The region’s business card is the Sassolungo peak (3181 m)

Val Gardena! As beautiful as this phrase sounds, this Alpine valley is so magnificent from all points of view. A separate book could be devoted to its description, but we, limited by the narrow framework of a ski essay, will try to briefly highlight the main aspects in order to give impetus to further more detailed acquaintance with the details already on the spot.

“Val” in Italian means “valley”, “Gardenia” in the local Ladin language means “fence” or “fence”. A narrow valley, steeply winding uphill (altitude gain of about 1000 meters), runs to the right of the road connecting Italian Bolzano with Austrian Innsbruck. Administratively, the resort is located in the Alto Adige region, in the province of South Tyrol, which until 1918 was part of the Habsburg Empire, which left and continues to leave its mark on the local way of life. In particular, this is manifested in the way of life of the local population and traditions, which are much closer to Austrian than to Italian. For skiers, this is important in the sense that the quality of service here is similar to Austrian, and Austria is recognized by many as better in terms of the level of ski product. However, this does not apply to après-ski, which is much quieter and calmer here than in some well-off Austrian villages. In the evening after skiing, it is customary to visit one of the restaurants, but if you wish, you will find local flavor in the form of cheerful Tyrolean songs and dances in some bars, for example in the La Stua establishment in Selva at the finish of the route from Ciampinoi.

From a skiing point of view, Val Gardena is part of the Dolomites Superski alliance, which unites twelve resorts with a common ski pass and the total mileage of the slopes ranks first in the world. When we talk about the Dolomites, which are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, we always have to use wonderful epithets: the largest region, the big mountains, the most beautiful views. And this is really no exaggeration: the Dolomites are recognized by many as the most beautiful mountains in the Alps, the majestic views of the stone giants, especially in the rays of the setting sun, are classic Alpine landscapes and are included in all photo albums dedicated to popular European mountains.

Bar “La Stua” in Selva

Not all regions of the Dolomites Superski are connected by roads, moving by car from one to another takes from half an hour to two or three hours. But this does not apply to the Sellaronda region, which in turn includes Val Gardena. It has 400 kilometers of connected slopes, along which you can move without taking off your skis, visiting, in addition to Gardena, the slopes of the resorts Alta Badia, Arabba and Val di Fassa.

Let’s focus on considering the skiing opportunities directly in Val Gardena. For skiing in the valley, 175 kilometers of ski runs are offered with a good combination of beautiful forest and open slopes. The region unites three towns: Ortisei (Ortisei, 1236 m), S. Cristina (S. Cristina, 1428 m) and Selva (Selva, 1563 m). Each of them has lifts to the skiing area, which can generally be considered continuous, with the exception of Ortisei, where the ski slopes are located on both sides of the town. To get from one side of the valley to the other, you need to use an underground tunnel with a travelator, and then walk another three hundred meters. You can also use the bus service between the main ski lifts of the towns, but it is difficult to call it convenient given the low frequency of flights, and you will have to pay for the fare. In general, we move only on skis, lifts and sometimes on our own. By the way, there are hotels in Selva located right on the slope or next to it, which allows you to ski on the ski-in/ski-out principle.

On the Alpe di Siusi plateau

So, let’s start with beginners. For them, one of the best “training” areas in the Alps is offered – the Alpe di Siusi plateau (1700-2210 m) above Ortisei. Large, spacious, sunny. Slopes with a smooth relief that do not require much effort to maintain balance. You can call this a family place, where mom, dad and children get on skis for the first time. And this happens in the majestic scenery of the surrounding mountains. An excellent start to a “skiing career”. The mileage of the slopes here is sufficient for small ski safaris, which will delight not yet very experienced skiers.

As you gain experience and gain confidence in your technique, when the red slopes are no longer scary, you can move to the other side of the valley and climb to the top of Seceda (2518 m). There are excellent wide slopes of medium difficulty in the direction of Santa Cristina, you can stay here for half a day “to drive”. Having diluted this pleasure, we recommend a beautiful eleven-kilometer (the longest in the region) descent back to Ortisei. It is not very wide, since most of it runs in the forest, winding along the slope in small zigzags. But it is very beautiful and there are two local attractions on it: a beautiful, several meters high, frozen waterfall and closer to the bottom of the track on the right side – Anna’s cafe, where you can have a delicious lunch or end your skiing day with dinner. A popular and colorful place. A little advice: at least once ride this track not at the end of the day, but at least before lunch, while it is not yet very broken – you will get great pleasure.

Well, your skiing skills are growing, it’s time to go further up the valley and visit the San Cristina and Selva tracks. To do this, we will use the local “metro” – an underground rail funicular connecting the northern and southern slopes above Santa Cristina. We will climb to the top of Ciampinoi (2254 m), from where there are breathtaking views of the local landmark – the Sassolungo peak (3181 m, “sasso lungo” in Italian means “long stone”), from here there are several options for descent. First of all, confident skiers should stay on the ski World Cup route, which is held here every year around the Christmas holidays. It is called Saslong A and leads back to Santa Cristina, the height difference is more than 800 meters. If you are not entirely confident in your abilities, you can go down the parallel red option (Saslong B), which is also very good. Closer to the finish line of the red route, right next to the descent, stands the Fischburg Castle, built in 1641, which served as the summer hunting residence of the Wolkenstein princes, who ruled in these places at that time (by the way, the Austrian name for Selva is Wolkenstein). Here above Santa Cristina there are several excellent trails from the top of Mont de Seura (2117) to the Monte Pana plateau (1636), located away from the main routes – they are usually sparsely populated and not very well-trodden.

In the Plan de Gralba area

The red and blue trails in the Plan de Gralba area (Plan de Gralba, 1800 m) are very pleasant. Not very long, with a drop of about 400 meters, but wide enough and comfortable even for beginners. Only they will have a hard time getting here from Selva, as you have to go down from the Ciampinoi peak, the exits from which are quite steep at the top. For beginners, skiing in Selva and Cristina will be difficult at all, unless you are skiing for the first time and plan to spend your entire vacation on a training slope – for this case there is an excellent area in Selva right within the city limits, served by several towbars. The winding red and black runs from Ciampinoi to Selva are good for confident skiers in themselves, but, unfortunately, they quickly break down due to heavy traffic.

And finally, the last skiing area is the runs that go to Selva from the Dantercepies peak (2300 m). With a very pleasant average slope, long, well-rolled, but with them the same problem as with the runs on Ciampinoi – they quickly break down, as they lie directly on the Sellaronda route. It is best to ski here in the morning, before lunch.

Selva Val Gardena

We walked through all the ski areas of Val Gardena, but this certainly does not mean that you will only ski here. Other regions of the Sellaronda, connected to it by lifts, are no less attractive, and you will probably make more than one trip to the slopes of Val di Fassa, Alta Badia, Arabba with its famous Marmolada glacier. Amazing opportunities for building ski safari routes. Most likely, you will return to these lands more than once, because from the first visit the Sellaronda carousel is just starting to spin.

Val Gardena 2019: how to get there, where to stay, what to see

How to get to Val Gardena

Val Gardena is one of the most famous and popular ski resorts in Italy, located in South Tyrol, in the Dolomites. The resort’s infrastructure is considered the best of the best, it is not for nothing that the Alpine Skiing World Championship was held here. There are three resort towns in the Val Gardena valley – Selva Gardena, the largest, fun and noisy; Ortisei, the second largest, suitable for family holidays and spa lovers; Santa Cristina, the smallest and most cozy, for lovers of nature and solitude.

Skiing fans, staying at the resorts of Val Gardena, will be able to test their strength on the slopes of the Sella Ronda massif, which is considered the most popular circular ski route. All three resorts are connected by a continuous network of slopes and lifts for maximum comfort during their vacation.

Getting to the towns of Val Gardena by public transport is quite difficult and time-consuming. The nearest city with an airport that accepts flights from Ukraine is Verona.

Verona is located about 200 km from the resort. To get from Verona to Val Gardena by public transport, you need to take a train to the town of Bolzano, and from there a bus to one of the settlements of Val Gardena. Together with the transfer from Verona airport to the train station and a transfer in Bolzano, the total travel time will take at least 5 hours, and this is not taking into account the time spent on the flight.

That is why those tourists who go on vacation to Val Gardena most often use transfer services, or rent a car at the arrival airport. Individual transfer Verona-Val Gardena is not a cheap pleasure, but it completely solves the issue of transfers and significantly reduces travel time. So you can order a transfer before the time of arrival, in which case the travel time directly to Val Gardena from Verona airport will be only about 2 hours. In addition to individual transfers/taxi from Malpensa Airport, shuttle bus transfers are available, and the Alto Adige Bus company is responsible for transportation.

It will take the same amount of time to get to the resorts of Val Gardena by rented car. The beauty of this method of transportation is that you can rent a car directly at Verona Airport, it will not take much time, but it will give you complete freedom of action. Renting a car in Verona is a popular and popular option.

You can get to Val Gardena from other cities in Italy in similar ways, but they are all located at a greater distance than Verona. For example, Bergamo is 277 km away, Milan is 322 km away, Venice is 309 km away.

Val Gardena in summer

Where to stay in Val Gardena

You can stay in Val Gardena at the three nearest resorts – Selva Gardena, Ortisei, Santa Cristina, all of them have a wide range of rooms and are located in close proximity to the ski slopes. As accommodation in the resorts of Val Gardena, you can choose hotels or apartments, while apartments are a type of accommodation that is still developing, so hotels of various types predominate here by a large margin. The general recommendation when looking for accommodation in Val Gardena, regardless of its type, is to book early, which will provide you with an ideal price/quality accommodation option.

Val Gardena Hotels

In the Val Gardena valley you can find hotels of various star categories, including both budget accommodation options and exclusive five-star ones. Most of the resort’s hotels include breakfast or half board in the price of accommodation, while the restaurant infrastructure here is excellently developed. Another advantage of local hotels is that almost all of them have access to the ski slope, so there is no particular need to spend time and money on additional transportation. Many hotels are made in the chalet style, cozy and made of natural materials – all this, combined with local cuisine and hospitable flavor, gives you the opportunity to feel the spirit of the Dolomites.

Hotels of the 4 and 5 star categories are usually additionally equipped with spa and wellness centers, where you can receive relaxation treatments without leaving the hotel. Spa areas are equipped with indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, hydromassage, fitness center, Turkish bath. For those who preferred a hotel without a spa center, you can find a place to relax in the center of the Val Gardena resorts, which have separate wellness complexes with a similar set of amenities.

You can check the prices for all possible accommodation options in Val Gardena on specialized search engine sites Booking, Hotellook and others, which allow you to compare all existing offers for the required dates. With the help of these services, you can see all the available options in Selva Gardena, Santa Cristina, Orisei and other smaller settlements, for example, in Campitello, Vilnosse, Alpe di Siusi and others.

Hotels that are consistently popular with tourists include, for example:

Hotel Diamant 4*

Location – the town of Santa Cristina. The hotel is designed in an Alpine style, there is a wellness center with a swimming pool, gym, sauna and hydromassage. There is also a restaurant and a bar on the territory of the hotel. You can stay in rooms of various sizes, meals – breakfasts. You can leave your car on a paid private parking, but a reservation is required. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel;

Hotel Pinei 4*

Location – Castelrotto, guests are offered a free shuttle to the ski area. The hotel has a spa center with an indoor pool, sauna, steam room, hydromassage. There is a restaurant and a bar on site. You can stay in rooms of various sizes, meals – continental breakfasts. There are ski storage spaces, free public parking, wireless Internet;

Hotel Pradell 3*

The hotel is located in Ortisei, 400 m from the nearest ski lift. The hotel has a spa area with a sauna, a terrace for relaxation, and an Italian restaurant. You can stay in rooms of various sizes, with half-board meals. Breakfast is served buffet style. Parking and Wi-Fi are free.

Apartments in Val Gardena

Full-service apartments in Val Gardena can be found in Ortisei, while apart-hotels (a mix of hotels and apartments) are also found in Selva Gardena. The main difference between apartments and hotels is that when renting an apartment there is no such option as food, that is, you will have to take care of the food yourself, eat in restaurants or cook it yourself. As a rule, apartments are equipped with a kitchen area and all the necessary appliances.

The advantage of renting an apartment is the ability to find apartments at the same price as a hotel room, while the size of the apartments, as a rule, is many times larger than the size of any room, that is, apartments can be compared with a full-fledged apartment or even a house. In general, apartments as a place to stay on vacation are more suitable for families with children, as well as large companies. Стабільним попитом користуються апартаменти в комплексах:

Residence Antares 3 *

Розташування – Сельва Валь Гардена, на території є критий басейн, спа-салон, ресторан. Найближчий підйомник знаходиться в 200 м. Гості можуть зупинитися в номерах-студіо або апартаментах різної місткості, включаючи апартаменти сімейного типу. Всі номери мають обладнану кухонну зону. Громадська автостоянка і бездротовий інтернет надаються безкоштовно;

Panorama Apartments Gran Tubla

Комплекс знаходиться в містечку Ортізеі, працює безкоштовний автобусний трансфер до гірськолижних схилів. Зупинитися можна в апартаментах різної місткості, в кожних є обладнана кухонна зона. За додаткову плату надається сніданок. У комплексі також є безкоштовна приватна парковка-гараж. Вай- фай надається безкоштовно на всій території.

Валь Гардена

Що подивитися в Валь Гардені

Основна специфіка курортів Валь Гардени – гірськолижна, хоча і в літній період відпочинок тут затребуваний на предмет природних і кліматичних умов, а також розвиненості інфраструктури. Загальна протяжність гірськолижних трас у Валь Гардені становить 175 км, 52 км з яких – це легкі траси, 100 км – середньої складності і 20 км – складні, які підходять для катання профі. При цьому в долині Валь Гардена працює рекордна кількість підйомників – 83, 36 з яких – крісельні, 23 – бугельні, 12 – кабінки і навіть один підйомник по типу «метро».

Для бігових лиж і піших прогулянок Валь Гардена також представляє великі можливості. Єдині, хто, можливо, буде відчувати себе не зовсім комфортно на курорті, – це сноубордисти, тому що курорти спочатку будувалися під гірськолижників, тому тут немає фан-парку. Найближчий фан-парк з різними фігурами і довжиною 700 метрів можна знайти в містечку Piz Sella.

Підйомники Валь Гардена

Відпочити після насиченого дня, присвяченого катанню по гірських схилах, можна в місцевих спа-комплексах. Обидва вони розташовані в Ортізеі. MarDolomit – це оздоровчий центр, на території якого працюють басейни та сауни. Так, в комплексі працюють відкриті і криті басейни, водоспади, басейни для дітей, трампліни, душі різної інтенсивності, кам’яні лазні, ропні ванни, вітаріум, теплотерапія, фінська сауна, інгаляції, ванни Кнайпа і багато іншого.

Комплекс працює щодня. Актуальні ціни можна вивчити на офіційному сайті оздоровчого комплексу МарДоломіть.

Ще один спа-центр – 181Fit – розташований також в Ортізеі. Цей центр має велику спрямованість на фітнес, велнес та догляд за собою. Фітнес-зал, спа-зона з сауною і процедурним кабінетом, а також салон краси – ось основні складові відпочинку в даному спа-центрі. Серед процедур Вам запропонують різні види масажу, маски і догляд за обличчям, депіляцію, пілінг, протицелюлітні процедури, візаж, манікюр. З більш детальною інформацією та цінами на послуги можна ознайомитися на офіційному сайті.

Валь Гардена пропонує досить різноманітний активний відпочинок. Крім гірських і бігових лиж, на курорті можна зайнятися скелелазанням, альпінізмом, верховою їздою, катанням на ковзанах, польотами на параплані, катанням на санях, тенісом, гольфом (в літній час), катанням на снігоступах. Все це є на курортах долини Валь Гардена. В цілому, можна сказати, що відпочинок тут поєднує в собі активні види спорту з приємними релакс-процедурами і цікавим дозвіллям. Для цього в Валь Гардена є відмінні траси, підйомники, всілякі маршрути, спа та оздоровчі центри, ресторани, дискотеки, бари, кафе, променади для шопінгу, тому кожен турист тут зможе знайти собі заняття до смаку.

Ортізеі