Where To Stay In The Dolomites: 9 Best Areas (+ The Worst!)
The best area where to stay in the Dolomites really depends on what you want to do, what your preferences are for hotels, and obviously, what your budget is.
We’ve visited the “Pale mountains” multiple times, in all of the seasons, as a couple, as friends, as family, on a hiking vacation and just to relax. The best advice I can give you – figure out what you’d like to see and do, as well as when your vacation is, and go from there.
For me, the favourite places to stay are Carezza (Val di Fassa) for skiing, Cortina for Summer, Val Gardena in the fall, and Dobbiaco in the spring or if I don’t have a car.
But let’s look at these places closer.
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Where To Stay In The Dolomites
Many people say, for many places, that “you can’t go wrong when choosing an area to stay in”. Let me tell you, though, that in the Dolomites, you can go wrong.
These mountains cover a HUGE area. And if you stay, for example, on the eastern side and want to see Val Gardena, you’ll spend pretty much half a day on the road, and vice versa.
So make sure to figure out what you want to see and do, and decide where to base yourself.
And even then, different areas might be perfect for your interests and needs. That’s why for some of the places I’m offering alternatives in addition to the best area to stay.
If you have the chance, consider splitting your stay between two or more places, especially if you have more than 3 nights available for the vacation.
1. Val Gardena – Best Overall Area To Stay In The Dolomites
It’s not so easy to choose the best overall area to stay in the Dolomites, as it really depends on what you’d like to enjoy.
There are several reasons, though, that I chose Val Gardena as the best overall option. First and main is, there are multiple towns with accommodation options for all budgets where you can base yourself. The main towns where you can base yourself in are Ortisei, Santa Cristina, and Selva di Val Gardena.
And the other is the location – Val Gardena is a great gateway for the western Dolomites. You get easy access to some of the most picturesque sights, such as Seceda, Alpe di Siusi, and Sassolungo.
And of course, the activities – great hikes, ski and snowboard slopes and tracks; sightseeing options, and so much more.
Val Gardena also has all of the facilities that will make your trip comfortable and fun – restaurants, bars, shops, stores, and everything else you might need.
📍Budget Option: Smarthotel Saslong in Santa Cristina – close to lifts and a bus stop.
📍Mid-Range Option: Monte Pana Dolomites Hotel in Santa Cristina – nice and quiet location, great view. We loved our stay here.
📍Luxury Option: Gardena Grödnerhof – Hotel & Spa in Ortisei – great view, spa, and food.
Alternatives: Cortina d’Ampezzo or Alta Badia.
Cortina gives great access to some of the best activities in the Dolomites. And Alta Badia’s central location gives you the opportunity to see both sides of the Dolomites while staying in one location.
2. Alta Badia – Where To Stay In Winter
It was not an easy choice between Alta Badia and Val Gardena for a winter trip to the Dolomites. In the end, I chose Alta Badia, it offers many activities in a more unique setting.
In Alta Badia, you can find a wide range of winter activities, such as skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, snowshoeing, ice-skating and so much more.
It’s also one of the areas that has a lot of Ladin heritage, so you can immerse yourself in it and learn more about the age-old Ladin and Alpine culture.
Alta Badia is one of the most central locations where you can stay in the Dolomites, offering some of the best connections in the region. Of course, if you want to go to the “edges” of the mountains, it will take longer, but otherwise, both Eastern and Western Dolomites are easily accessible both with a car and public transport.
📍Budget Option: Hotel Cavallino in Badia – just 100m from a ski lift, with a small spa.
📍Mid-Range Option: Sporthotel Panorama in Corvara – lots of winter activities and a wellness available.
📍Luxury Option: Hotel Cappella in Colfosco – a ski-in ski-out hotel with a superb spa and wellness.
Alternative: Val di Fassa or Val Gardena
Val di Fassa and Val Gardena are both great for winter vacations, offering nice views and winter sports opportunities.
3. Cortina d’Ampezzo – Best Place To Stay In Summer
The Dolomites around Cortina d’Ampezzo have some of my favourite hikes, that’s why I think it’s the best place to stay in the summer, haha. You have Tre Cime, Cadini di Misurina, and many other trails not so far away from Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Plus, the town is beautiful, and the mountains around it look magnificent, too. You can even take a lift up to the mountains for some panoramic views.
The problem comes if you’d like to hike in Val Gardena, for example, as it’s quite far. So if you have such an opportunity, spend some time on the Western side, too!
And another thing to keep in mind is – since Cortina d’Ampezzo is quite famous, the stays there can get quite pricey.
📍Budget Option: Hotel Oasi – located just by the Faloria Cable Car. We stayed there on a fall trip, and loved the central location.
📍Mid-Range Option: Hotel Lajadira&Spa – on the edge of Cortina, a hotel with a nice spa. We really loved the quiet-er area.
📍Luxury Option: Grand Hotel Savoia (a Radisson group hotel) in the very center of Cortina. It offers amazing views, too.
Alternative: Val Gardena
Val Gardena also has many summer activity opportunities, as well as some of the most beautiful sights in the Dolomites.
Just keep in mind – summer, especially august, is the peak season so it’s going to be crowded everywhere. Book your accommodation in advance!
4. Dobbiaco and San Candido – Where To Stay Without a Car
Interestingly, the less-known Dobbiaco is one of the best places to stay in the Dolomites if you don’t have a car. You’d think the more famous Cortina would be better, but surprisingly, for example, getting to the famous spots such as Tre Cime di Lavaredo is much more complicated from Cortina than from Dobbiaco.
Dobbiaco and the town next to it, San Candido, have great bus connections to everywhere you’d like to go.
It’s also in South Tyrol (Sudtirol/Alto Adige) which means that most of the public transportation is free for staying guests. Ask your hotel for the Sudtirol guest pass!
📍Budget Option: Aparthotel Haus Greg in Dobbiaco – an apartment with free parking in the center of Dobbiaco. It felt like home!
📍Mid-Range Option: Hotel Garni LIVING in San Candido – a 3* hotel in a great location with great food.
📍Luxury Option: Romantik Hotel Santer in Dobbiaco – a 4* very beautiful spa hotel with incredible views of the Landro Valley.
Alternative – Ortisei in Val Gardena
If your goal is to explore the Western side of the Dolomites, rather stay in the Val Gardena valley, specifically Ortisei. It has the best public transport connections in the area.
5. Val Gardena – Best Place To Stay In The Dolomites For Hiking
If you’re going to the Dolomites for hiking, you pretty much have to choose between the Val Gardena area and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
I chose Val Gardena as the best location for hiking, as it offers convenient access to some of the most beautiful hikes and sights in the area – even without a car. The highlights include Alpe di Siusi, Seceda, as well as such hikes as Adolf Munkel trail, Alpe di Siusi loop, and the whole Puez-Odle nature park.
The valley and the park have great hikes for all levels.
Unfortunately, if you’d like to enjoy some other of the most famous views in the Dolomites, such as Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Cadini di Misurina viewpoint, or Lago di Sorapis, Val Gardena is not so convenient. For these sights, I recommend staying in Dobbiaco or Cortina.
Luckily, pretty much all hotels in the Dolomites are hiking hotels. These, though, are my favourites in the Val Gardena.
📍Budget Option: Garni Hotel Rezia in Selva di Val Gardena – close to hiking trails and lifts.
📍Mid-Range Option: Linder Cycling Hotel in Selva – nice rooms, beautiful spa.
📍Luxury Option: Alpenhotel Plaza in Santa Cristina – located right in the center.
Alternative: Cortina or Dobbiaco
As I said, some places are easier accessible from Cortina d’Ampezzo (more luxury hotel options) or Dobbiaco (more budget hotel options).
6. Val di Fassa – Where To Stay In The Dolomites For Skiing
Val di Fassa is an excellent place for skiers and snowboarders of all levels. It’s part of the Dolomiti Superski, which is one of the biggest and best ski regions in the world!
From Val di Fassa, you can access 200km of slopes for all levels, including the Sellaronda, Pista Ciampac, Marmolada, Pra di Tori, and Carezza. There are also many cross-country skiing opportunities, as well as other winter sports. And there are many ski lifts connecting the whole ski area, giving you ample choices of slopes.
We stayed in Carezza for our ski vacation, and it was a great location – we’re actually going there the second time since we liked it so much.
It’s a bit confusing, though – although Carezza itself is in Val d’Ega valley, the Carezza ski resort is part of the Val di Fassa.
Some other skiing highlights of Val di Fassa include Night skiing in the Pozza di Fassa and a Skitour Panorama from Pozza di Fassa to Alba di Canazei.
📍Budget Option: Hotel Medil in Campitello di Fassa – 350m from Ski Lift Col Rodella, great food, amazing spa, a free ski tour with a guide.
📍Mid-Range Option: Lupo Bianco – Wellness and Walking hotel in Canazei – located right on the slopes of Sella Ronda.
📍Luxury Option: Hotel Alpenrose in Carezza (Val d’Ega) – close to slopes for all levels, ski rental, and ski school. We loved it so much, we’re going there for the second year in a row!
Alternative: Alta Badia
For a vacation in the Dolomites in the winter season, as I said, Alta Badia is another great option. It has a great amount of ski slopes available for all level and great hotels.
Keep in mind that during the peak seasons, many hotels have a minimum stay requirement. Some even allow check in and check out on certain days only, especially if you’re staying in a family-run hotel.
7. Val Gardena – Best Place For Your First Trip
Your first trip to the Dolomites needs to be special! And as a place, Val Gardena offers some of the most special sights – I’ve mentioned quite a few of them already, haven’t I?
There’s hiking, paragliding, and sightseeing in the summer, and skiing, snowshoeing, and again, sightseeing in the winter. You get to enjoy some of the best views easily from Val Gardena!
The only problem is, if you’d like to see places such as Tre Cime, Lago di Braies, or Prato Piazza, it’s quite far to travel. It might not seem that way on a map, but those mountain roads take time!
That’s why I really suggest splitting your stay in two parts – one for each side of the Dolomites.
📍Budget Option: Hotel Garni Morene in Selva – great location, nice rooms, good food.
📍Mid-Range Option: Boutique Hotel Nives – Luxury & Design in Selva – nice views, great spa and wellness, perfect location.
📍Luxury Option: Adler Spa Resort Dolomiti in Ortisei – enormous spa area, perfect location, overall a great hotel.
Alternative: Cortina or Alta Badia
Our first trip, we stayed in Cortina, a bit out of the town center, and it was a lovely stay. We hiked the Tre Cime and Lake Sorapis, as well as got to enjoy some tasty food.
Alta Badia is also a great choice, as it’s a relatively short drive away from some of the best things to see and do both in the Eastern and in the Western Dolomites.
8. Val Pusteria – Where To Stay For Families With Kids
Val Pusteria, and Alta Pusteria specifically, is the Northern border of the Dolomites. This means that, although most of Alta Pusteria is a part of the Dolomites, it also encompasses the Alpe di Carniche and the Defergg Alps.
But nevertheless, some of the best sights of the Dolomites are located here, such as Tre Cime di Lavaredo, as well as Lakes Braies and Dobbiaco.
We stayed in Alta Pusteria with Emma, and oh boy, are there a lot of outdoor activities for kids available! (And not just for kids – I actually went paragliding here!)
In the Carnic Alps, Campo Tures specifically, we went ziplining by the impressive Riva waterfalls – with Flyline Wasserfall.
There are also multiple outside playgrounds, with one in Kids’ World Valdaora being 50m long!
Of course, almost all of the favorites from Val Pusteria, can be done with kids. Such as, riding a boat on Lago di Braies, hiking the Cadini di Misurina viewpoint or Prato Piazza, as well as going on an Alpine Coaster.
📍Budget Option: Garni – Hotel Am Burghuegel in San Candido – centrally located, close to playgrounds and the Aquafun adventure pool.
📍Mid-Range Option: Hotel Sonnenheim in Chienes – kids’ friendly rooms, play areas, waterworld.
📍Luxury Option: Family Hotel Garberhof in Anterselva; an amazing hotel with a great kids’ club and activities. We loved the staff and activities for kids, even if sometimes there was a bit of a language barrier.
9. Alta Badia – Best Place For Foodies
Alta Badia has one of the highest concentrations of Michelin-Starred restaurants in the Alps! You don’t need to eat in a Michelin-starred restaurant to enjoy great food, though.
In Alta Badia, you can enjoy the best of the Italian cuisine with an Austrian mix, but be sure to look up places that serve the Ladin cuisine. It’s something completely unique of the Dolomites. A number of mountain huts serves it.
The one downside for staying in Alta Badia is that it’s more expensive than many other areas of the Dolomites. And also, quite often, there is a minimum stay requirement in many hotels.
📍Budget Option: Hotel Alpenrose Dolomites in La Valle – good price, a well-rated restaurant on site, and close to many great restaurants in the area.
📍Mid-Range Option: Hotel Cristallo in La Villa – conveniently located next to great restaurants.
📍Luxury Option: Hotel La Perla in Corvara – a 5-star hotel which has a Michelin-starred restaurant on site.
Where Not To Stay – Bolzano
I’ve seen many people recommending Bolzano as a place to stay, but in my opinion, it’s really not that convenient.
Bolzano is a gateway to the Dolomites, which means it’s right at the beginning of them (on the West side). But the city just seems too far away from the main interest points, which means that you’ll spend a lot of time getting to where you’d like to go.
We’ve met people staying in Bolzano, and all of them, whether they had a car or not, said that the distance limits the things they can do.
Getting Around
The best way to get around the Dolomites is by driving a car. Although overall it might end up being more expensive, but the freedom a car gives you is immeasurable. Stop where you want, leave when you want, and you can also enjoy different places for sunrise or sunset (Lago di Carezza or Cadini di Misurina viewpoint comes to mind!).
But if you can’t afford a car, the public transport is quite good in the Dolomites, too. Plus, mostly, it’s free!
Just take into consideration that it’s a bit more inconvenient to reach some places (for example, you can’t go directly from Cortina d’Ampezzo to Rifugio Auronzo). And of course, the schedule can become limiting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best base for Dolomites?
The best base depends on which side of the Dolomites you’d like to explore. I can recommend Val Gardena in the West and Cortina in the East Dolomites for their accessibility and great activity options.
What is the main town in the Dolomites?
There is no one “main” town, but the most famous are Cortina d’Ampezzo, Bolzano, and Ortisei.
What is the most beautiful part of the Dolomites?
It’s not easy to choose one most beautiful part of the Dolomites. My two favourites, though, are Alta Pusteria, also known as the Three Peaks Dolomites Holiday Region, as it has such wonderful sights as Tre Cime, Lago di Braies, Lago di Sorapis, Cadini di Misurina, Prato Piazza, and so many other places.
The second favourite is Val Gardena, where you get easy access to Alpe di Siusi, Seceda, Santa Maddalena di Funes (in Val di Funes), among other places.
How many days do you need in the Dolomites?
As a minimum you need two full days in the Dolomites. That will give you a chance to get a feeling of one side of the Dolomites.
My recommendation is to have at least 4 full days (six nights) and spend 3 nights in one area and 3 in another.
Final thoughts
When looking for where to stay in the Dolomites, make sure to consider when you’re visiting and what are the things you’d like to do.
Some places are cheaper that the others, but still, the prices will most probably be higher than in the rest of Italy. But it definitely is worth the price!
I’ll be happy to answer any questions that you might have – so leave a comment or drop me a message!
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