Italian Dolomites and Venice Walk

On arrival you will be met by a private transfer to take you to your Venice Hotel. A water taxi will take you straight from the airport water dock along the Venice waterways. It's an intriguing boat ride through Venice's canals to get to our home for the next two nights - right in the heart of Old Town Venice. 

A historic residence near the Rialto, Ca’ Favretto, the Hotel San Cassiano, is an elegant 4-star hotel in Venice, the former home of one of the most important Venetian artists of the 19th century.

After your long flight there's time today to rest up and take some time to explore Venice before meeting for a welcome dinner in the evening.

Venice could be one of those places on earth where the reality of seeing it in person properly exceeds the dream. Today we'll take a full tour of this fascinating floating city. 

From Palazzo Ducale to Piazza San Marco to the Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs), we'll take a deep dive into the City of Canals, learn it's history, experience the Gothic architecture and marvel at this artistic, cultural and engineering wonder.

Approximately 2 hours of walking (6km)

After breakfast in your hotel we will drive into the Dolomites town of Val Gardena. Prepare to be mesmerized as we delve deeper into these majestic mountains, revealing ever-increasing beauty around every corner. After we've arrived and had a chance to settle in, we'll head out for a warmup hike in the surrounding rolling Dolomites foothills of Val Gardena. As it's early summer, the meadows are green.

We'll meet our guides for the adventure this evening and enjoy a classic Italian meal together.

Approximately 5 hours walking (11km)

Today we'll hike the the flank of the Rasciesa Odle mountain group, amply named “needles” in Ladin. From the town of Ortisei, we'll take the Resciesa funicolar to Chalet Resciesa from where we'll start our hike. This trail is predominantly undulating with minimal elevation gain. This allows for spectacular views of this geological marvel. 

We'll stop for a drink or a rest at a local Rifugio and admire the jagged north faces of the dramatic Odle Group before descending toward Ortisei by cable-car.

Approximately 5 hours walking (11km)

Today’s hike offers high altitude panoramic walking with superb scenery; wildflowers grow in abundance on the grassy slopes populated by cows and marmots.

In the morning we'll drive to Passo Sella for our hike on a wide, well-marked trail under the Sassolungo north face and Sassopiatto massifs. Right after the impressive Sassolungo North Clock Tower spire, we’ll hike right into the heart of the massif to Rifugio Vicenza, a typical Dolomites rifugio and the perfect place to enjoy lunch.

After lunch, a green landscape will replace the rocky scenery. We'll stop for a drink at the cozy Murmeltier Hütte before hiking the final kilometre to our hotel for the night.

Approximately 5 hours walking (9.6km)

Today we’ll take a fantastic hike across the Catinaccio / Rosengarten massif, one of the most recognised landmarks of the Dolomites. This is undoubtedly one of the most enjoyable and beautiful hikes in the Dolomites - have your camera at the ready!

From our hotel, we'll hike across the beautiful green Siusi Ridge to reach the Rifugio Alpe di Tires, where we'll take a break. We'll continue hiking on rocky terrain until we reach Passo del Molignon for unforgettable views of the Alpe di Siusi area. We'll descend to the rolling meadows below and take a short transfer back to our hotel and relax with sunset beverages.

Approximately 5.5 hours walking (12km)

From our hotel, we'll head to Val di Fassa, stop for a quick espresso, and then head up to the famed Catinaccio Group for unforgettable hiking and views.

The Antermoia area comprises the central eastern part of the awesome Catinaccio group and offers some incredible rockscapes and unparalleled panoramas, along with wildlife such as herds of chamois, marmots, the odd roe deer and even the rare mouflon.

Our home for the evening is Canazei - an absolutely picture perfect village of the Dolomites with a charming town centre. A perfect place to relax for the afternoon after our exploration of the Sassolungo Massif.

Approximately 5 hours walking (15km)

Today we'll traverse along the south face of the Dolomites largest mountain group - the Sella Massif.

From our hotel, we’ll take a 30 min drive by van to Passo Pordoi. We'll walk to a War Memorial and follow the trail up to a big and wide ledge on the Sella massif. This superb and panoramic trail will take us across the face of the mountain, bringing us to the Rifugio Kostner, our lunch spot.

After lunch, it’s just a 20-minute hike down to the chairlift, which will take us to Corvara in Alta Badia. Alta Badia is a sunny hollow on the south side of the Val Badia.

The afternoon is free to relax at the hotel or explore any of the six Ladin villages in Alta Badia that comprise this area and experience the unique culture that still thrives here.

Approximately 7 hours walking

The Puez-Odle/Geisler Nature Reserve is named after the striking peaks of the Puez and the pinnacles of the Odle/Geisler massifs. Today’s hike presents the best views of the Dolomites and is the ultimate day hike in arguably the most stunning area of the Dolomites

In the morning we'll drive a short distance to Passo Gardena, then hike up to the Passo Cir and follow a wider trail on undulating terrain that leads to the Forcella Ciampai Pass (2,365m) and up to the Rifugio Puez (2,475m) where we'll stop for lunch. A final three-hour hike downhill on an easy and panoramic trail brings us back to the town of Colfosco and then onto Corvara.

Today is the last day of your hiking adventure in the Dolomites - arguably the most beautiful mountains in the world. 

After breakfast we'll depart from our hotel and head back through the mountains to Venice in time for departing flights in the afternoon. Please note that flights may be booked on this day after 1pm.