8 Days in Dolomites, Milan and Lake Como in northern Italy with 10-year-old boy in early July
The Dolomites, or the South Tyrol region, is an alpine region in northeastern Italy, which once belonged to Austria, and the majority of the population there is Austrian. It is a land of thousands different lakes, one is more beautiful then the other, snowy mountain peaks at the edges, and endless green forests. Small picturesque towns are located in the valleys and it seems as if you have crossed a border to neighboring Austria to the north. In winter it is a paradise for alpine skiing and in summer it is a mecca for hikers and mountain and road bike riders. Even though the area is very touristy, and everyone speaks English, you don’t feel crowded here. We landed in Milan and it took us about 5 hours to get to the hotel in the Dolomites, but the area can also be reached from airports such as Venice, Brescia, Bergamo and others.
The Route:
Here you can see all the points of the route in Google Maps and then use Google Navigator to get to the place:
You can also download a KML file and open it in another offline program for navigation and editing: Dolomites.Kml
Day 1: We landed at Malpensa airport in Milan, from there we took a train to a central station in the city, and from there by subway we arrived at the two bedroom apartment Splendido Bilocale in Via Orti we rented a few stops from the central square.
The next day we started our trip in the city center by visiting the Duomo Cathedral and going up to its rooftop view. We didn’t buy tickets in advance and almost without queuing we bought them on the spot. We continued through the Victor Emmanuel gallery to the Brera district, Sforzesco fortress, Sempione park and in the evening we went to the entertainment complex along the Navigli canals. We dedicated only one day to Milan and for me personally it was enough. It is recommended to travel in the city not by metro but by tram, that way you can see the city.
Day 2: Drive from Milan all day to our B&B in the Dolomites in the Passa Valley. On the way we stopped at unplanned but very beautiful places like Lake Idro, and Lake Toblino and dinner at a calm and amazing place near the stream called Stern Gasthof. Grilled trout was amazing. There we met a dog of the owners the size of a bear. Our holiday village Vidor Family resort is located in a postcard of the surrounding mountains. And of course Carezza Lake which we have already visited before but could not pass without stopping again.
Day 3: We had perfect weather in the Dolomites. We drove through the Sella mountain pass to a rope park in Ortisei Adventure Park & Fly Line Emozion Col de Flam, the biggest I’ve been to so far. Two hours of climbing to the tops of trees up the mountain and at the end a descent on a zip line.
Day 4: Today we did a 16 km, 4 hour bike ride along the frozen water stream in the Fassa Valley from our town Pozza di Fassa to Compitello. After that we did a ride around Lake San Pellegrino and around Lake Carezza.
Day 5: Drive from the Passa Valley to our third B&B in the town of Cortina d’Ampezzo on the SR48 scenic road. Lake Fedaia at the foot of the Marmolada glacier, Pordoi mountain pass, stops along the way at all kinds of breathtaking views. By chance we found an amazing traditional Tyrolean restaurant Baita Resch sitting on a ski slope with a view you won’t want to leave. In the evening we arrived at our guesthouse Villa Gaia near the stream. Tomorrow we will go check the water. In the evening we walked around the main pedestrian street in the center of the town, the owner of the house recommended us a good pizzeria in our town and it was a worthy recommendation. Birreria & Trattoria Vienna whose owners are fans of ice hockey and other winter sports.
Day 6: We did an amazingly beautiful 6 hour, 11 km trek to the turquoise Sorapis Lake nestled in the mountains. The route starts from a point on the SR48 Lake Sorapis Hike Trailhead. Then we went to eat at the nearby Misurina Lake.
Day 7: We celebrated my wife’s birthday at the most photographed lake in the world – Lago di Braies. And it certainly deserves this title. After that we drove to another lake Dobbiaco and in the end we did a 3 hour route to the Cascate di Fanes waterfall.
Day 8: On the way from Cortina to Milan airport we passed through the town of Bellagio on Lake Como. Our flight from Milan was at 01:30 and the airport was almost empty, there was no one at security and passport control so we passed without queues at all.
