One Week Dolomites Itinerary with Two Kids

The Dolomitic Alps, or popularly hailed as the Dolomites, are one of the most picturesque locations in northeastern Italy. It is a year-long travel destination, but many families find their way during the summer.

The kinder hotel concept, which originated in Austria, has become a spotlight for many families traveling to the Dolomites.

Now I am not going to reinvent the wheel about the best time to go or how many days to stay. You would know the best answer. However, what our blog can help you, is how we planned our weeklong itinerary and where we split our stays.

Where to Fly

We drove from Frankfurt with our car, which immensely helped us to save on flights and luggage. And that we could drive at our pace, given that our little one, Rutvi, was around 10 months old and needed to account for nap times. But if you have to fly, the nearest airport is in Bolzano. You can also fly into Venice or Verona and drive up.

Our Itinerary

We had split our stays into East and West of the Dolomites. Now this region is huge, and if you want to drive crisscross, it can easily take 3 hours one way. Not ideal in our opinion with kids.

On the east, you have gems like Lago di Braies, Tre Cime di Lavaredo, and Lake Sorapis; while on the west, you have Alpe di Siusi, Val Gardena, and Seceda.

After stopping a night in the Garmisch area of southern Germany, we parked ourselves for three nights in the Valdaora region of the Dolomites. We treated ourselves and the kids to a kinder hotel. Our stay at Hotel Fameli was exceptional, and we had to tear ourselves apart to leave. Raahi was looking forward to sleeping in the bunk beds and making friends in the kids club (which she did, and we ended up doing a trip with one of the families to Tre Cime di Lavaredo). Rutvi, for the most part, was happy to splash in the kids’ pool and make a mess in the dining area with no stares thrown at us 😉

Besides devouring the buffet breakfasts and three-course dinners, we used our location to explore the following places.

Lago di Braies

This iconic lake was a mere scenic 20-minute drive from our hotel. This is the most popular attraction in the area, and chances are that most wallpapers and IG shots are taken from here. We were lucky that for our dates, their mandatory online parking reservation hadn’t begun. Refer to this official site to book an online reservation in advance if you have to in advance. With kids, P3 Parcheggio– located right behind P4 and only a 5-minute walk from the lake makes the most sense. To save money, you can park at P2, but it’s a longer walk to the lake. There are a few cafes around, in case hunger strikes after you do a loop around the lake, which is highly recommended.

We skipped renting a boat due to the crowds, but if you are here during off-season (not sure if there is one?), definitely try that out. The lake is indeed very picturesque and popular for a reason!

Tre Cime di Lavaredo

It was about an hour drive to reach the toll gate, and the road is very scenic, albeit a bit curvy towards the top. For this hike to see the three distinctive battlement-like peaks, online parking was a must, and we used the official site to make necessary bookings. Once we reached, the toll gate opened up recognizing our car’s number plate. I must say, parking was a bit tight given it was peak summer. However, the views more than made up for it.

If you are looking for an easy family hike in the Tre Cime area, then I recommend you walk from Rifugio Auronzo to Rifugio Lavaredo. But don’t make the foolish mistake of not carrying jackets, beanies, thinking it’s peak summer. It can get chilly up there, and carrying layers helps. Nevertheless, the kids were all troopers, and after finishing the first half, we gorged on the traditional Italian specialties at the hut on Rifugio Lavaredo.

Added tip: when heading back, stop by Lake Durrensee, also called Lago di Landro, for a dose of fresh air and a snack break 😊 !

It was time for us to head west towards the town of Ortisei, where we had booked a self-catering apartment for three nights. This comes in handy if you are tired of eating food outside, and also if kids are fussy eaters. Not to mention, helps with the budget too! Luckily, Ortisei is a fairly big town with a few supermarkets, so getting fresh groceries was never a problem.

Pana Raida

Give those hikes a break and surprise your kiddos with a visit to the Pana Raida Adventure Trail (thanks to a rec from a friend).

I must admit, we got lost along the way and missed a few important stops. But I guess that was the point! To let kids feed the ponies, jump in the mountaintop playgrounds, and breathe in pure air. We went back to our apartment, cooked a meal, and called it a day.

For the last leg, we moved towards the western section of the region and stayed for three nights in the town of Ortisei. We booked a 2-bedroom self-catering apartment for ourselves. Although we missed the gluttony of the kinderhotel where we had stayed previously, it was also a welcome change to cook some of our comfort foods for the kids (and ourselves) and time the hikes and activities based on Rutvi’s nap schedules. Ortisei is a big commercial alpine town with plenty of supermarkets and restaurants. Also, some of the hikes and drives we wanted to do were all under 1 hour from here.

Lago di Carezza

One of the most stunning lakes we have ever been to, but it’s about 50 50-minute drive from Ortisei. There is a big parking lot, and the walk to the lake is under 10 minutes. I would recommend doing a loop around and admiring the beauty. There are a few restaurants in case you forgot to pack a snack box, or if it’s time for lunch.

Seceda

One of the benefits of staying in Ortisei is that the cable cars to reach Seceda and Alpe di Siusi (which we ended up skipping) are in town. A round trip for 2 adults will set you back close to 100 EUR, with kids under 7 being free.

Once you reach the top, the famous ridgeline is pretty much visible. There is a 10-minute, slightly uphill walk to the famous viewpoint, not to mention an alpine playground as well. While stroller-friendly, we used our baby carrier to transport little R around. End your outing with a hearty meal at Baita Sofia Hutte. They have ample things to keep kids entertained. If it wasn’t going to rain, we wouldn’t have left this dreamy setting for another hour.

Val di Funes

Chances are, when you started searching for the Dolomites, a church positioned centrally in the meadows showed up. This is in the nearby town of Santa Maddalena. We visited this on the day we were driving back to Germany. There is a decent-sized parking lot once you reach the town, and the signs for the viewpoint and church are well-marked. However, in case you are a GPS nut, type in ‘Panchina Panoramica’ on Google Maps. The views along the way are breathtaking. Spare at least an hour for this outing.

We crossed the borders and made our way to Berchtesgaden in southern Germany to continue our summer trip. But the memories made in the Dolomites were worth every tantrum our kids threw at us.

Important mentions

• We missed visiting one of the largest alpine meadows in Europe, called Alpe di Siusi (or Seiser Alm in German). You can either drive early morning or late evening (as otherwise the non-resident cars aren’t allowed). Or better yet, take the cable car from Ortisei. Read beantowntraveler’s blog on more info on this. Thanks, Riddhi for all the helpful tips.
• For the most part, the food we ate outside of the kinder hotel, was either at refugio huts or takeaways in Ortisei. While the food is tasty and hearty, we got bored with pizzas and pastas after a while. Gelato, well, not! Hence I recommend booking a stay with a kitchen to break the monotony.
• If you are road-tripping like us, chances are you will pass through Austria. Make sure to buy either the digital vignette or at the gas station to avoid fines (we bought online using our ADAC membership). In Italy, we had to pay tolls twice, which was accepted with a credit card, much like in parking lots as well. However, carry cash as well.

If there is anything more you’d like to know, do drop us a comment below. Happy travels!