Bolzano Western Dolomites Day Tour: Sella Pass & Val Gardena

The Sella Pass sits between two of the Dolomites' most famous peaks, and you see both at once from the road.

A private full-day tour from Bolzano that follows the Great Dolomites Road through UNESCO-listed peaks, ascending the Pordoi and Sella Passes, stopping at Lake Carezza and the alpine town of Ortisei in Val Gardena. Your guide meets you at your hotel with pickup and drop-off included. The tour runs 6 to 8 hours and includes an air-conditioned vehicle and bottled water. An optional cable car to Sass Pordoi (2,950 meters) is available at the Pordoi Pass, open late May through mid-October and Christmas to Easter.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Dolomites and Val Gardena

• Meet guide at Bolzano accommodation
• Drive along Great Dolomites Road
• Visit Sanctuary of Pietralba
• Cross Ega Valley and stop at Lake Carezza
• Pass Karerpass mountain pass
• Pass Canazei Alpine resort
• Ascend 27 hairpin bends to Pordoi Pass
• Optional cable car ride to Sass Pordoi
• Visit Sella Pass for photos
• Descend to Val Gardena and stop in Ortisei
• Lunch and explore Ortisei town
• Visit Saint Helena Church and coffee stop
• Return to Bolzano accommodation

The experience

Bolzano sits at the foot of the Dolomites, and this tour takes the most scenic route through them: the Great Dolomites Road, a high-altitude drive that connects three of the range's most dramatic passes. Your guide picks you up at your accommodation and heads east into the Ega Valley, a route carved out in 1895 when South Tyrol was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The road follows the Ega River through a canyon before reaching Lake Carezza, where you stop for roughly 30 minutes to walk the shoreline. The lake sits at the foot of the Latemar and Catinaccio mountains and is considered the most beautiful in the Dolomites.

From there the route climbs to the Karerpass, then descends into Canazei before ascending the Pordoi Pass at 2,239 meters. This is where the landscape becomes truly vertical: the road switchbacks through 27 hairpin bends to reach the summit. If you choose the optional cable car, it takes you up another 700 meters to Sass Pordoi, where the view opens across the entire range. From the Pordoi, you backtrack a few kilometers to the Sella Pass, where the Sella's sheer rock walls rise directly in front of you. On a clear day you can see the Marmolada glacier and Sassolungo, the most famous mountain in Val Gardena, from the 15-minute photo stop here.

Descending from the Sella Pass, you enter Val Gardena and spend an hour in Ortisei, the valley's largest town, where you can walk the streets and have lunch. On the return to Bolzano, the tour includes a stop at Saint Helena Church, a 12th-century Romanesque sanctuary on a hilltop above Nova Ponente. You sit on the church terrace with coffee, looking out over alpine meadows toward the Dolomites in the distance.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off in the Bolzano area.
• an air-conditioned vehicle for the full day.
• bottled water throughout the tour.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:30, 08:45 and 09:00

Book up to1d before

GroupPrivate

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by GIANNI

Is this one for you?This is a private tour, so your guide adjusts the pace and timing to your interests. If you want longer at Lake Carezza or more time in Ortisei, the schedule flexes. It suits anyone who wants to see the high passes and alpine towns without driving the mountain roads themselves.

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Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is Lake Carezza like when you stop there?

Lake Carezza sits at the foot of the Latemar and Catinaccio mountains and is considered the most beautiful lake in the Dolomites. You have roughly 30 minutes to walk around the shoreline.

Can I take the cable car up Sass Pordoi, and when is it open?

The cable car at Pordoi Pass is optional and takes you from 2,239 meters to 2,950 meters at Sass Pordoi. It runs late May through mid-October and again from Christmas to Easter.

How long does the tour take from start to finish?

The tour runs 6 to 8 hours total, including all stops and the drive time between passes.

What is included in the price?

Hotel pickup and drop-off, an air-conditioned vehicle, and bottled water are included. Meals are not included, though you have an hour in Ortisei to eat lunch on your own.

What do I see from the Sella Pass?

From the Sella Pass, the Sella's vertical rock walls rise directly in front of you. On clear days you can see the Marmolada glacier at 3,343 meters and Sassolungo at 3,181 meters, the most famous mountain in Val Gardena, from a 15-minute photo stop.