Day 1 - We arrived at IAD early and took advantage of the priority pass at the Turkish Lounge and it did not disappoint. While it was a bit crowded, the food was incredible and it was a great way to kick off the trip. Hopped on our Swiss Air flight and arrived in Venice via Zurich the next day, rented a car and immeditely drove 3 hours north to Cortina where we kicked off our trip.
Mountain roads are beautiful, but traffic can be unpredictable as roads are two-lane only with lots of cyclists and large trucks that can slow things down - esp through the towns, but we were in no rush so enjoyed the view!
Arrived in Cortina, a great little mountain town with Vail vibes, and checked into our Hotel for 2 nights: Hotel de Len, a new hotel renovated 2 years ago - beautiful hotel - incredible breakfast and lovely spa - though you only get access to it for one hour but that was ok since we only stayed 2 nights. Breakfast here was probably our favorite of the whole trip.
We arrived in town around 5:30 and parked near the hotel (they charge 25 euro for overnight parking) and had apertivo and a casual pizza and pasta dinner.
Day 2 - Via Ferrata in Cortina.
Today would be our one and only “Via Ferrata” day and the weather was absolutely perfect. “Via Ferrata” meaning “iron path” in Italian is a way of scaling / hiking up the alps via steel cables and rungs that are built into the rocks. You have a harness and are attached to the steel cable with a caribeaner the whole time.
We had an amazing guide (for this private tour) - Andrea from - who was a former professional cross country skier and Italian police officer - he also was a guide for actors for many movies that were filmed in the alps including Cliffhanger (PS - his roof is made from the wood of the hut on the frozen lake), Solo: A Star Wars Story, and others. We arrived at the guide office at 8:30a, hopped in his car for 20 minutes to drive to the base of the mountain (Tofana) where we’d be hiking.
.This particular Via ferrata was rated as “medium” and included a pretty steep hike up (with some EPIC views) before we got our harnesses on, including a stop at the to-be women’s downhill ski starting point for the 2026 Olympics which is being held in Cortina. The hike itself was steep but nothing technical about it … until the Via Ferrata.
We got our harnesses on and clipped into the Via Ferrata system - we also had a rope connected between our guide then to Angela and then to me. It was a pretty steep hike. To be honest, I think we both thought we would be more scared of standing on the ledge of the mountain, I think we were expecting more horizontal hiking across faces of mountains.
It was definitely more vertical than I think both Angela and I were expecting but we were rewarded with incredible views of the Alps that I will never forget. In general, I would say these pictures make it look a little crazier than it felt.
Coming down we got to “slide” down rocks, reminiscent of the decent from the peak of Kilimanjaro, to our first Ruffigio (mountain huts in the Alps that serve lunch) experience- little mountain huts that serve lunch and drinks. This one had a cable car dedicated to taking trash and food up and down to the cabin. It was also surrounded but some old WW1 huts that were pretty cool and amazing that they were still preserved. I had the goulash specialty - beef with speck / bread balls - really tasty.
After lunch, it was a long, but easy walk down. When we got to the bottom, We couldn’t believe when we looked up and Andrea showed us where we had climbed. He conveniently did NOT show us where we were going when we started :o).
Back to the hotel to relax for a bit and to check out the spa at Hotel Len. We made a reservation the day before - again, one session (one hour) was included per person per stay. After that you had to pay. It was a beautiful space on the 6th floor with an indoor / outdoor hot tub, steam room, “emotional shower” (first time for me), sauna and incredible views of the mountains.
Walked into town and decided we would check out the grocery store and do a “balcony dinner” at our hotel which ended up including truffle potato chips, a few cured meats and cheeses, Aperol spritz’s, tomatoes and strawberries and enjoyed it on our porch balcony at the hotel. It was lovely. (ADD IN STORY ABOUT MISSING RESTAURANT RESERVATION). After dinner went to Da’ Po for gelato - amazing watermelon mint gelato and enjoyed a walk around town and checked out the Olympic rings.
Day 3 - Cinque Torri -> Drive to Val Gardena
Slept in, had breakfast got in the car and headed towards cinque torri - a famous rock formation in the Dolomites that did not disappoint. Couldn’t find parking because the weather was amazing and the lot was full so had to park down the street - unlike Portugal - people would just park anywhere on the side of the road and that didn’t seem to be a problem but we didn’t want to risk it - We opted to hike up under the chairlift instead of paying 19 euro / pp and it was tough but worth it - felt like we earned it! Walked around and took pictures up at the top - the kids would have loved this section - the hike up? Not so much … but this section was great - relatively flat but you’d get so distracted by the scenery that you couldn’t complain about the hiking - lunch at the ruffigio (a simple prosciutto cheese sandwich) with a view I will never forgot - this one was a ski resort.
The scenery here felt like it was created by AI. We lucked out with the weather as well. The wild flowers were beautiful and there were a bunch of people scaling the large rock faces. Btw, we didn’t bring our kids on this trip, but when (not if) we come back with them - this is definitely somewhere I would bring them. Once you get to the top of the lift, it’s very easy to walk around.
Walked down and back to our car - walked on the side of the road - via Ferrata next to the barrier and drove another 1.5 hours to Sëlva (Val Gardena) - and arrived at Granvara - our “home” for the next 3 nights.
There are a ton of spa resorts like this one in the Dolomites so it can be overwhelming trying to decide which one to choose.
I’m sure they are all great in their own way, but we loved this spot because it offered breakfast and dinner (Half board), HOWEVER, while they say they don’t include lunch, there is a (plentiful) buffet of food offered between 2-5pm.
They also have a mountain guide who takes hotel guests on hikes nearby that is included in the price*. That way, you don’t have to think about finding the right hike or going into town to find a separate guide (at $80-120 pp) and more for a private guide.
It also had a “natural” pool (the one of the left) that was about 60 degrees and an indoor / outdoor heated pool that was about 82 degrees (very comfortable).
There was a spa with multiple saunas and steam rooms at different temperatures as well as an “emotional shower.”
It was my first time experiencing an “emotional shower”, but the idea is that it goes through a series or different colored lights, scents (like lavender and eucalyptus) and temperatures - think “tropical rain”, “summer nights” switching to something new every 30 seconds or so.
The spa at Granvara was “naked only” but also told you to wear a towel while you were in there. Btw, this is not uncommon at these spas in the Dolomites, so just check the descriptions on their website or ask if that is a dealbreaker for you. Also, at Granvara, the windows looking out of the spa are two-way.
After putting our bags away, we enjoyed our “welcome cocktail”, a “Mediterranean Spritz” made with local amaro and served with some light bites.
Grenvara Spa, Val Gardena (Sëlva)
Apertivo at Grenvara
We pulled up to the hotel entrance went inside to check in and as we were talking to the hotel man at the front desk, we noticed our car was rolling away - I sprinted outside and pulled on the parking brake just in time before it tapped the hotel van. Whew!
We ordered 4 waters thinking they would be free but were charged 4 euros each - which we noticed the next morning on the bill they left on our table.
Day 4 - Val Gardena Early AM hike
The next morning we decided to make the most of it and do a sunrise hike (gran cir peak - 2592m) that meant waking up at 3:45 and leaving the hotel at 4a. Three others joined us and our guide Maurice - this hike was extra (50 / pp) but was well worth it. A quick drive to the base of the mountain - and then hiking in the dark with headlamps that they provided for about 90 minutes arrived after which to the top where we saw the sunrise over the mountains. It was lovely and we spent 20 mins at the top enjoying the view, sipping on some ginger tea and snacking on some packaged Belgian waffles that Maurice brought for everyone. The hike down was a bit harder but it should be noted that this hike was labeled as “easy” though by American standards I would say it was a solid 6 / 10.
Back to the hotel for our first hotel breakfast. The spread here was impressive and included a make your own juice station, make your own fresh orange juice and an array of baked goods that you could fill with your choice of Nutella (in the biggest container I have ever seen as well as mixed berry jam, etc) - smoked salmon was on the menu as well and meats and cheesss and the option to order eggs. This is the one area where Italy needs some work - needlesstosay breakfast was great and we filled up for the day.
Up next, paragliding - something I had done with my sister in Switzerland 20 years ago but something Angela had never done - went up a gondola - beautiful view of town and strapped into our backpacks (this was a tandem situation so our guides did all of the work and just told us to run for take off) - for 10-15 minutes we flew above this resort floating gently towards the valley enjoying the view - nothing scary about this unless you are afraid of heights.
Landed and walked back through town - hoping to do some shopping but discovered that shops closed for lunch from 12-3p so we walked about a mile back to the hotel from where we landed. You would think that would have been enough activity for the day but I decided today would be he best day for my long run so I decided to run from Sleva to Ortesei - which was about 11 miles round trip but 1200 feet of elevation down and then 1200 feet of elevation up so 5 miles uphill - probably the longest I have ever run uphill. Got back feeling accomplished - not to mention it was probably the most beautiful run I have ever been on - thankfully I took one gel before I left. The trail was an old railroad track that had been turned into a running / biking trail and at one point I ran through an old train tunnel.
Back to the hotel - we enjoyed a well earned spa afternoon at the hotel along with a spritz made with a local liqueur - we tried camomile, pine and hay - camomile and hay were my favorite. Also a favorite - speaking of hay was the sauna “flavored with hay - reminded me of the smell of tatami in Japan.
what I thought would be a good nights sleep - given the activities of the day - turned out to be not that great but still got enough to get through the next day without napping.
Day 5 - Stevia Hut Hike
Woke up a bit late and had a leisurely breakfast before another hike with Maurice. These hikes were coordinated with the hotel and were free - aside from the 50 pp we paid for the early flight. These are supposed to be group hikes but no one else ended up showing up so we got a private hike with Maurice which felt luxurious. We walked from the hotel directly down to the valley and then up a gondola of a ski resort to start our hike.
Description of hike:
Our guide Moritz will take you to a guided tour to Stevia hut.
The group will start at 9.30 a.m. from the hotel (meeting point reception) and walk to cable car Col Raiser. We’ll ride up to the mountain station of Col Raiser (2106m) and start walking towards the Rifugio Firenze on a mostly flat path with stunning views on the Odles peaks. From the Rifugio Firenze we follow down the gravel road until we reach a branch-off. We take the narrow path on the left which leads uphill to the forcella “Piza”. After a lot of turns we finally reach the top of Stevia (2555m). We go down to the refuge Stevia (2312m) for a well-earned break!
On the way back we follow the path 17 which leads down from the refuge and at the junction with the trail that comes from S. Sylvester Pass, we take the left path 17b, Troi Palota. We keep going halfway down along the ridge, we cross over and start the descent on the green meadows of Steviola. The trail then begins to decline at bends along a gravelly canyon up to a grassy floor and then descend steeply along other bends dominated by the rocks of Steviola offering spectacular views on Selva and Val Gardena. The path finally enters the forest to reach the hamlet of Daunei. The easy path n. 3 finally brings us back to Selva.
Down past a ruffigio on the mountain, through the trees and then ascending up a fairly steep rocky face to the top. I went a bit further for an extra good view - it was worth it and Angela joined me. After getting to the peak, we made our way down the back side of the mountain on rolling hills covered in grass with sheep grazing on them - keep in mind we are at 2700m + - one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever been on.
Lunch was well needed and we joyed a beer, a cabbage and speck salad and eggs, potatoes and speck for lunch - along with a pour of local grappa - more like an amaro / herbal vibe. After lunch we hiked down to selva though a private path owned by the farmers thanks to Maurice - a beautiful hike down with incredible views - in fact we could see the mountain we had hiked to the morning before - and couldn’t believe we had made it to the top.
After 4-5 hours of hiking it was nice to catch the (free) shuttle back to the hotel. No lunch at the hotel but they did have a meat and cheese selection available from 2-5p - we enjoyed the spa, jumped in the natural pool (a bit of a cold plunge - temp of water was probably 55-60). We went back to town to do some shopping in search of a brand we saw Maurice wearing that we had never seen in the us before: Salewa. He talked it up as a great European brand that was good quality and good value. To no avail, we didn’t find any Selewa but did find a jacket that I liked on sale. Back to the hotel for a relaxing afternoon we enjoyed the views, the temperature, the quiet, - the Dolomites really is a special place. Explored the hotel to find that Charles Leclerc had stayed T our hotel along with some other formula 1 drivers.
Dinner at the same table - a three course meal with two options for each course and a salad bar- we always ordered one of each and shared.
The dinner was good - everything was delicious and the convenience of not having to leave the hotel was really nice.
Day 6 - Drive to Venice
The next morning we woke up, had breakfast and drove back to Venice to return our car. But on the way we stopped at a selawa outlet 30 mins near the airport that Angela found. After looking around, Angela didn’t see the jacket she wanted but then found one of the sale rack! I also got a yellow jacket that is a bit out of my normal comfort color zone but I love the color.
Driving to the airport - we thought we had timed it perfectly but hit traffic near a toll where no one seemed to know how to use the toll machine … tourists … ugh
Finally got the airport, retuned our car - was very easy and made our way downstairs to arrivals where a shuttle was waiting for us to take us to our hotel in Venice. 20 minutes by shuttle / van / private transfer and then a private water taxi to the hotel along the canal. This was nice cause it meant we didn’t need to do a gondola ride - it took us right to our hotel which was wonderful.
Stopped for gelato along the way - pro tip - if the gelato is showing it isn’t as good as the gelato that is covered - of course Angela found a covered one rated 4.9 near our hotel and it didn’t disappoint - tiramisu, melon (by far the favorite). More aimless walking around Venice and then off to the Peggy Guggenheim museum - Angela booked tickets for 4:30 - walked around, enjoyed the museum and had an apertivo right near the hotel for 3 euro each - cynar for me, Campari for Angela.
Back to the hotel - a hotel where my parents had stayed a year before - we were both tired and had some trouble finding the hotel but made it. Angela bought a silk scarf that she wore for dinner that night - a nice place where we ordered osso bucco, the best spaghetti of the trip and a summer salad with burrata peaches and tomatoes.
Ok the way home we had to get gelato again but this time mango, strawberry and cherry - melon was still the favorite overall.
Back to the hotel exhausted we packed up our bags and went to bed.
Day 7 - Fly Home
I woke up early (5:30) to go for a run before our big travel day and was glad I did. I was worried I would get lost but took my phone with me and ran along the water and through a park near a residential part of town. The smell of the bakeries, no people around - it was lovely.
I came back around 6:30 and Angela and I went for one last 45 minute walk around Venice to enjoy our last hour there. We found the hotel we stayed in for our honeymoon 13 years ago!
Back to the hotel for breakfast - we had banana chocolate chip smoothies, smoked salmon, an omelette finally cooked correctly, more burrata and the usual assortment of breads, jams and butter.
To go back to the airport, we took a public ferry (how the locals get to the airport) but ended up paying 10 euros each for a bus ticket that was not correct - you board and then scan a QR code to pay. Having our phones on the whole trip felt like a luxury and not something we usually do but came in handy many times including this. A 45 minute ferry ride and we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare.
Amazing trip: 10/10.