Ortisei summer holidays

Holidays in Ortisei

Reached by wiggling roads, Ortisei’s colourful Tyrolean houses come frescoed, fretworked and painted to postcard perfection - linked by cobbled streets with chapels peering overhead. If you can tear your eyes from the town, there are the Dolomites: majestic UNESCO-guarded cliffs jutting into the sky, changing colour with the setting sun. And if the sights become too much to handle, you’ve some seriously good spas on hand to pamper you calmer than calm...

Highlights: • UNESCO protected landscape • Val Gardena’s biggest town

Ortisei Walking

Whether you’re a short-stroller or long-haul hiker, worldly wayfarer or footpath fledgling – walking in the Dolomites should be on everyone’s bucket list. The Gardena Valley has routes galore, taking you to panoramic plateaus and ridges with boulders to scramble, meadows to roam and rivers to traipse along. It’s not uncommon for the tourist office to put on guided walks, and they usually publish a route map each year if you’d rather explore solo.

One of our top walks from Ortisei (actually a Dolomite-wide favourite) sets off from the Furnes middle station then leads over to the Resciesa cableway. The route goes via the Sella Cuca saddle and Monte Pana wind gap, starting relatively easily then getting more challenging as you descend over a gaggle of rocks. Thankfully it passes the Brogles hutte which serves a smashing strudel and some corking views of the Odle peaks – thought to be the most beautiful bit of the Dolomites.

You can’t visit Ortisei without hiking into Alpe di Siusi - the largest mountain plateau on the continent with pastures for miles ringed by gargantuan peaks. One good route goes along the Rio Gardena into the Jender valley to the village of Saltria. If you’re hungry for more, Saltria’s a super starting point for hiking the Sassolungo, Sciliar or Sasso Piatto mountains, or heading over to the settlement of Compatsch/Compaccio.

There’s still oodles of choice if you want something easier on the limbs – let the lifts take care of the climb and enjoy scenic ambles and long mountain hut lunches. There are some lovely routes at valley level too - anyone with kids in tow should head to the Seceda cable car base station, then walk over the bridge and downstream through forest into the Val d’Anna. The path leads to a meadow and playground which little ‘uns go wild for.

Ortisei Cycling

Being bang in the centre of Val Gardena gives you no end of terrain to explore on two wheels. The valley has dozens of mountain bike routes to master, served by a bike-friendly lift system and Ortisei’s a big enough base to make finding hire bikes, service and repair centres a breeze.

Both the Seceda and Rescia lifts lead to some spectacular trails – opening up gorgeously scenic routes in the Puez Odle Nature Park. Seceda happens to be home to the best singletrack in the valley – hop on the lift, head up to the ridge and drop down the trail, stopping at the Pieralongia and Regensburget huts then continuing down to Selva.

You’ve several Dolomite passes on your doorstep - Passo Gardena and the Passo Sella both within Val Gardena, and other beauties found further out. Ride four in one fell swoop on the Sella Ronda tour, a not-too-testing route that packs in one hell of a punch when it comes to Dolomite scenery.

There are also shorter, flatter routes aplenty, and the E-bike offerings seem to be improving each year if you want to try the more strenuous stretches with the boost of battery power. For some pedalling pointers, the MTB Bike School Ortisei run a bike park in the centre where beginners can learn the ropes, and more experienced riders can have a crack at jumps and tricks.

More Ortisei resources