With a special ticket and the right amount of muscle, nature lovers can experience a great 7-day tour in the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Rest and relaxation, adventure and adrenaline – the Dolomites offer vacationers a wide range of summer activities. While the more than 3,000 square kilometer area is the Italian Eldorado for ski and snowboard fans in winter, the pale mountains are green and, above all, sustainable in the warm season. 120 emission-free lifts also run in summer and take nature lovers and hiking fans comfortably and sustainably to the passes and through the plateaus of the Dolomites. Similar to the well-known Dolomiti Superski in winter, the offer with the corresponding network lift passes runs under the name Dolomiti Supersummer. This allows the region to be easily explored in a 7-day tour, for example. From Pustertal you can take the bus, train, cable car and, of course, on foot via Val Gardena to Brixen – the total of 122 kilometers can be divided into day tours of around five hours.
Day 1: Start in the Puster Valley
Let’s go in percha. The local train station in the South Tyrolean Pustertal is easy to reach by train, from Munich, for example, in about four and a half hours. Once arrived, travelers fall almost directly from the train into the gondola. Because the train station is directly connected to the valley station of the Ried cable car. Then it takes 20 minutes to reach dizzy heights of 2,275 meters. The summit of the Plan de Corones offers a wonderful view over the Pustertal and Enneberger Tal. If you don’t just want to let your gaze wander into the distance, you can learn a lot about alpinism on site, for example in the MMM: The “Messner Mountain Museum” is a project by mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner. Alternatively, there is a circular hike to the summit, followed by refreshments in the gourmet restaurant Alpinn by star chef Norbert Niederkofler.
With plenty of delicacies in your stomach, you can take the Ruis cable car down to the Furkelpass in the south at 1,789 meters. There we follow the old farm road for about 1.5 hours through forest and meadows to St. Vigil, where there are numerous places to stay and stop for refreshments.
Day 2: Delightful intermezzo at 2,000 meters
From there, the free shuttle bus takes you twelve kilometers to the Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park to the Pederü mountain inn. A gravel road now meanders to the Fanesalm at 2,000 meters. A culinary stop at the Fanes or Lavarella hut, including the alpine brewery, gives you strength for the next section. Over the Limojoch and the Großfanestal we comfortably run off the extra calories in the next three hours and fall contentedly into bed in San Cassiano (Alta Badia).
Day 3: Overnight on the mountain
If you are still a bit sleepy the next morning, it is best to strengthen yourself with an espresso and first take a seat in the Piz Sorega cable car. The goal is the Pralongià high plateau. The vast territory extends high above San Cassiano, La Villa and Corvara. On the way, refuges invite you to have a snack with cheese dumpling soup and apple wheels. E-mountain bikes, which you can rent up here and return at one of the share points on the mountain or in the valley, provide a sporty change. Apropos on the mountain: For a different overnight experience, there are a number of refuges on the Pralongià plateau to choose from. Alternatively, there is accommodation in Corvara, which can be reached either on foot or by the Col Alt cable car.
Day 4: Climbing on Passo Gardena
Once again we swing into the next day with a gondola ride: from Corvara we take the Borest and Plans-Frara gondola lifts to the Gardena Pass at over 2,000m. In addition to a fantastic view of the Sella Group, the tour culminates in another sporting highlight with the Big and Small Cir peaks. Both are accessible via via ferrata, which differ in difficulty. Those who still have strength in their thighs can set off on foot to the village of Selva at 1,500 meters above sea level. Alternatively, you can also take the Dantercepies cable car and spend the night in Selva itself or in S. Cristina.
Day 5: Ortisei and its history
On the fifth stage of the Dolomites tour, the Col Raiser cable car takes holidaymakers up towards the Secedaberg. From the mountain station, follow the marked path to the Mastlé UNESCO panorama terrace in the Puez-Geisler Nature Park. After a short breather, it goes to the Panascharte and over to the Seceda mountain station, where a wonderful view of the Odle Group, the Sassolungo and the Sella beckons. Of course, the physical well-being is not neglected here either: The Secedaalm offers countless rest stops for every taste. Well fed, we reach the village of Ortisei in Val Gardena at 1,200 meters with the Seceda cable car. If you can mobilize the last energy reserves, you can take a tour of the city and let the historical flair of the village work its magic on you.
Day 6: In the footsteps of Reinhold Messner
If we’ve already sniffed out a bit of history in Ortisei, day 6 adds a cultural shovel to it: because the bus takes us to Brixen in the Eisacktal. But before you set off on a tour of discovery through the episcopal town, the mountains are calling again. The cable car of the same name takes us to the famous Plose from St. Andrä. Once at the top, there is a panoramic view of the Alps and the Dolomites, of the Eisack Valley to Bozen and the Wipp Valley to the Brenner Pass. A detour is particularly worthwhile for families, as there are designated themed trails for young and old. The view of the Geisler Group, where Reinhold Messner made his first attempt at climbing, is free on top. We return to St. Andrä with the cable car or with a cart and take the bus to Brixen.
Day 7: Going home with a clear conscience
Before we turn our backs on the Dolomites and board the train heading home, a stroll through Brixen is a must. With a glass of Silvaner and Kerner in the old town, we can review the hiking tour with its peaks, panoramic views and delicacies. In addition to the wonderful impressions of nature, we also have a good conscience in our luggage on the journey home. Because without a car, thanks to the good train, bus and cable car connections, you can reach dizzy heights, which Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was also able to gain a lot from: “There is peace over all the peaks, you can hardly feel a breath in all the treetops… ” If you want to experience your very own “Wanderer’s Night Song”, you should do so in a sustainable and impressive way in the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
