Hamilton & Chase Tours
The Dolomites: Alpine Italy — Bespoke 8-day Italy tour: UNESCO peaks, South Tyrol culture, and the thermal spa that Empress Sisi built her reputation on.

8-Day Bespoke Journey

The Dolomites: Alpine Italy

UNESCO peaks, South Tyrol culture, and the thermal spa that Empress Sisi built her reputation on.

Available as Private Semi-Private Self-Guided
From €3,490 per person 8 days / 7 nights
View Itinerary

Tour Overview

8 days across Italy.

The Dolomites are among the most visually extraordinary mountain landscapes on earth — formations of pale grey and rose-coloured rock rising from green Alpine meadows in shapes that no other range produces, their vertical faces turning red-gold at the ends of the day in the phenomenon that Italian Alpinists call enrosadira. UNESCO designated them a World Heritage Site in 2009. But the Dolomites are also South Tyrol: an Alpine cultural region that was Austrian until 1919 and has never entirely made its peace with Italy, maintaining German as an official language alongside Italian and Ladin, building in the Central European tradition, cooking from a larder of speck, Schüttelbrot, and Schlutzkrapfen that owes more to Vienna than to Rome. This eight-day private journey moves from Venice through the peaks to the spa town of Merano and back to Verona — a circuit through landscape that changes character every hour of the day.

Detailed Itinerary

Your journey, day by day.

Every day is designed with breathing room. Sleep in, take a detour, linger at lunch — the itinerary flexes around you, not the other way around.

Day 1 — Venice to the Mountains
Day 1
1

Day 1

Venice to the Mountains

From water to stone in ninety minutes.

Venice and the Dolomites are closer than most people imagine — the journey north takes ninety minutes by private vehicle, the lagoon visible behind you as the first mountain ridges begin to lift above the Veneto plain. You pass through the foothills of Belluno province as the landscape changes: the vineyards of the Prosecco zone, the first limestone outcrops, the Piave valley where the mountain rivers run with glacial clarity, and then the first visible Dolomitic formation at Agordo. Cortina d'Ampezzo is the gateway to the Dolomites and Italy's most famous mountain resort — hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics and will host them again in 2026. You arrive in time for the passeggiata on the Corso Italia and for dinner at a restaurant in the centre that has been feeding serious mountain people since the 1930s: canederli (bread dumplings in brodo), venison with chanterelles, and the local Lagrein from the Bolzano valley.

  • Private transfer from Venice into the Dolomites
  • First Dolomitic formations — Agordo and Belluno valleys
  • Cortina d'Ampezzo — the mountain resort that hosted two Winter Olympics
  • Alpine dinner: canederli, venison, Lagrein
5★ mountain hotel, Cortina d'Ampezzo
Day 2 — The Tofane & the Great War
Day 2
2

Day 2

The Tofane & the Great War

The peaks that became a battlefield and the cable cars that reach them.

The Dolomites were the front line of the First World War between Italy and Austria-Hungary, and the mountains still show it — tunnels bored through the rock, artillery positions carved into ridgelines, cemeteries on remote passes. The Tofane massif above Cortina is the best single introduction to the Dolomites: three cable cars ascend to the Rifugio Tofana di Mezzo at 3,244 metres, and from the terrace the panorama encompasses the entire Cortina basin, the Pelmo and Civetta massifs to the south, and on clear days the summit of the Marmolada — the highest peak in the Dolomites and the site of a glacier that has lost forty percent of its volume since 1950. A guided walk along the Alta Via 1 trail connects two of the cable car stations through the highest accessible terrain without technical climbing. Lunch at a mountain rifugio: polenta and speck, goulash from the kitchen, apple strudel.

  • Tofane cable car to 3,244 metres
  • Alta Via 1 guided trail — the Dolomites high route
  • First World War positions in the rock
  • Rifugio lunch at altitude: polenta, speck, strudel
Meals: Breakfast 5★ mountain hotel, Cortina
Day 3 — Drei Zinnen & the Ladin Villages
Day 3
3

Day 3

Drei Zinnen & the Ladin Villages

The most photographed mountains in the Alps — and the people who live below them.

The Drei Zinnen (Tre Cime di Lavaredo) are three vertical rock towers that rise from the Auronzo plateau to 2,999 metres — the most photographed mountain formation in the Alps, used by every mountaineering brand and half the postcards in the Dolomites. A private drive to the Auronzo rifugio and a circular walk at 2,400 metres around the base of the towers: the light changes the faces of the towers completely depending on direction and time of day, and the morning circuit puts you on the northwest side where the shadows are still long and the towers at their most dramatic. The afternoon descends into the Badia Valley — a Ladin-speaking valley (Ladin is the third ancient language of the region, a Rhaeto-Romance survival from Roman times) where the villages have maintained a distinct identity through every change of sovereignty. A visit to the Museo Ladin di Ćiastel de Tor in San Martino in Badia: the cultural history of the Ladin people, their folk art, and the extraordinary woodcarving tradition that still makes the Val Gardena one of Italy's primary art-export destinations.

  • Drei Zinnen circular walk at 2,400 metres
  • Three towers from each face — morning dramatic light
  • Ladin Valley cultural visit
  • Museo Ladin — Rhaeto-Romance history and woodcarving
Meals: Breakfast 5★ hotel or relais, Val Gardena
Day 4 — Val Gardena: The Woodcarvers' Valley
Day 4
4

Day 4

Val Gardena: The Woodcarvers' Valley

A valley that exports religious and secular art to the entire world.

Val Gardena has been producing hand-carved wooden figures since the 17th century — it supplies a significant proportion of the world's nativity scene figures, and its contemporary sculptors work on commissions that include gallery installations and public sculpture. The valley's Ladin towns of Ortisei, Santa Cristina, and Selva all have distinct characters: Ortisei is the cultural capital with the Museo della Val Gardena, whose collection of 18th and 19th-century woodcarving includes pieces of genuinely extraordinary quality. A private visit to a working woodcarver's studio — a fourth-generation workshop where the carver demonstrates the technique that transforms a piece of Swiss stone pine into a figure in an afternoon. In the afternoon, the Sella Ronda circuit: four mountain passes connecting four valleys, possible by cable car in summer (the ski lifts continue in summer for hikers and cyclists) with views from the Col Raiser at 2,107 metres across the entire central Dolomites.

  • Museo della Val Gardena — 18th-century woodcarving collections
  • Private woodcarver's studio — fourth-generation workshop
  • Sella Ronda cable car circuit — four valleys, four passes
  • Swiss stone pine and the craft that built a valley
Meals: Breakfast 5★ hotel or relais, Val Gardena
Day 5 — Bolzano: The Habsburg South
Day 5
5

Day 5

Bolzano: The Habsburg South

Italian by nationality, Austrian by breakfast.

Bolzano is the capital of South Tyrol — an Italian city that has German-language schools, Austrian-style market arcades, and a wine culture that operates entirely in parallel to Italian wine geography. The old city's arcaded streets date from the 14th century Hapsburg rebuilding; the cathedral's spire is Teutonic Gothic. The Museo Archeologico dell'Alto Adige holds Ötzi the Iceman — the 5,300-year-old frozen mummy found in the mountains above Bolzano in 1991, whose copper axe, grass cloak, and arrowhead wounds have answered and raised more questions about Bronze Age Europe than any other single discovery. A private guided visit with the museum's senior archaeologist. The afternoon at the Bolzano wine market: the Alto Adige wine region produces the most aromatic whites in Italy (Gewürztraminer was named for the village of Tramin/Termeno, twenty kilometres south) and the local Lagrein red is increasingly recognised as one of Italy's great indigenous varieties.

  • Ötzi the Iceman — private guided visit with the museum's archaeologist
  • Bolzano's 14th-century arcaded streets
  • Alto Adige wine market: Gewürztraminer, Lagrein, Weissburgunder
  • Transfer to Merano for spa evening
Meals: Breakfast 5★ spa hotel, Merano
Day 6 — Merano: The Habsburg Spa
Day 6
6

Day 6

Merano: The Habsburg Spa

The Empress of Austria took the cure here. The tradition continues.

Merano is a spa town in the Adige valley below the main Dolomite peaks, sheltered enough by its surrounding mountains to have the mildest climate in South Tyrol — palm trees grow in the town centre alongside apple orchards, the combination that makes the Merano valley feel simultaneously Alpine and Mediterranean. Empress Elisabeth of Austria — Sisi — spent several months here in 1870 and 1872, and the town built its reputation on the combination of mountain air and thermal water that the Victorian medical establishment promoted for conditions from tuberculosis to nervous exhaustion. The Terme Merano is the contemporary expression of that tradition: a 5,000-square-metre spa complex with indoor and outdoor thermal pools, some at altitude, with views of the surrounding peaks. Your afternoon is entirely at the spa. In the evening, the Kurhaus — the 1874 concert hall where Brahms, Mahler, and Puccini all performed — hosts a classical concert in its extraordinary Belle Époque interior.

  • Terme Merano thermal pools — indoor and outdoor, mountain views
  • Merano's palm-lined promenade — Alpine and Mediterranean simultaneously
  • Kurhaus evening concert in the 1874 Belle Époque interior
  • Empress Sisi's legacy — the cure that built the town
Meals: Breakfast 5★ spa hotel, Merano
Day 7 — The Adige Valley & Verona
Day 7
7

Day 7

The Adige Valley & Verona

The descent from the Alps to the Veneto plain.

The Adige valley road south from Merano is one of Italy's great drives — the river running through terraced vineyards on both sides, the valley narrowing and widening as it descends, the road passing through the wineries of Caldaro and the medieval fortresses above Trento. A wine stop in the Trentodoc zone: the sparkling wines of Trentino, made by the méthode champenoise in chalk cellars drilled into the mountain, have been challenging Franciacorta for Italy's premier sparkling wine appellation and are still underpriced by comparison to their quality. Trento itself for lunch: the Council of Trent was held here between 1545 and 1563 and produced the Counter-Reformation, which reshaped the entire architecture of Catholic Europe. The Duomo and the Castle of Buonconsiglio contain the frescoed Hall of the Months — the best secular fresco cycle in northern Italy. You arrive in Verona in time for the evening passeggiata and a final dinner in the city of Romeo and Juliet.

  • Adige valley vineyard drive — Caldaro and Trentodoc zone
  • Trentodoc sparkling wine tasting in chalk mountain cellars
  • Trento's Castle of Buonconsiglio — Hall of the Months frescoes
  • Arrival in Verona for final evening
Meals: Breakfast 5★ hotel, Verona
Day 8 — Verona & Departure
Day 8
8

Day 8

Verona & Departure

The Roman amphitheatre and the end of the Alpine circuit.

Verona's Arena is the third-largest surviving Roman amphitheatre after the Colosseum and Capua, and it is still used for exactly the purpose it was built for: large-scale public performance before a massive audience. A morning visit before the coach tours arrive, with the benefit of seeing the structure in the cool early light when the pink Veronese marble shows its colour most clearly. The market in Piazza delle Erbe, the Scaligeri tombs behind the church of Santa Maria Antica, and a final espresso at a bar on the Piazza Bra before the transfer to Verona Villafranca airport or the train station for Venice or Milan connections. The mountains are visible from Verona on clear days — a last trace of the landscape you've been moving through.

  • Verona Arena morning visit — pink marble in the early light
  • Piazza delle Erbe market and Scaligeri tombs
  • Private transfer to Verona airport or station
Meals: Breakfast

Where You'll Stay

Hand-picked hotels, every night.

We choose properties for character, location, and the kind of service that makes you feel looked after — not just checked in. Every hotel can be swapped for an alternative if you prefer.

5★ mountain hotel, Cortina d'Ampezzo

Cortina d'Ampezzo

2 nights

5★ mountain hotel

Central Cortina, near the Corso Italia

Mountain hotels in Cortina range from historic ski lodges to contemporary luxury; our preference depends on your dates and style

5★ hotel or mountain relais, Val Gardena

Val Gardena

2 nights

5★ hotel or mountain relais

Ortisei or Santa Cristina

Direct cable car access from several properties; mountain views from every room

5★ spa hotel, Merano

Merano

2 nights

5★ spa hotel

Town centre near the Terme Merano

Properties with direct access to the Terme Merano thermal complex preferred; garden rooms available

5★ hotel, Verona

Verona

1 night

5★ hotel

Historic centre near the Arena

Intra-mural Verona; walking distance to the Arena and Piazza delle Erbe

Hotels shown are indicative of the standard we book. Upon request, we will provide a detailed itinerary with specific hotel options tailored to your preferences and budget.

What's in the Price

Included

  • 7 nights in 5★ mountain hotels and a historic spa property
  • Daily breakfast at your hotel
  • Ötzi Iceman private guided visit with museum archaeologist
  • Tofane cable cars to 3,244 metres
  • Guided Alta Via 1 trail walk
  • Private woodcarver's studio visit in Val Gardena
  • Trentodoc cellar tasting
  • Terme Merano half-day access
  • Expert private guides throughout
  • All private vehicle transfers
  • All entrance fees and cable car passes
  • 24/7 travel specialist support
  • Hamilton & Chase digital travel booklet with trail maps and cultural notes

Not Included

  • Flights to Venice and from Verona (or vice versa)
  • Travel insurance (required — we can arrange on request)
  • Meals not listed
  • Ski passes and equipment rental (winter itinerary)
  • Personal expenses
  • Gratuities for guides and drivers

Good to Know

  • This itinerary has two seasonal variations: summer (June–September) for hiking and cable cars, and winter (December–March) for skiing and snow-shoeing. The accommodation and some activities differ; your specialist will present both options.
  • The Dolomites are accessible in shoulder seasons (May and October–November) but some cable cars are closed for maintenance — the spring wildflower season in May is extraordinary.
  • Cortina is hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics — accommodation in the winter of 2025–26 must be booked very far in advance.
  • Road mountain passes (Pordoi, Gardena, Campolongo) may be snow-closed outside the summer season — winter itineraries use lower valleys and lifts.

Make It Yours

Optional add-ons & upgrades.

Every trip is different. These extras can be woven into your itinerary — just let your travel specialist know what catches your eye.

Marmolada glacier walk

The highest summit in the Dolomites and one of the Alps' most rapidly retreating glaciers — a guided walk with a glacier guide explaining the climate science in the context of visible evidence

Price on Request

Mountain rifugio overnight

A night in a high-altitude rifugio on the Alta Via 1 — the mountain hut accommodation that serious Dolomite walkers have been using for a century, with a community dining room and the sound of nothing outside

Price on Request

Valpolicella Amarone estate

An addition to the Verona segment: a morning at an Amarone producer in the Valpolicella hills — the wine that requires four years of grape-drying before vinification

Price on Request

Helicopter Alpine flight

A thirty-minute circuit of the central Dolomites by helicopter — the towers, the cirques, and the mountain hut dots on the ridgelines seen from directly above

Price on Request

"The walk around the Drei Zinnen as the morning light came onto the towers from the east — every direction looked like a painting. We are not hikers normally. The guide understood that and kept the pace right. Ötzi the next day was completely unexpected — a 5,300-year-old man you can look directly in the eye."

Michael & Laura B.

Munich, Germany · The Dolomites: Alpine Italy, July 2024

Common Questions

Questions about this trip.

Do we need to be experienced hikers?

No — the walks on this itinerary are graded for guests who are comfortable walking at altitude but not technical climbers. The Drei Zinnen circuit is the most demanding at 2,400 metres; most guests complete it in two to three hours at an easy pace. The cable cars do most of the altitude gain. We always have alternatives if a walk is too much on the day.

What is the winter version of this itinerary?

In winter, Cortina and Val Gardena become ski resorts and the itinerary includes guided skiing or snowshoeing in the Sella Ronda circuit — one of the great ski tours in the Alps. The Ötzi museum, Bolzano, Merano, and Verona remain the same. Your specialist will build the winter version based on your skiing level.

Bespoke Journey

The Dolomites: Alpine Italy

8 days / 7 nights

From €3,490

per person

Ready to go?

Share a few details and a specialist will reply within one business day.

More Italy Tours

Prefer to Talk?

+1 646-466-6841 [email protected]

Available Mon–Fri 9am–6pm CET.
On-trip support is 24/7.

Keep Exploring

More Italy journeys.

Best of Italy

9 Days · Private Package

Best of Italy

Venice, Florence & Rome

From €3,400 View Trip →
Essence of Tuscany

7 Days · Small Group

Essence of Tuscany

Florence, Siena, San Gimignano & Chianti

From €2,690 View Trip →
Rome & the Amalfi Coast

8 Days · Private Package

Rome & the Amalfi Coast

Rome, Sorrento, Positano & Capri

From €2,960 View Trip →
Plan My Trip