 SIT Package Highlights include:• Private English speaking tour leader for 11 days
• Accommodation: 2 nights Garda, 1 night Riva del Garda, 1 night Trento, 2 nights Val Badia, 1 night Rifugio Fanes, 2 nights Cortina d'Ampezzo, all in
good 3 Star/4 Star hotels
• Meals: all breakfasts, 5 dinners (in great restaurants), 3 lunches
• All private & public transfers as indicated throughout the entire itinerary
• Entrance fees of all sites along the itinerary
• All special activities as outlined in the day by day itinerary
• Guest experts for special places; 24/24 hour local assistance
• Luggage transport; All gratuities for baggage, porters & hotel service
Not includedDeparture taxes; Visas; Travel Insurance; Drink & meals not mentioned in
the itinerary; Optional additional tours or activities; Tips; Items of a
personal nature.
Level of difficultyMostly moderately easy walks, along well maintained footpaths, with nonetheless
rough surfaces. On some days some stretches are difficult for those
suffering from vertigo (but NOT dangerous!). On these days alternative
options are available. Extensions or shortcuts are also possible on most days.
A high standard of fitness is not necessary but you should be able to walk
for up to 5 hours a day in hot sun on dusty or stony tracks.
Dates and prices per person from11 to 21 June, 9 to 19 July
- Double $3254 Single supplement $286
20 to 30 August
- Double $3476 Single supplement $302
 
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A walking tour that explores Italy’s greatest Lake and the world’s most
beautiful mountains, from Verona to Cortina d’Ampezzo. Discover the
Alpine & the Tuscan side of Lake Garda, Italy’s biggest and most varied
lake. Traverse the most beautiful parts of the spectacular Dolomites, the
amazing ‘Tre Cime di Lavaredo’ peaks & the great Marmolada glacier.
Enjoy the best of Alpine & Italian culture in Verona, Trento, Val Badia and
Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Day 1 (Verona) Garda
The starting point of our tour is the beautiful city of Verona, known above all for the famous balcony of ‘Romeo & Juliette’, but it origins go back to Roman times, of which the huge Roman Arena is an amazing testimonial. Here, at 3 PM in the afternoon, we will meet our tour leader and fellow travellers and travel by private bus to the charming city of Garda, the ‘Pearl of Lake Garda’, dominated by its ‘Rocca’ (rock) with an abbey and the remains of a medieval castle. Here we first settle in our hotel and then make a relaxed afternoon walk. This walk along the lake shore brings us onto the peninsula of San Vigilio, already described by the Roman writer Catullus. The atmosphere of this small medieval hamlet is like a fairy tale. Here we have our ‘aperitivo’ and a short introduction on what lies ahead for the next week. You then may wish to spend some time here on the tranquil lake, have a drink, or relax in the park. In the late afternoon we either walk back or travel back by bus to Garda. In the evening we go out for dinner together in a nice restaurant which offers the typical regional cuisine.
Total walking: approx. 1.5 hours. Meals included: 1 dinner
Day 2 Garda & its Rocca, Peninsula of Sirmione
After a leisurely breakfast we make a wonderful roundwalk, a first test for our hill walking skills. First we through the village and buy some picnic supplies, then we climb up towards the abbey, a steep but short and pleasant climb, rewarded by beautiful views over the lake. After a visit to the abbey (which also sells very good chocolate!) we walk along the remains of the medieval town wall onto the ‘Rocca’, the mountain overlooking Garda and the whole southern part of Lake Garda. This is an ideal place for a picnic with a view. After lunch, we descend back to Garda again. (For those who want to opt out, there is the chance to wander around the medieval alleys or relax on the beautiful lake front, drink a coffee, have a full lunch here or simply grab some ‘panini’ and an ice cream.) Then, in the afternoon we go for a short, scenic boat ride, across the southern part of the lake to Sirmione. Here we make a nice roundwalk and visit the roman villa on the beautiful headland. Those who want can also visit the castle. In the late afternoon we travel back by boat to Garda.
Total walking: approx. 3.5 + 1.5 hours. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 picnic lunch.
Day 3 Malcesine, Monte Baldo, Riva del Garda
Today we travel from southern, ‘Mediterranean’ shore of Lake Garda, to the northern, ‘alpine’ side of the Lake. We pass many photogenic villages and then stop in the beautiful village of Malcesine, where the great German writer Goethe loved to stay at the castle. We’ll travel up by a cable car, with rotating cabins, to assure us views at 360°, all the way up to Mount Baldo, the great mountain range which runs all along Lake Garda. Here we make a beautiful roundwalk, with great views over Lake Garda and the valley of the river Adige. We’ll either walk back down to Malcesine or take the cable car again. Then we travel on to our next base, at the most northern point of the lake, in the charming small city of Riva del Garda. We stay in the medieval town centre, with its colourful painted houses. Here we notice that we have also passed a ‘cultural border’, which was also the border between Austria and Italy. After this long day, we enjoy some relaxation in our hotel. In the evening we go for dinner in a nearby restaurant, under the medieval arches of Riva, which offers the typical regional cuisine of the Italian Lakes region. A drink on the lakeshore square is the perfect end to a beautiful day.
Total walking time: around 4-5 hours. Total driving: around 1 hour. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner.
Day 4 Riva del Garda, Lake Molveno, Andalò (Brenta Dolomites)
After breakfast this morning, we travel by private minibus to Molveno, located on a beautiful alpine lake, one of the deepest in the Dolomites, at the foot of the towering Brenta Dolomites, a lesser known part of the Dolomites. By cable car we make our way up onto the mountain range, and then enjoy a beautiful, but relatively easy roundwalk, a good introduction to what the Dolomites have to offer! We’ll have a picnic lunch in the mountains, or if we wish we can enjoy some local specialties at a ‘rifugio’ (mountain hut). After lunch we make our way back down into the valley, but now we walk down to Andalò, a scenic descending walk. We have a short stop for a drink here, before travelling our bus picks us up and brings us to our next base, the beautiful city of Trento, the most northern Italian speaking city. We settle in our hotel for some relaxation. Our hotel is centrally located and therefore, before going for dinner, we can already enjoy some time wandering around the historical city centre, with its beautifully painted facades.
Total walking time: around 4-5 hours. Total driving: around 1.5 hour. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner.
Day 5 Trento, Monte Bondone
After breakfast this morning, we walk towards the Adige River, and from here we travel up by cable car, over the river, onto the ‘house mountain’ of Trento, Monte Bondone. Although at a very short distance, this area has kept an amazingly quiet, rural atmosphere. We make a beautiful panoramic roundwalk here, with beautiful views over the city of Trento and the river Adige, with a backdrop of the different ranges of Dolomites! We’ll have a picnic lunch in the mountains, or if we wish we can enjoy some local specialties at one of the first ‘agriturismo’s’ of Italy. After lunch we make our way back to Trento. Now we have some more time to look around in this beautiful small town. Trento is the most northern Italian speaking city, on the frontier between Mediterranean and Alpine cultures. And it seems to have taken the best of both worlds! You can enjoy some time wandering around the historical city centre, with its beautifully painted facades, or visit one of its great museums. Of course also the Castello del Buonconsiglio, where the Council of Trent was staged in the 16th century, is definitely worth a visit, if alone for the famous Cycle of the Months, one of the most fascinating secular pictorial cycles of the late Middle Ages. In the late afternoon, we go for an ‘aperitivo’ with our tour leader and new fellow travelers for a short briefing on what lies ahead for the next week. In the evening we go out for dinner together in a nice restaurant which offers the typical regional cuisine.
Total walking time: around 4-5 hours. Total driving: around 1.5 hour. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner.
Day 6 Mount Marmolada, Sella Dolomites, Val Gardena, Lavilla / Val Badia
After breakfast this morning, we travel by private minibus up North and then penetrate into a landscape dominated by enormous pinnacles that must be seen to be believed – the mighty Dolomites! We first travel up the Adige valley and then into the Val di Fiemme, passing some charming villages along the road. Here we can make a short coffee stop and buy our stuff for a good picnic lunch, before travelling on towards one of the most beautiful peaks of the Dolomites, Mount Marmolada. Here we make a great walk, not to the top, but along the Lake of Fedaia and down into the valley of Canazei, with spectacular views on Mount Marmolada. If the weather permits we can also take the lift up onto the Marmalada and make a beautiful roundwalk. After our walk we drive to the famous Sella pass, from where we walk down into the Gardena valley, one of the prettiest valleys of the massive and may be have a drink in one of the villages along the road. At the end of the afternoon we arrive in the Alta Badia valley, dotted with lovely alpine villages, vibrant meadows and pastures. Our base here is in LaVilla. In the evening we can take a sauna, and then enjoy a dinner with local specialties in our hotel.
Total walking time: around 3-4 hours. Total driving: around 2.5 hours. Meals included: 1 breakfast , 1 dinner.
Day 7 LaVilla, Puez Plateau
After breakfast this morning, we walk (optional bus) to the small village of Colfosco, from where we start our hike onto the Puez Plateau. A first stop can be made at a beautifully located mountain hut, overlooking the whole Val Gardena (optional 4WD-ride to here). Then we continue our climb onto the high plain. Here we make a beautiful walk, with amazing views, towards the mountain hut, (‘Rifugio’ or ‘Utia’, in local dialect) of Puez. We pass along the impressive Ciampani Mountain, following partly the ‘Alta Via delle Dolomiti’. Somewhere near the hut (or at the hut itself) we enjoy a (picnic) lunch in the mountains. Then, along the edge of the Vallunga and the Col Dalla Sone we continue our walk on the high plain. We come along the Gherdenaccia pass and then start the descent, with great views on the Fanes – Sennes range in front of us, all the way down to our hotel in LaVilla. In the late afternoon we recover in the sauna to relax from our hard walk and in the evening there are several options to go for a nice dinner.
Total walking time: around 5-6 hours. Meals included: 1 breakfast.
Day 8 Val Badia, San Vigilio, Pederù, Fanes Valley
We enjoy a hearty breakfast in the hotel to prepare for our hike up into the Fanes-Sénnes range. A short scenic drive by private minibus takes us to San Vigilio. Here we have the option to visit a very interesting museum on the Dolomites. Then we start to climb up into the valley, until reaching the mountain restaurant of Pederù, where we can stop for a quick snack. From here, our hike starts as we ascend into the real mountains, climbing towards the pass of the Fanes Valley, underneath the towering Col de Ru (2076 m.). From this pass on the path flattens out, and it becomes a very scenic easy walk into a quintessential Alpine setting – the splendid Fanes valley. We hike along two spectacular alpine lakes, and end our walk ends at the beautifully located – and luxurious – mountain hut of Fanes, where we’ll spend the night.
Total walking time: around 4-5 hours. Total driving: around 1 hour. Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner.
Day 9 Fanes, Alta Via, Lagazuoi, Cortina d’Ampezzo
Today’s hike starts directly from the front door of our hut after breakfast. This part of our journey sees us enter the real world of the Dolomites with the presence of the great mountains – Cima Scotòni and the Cima Fànes Sud. These mountains are perforated by mazes of the operations during World War I (1915-18), bitterly fought in this area. We hike the ‘Alta Via’ of the Dolomites (also called the ‘High Route’ number 1), a long-distance footpath that traverses the Dolomites from north to south. Our route passes alongside some of the most impressive scenery of the area. At the end of the afternoon we reach the shores of the gentle lake of Lagazuòi and the Rifugio Lagazuoi (2773m) which is awesomely sited, with world-class mountain views. Here we can enjoy a drink, before travelling down by cable car into the valley. We’ll experience one of the world’s finest views here: the surrounding valleys disappear into the shadows, highlighting rock pinnacles which—still exposed to sunlight—take on an extraordinary palette of ever-changing colors. Down in the valley our minibus waits for us and brings us back to Cortina.
Total walking time: around 5-6 hours (several shorter options). Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner.
Day 10 Cortina, Tre Cime di Lavaredo
After the challenging walks of the last two days, we make an easier walk today. But a splendid one, around the Tre Cime (‘three tops’) of Lavaredo, one of the most famous postcard images of the Dolomites. A short drive brings us to the Misurina Lake, and then up to the Auronzo hut, from where our walk starts: along the three mountain tops of Lavaredo we walk towards the Rifugio Locatelli (Drei Zinnen Hutte). Then we cross to the other side of the mountain chain and we enjoy an excellent views of the North face of the Tre Cime. Along a beautiful path we return to the Auronzo hut, from where we take the bus back. Now we have to possibility to recover and discover the charm of the valley of Cortina d’Ampezzo, a famous resort for the Italian jet set. We could also relax a while along the shores of Lake Misurina, before travelling back down to Cortina, or even go for yet another nice hike along the lake shore, in the beautiful and relaxing surroundings. In the evening we can choose where to go for our last great evening meal, our farewell dinner to the Dolomites ! .
Total walking time: around 3-4 (+1) hours (several shorter options). Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch.
Total walking time: around 3-4 (+1) hours (several shorter options). Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch.
Day 11 Cortina, Venice
This morning after breakfast, our journey ends. We can opt to spend some more time in the Dolomites, or travel down to Venice, which can easily be reached by public transport. A transfer back to Venice can be arranged at any time.
Meals included: 1 breakfast.
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