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The Dolomites have no single center, so the place you sleep decides which lifts, trailheads and buses you can use each morning. Pick one valley for a stay of three or four nights, and add a second base on the other side of the range only if you have five nights or more.
At a glance
- First visit, summer or winter, with or without a car: Val Gardena.
- Driving the passes and skiing the Sellaronda: Alta Badia.
- Tre Cime, Cinque Torri and an easy coach from Venice: Cortina d'Ampezzo.
- Marmolada, Catinaccio and arrival from Trento: Val di Fassa.
- Arrival by train, Lago di Braies and the north side of Tre Cime: Alta Pusteria.
- Sleeping at altitude with no traffic: Alpe di Siusi.
- Late flights, rest days, museums and one or two mountain day trips: Bolzano.
- Book early for August, Christmas week and February. Many hotels close in May and November.
How to choose a base
The Dolomites travel guide explains the region, the seasons and the booking rules for Braies, Tre Cime and Alpe di Siusi. This page looks only at where to sleep.
- Which sights are on your list. Alpe di Siusi and Seceda are in the west, Tre Cime di Lavaredo and Lago di Braies in the east. The pass roads between the two sides are slow, so one base does not cover both well.
- Your transport. Val Gardena, Alta Pusteria and Bolzano work by bus and train. Alta Badia and Cortina are easier with a car.
- Which administrative area you are in. Val Gardena, Alta Badia, Alta Pusteria, Alpe di Siusi and Bolzano are in South Tyrol, where participating accommodation issues the Südtirol Guest Pass for regional trains and buses. Val di Fassa is in Trentino and Cortina is in Veneto, with separate bus companies and tickets.
See also how many days to spend in the Dolomites.
Val Gardena
Val Gardena has three villages along one road. The official figures give Ortisei at 1,236 meters, Santa Cristina at 1,428 meters and Selva at 1,563 meters. Selva has the most guest beds (9,167), then Ortisei (7,257) and Santa Cristina (3,347).
Who it suits: first-time visitors, walkers who want lifts from the village, skiers, and anyone traveling without a car.
On foot from your hotel: in Ortisei, the village center and the lifts to Seceda and to Alpe di Siusi. In Selva, lifts towards the Sella and Gardena passes and the Sellaronda ski circuit.
Transport: bus 350 links the valley with the railway stations of Ponte Gardena (18 km), Chiusa (23 km), Bressanone (34 km) and Bolzano (40 km).
The drawback: it is the busiest valley in the western Dolomites in August and in the February ski weeks, and the valley road carries all the traffic. Choose Ortisei for families, Selva for skiing and the passes. Ski details are in the Val Gardena ski guide.
Alta Badia
Alta Badia is the upper part of Val Badia, on the east side of the Sella massif. The tourist office lists six villages: Corvara, Colfosco, La Villa, San Cassiano, Badia and La Val.
Who it suits: drivers who want to tour the passes and Sellaronda skiers.
On foot from your hotel: in Corvara and Colfosco, lifts onto the Sellaronda and paths towards the Sella and Puez groups. La Villa and San Cassiano are linked by lift to the same Alta Badia ski area. Badia and La Val are lower down the valley and quieter.
Transport: there is no railway. The nearest station is Brunico, just over 30 km away, with several bus connections a day. Bressanone and Bolzano stations are each about 65 km away. In winter 2026/27 Cortina Express runs a coach from Venice and Treviso to Corvara and Colfosco from 19 December to 28 March.
The drawback: without a car the journey in takes time, and day trips to Braies or Tre Cime mean crossing a pass. Routes are in the scenic drives in the Dolomites.
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo is a town of about 5,400 residents at 1,224 meters in the Ampezzo valley, in the Veneto province of Belluno.
Who it suits: travelers coming from Venice, people who want a town with shops and restaurants open late, and walkers aiming for Tre Cime, Cinque Torri, Lagazuoi and Passo Giau.
On foot from your hotel: the town center and the lower stations of the town's lifts. The well-known walks start a bus or car ride away.
Transport: the railway closed in 1964. Cortina Express coaches run from Venice Mestre, Venice airport and Treviso, and another line goes to Dobbiaco and San Candido. Venice Marco Polo airport is 148 km away, about two and a quarter hours by road.
The drawback: it is the most fashionable address in the range and is crowded in August and at Christmas. It is outside South Tyrol, so there is no guest pass, and it is far from Seceda and Alpe di Siusi. See Cortina vs Val Gardena if you are deciding between the two.
Val di Fassa
Val di Fassa is the Trentino side of the Sella. The villages lie along one bus route: Penia, Alba, Canazei, Campitello, Mazzin, Pera, Pozza, Vigo, Soraga and Moena.
Who it suits: families, skiers who want the Sellaronda from the south, and walkers heading for the Marmolada or the Catinaccio group.
On foot from your hotel: Canazei and Campitello have lifts towards the Sella and Pordoi passes. Pozza and Vigo are the bases for the Catinaccio. Moena is at the lower end of the valley.
Transport: no railway. Trentino Trasporti bus 101 runs from Trento through Cavalese to Canazei and Penia. From Bolzano, südtirolmobil bus 180 goes over Passo Carezza to Vigo, where you change for the upper valley. In summer only, buses climb from Canazei to Passo Sella and Passo Pordoi, and from Penia to Passo Fedaia.
The drawback: the valley is long, so a hotel in Moena is a real distance from the Sella lifts. The South Tyrol guest pass does not apply here. For winter, compare it with other Trentino resorts in the Trentino ski guide.
Alta Pusteria
Alta Pusteria is the eastern end of the Pusteria valley, near the Austrian border. The destination covers five villages: Braies, Villabassa, Dobbiaco, San Candido and Sesto.
Who it suits: travelers arriving by train, families who want easy valley walks, and anyone whose main goals are Lago di Braies and Tre Cime.
On foot from your hotel: San Candido and Dobbiaco both have railway stations. Dobbiaco is the bus hub: line 442 to Lago di Braies, line 444 to Rifugio Auronzo at Tre Cime and line 446 to Sesto all leave from here. Sesto has a summer shuttle into Val Fiscalina.
Transport: regional trains on the Pusteria line run from Fortezza, on the Brenner railway, to San Candido, and are covered by the Südtirol Guest Pass. Sesto is not on the railway. Bus 446 connects it with San Candido and Dobbiaco. The guest pass is not valid on the Braies buses 439 and 442 in summer or on the Tre Cime bus 444, which need their own tickets.
The drawback: the Sella group, Val Gardena and Alpe di Siusi are too far for a comfortable day trip. The Braies valley road is restricted in summer. See the Lago di Braies guide.
Alpe di Siusi
Alpe di Siusi is a plateau of 56 square kilometers that the local tourist board describes as the largest high alpine pasture in Europe. The main cluster of hotels is at Compatsch, at 1,800 meters. Castelrotto and Siusi are the main villages below it.
Who it suits: walkers, families with small children and anyone who wants silence in the evening.
On foot from your hotel: on the plateau, the meadows, the huts and the lifts start at the door. In Siusi, the lower station of the cable car is in the village and the ride up takes about 15 minutes.
Transport: the road to Compatsch is closed to private cars from 9:00 to 17:00 while the cable car is running. In summer 2026 the cable car ran from 22 May to 2 November, from 8:00 to 18:00, and until 19:00 between 15 June and 14 September. The outdoor car park at the lower station is free. The Alpe di Siusi bus lines are not included in the Südtirol Guest Pass.
The drawback: if you sleep on the plateau, every outing by car has to fit around the road closure, and there is little to do in bad weather. Ask your hotel how guests reach it with luggage before you book. If you want to tour, sleep in Siusi or Castelrotto and go up for the day.
Bolzano as a city base
Bolzano is the capital of South Tyrol, a city of just over 100,000 people at 262 meters. It is on the Brenner railway and has long-distance trains.
Who it suits: travelers with one or two nights at the start or end of a trip, visitors in the closed months of May and November, and people who want museums.
On foot from your hotel: the old town, the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology with Ötzi, the Museion of modern art and the Renon cable car, which leaves for Soprabolzano every four minutes.
Transport: the Südtirol Guest Pass covers the Renon cable car, the narrow-gauge railway on the Renon plateau and the Colle cable car, as well as regional trains to Merano and Bressanone. Bus 350 goes to Val Gardena and bus 180 to Passo Carezza and Vigo di Fassa.
The drawback: Bolzano is in a basin and is hot in summer. The average daily maximum in July is 29.8°C. Every trailhead is a bus or cable car ride away, so it does not replace a mountain base for a hiking week. It makes more sense in December, for the Christmas markets of Trentino-Alto Adige.
Places to think twice about
- One base for both sides. A hotel in Cortina for Seceda, or in Ortisei for Tre Cime, turns each day into a long drive over the passes. Split the stay instead. The 5-day and 7-day itineraries show how.
- The lower end of a long valley. Moena in Val di Fassa, and Badia or La Val in Alta Badia, are quieter than the villages at the head of the valley, but you take a bus or car to the main lifts every day.
- Any village in May or November. Lifts, huts and many hotels are closed. Check opening dates in the best time to visit the Dolomites.
- A remote hotel in winter if you are not used to snow. From 15 November to 15 April cars on the Dolomite pass roads must have winter tires fitted or chains on board. See the mountain driving guide.
Booking notes
Half board is the usual hotel formula in the Dolomites, and some hotels ask for a minimum stay in high season. Most municipalities here charge a tourist tax per person per night on top of the room rate. The amount depends on the municipality and the category of accommodation, so ask the property for the current figure. In South Tyrol, check that the property takes part in the guest pass scheme, because the pass is not sold separately.
For winter, the ski resorts of the Dolomites page compares the lift areas, and ski hotels in the Dolomites covers what to look for near the slopes. For summer, match your base to the best hikes in the Dolomites. Arrival routes are in Venice to the Dolomites and Milan to the Dolomites, and hotels in the Dolomites has more on types of accommodation.
Questions travelers ask
What is the best base in the Dolomites for a first visit?
Val Gardena is the safest choice for a first visit. Its three villages, Ortisei, Santa Cristina and Selva, have lifts to Seceda, Alpe di Siusi and the Sellaronda, and bus 350 links them with Bolzano, Ponte Gardena and Bressanone railway stations.
Where should I stay in the Dolomites without a car?
Val Gardena, Alta Pusteria and Bolzano are the practical bases without a car. Alta Pusteria has railway stations at Dobbiaco and San Candido on the Pusteria line, and participating accommodation in South Tyrol issues the Südtirol Guest Pass, which covers regional trains and buses from arrival day to departure day.
Is Bolzano a good base for the Dolomites?
Bolzano works for one or two nights, for rest days and for the closed months, but not for a hiking week. The city is at 262 meters, Val Gardena is 40 km away by bus 350, and the average daily maximum in July is 29.8°C. The Renon and Colle cable cars are included in the Südtirol Guest Pass.
Can I drive to a hotel on Alpe di Siusi?
The road to Compatsch is closed to private vehicles from 9:00 to 17:00 while the cable car is running, and driving down is allowed at any time. Guests with a booking on the plateau should ask the hotel for the access rules before arrival. The cable car from Siusi takes about 15 minutes.
Sources
- Val Gardena: arrival by train, stations and bus 350
- Val Gardena press info 2026: village altitudes, beds, languages
- Alta Badia: how to get there and mobility
- Wikipedia: Cortina d'Ampezzo (elevation, population, railway closure, airport distance)
- Cortina Express: timetables
- Val di Fassa: how to get there by train
- Val di Fassa: Trentino Trasporti bus lines
- Val di Fassa: südtirolmobil bus lines 180 and 471
- 3 Zinnen Dolomites: getting there, villages and coach services
- südtirolmobil: bus services 440, 442, 444 and 446 in Alta Pusteria
- Seiser Alm: the plateau in figures
- Seiser Alm: road access, cable car and parking
- Südtirol Guest Pass: what is included and excluded
- Bolzano tourist board: cable cars and public transport
- Wikipedia: Bolzano (elevation, population, climate)