The Dolomites sell one ski pass across twelve areas and about 1,200 km of slopes, which is exactly why the base decision is hard: everything is on the pass, so nothing on the pass tells you where to sleep. What decides a Dolomites ski week is what you can reach from your front door before the first lift closes, whether the Sellaronda circuit starts in your village or a bus ride away, how gentle the local slopes are, and what the non-skier does on Wednesday. This guide puts the five bases that matter on one page, with every lift, date, bus and pass fact read from the valley's own website on 1 October 2026, and the gaps left as gaps.
- Lifts 2026/27
- 4 Dec to 4 Apr in Val Gardena, Alta Badia and Val di Fassa
- 6-day Superski pass
- 407 euros low season, 453 high
- On the Sellaronda
- Selva, Corvara, Colfosco, Arabba, Canazei, Campitello
- Checked
- 1 October 2026, the valley sites
The five bases at a glance
| Base | Local area | Sellaronda from the village | Lifts 2026/27 | Without a car | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selva (1,563 m), Val Gardena | 181 km, 79 lifts, to 2,500 m | On it: Dantercepies starts the clockwise loop, Ciampinoi the anti-clockwise one, both in the village | 4 Dec to 4 Apr | Bus 350 from Bolzano, 80 min, hourly | The circuit from the door, with a whole valley behind it |
| Ortisei (1,236 m), Val Gardena | Same network as Selva | One leg out: Seceda lifts, then the 6 km Fermeda run to Santa Cristina | 4 Dec to 4 Apr | Bus 350 from Bolzano, 57 min | Skiers who want a town, and the non-skier |
| Corvara (1,568 m), Alta Badia | 130 km, 74 km blue, 54 lifts, 1,300 to 2,800 m | On it: the Boé gondola to the Sella, Col Alto to the Alta Badia slopes | 4 Dec to 4 Apr | Bus 460 from Brunico, 68 min, hourly | Gentle big-area skiing, slope-side hotels, food |
| Cortina d'Ampezzo (1,224 m) | 120 km in three areas, 26 lifts, skiing to 2,742 m | Not lift-linked: the Falzarego and Lagazuoi route, "fairly experienced skiers" | Not published yet; last season 4 Dec to 3 May | Cortina Express or ATVO from Venice airport, 148 km | Scenery, a real town, the longest season |
| Canazei (1,465 m), Val di Fassa | Six areas, about 200 km, 77 lifts; Belvedere-Col Rodella 31 km | On it: the Canazei to Pecol gondola; Campitello's Col Rodella cable car | 4 Dec to 4 Apr | Easiest with a car; the valley ski bus is paid | Value, the Marmolada side, a thermal spa |
Arabba (1,602 m) belongs on the circuit too, and the Alta Pusteria's 3 Zinnen area above San Candido is the rail-served outlier; both are covered below. Where a cell says "not published", the valley's site did not say when we looked, which is not the same as the lifts not opening; the Monday before you book, look again.
The decision underneath: does the Sellaronda start at your door?
The Sellaronda is the loop of lifts and pistes around the Sella massif, about 40 km in all, and it is the reason most people ski the Dolomites at least once. Val Gardena's site counts 44 km around the Sella with 23 km of them on skis; Alta Badia's gives it about six hours and calls it suitable for skiers of average experience in good physical condition. Both say the same thing about timing: be on the circuit by 10 am, because the last lifts close whether you have finished or not. Clockwise follows orange signs, anti-clockwise green.
Five villages sit on it, and the list comes from Alta Badia's own page: Corvara and Colfosco in Alta Badia, Arabba, Canazei and Selva di Val Gardena. Val di Fassa's page adds Campitello, whose cable car rises to Col Rodella at 2,480 m. From any of these you click in at the village and ride the loop with no connecting run first. Everywhere else you start with a leg: from Ortisei it is the Seceda lifts and the Fermeda run down to Santa Cristina; from San Cassiano and La Villa it is a lift up to the Alta Badia plateau and a ski across; from Cortina it is a drive or bus to the Falzarego Pass and the Lagazuoi cable car, on an itinerary Cortina's own winter guide reserves for fairly experienced skiers.
That single fact sorts the bases. If the loop is the point of the week, sleep on it. If the loop is one day of the week, any Val Gardena or Alta Badia village works, and Cortina becomes a choice about everything except the Sellaronda.
Val Gardena: Selva, Santa Cristina and Ortisei
The largest area a single valley owns here: 181 km of slopes, 79 lifts, with the Seceda top station at 2,500 m, Dantercepies at 2,300 m and Ciampinoi at 2,254 m. The three villages climb the valley in order, Ortisei at 1,236 m, Santa Cristina at 1,428 m, Selva at 1,563 m, and the lifts run 4 December 2026 to 4 April 2027. The valley promises a 100 percent snow guarantee from programmed snowmaking; Seceda's own page counts 48 snow cannons covering all of its runs.
Selva is the ski base. The Dantercepies lift starts the clockwise Sellaronda and the Ciampinoi gondola the anti-clockwise one, both from the village, so you choose the direction at breakfast. Ortisei is the town: a pedestrian centre with the Seceda and Alpe di Siusi cable cars leaving from it, and the circuit one leg away. Santa Cristina sits between them with the same lifts a bus stop apart and the Monte Pana area above it. The three are one network. The valley's own Ortisei round trip runs Alpe di Siusi cable car, Monte Piz, Saltria, a short ski bus to Monte Pana, Mont Sëura, Ciampinoi, Ruacia, the Gardena Ronda Express, Seceda and back to Ortisei: one bus leg, the rest on lifts and skis.
For beginners the valley names two areas: the Alpe di Siusi, "particularly popular with beginners and families", and the Monte Pana area above Santa Cristina, "ideal for families, children and skiing beginners"; Ortisei adds the Furdenan children's slope. The ski-school page describes qualified teachers but does not list the schools by name, so ask your hotel which one meets closest.
Non-skiers get the best deal in the Dolomites here: over 133 km of cross-country trails (more than 30 km at Monte Pana, 80 km on the Alpe di Siusi), winter walks the valley marks and names, including the Vallunga from Selva, Monte Pana to Saltria and the Alpe di Siusi circuit, and the Mar Dolomit heated outdoor pool and Kelo sauna; some spa hotels sell day passes to outside guests.
Arriving without a car is easy. Bus 350 leaves Bolzano bus station at 28 minutes past the hour from 06:28 to 19:28, reaching Ortisei in 57 minutes and Selva in 80, with extra workday runs from late December to late March; the sheet we read is valid to 12 December 2026 and the winter 2026/27 sheet was not yet published. The Val Gardena guest pass from your hotel covers the valley and local ski buses, excluding only the night bus and the Monte Pana to Saltria shuttle. From Innsbruck it is 120 km by road, about two hours by train to Bolzano and then the bus, or the AltoAdigeBus airport shuttle straight into the valley.
Pick Selva for the circuit and here's where to stay in Selva; pick Ortisei for the town and here's where to stay in Ortisei. The Ortisei vs Corvara and Selva vs Corvara comparisons settle the valley question against Alta Badia.
Our verified Selva di Val Gardena picks
Budget Garni La Tambra A warm family garni with sauna, steam bath and a summer-only pool at honest prices, on a sunny rise right in the centre, a few minutes' walk from the Costabella lifts and about 400 m from the Ciampinoi gondola, ski room included; breakfast only, and prices assume a five-night minimum. Check rates →
Budget Mountain Chalet Pra Ronch A tiny five-room Tyrolean chalet B&B at the entrance to Selva, three minutes from the centre and on the edge of the Saslong B piste, so you clip in at the door in winter; the breakfast and hosts earn near-perfect marks, and the rooms go very early. Check rates →
Mid-range Freina Mountain Lifestyle Hotel The archetypal Selva sweet spot: the Kostner family's 25-room four-star, ski-in, ski-out at the foot of the Ciampinoi piste (runs 3 and 4) with the bus stop about 80 m away, a wellness area and a half board built on a choice of two mains. Check rates →
Luxury Granbaita Dolomites Selva's most polished five-star, in the centre on Str. Nives: indoor and outdoor pools heated to 32C, a serious spa and optional half board with two menus; the free shuttle reaches the Dantercepies and Ciampinoi gondolas in five minutes, and the supervised ski room has a rental shop next door. Check rates →
Luxury Hotel Alpenroyal Selva's Leading Hotels of the World member, a few quiet minutes from the centre: park grounds, heated pools indoors and out and gourmet dining under the Sassolungo. A free shuttle (8:30 to 19:00) runs you to the lifts, you ski home via Dantercepies and the Nives lift, and half board is a 20 euro add-on per dinner. Check rates →
Alta Badia: Corvara, Colfosco, San Cassiano, La Villa and Badia
The gentlest of the big areas: 130 km of slopes, of which 74 km are blue, 47 km red and 9 km black, on 54 lifts between 1,300 and 2,800 m, open 4 December 2026 to 4 April 2027. The site promises snowmaking that keeps the slopes in condition even when snowfall is scarce; it does not publish a coverage percentage.
Corvara (1,568 m) is the hub and sits, in the valley's words, amid the loop of the Sellaronda: the Boé gondola rises to the Sella and Col Alto to the Alta Badia slopes. Colfosco, next door, has its own cable car onto the circuit's pistes. San Cassiano (1,537 m) rides the Piz Sorega cable car and La Villa (1,433 m) the Piz La Ila cable car up to the plateau, from which the circuit is a ski across rather than a lift away. Badia (1,324 m) has the quiet La Crusc sector, a 2.5 km blue and a baby slope, and whether La Crusc is lift-linked to the main area is not stated on the pages we read; treat it as the family corner, not a Sellaronda base. Regular buses and ski buses run from every village to the base stations, and the Alta Badia guest pass includes the winter ski buses, with one exception the pass page spells out: the ski bus in Badia.
This is the beginner valley. Beyond the blue count, the site describes 5.5 km of wide slopes suited to families with small children, and lists a ski school per village: Ladinia in Corvara, and schools in Colfosco, San Cassiano, La Villa and Badia. It is also where the official listings put the most hotels on the snow (more on that below), and where lunch is a serious part of the day, in the valley's starred stube and its huts.
For non-skiers, more than 70 km of marked winter trails and 26 km of cross-country on eight itineraries around San Cassiano. A public thermal bath is not on the pages we read.
Without a car, bus 460 leaves Brunico station at 5 past the hour from 06:05 to 20:05, with runs at 35 past for much of the day, and reaches Badia, La Villa and Corvara in 68 minutes before continuing to Colfosco. Brunico's station is 30 km away on the Val Pusteria line; Bressanone and Bolzano stations are 65 km, the latter over the Gardena Pass.
Here's where to stay in Corvara.
Our verified Corvara picks
Budget Garni Karin A spotless family-run B&B on Str. Agà with a sauna, steam bath and Kneipp floor that feels like a gift at this price, plus heated ski storage with boot dryers; breakfast only, so plan dinners in the village, and rates assume a three-night minimum. Check rates →
Budget Hotel Tablé A friendly three-star at Str. Col Alt 8 in the centre of Corvara, a position the tourism board calls ideal for skiers and walkers, with a sauna and steam bath and half board with a choice menu; simpler than its neighbours, so the bill stays kind. Check rates →
Mid-range Hotel Col Alto Corvara's dependable four-star at Str. Col Alt 9, in its own words directly on the Sellaronda, with an indoor pool and a big wellness area, heated ski lockers for every room, a free ski shuttle and a rental shop next door; half board with a choice of menus ends ski days properly. Check rates →
Mid-range Posta Zirm Hotel The Kostner family's post house since 1908, four generations on, at Str. Col Alt 95 in central Corvara and listed directly at the slope, so the Alta Badia and Sellaronda lifts are reached with skis on; half board, the indoor pool and a spa of more than 950 m² are all in the rate. Check rates →
Luxury Hotel La Perla The romantic Ladin grande dame at Str. Col Alt 105, a quiet address listed directly at the slope and a few steps from the lifts, with candlelit carved-wood salons and the Michelin-starred Stüa de Michil; half board is optional, and peak ski weeks can carry minimum stays. Check rates →
Luxury Hotel Sassongher The castle-like landmark on its perch above Corvara, at the foot of the Sassongher with the village below, all old-world half-board rituals and a piano bar; the tourism board files it under quiet location rather than directly at the slope, so the heated ski room and the hotel shuttle do the work. Check rates →
Cortina d'Ampezzo: scenery, a town, and three areas
Cortina's 120 km of slopes and 26 lifts (its lifts page says 26; its three area pages add up to 27) are not one network. They are three areas, Faloria-Cristallo (15 slopes, 7 lifts), Tofana (35 slopes, 12 lifts) and Cinque Torri-Lagazuoi (16 slopes, 8 lifts), joined by a ski bus that is free for pass holders from 08:00 to 17:30 and by the Cortina Skyline cable car between Son dei Prade and Bai de Dones. The town sits at 1,224 m and the skiing tops out at the Bus de Tofana, 2,742 m. The cable car's final section to Tofana di Mezzo at 3,244 m is a different thing: the operator's lift list marks it with "special openings in winter possible depending on the weather", so treat it as a clear-day viewpoint ride, not a lift you ski from, and read the resort's 2,019 m vertical from Cima Tofana to the town as a cable-car figure rather than skiable drop.
The Sellaronda is not a lift ride away. Cortina's winter guide describes the itinerary from the Falzarego Pass, with the Lagazuoi cable car, to the Gardena, Sella, Pordoi and Campolongo passes as suitable for fairly experienced skiers. Book Cortina for Cortina, and treat the circuit as a planned day out with a car or the bus to the pass.
Dates are the open question. When we checked, the site still carried last season: Col Gallina from 22 November, the Tofana area from 4 December with the new Lacedel to Socrepes gondola, Faloria, Cristallo, San Vito and Misurina from 5 December, and Faloria running to 3 May 2026, which the resort calls the longest season in the Dolomites. The 2026/27 pass-offer page returned an error. Expect a similar pattern, and confirm before paying a deposit on an early-December week.
Beginners have the gentle slopes of Pocol and Socrepes, and five ski schools are listed: Scuola Sci Cortina, Dolomiti Cortina, Azzurra Cortina, Boarderline and Snowdreamers. Non-skiers get the most town: eleven winter walking routes on foot without snowshoes (Malga Ra Stua 6.3 km, Rifugio Mietres 5 km, Rifugio Dibona 6.4 km), over 70 km of cross-country including the 30 km route along the old Dolomites railway to Dobbiaco, and indoor options for the day the weather closes in.
Arrival is from the south. Cortina Express runs daily between Cortina, Venice Marco Polo airport and Mestre station, with Treviso airport added in high season; ATVO runs the same Venice route; the terminal is at the Ice Stadium. Venice is 148 km. The nearest stations are Calalzo di Cadore (35 km, Dolomiti Bus) and Dobbiaco (31 km, SAD buses). Journey times are not on the pages we read.
Here's where to stay in Cortina, and Ortisei vs Cortina weighs the town against Val Gardena.
Our verified Cortina d'Ampezzo picks
Budget Hotel Menardi A historic coaching inn the Menardi family has run for generations, 1.3 km north of the centre on Via Majon with the bus stop right in front; the honest classic, with ski storage and half board on offer. Check rates →
Budget Hotel Villa Alpina Warm family-run three-star superior on Via Roma, two minutes' walk from Corso Italia; the centre-of-town value play, which calls itself a bed and breakfast though the tourism listing also shows half board, so check the basis before you count on dinner. Check rates →
Mid-range Hotel de la Poste Cortina's living room since the early 1800s, on Corso Italia at Piazza Roma with the ski-bus stop right outside and the Faloria cable car 450 m away; book it for the terrace and the passeggiata under your window. Check rates →
Mid-range Ambra Cortina A jewel-box boutique 150 m from the pedestrian Corso and a few steps from the Faloria lifts, the fashion crowd's favorite; the ski room has lockers and boot warmers, but it is breakfast only, with dinners booked for you by the concierge. Check rates →
Luxury Grand Hotel Savoia The renovated grande dame on Via Roma, now Savoia, a Radisson Collection Hotel, that delivers real five-star service today: indoor pool, serious spa, piano bar and a ski room with private heated lockers; half board on offer, the ski bus for the lifts. Check rates →
Luxury Ancora Cortina The 1826 icon at Corso Italia 62, reborn in June 2025 under Leading Hotels of the World; the address in town, with ski storage and a hotel shuttle. Check rates →
Val di Fassa, Arabba and the Alta Pusteria, in brief
Val di Fassa (Trentino) counts six ski areas, 77 lifts and about 200 km, and its slice of the circuit, Belvedere-Col Rodella, is 31 km on 23 lifts, open 4 December 2026 to 4 April 2027. Canazei (1,465 m) joins the Sellaronda by the Canazei to Pecol gondola and Campitello (1,450 m) by the Col Rodella cable car to 2,480 m; the valley's own advice is to set off by 9:30 am and allow five to six hours. Beginners have the Col da Faé practice field and the Canazei and Campitello ski schools. The valley ski bus links all the villages to the areas but is paid: last season €4 a day, €2 with the Guest Card, and the 2026/27 rates were not yet published. Off the skis, over 50 km of cross-country and the thermal spa QC Terme Dolomiti, on what the valley calls Trentino's only sulphur spring. Here's where to stay in Canazei.
Arabba (1,602 m) is the smallest Sellaronda village and the one snow-watchers like: its Porta Vescovo side faces north and, in the resort's words, preserves snow for longer, with the Marmolada at 3,342 m next door. The Porta Vescovo cable car and the Forcella Europa gondola leave from the village. Its local piste count is not on the pages we read, but its pass is: the Arabba-Marmolada six-day pass is €342 in low season and €380 in high, against €407 and €453 for the full Dolomiti Superski. Read that saving correctly. It is a local pass for Arabba's own lifts and the Marmolada, not a cheaper way to ski the circuit: the Sellaronda also runs on Val Gardena, Alta Badia and Val di Fassa lifts, which need the full pass, and the local price list's own season ticket is sold with or without four Dolomiti Superski days precisely because the base version does not cover the other valleys. A car is the practical way in.
The Alta Pusteria is the valley to know if you want a train to the door: the 3 Zinnen area above San Candido opens 28 November 2026 to 4 April 2027 with 115 km of slopes, practice areas and children's zones, and the railway runs through the villages. It is nowhere near the Sellaronda, which is the trade. Here's where to stay in San Candido.
Our verified Canazei picks
Budget Garnì Stella Alpina Carved-wood charm in one of the village's oldest little garnis, in the historic centre where the piste comes down into Canazei and a five-minute, 400 m walk from the Belvedere gondola; ski room with boot warmer, room only (no breakfast), and it books out months ahead. Check rates →
Budget Hotel Oswald A friendly family house in the historic centre next to the town hall, a few minutes on foot from the Canazei-Pecol (Belvedere) gondola, with the ski bus stop 50 m away and a ski room with boot warmers; bed and breakfast or half board, with rooms up the stairs on the second and third floors. Check rates →
Mid-range Hotel Astoria The textbook Fassa wellness house done well, quiet but central on Via Roma: pool, Turkish bath, heated ski lockers, three-quarter board with an afternoon buffet, and a free hotel shuttle to the Belvedere cable car, 650 to 700 m away by the hotel's own count; winter is priced in seven-night stays from 26 December. Check rates →
Mid-range Hotel La Perla Wellness & Beauty A family-run four-star in a central, panoramic spot about 150 m from the Belvedere lifts, where every room gets a balcony or terrace and the wellness centre holds an indoor pool and Turkish bath. Check rates →
Luxury Locanda degli Artisti Art Hotel An intimate art-gallery-of-a-hotel in the centre near the Belvedere lifts, with artist-themed suites, in-room saunas and a serious gourmet kitchen; personality over big-hotel facilities, though the ski room has heated boot warmers and the ski bus stops at the door. Check rates →
Luxury Croce Bianca Leisure & Spa Hotel The Detone family's grande dame, dated 1869, on Canazei's liveliest corner, with indoor and outdoor pools and saunas, a monitored ski depot with boot warmers, the Belvedere-Sellaronda lifts 300 m away and the (paid) ski bus at the door; rates are quoted bed and breakfast. Check rates →
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Where ski-in, ski-out is real
"Ski-in, ski-out" is used loosely in the Dolomites, so here is what the valleys' own accommodation listings actually say. In Selva, Garni-Hotel B&B Wolf is listed as "Ski in / ski out. Directly on the slopes" and Apartments Chalet Ski as ski-in and ski-out on the Saslong slope; in our own picks, Freina is ski-in, ski-out on the Ciampinoi runs in the hotel's own words, and Mountain Chalet Pra Ronch sits on the edge of the Saslong B piste. In Santa Cristina, Cendevaves at Monte Pana has a private ski room with direct access to the slopes. In Ortisei, Hotel Ronce is "directly on the ski slope" in winter. In Corvara, the listings put Residence Sidonia and Guesthouse Alisander directly on the slopes, and among our picks Posta Zirm is listed directly at the slope and says the lifts are reached with skis on, while Hotel Col Alto calls itself directly on the Sellaronda, both on Str. Col Alt. In Cortina, one hotel is listed as ski-in, ski-out, Villa Argentina on the Pocol slopes; the town hotels are a ski bus from the lifts, Eight Cortina for instance 500 m from Faloria with a bus stop 50 m away. For San Cassiano, La Villa, Canazei and Campitello, no slope-side wording appeared on the pages we loaded, which means we did not find it, not that it does not exist.
The rule that follows: in Selva and Corvara you can book the piste; in Cortina you book the ski bus and a lift-side hotel is the exception; everywhere else, ask the hotel for the distance in metres to the nearest lift and believe the number, not the phrase.
One pass for all of it: Dolomiti Superski 2026/27
The pass covers twelve ski areas, about 1,200 km of slopes and 450 lifts, and every valley on this page is on it. We could not load dolomitisuperski.com itself on 1 October (the site refused the request), so the prices below are from the official 2026/27 price list hosted by Arabba's tourism office.
| Pass | Low-season bands | High-season bands |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day, adult | €80 | €89 |
| 6 days, adult | €407 | €453 |
| Season pass | €990 if bought by 24 Dec 2026 | €1,060 from 25 Dec 2026 |
| Arabba-Marmolada local, 6 days | €342 | €380 |
The local line is not an equivalent: it covers Arabba's lifts and the Marmolada, while the Sellaronda crosses Val Gardena, Alta Badia and Val di Fassa lifts too, so a week built around the circuit needs the full pass. The saving buys a week on Arabba's slopes.
High season is 20 December 2026 to 9 January 2027 and 31 January to 20 March 2027; low season is 28 November to 19 December, 10 to 30 January, and from 21 March to the end. The Superpremière offer, four days for the price of three, runs 28 November to 19 December, with the caveat printed on the list itself: lift operation in all valleys is not guaranteed from 28 November. Val Gardena, Alta Badia and Val di Fassa open on 4 December, so the first week of the band is really the Alta Pusteria's.
Getting there without a car
| Base | Start from | Route | Time | Ski buses once there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ortisei, Santa Cristina, Selva | Bolzano station, Brenner main line | Bus 350, hourly at 28 past, 06:28 to 19:28 | 57 min to Ortisei, 80 to Selva | Valley and local ski buses on the guest pass |
| Corvara, La Villa, Badia | Brunico station, Val Pusteria line | Bus 460, hourly at 5 past, 06:05 to 20:05 | 68 min to Corvara | Winter ski buses on the guest pass, except the Badia ski bus |
| Cortina | Venice Marco Polo airport or Mestre station | Cortina Express or ATVO, daily; Treviso in high season | Not stated on the pages we read | Free between the three areas with a pass, 08:00 to 17:30 |
| Canazei, Campitello | Car | Valley ski bus between villages and areas | Paid, Guest Card reduction | Last season €4 a day, €2 with the card |
| San Candido | Train, Val Pusteria line | The station is in the village | 3 Zinnen area above the valley |
Flying in, Innsbruck is 120 km from Val Gardena by road and two hours to Bolzano by train; Venice is 148 km from Cortina. The bus timetables we read run to 12 December 2026, so the winter frequencies above are last season's pattern until the new sheets appear.
For the non-skier in the group
| Base | Cross-country | Winter walks | Warmth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Val Gardena | Over 133 km; 30 km at Monte Pana, 80 km on the Alpe di Siusi | Named and marked: the Vallunga, Monte Pana to Saltria, the Alpe di Siusi circuit | Mar Dolomit heated outdoor pool and sauna; spa days at some hotels |
| Alta Badia | 26 km on eight itineraries at San Cassiano | More than 70 km of marked trails | Thermal bath not on the pages we read |
| Cortina | Over 70 km, including 30 km on the old railway to Dobbiaco | Eleven routes on foot, 5 to 6.4 km each | A real town, indoor options, hotel saunas |
| Val di Fassa | Over 50 km | Not listed on the pages we read | QC Terme Dolomiti on a sulphur spring; Eghes wellness centre in Canazei |
Which base for which ski trip
| You are | Ski from | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Here for the Sellaronda, first time | Selva | Both directions start in the village, with 181 km of Val Gardena for the other days |
| Beginners, or a mixed-ability group | Corvara or San Cassiano | 74 of Alta Badia's 130 km are blue, a ski school in every village, 5.5 km of family slopes |
| Skiers who want a town after the last lift | Ortisei or Cortina | Ortisei: a pedestrian centre one leg from the circuit. Cortina: the Corso, with three areas by ski bus |
| Travelling with a non-skier | Ortisei | 133 km of cross-country, named winter walks and the pool, all in the valley |
| Scenery over mileage, and the longest season | Cortina | Skiing to 2,742 m, a summit cable car to 3,244 m on weather-dependent winter openings, and Faloria ran to 3 May last season |
| Snow-watchers who want the circuit | Arabba | North-facing Porta Vescovo, the Marmolada next door, and the loop from the village |
| Arriving by train | Val Gardena, or San Candido | Bus 350 hourly from Bolzano; or the railway through the Alta Pusteria villages |
| Watching the budget, and not riding the circuit daily | Arabba, or Val di Fassa | The Arabba-Marmolada local pass is €65 to €73 less for six days, but it covers Arabba's lifts and the Marmolada, not the Sellaronda; Canazei sits a price tier below Corvara and Cortina in our town data |
Our verdict
Still weighing the range against the others? Where to ski in the Alps sets the Dolomites against Austria, France and Switzerland, Swiss Alps vs Dolomites is the honest head-to-head, and flights for ski season covers getting the skis there. For the passes and parking in the rest of the year, getting around the Dolomites picks up where the ski buses stop.
