Everyday in the Dolomites felt surreal. The beauty of being surrounded by majestic mountains, rolling green meadows sprinkled with wildflowers, bright turquoise lakes- everywhere we looked was mesmerizing. We knew we needed to be strategic when planning this trip with our 3 little kids (5, 3, and 9 months) since the Dolomites are a HUGE region, and our pace is slower. We picked 2 different spots to call our home base, based on the sites that we really wanted to see. You can picture the Dolomites region divided into East and West. We chose to stay in Misurina (in the East) and Selva di Val Gardena (in the West). We flew into Venice, rented a car, and drove to Belluno to spend the night. The next morning, we drove an hour and a half towards the Dolomites, and made a stop at a playground in Auronzo di Cadore in fornt of Hotel Juventus:
We stayed at Grand Lake Misurina, and this view was right outside of the hotel.
From here, we took a day trip to Lake Braies (20 minute drive). We pre-paid for parking on the webite ($10), and it was easy to walk from the parking lot to the lake. We stood in line for the rowboat, which was about a 40 minute wait, but it didn’t seem long since while one of us waited in line, the other walked around the lake with the kids, taking pictures. The lake was so blue and picturesque!
We rowed the boat for an hour (which was enough time), and luckily my husband was good at this, since I just rowed us in a circle for 10 minutes. Rowing in the middle of an emerald-turquoise lake cupped in a bowl of Dolomite peaks was dreamy and fun for all of us! We had lunch at the cafe right next to the lake after rowing. We stopped by Lago di Landro, a beautiful lake on the way back to Misurina, and then spent the rest of the day swimming at the hotel before dinner. Our kids LOVE swimming at hotel pools, so we include this activity each day for them. We ate at Edelweiss every night while we stayed at Misurina, a 5-10 minute walk from our hotel, and a family friendly spot that took great care of us. The staff was so sweet to our kids, and the food was excellent. The next day, we drove to Sesto (about 30-40 minutes), and took the cable car to the top of Mt. Elmo to Olperl Nature Park to hike a barefoot trail.
The hike was only a mile, but it took us 1-2 hours because hiking barefoot took us longer, and my 3 year old wanted to be carried. Hiking barefoot was a unique sensory experience; we hiked on tree stumps, wooden steps, moss, mud, water, and there were beautiful views at the top. There was also a playground, sandbox, mini village, and animals to entertain the kids near the trailhead, which the kids loved.
We stayed a total of 3 nights in Misurina, and then headed to Val Gardena for 4 nights. The drive from east to west took awhile, due to traffic and road work, and then we stopped for lunch and a playground, so it took 3-4 hours. We stayed at Wellness Villa Leck, and enjoyed our stay here. We had a spacious 2 bedroom/2 bath, there was a pool the kids swam in everyday, laundry service available which we used, (by this, I mean we paid for someone to pick up our clothes and wash it and return it), and the beds were the most comfortable beds I had ever slept in. We tried to day trip to Seceda the next day, but couldn’t get a parking spot by 9am since it was already full, so we went to Alpe di Siusi instead, and decided to get to Seceda earlier the next day. Alpe di Siusi is the most picture-perfect meadow, easy cable cars to get there, restaurants and playgrounds right outside the cable car. We walked to a refugio to grab lunch and the kids played at the playground and with the baby goat there. The views were endless. Whether you walk many miles or zero miles, there are so many picture perfect opportunities.
The next morning, we woke up earlier to get to the parking lot at Seceda and this time we had no problem getting a parking spot. There are other ways to reach Seceda (like hiking up), but with 3 kids, taking the cable car up was our best option. There were lots of clouds in the morning, but luckily, they rolled away to reveal the magnificent ridgeline we were all waiting for. We took the short hike to the top and back down, and then had lunch and played at the playground. For dinner, we went to Pranives Pizzeria in Selva di Val Gardena, which was perfect for the kids (we went twice during our stay here)- there was an ice rink below, so my kids loved watching skaters practice through the restaurant’s window from above while they had dinner. There is also a playground right in front of the parking area. And my 9 month old was given a high chair that hooked to the table, which was a much better fit than a regular high chair. Oh, and the food was incredible.
On our last day in the Dolomites, we chose to do a hike that catered to kids, since my 3 year old was struggling to do any hike and we needed to find something she wouldn’t complain about. We chose Pana Raida trail, which had 10 interactive stations designed for kids, including water play, play areas with slides and climbing structures, tree stump maze, and more. Our kids LOVED this hike. It was short (1-2 miles), easy, fun, and the kids looked forward to finding the next station to play at. There is also a playground, ball run, and mini golf right near the trailhead.
We left the Dolomites in awe. Every stop we made was so unique and beautiful, and even our drives were special. I have so many videos of myself recording out the window while we were driving because it felt like an experience in itself. The Dolomites are truly so special, and the perfect place to explore as a family with young children.
We then drove to Lake Garda (2 hours) and stayed in Lake Garda for a few days. Lake Garda felt very different from the Dolomites. I felt like we drove straight from the mountains to the Mediterranean. We stayed in Riva del Garda, and played it very “chill” here. We played in the lake, explored the town, ate a ton of gelato, swam in the pool at the hotel, and enjoyed the views. We stayed at Astoria Resort , which had a couple of pools, a kids club, breakfast, and was down the street from some amazing gelato and restaurant (which we went to every night). Lake Garda was the perfect way to end our Italian adventure.
(This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you)