking.com
– Best tours and activities: GetYourGuide or Viator
– Car rental: Rental Cars
– Travel Insurance: AXA
Getting Around the Dolomites With a Car
The main advantage of driving is, of course, the flexibility having a car gives you. You don’t need to worry about making it back to the bus if you’re enjoying the place. There’s freedom to wait or move on if the weather is not cooperating. And of course, not having to stick to schedules, so you can go for a sunrise or sunset photography.
If you have a car, it’s much easier to access different valleys, passes, and trailheads, especially when crossing the regional borders. The buses are not exactly connected in this regard, so it can become frustrating.
Parking and Tips
A car is definitely the best for getting around the Dolomites in the shoulder and off seasons when the buses are not running that conveniently. Also, if you’d like to beat the crowds and arrive at trailheads early – which is best for having a parking spot -, you should use a car.
Parking
Depending on when you come to the place you want to visit, of course, the parking might get a bit tricky.
There are usually no problems to find a parking spot if you travel in the shoulder seasons, such as June and September-October, but in the main season, plan time for looking for parking spaces.
If you’d like to go to Tre Cime, you need to reserve a parking spot online now – you will not be allowed to go on the road if you don’t have a reservation. Also for lake Braies, at peak summer season (10 July to 10 September), a reservation is mandatory.
Most of the parking lots in the Dolomites are paid. Sometimes, you need to pay the fare at a machine, but many also accept EasyPark app payments. It’s a very useful application when travelling around Europe, as you can both prolong and shorten the parking time, thus saving you time and money.
Driving tips
When driving in the mountains, you have to account extra time for all of the turns and bends. Somehow, most navigation apps think that you can drive the maximum allowed speed in a 180 degree hairpin bend – so they’re not precise.
And for mystical reason google maps thinks that in the Dolomites, you can drive on hiking trails – there’s been more than one occasion where it has sent us somewhere where there’s no road.
If you’re confused about some routes that navigations are showing, don’t hesitate to contact me in an email or in our Facebook group – we’ll be happy to check it.
Always keep to the right side of the road in the mountains and be careful in those aforementioned hairpin bends – there are big busses on the roads, and they can take the whole with of the road when turning.
Car Rental Tips
The best places to rent a car for the Dolomites are Venice, Verona, Milan, and Bolzano.
Verona and Bolzano will have a smaller choice of rental companies, as these are smaller towns. On the other hand, they’re closer to the Dolomites than Milan and Venice, so you’ll drive less on the highways.
If you arrive by train, I recommend renting the car in Bolzano or Verona.
If you’re leaving Italy straight after visiting the Dolomites, consider renting your car as close as possible to the airport that you’re flying out of. So, for example, if you can manage it, rent the car in a Milan airport if you’re flying out of Milan.
Always make sure to check your rental car before accepting it, no matter how reputable the company you’re renting from is. Once, when renting a car near Milan, the rental agreement had “full gas tank” written, although in reality, the car had almost an empty tank.
And, of course, check for dents and scratches – it’s Italy, it’s normal for cars to have it.s
Many car rental companies have bad reviews, even if they’re not so bad themselves. So don’t be afraid to rent from a company that has, let’s say, 7 stars on rentalcars.com.
Getting Around the Dolomites Without a Car
If you must use public transport to get around the Dolomites, I recommend staying in the Sudtirol/Alto Adige region. That’s where Val Gardena and Alta Badia are. The public transport is free if you stay there, plus, it’s more reliable than the Eastern Dolomites (Veneto).
If you’d like to explore places such as lake Braies and Tre Cime, you should stay in Veneto. Instead of staying in Cortina d’Ampezzo, though, look into Dobbiaco or San Candido. These villages have better public transport options.
One thing I love about the buses in the Dolomites is that the bus stops are generally really conveniently located. If there is a popular place, such as lake Carezza, there is a bus stop right next to it. And many out-of-towns hotels also have bus stops next to them.
Keep in mind that for going to Rifugio Auronzo or lake Braies, you need to reserve a bus ticket in advance.
And of course, for getting up the mountains, there are gondolas, chair lifts, and funiculars. There are some for which you can buy a ticket online (in Val Gardena, for example). But most, you just buy the ticket before boarding.
If you plan to use a lot of gondolas, check if a multi-day pass wouldn’t work out cheaper for you. The prices for this type of public transport can add up quickly – Seceda, for example, costs 52eur round trip!
Best Places to Base Yourself Without a Car
To be able to conveniently use public transport, you have to plan the places to stay more carefully.
The best places to base yourself without a car are Ortisei in Val Gardena (Western Dolomites) and Dobbiaco in Val Pusteria (Eastern Dolomites).
Ortisei
If you plan to only use public transport, such as buses, in the Dolomites, the western ones are probably the best place to base yourself.
The public transport in the South Tyrol is excellent. The connections are great and, even more, most hotels provide you with a Sudtirol Guest Pass which makes most of the transport in South Tyrol free!
Val Gardena also has its own guest pass – Val Gardena Mobilcard – which you get for free in most of the hotels. It makes public transport free in South Tyrol, even including the historic Ritten Railway!
And if you plan to use many cable cars in Val Gardena, you can consider purchasing the Gardena car. It allows you unlimited use of the 17 lifts in Val Gardena that are open in the summer season.
The pass costs 118€ for 3 consecutive days or 152€ for 6 consecutive days. For kids younger than 8, the price is 5€. Juniors from 8 to 16 years (born after 01.01.2007) can purchase the Gardena Card Junior at the price of 106€ (6 days) or 83€ (3 days).
Dobbiaco
Dobbiaco is my favourite alternative place to stay if you’d like to avoid the crowds (and prices) of Cortina d’Ampezzo. It’s less crowded, the hotels are cheaper, and you actually get better access to many of the top spots to visit, especially when using public transport.
For example, if you’d like to go to lake Braies or to Rifugio Auronzo, there are direct shuttle buses available. As opposed to staying in Cortina, where you’d have to transfer to go to these places.
Unlike Val Gardena, the buses in the Eastern part of the Dolomites are not for free. The prices start at 1.70€ for a single ride. The shuttle buses, such as those mentioned already, are more expensive, and you need a reservation to be allowed to board.
You can use the DolomitiBus app for the Belluno region, which will show you the routes. You can also buy tickets on it.
Tips for Traveling by Bus
Travel time
Travelling by bus generally takes longer than driving your own car, even with the traffic jams. It’s quite logical, I think, because buses stop at more places and often drive off the straightest route to pick up or drop off passengers. So, if you’d like to use the buses, then check what the schedule says for the bus – how long it should take – and add some extra time for delays.
Transfers
Quite often, and especially in the Belluno region, you might need to transfer from one bus to another to reach your destination. So keep that in mind when looking at your accommodation or when planning your itinerary.
Schedules
Buses in the Dolomites often go maybe once an hour or even rarer. In the off season, many of the lines might be suspended or reduced.
When we took the bus from our hotel to lake Carezza, we had a choice of spending a maximum of 20 minutes at the lake or almost two hours. It was lunch time, and my best guess is that the bus drivers had a break, haha.
So be aware of these things if you plan to not use a car and, when you look for accommodation, check how the buses run before booking.
Advice from hotel
If you’ve already booked the hotel, you can always ask the receptionists for advice on getting around. And don’t forget to ask for your transport card!
How to Get to Cortina d’Ampezzo From Key Destinations
For some reason, Cortina, although it’s a popular tourist destination, is badly connected by public transport to the other areas in the Dolomites.
I’ve quite often seen that people ask – how to get from Cortina to xx or from xx to Cortina?!
Well, to be honest, it’s quite a PIA, but it can be done.
So, here are the most popular destinations from Cortina to places (or back), I hope this helps!
Cortina to Ortisei – Cortina -> Dobbiaco -> Brunico -> Bressanone -> Ortisei
Getting from Cortina to Ortisei by using public transport… is not easy. You’d think it would be, since both of them are quite popular places, but no, it really is not.
There is no direct bus, and the journey generally lasts more than 4 hours, as you basically need to go around the whole Dolomites.
I’m gonna show you the cheapest options, though, as the transfers, even non-private ones, are really expensive.
Option 1 – bus, train, bus, bus, bus
From Cortina, take the public bus nr 445 to Dobbiaco. In Dobbiaco then, you need to catch the train to Brunico.
In Brunico, it’s time to change for another bus – Brixen Express, which goes to Bressanone (Brixen is the German name of the city).
You need to get off the bus at the Bressanone train station, and from there, transfer to the bus 355.4 or bus 350, which continues on to Ortisei.
Option 2 – bus, bus, bus, bus
Again, start with taking bus 445 to Dobbiaco. In Dobbiaco then, transfer to bus 402 which goes to Brunico station.
In the Brunico station, you need to catch the bus 401 to Bressanone station, where you change for the bus nr 360 to Ortisei.
Car
If you have a car, it takes approximately an hour to drive from Cortina to Ortisei.
From Cortina, drive over Passo Falzarego to La Villa and Corvara in Badia, then continue on to Passo Gardena, through Selva di Val Gardena, to Ortisei.
You can stop at Passo Falzarego and take the cable car up to Rifugio Lagazuoi – there’s an amazing view from the top.
Cortina to Bolzano
It’s easier to get from Cortina to Bolzano than it is to get to Ortisei, although there’s still no direct public transport connecting the two towns
Train
First, again, take the bus 445 that will take you to Dobbiaco. From there, take the train to Bolzano.
Another way is to take a bus to Calalzo di Cadore. From there, take a train to Venice Mestre or to Trento, and then another train to Bolzano.
Bus
Take a bus to S. Lorenzo station or to La Villa, where you change for another bus that will take you to the Bolzano station.
Car – the Great Dolomites Road
The road from Cortina to Bolzano is called the Great Dolomites road, as you pretty much cross the whole Dolomites to get from one place to another. It’s 130km long and, as a minimum, takes 2 hours to complete. But for sure, spend more time driving it so that you can enjoy the views – and take pictures.
The road leads from Cortina to Arabba, then on to Campitello di Fassa and to Bolzano. You cross the Passo Falzarego, Passo Pordoi, Passo Costalunga, and other interesting places.s
Cortina to Other Interesting Places
Here are the best ways to get from Cortina to other points of interest in the Dolomites or close by.
- San Candido/Alta Pusteria: Bus via Dobbiaco
- Alta Badia/Corvara: Bus via Pieve di Cadore (not always direct; check schedules)
- Venice: Direct Cortina Express bus (2–3 hours)
More interesting and faster ways of transferring
If you have the finances available, why not consider doing something really cool?
There are two more interesting ways you can get from one end of the Dolomites to another: a private transfer or a helicopter ride!
The transfer time from Cortina to Bolzano by helicopter would take approximately 30 minutes and would give you an opportunity to enjoy this UNESCO World Heritage Site from a completely different, incredible vantage point.
A private transfer would take you the same time as driving by yourself, with the only difference being that you wouldn’t have to worry about driving and could enjoy the views.
Conclusion
It is very possible to get around the Dolomites by using public transport, but it’s definitely much easier if you have a car. Whatever way you travel, make sure to plan the times that you’ll need for getting from one place to another so that you can enjoy your time properly!
FAQ: Getting around the Dolomites
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions that we’ve seen.
What to do if you miss the last bus?
The best things to do if you miss the last bus are to ask some other people there if they could give you a lift or have some taxi numbers for your area saved. If your hotel offers transfers, you can also try and contact them.
If you really have no other options, you can try and call emergency services (112 in Italy) to say you are stranded.
Are there luggage transfers available?
Yes, there are. If you are hiking hut-to-hut, you can get a luggage transfer to your destination or to huts that have road access. Some companies are Taxi Badia and Claudiobus. If you just need to get your non-hiking stuff to the destination, you can use SendMyBag.
When is the best time to visit for public transport?
The best times to visit the Dolomites if you want to use public transport are the peak season months – late June to early September for summer visits and December to early March in the winter. That will ensure the most frequent services.