Walking Holidays in the Dolomites without a car

It is possible to have a great walking holiday in the Dolomites without a car, but we often recommend having one, as it guarantees complete flexibility during your stay and on your days of travel. It also guarantees access to all that is featured in our brochure (notably the places of interest and many of the various mountain pursuits) and allows you to visit places of interest in and around the South Tyrol and Veneto. Public transport is cheap, reliable and can be used to good effect, but it is limited until mid/high season and even then nearby locations can be hard to reach or itineraries may be compromised by bus times.

If you are coming to walk independently and will not have a car, there are walking options from the doorstep of all three of our villages, which can be enhanced further by the use of public transport and, in some cases, cable cars or chairlifts. Arabba is in quite a steep-sided valley and, prior to mid/late June and after mid September, we would suggest it is primarily suited to car-less independent walkers only if they are fit and in search of the more ambitious walking itineraries. If you are independent walkers of average fitness, we would recommend Corvara or Badia (Pedraces), where there is good access to a wide range of walks (high, medium and low) from-the-doorstep.

With our Organised Walks it is just not possible to guarantee transport to everyone without a car to the start of all the walks we like to offer, as some of these stunning walks are in neighbouring valleys just a few miles away. Nevertheless, each evening at Office Hour we offer a car share system, which helps many guests without transport to join organised walks whicg require transport. Whilst this system works quite well, it depends on the presence of a good ratio of cars (whether they are the vehicles of self drivers or fly drivers) and so it cannot always be relied on and occasionally it is just not possible to guarantee transport to some walks, notably when our own vehicles are committed to other organised itineraries and/or Airport Transfers.

To help those without transport, in each village we endeavour to offer one walking itinerary per day (5 days a week) that starts and ends in the village, so that there is always something on offer for those without a car. These options might (or might not) involve the use of local public transport.

For a dedicated Via Ferrata holiday a car is invaluable, as VF routes, by their very nature, are quite remote and generally inaccessible by public transport. In the course of a normal week our organisers will recommend many of the sensational routes which are quite close to our three villages (yet still quite remote) as well as routes that are up to an hour’s drive away, particularly a host of excellent VF’s in and around Cortina.

We will try to arrange transport to organised Via Ferrata for those without a car but, as always, it cannot be guaranteed and, in such cases, your VF options would be restricted to the routes accessible by foot or public transport from Arabba and Corvara, which is no hardship, as they represent superb VF options, although bear in mind these would be big days out requiring a good level of fitness and ability. If undecided, please call us on 01763 289660 and we will be happy to discuss it with you.

As agents of various car hire suppliers, Collett's offers competitive rates and a comprehensive (and safe) car hire package, which includes all the necessary waivers and of which the only hidden extra is the cost of additional drivers – about €8 per person per day. We look after all the necessary administration. Your car hire voucher is sent to you three weeks prior to your holiday, along with detailed directions to your destination in the Dolomites. Payment is due 8 weeks prior to your holiday and we will add the cost of your car to your holiday invoice.

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