A Collett’s Mountain Holiday – In a Nutshell
- You choose – the dates you arrive and depart – and how to travel to us
- You choose – whether to stay in delightful halfboard, B&B or self catering accommodation
- You choose – whether to join free daily organised walks of varying grades, self guide, visit a place of interest, try an alpine activity or simply relax
On a Collett’s Mountain Holiday you have choice throughout.
Travel as you wish; arrive and depart on the dates of your choice. Choose from three magnificent European mountain destinations: the Italian Dolomites, the Picos de Europa and the Pyrenees, where we offer you enchanting resorts, which have been chosen (1) for their proximity to many outstanding mountain walks of all grades (2) for their charming character and the sheer beauty of their backdrops and surroundings (3) for the attractive half board, B&B and self catering accommodation options they allow us to offer you.
I cannot praise Collett’s highly enough for providing a superb mountain holiday experience. The whole concept has clearly been well thought through with every aspect – information, accommodation, walks etc. provided to an excellent standard and thus making an exceptional mountain holiday so easily achievable. I would struggle to think of anything which could be improved. Thank you!
John Harrison, June 2012
Chalet Verena, Corvara – a well appointed and ideal springboard for walking holidays in the Dolomites
Amazing flora and scenery are normal on our walking holidays in Italy & SpainYour Walking Options with Collett’s
- Organised Walks – free, optional and every day except Wednesdays.
- Self Guided Walking – unrivaled local knowledge and material for beautiful self guided walks of all grades.
- Flower Walks & Painting – Dolomites only:free, optional and every day except Wednesdays & Saturdays.
- Via Ferrata, First World War Walks, Glacier Treks & the GR11 – see below.
Organised Walking in the Pyrenees, Picos & Dolomites with Collett’s
Throughout the season in all our destinations we offer a moderate grade mountain walk and also a harder high level walk – both are unfailingly breathtaking. In the Dolomites we also offer flower walks (June & July) and painting strolls. Off the beaten track, our walks are tried and tested gems, which you would be unlikely to find if you travelled independently. Day to day you simply choose the walks that take your fancy. If you don’t feel like walking, you might hire a bicycle, try an alpine pursuit, visit a place of interest or simply do nothing, relaxing in the tranquillity of an idyllic mountain retreat. Either way, here are the organised walks we offer on a daily basis:
Moderate Walk – Duration: 6 to 7 hours. Height gain: 300m – 800m. Remote upland flower pastures, higher woodland tracks, easier rocky trails – occasionally a cable car to a moderate paths in high level areas.
Harder High Level Walk – Duration: 7 to 8 hours. Height gain: 500m – 1000m. Venture out on high trails into the dramatic massifs amidst awe-inspiring scenery.
The Dolomites was our original destination. Here, we are in two neighbouring villages and we have more accommodation options. Consequently, we offer the following additional optional itineraries, free of charge and five days a week – not Wednesdays or Saturdays.
Flower Walk – Dolomites Only. Duration: 4 to 6 hours. Height gain: 100m – 400m Join our wildflower enthusiasts in profuse and vivid pastures and on carefully selected routes, where rare species flourish (June & July only).
Painting Strolls – Dolomites Only. Duration: 5 to 6 hours. Height gain: less than 150m. Wander to an idyllic location armed with watercolours. Enjoy the informal tuition of our artist whatever your standard.
Easy Walk – Dolomites Only. Duration: 4 to 6 hours. Height gain: 100m – 400m. Sleepy hamlets, riverside tracks, woodland trails and flower meadows.
On an easier organised walk
in the Val Badia
Self Guided Walking above Corvara
in the South Tyrol
On an organised walk close to the Sella Massif near Corvara
Self Guided Walking in the Dolomites, Picos & Pyrenees – Via Ferrata and other days out
Some days (or every day even), you might prefer to walk independently, so we make our intimate knowledge available to you every day at Office Hour – see below. You can also browse our Ideas & Information files, which feature numerous walks of all grades, from idyllic valley strolls to challenging high trails. For each walk we give the duration, ascent, degree of difficulty and the relevant section of map. For each walk you can also borrow an easy-to-carry Route Laminate. Our ‘Ideas & Information Files’ will also contain numerous Via Ferrata itineraries (Dolomites only) scenic drives, places of interest, bike rides, ideas for rainy days (as if!) and other days out.
An organised high level walk above Cortina in the Dolomites
Our walking holidays in Spain & Italy suit walkers of all fitness levels
Plan your days at office hour
- Office Hour – plan your days and acquire invaluable local information.
- Relaxed Evenings – enjoy your evenings with everything sorted for the next day.
In all our destinations, Office Hour takes place each early evening at your accommodation or within easy walking distance of it. Over maps and a relaxing, pre‐dinner drink, you can chat with our own walkers about the walks they are offering the following day. They will help you decide which walk might suit you best and you can sign up accordingly. If you want to self guide, we will make invaluable suggestions and present you with some fantastic options. You can also browse the magnificent walks of all grades in our Ideas & Information Files. In the Dolomites, you can also talk with our flower walkers and artists in case you choose to join them the following day. Our Via Ferrata hosts will help you plan days on the Via Ferrata and we can book you locally provided pursuits, such as horse‐riding, paragliding, mountain biking etc.
Office Hour is a popular feature of a Collett’s holiday. Like‐minded guests, stimulated by great days out, relax and chat over a drink, either about their plans for the next day or nothing in particular. Flower enthusiasts compare photographs and gather around digital cameras to identify species. Walkers mull over trails, from the idyllic to the awe‐inspiring. Adventure seekers plan Via Ferrata or other excursions. Many guests just drop in for a drink to chat about their day. You might choose to drop in for just a few minutes to get a piece of specific information. Either way, another memorable day in the mountains takes shape, leaving you to enjoy the evening with everything sorted for the next day.
At Collett’s the late afternoons and evenings are meant ot be as relaxing and pleasurable as the days are memorable. Some guests will relax in the bar or on the sun terrace of their hotel or chalet hotel with a post-walk drink and an inspirational view; others will wander into the village perhaps to browse shops or drop into a cafe or bar for a pre-dinner drink. You might just rest in the comfort of your room or apartment after a soothing shower.
Either way, at Collett’s, dinner is a focal point of the day for our half board guests and all our half-board accommodation (except the hotels Melodia and Panorama in the Dolomites) bring guests together at dinner, where they can enjoy good, like-minded company, excellent food and complimentary wine. Basically, whilst we try to provide a relaxing ‘home from home’ atmosphere, we also want our guests to enjoy the self indulgent feeling of being well looked after and superbly fed. Frankly, where our guests eat dinner together, the atmosphere around the table is a delight and it is not unusual for guests to chat with each other until well after coffee is served.
Waymarking on our walking holidays
in the Dolomites
Discussing the route of a Collett’s Organised Walk at ‘Office Hour’
Collett’s Ideas & Information FilesMaps and Route Laminates
Via Ferrata, the GR11, War Walks, Glacier Treks & Alpine Activities
- Via Ferrata – guided and self guided options in the world’s Via Ferrata capital
- Guided World War I Walks, Glacier Treks & other alpine activities
- Dedicated weeks of stunning high level walking on the GR11 in the Pyrenees
In the Dolomites Via Ferrata is a key attraction and we are at the heart of the best concentration of Via Ferrata in the world. For years Collett’s has been synonymous with Via Ferrata holidays. We can help you enjoy enthralling days out in amazing scenery on the cables, ladders and gorge-spanning bridges. Click here for guided and self guided Via Ferrata.
Also, every Wednesday in July and August in the Dolomites, we offer a World War I Walk, a guided glacier trek and a Via Ferrata ascent of our highest peak, the Marmolada (3343m) – click here for our summit ascents. In the Pyrenees, in early September, you can join one of two dedicated high level walking weeks on five sensational sections of the celebrated GR11.
On Via Ferrata Tridentina (3B) near Corvara and the Gardena Pass
Via Ferrata Cirspitze Summit (2B)
near Corvara
Glacier Treks & Summit Ascents
in the Dolomites
Delightful Accommodation Options
Charming Hotels, Attractive Apartments and, in the Dolomites only, well-appointed Chalet Hotels
Our accommodation is delightful and our villages are picturesque springboards for the mountains. Their backdrops are stunning. Depending on your destination, you can choose half board or B&B in either a hotel (from 3 star upwards), a chalet hotel or you can self cater in an apartment. Wherever you stay, it is an easy walk to Office Hour and the meeting point for organised walks.
At our hotels in the Picos de Europa and the Pyrenees, and in our chalet hotels in the Dolomites, guests eat an excellent three course dinner together (with wine included) at the same tables. The mix of common interests, the exhilaration of a good day and a glass or two of complimentary wine makes this a relaxed and charming focal point of the day. Guests often chat till well after coffee is served, before making their way to comfortable en suite bedrooms or taking a stroll into the village.
On a wildflower walk above Corvara
Soldanella alpina spotted on a wildflower walk above Badia
Travel, transport & airport transfers
Arrive and depart any day. Travel to us independently. Fly-drive or Self-drive. Airport Transfers are available in the Dolomites & Pyrenees. Save money by booking Car Hire, Airport Parking or Ferries through Collett’s.
With Collett’s you organise your own travel, whether you choose to fly‐drive, self‐drive, rail‐drive or require an airport transfer. We are here to help and advise. We know the favoured travel options of many guests, so please contact us if you need help. Make sure you visit our Car Hire & Travel Extras page, as we have outstanding deals on car hire, airport parking and hotels, holiday insurance, Channel Crossings and Brittany Ferries, notably on their 24 hour cruises to Northern Spain for people who choose the Pyrenees or Picos de Europa. In fact, you are also welcome to use our Car Hire & Travel Extras deals for your other holidays or perhaps your business travel.
Airport Transfers
In the Dolomites, there are daily transfers to and from Venice and Treviso airports at £75 per person return. The journey is scenic and takes three hours. Guests in the Picos de Europa will require their own transport in resort. This largely applies to the Pyrenees too, although we do offer transfers to and from Lourdes and Pau on Saturdays on a first come first served basis. In the Dolomites, you can have a wonderful walking holiday without a car, although a car is an advantage, especially if you want to do self guided Via Ferrata or visit places of interest out of the high season period. In any event, each day one of our own walks is specifically organised to suit those who do not have a car at their disposal during their holiday.
There are notes on transport in the pages for each destination or you can visit these links – for the Dolomites click here, for the Picos de Europa click here, for the Pyrenees click here.
Prior to your stay, we send you a good walking map for your destination and our guest handbook with useful arrival notes, directions for drivers, packing suggestions and other information to help you hit the ground running.
