Dolomites with children

Talk to you about traveling to the Dolomites with children It may seem, at first, risky. The pairing formed by dizzying mountains and small children is, to say the least, disturbing. However, you should not worry.

The Dolomites are much more than rugged mountains. Throughout its more than fifteen thousand square kilometers of surface, they offer you great plains, lakes that make up dreamy landscapes, beautiful towns full of monuments and numerous fun places for the little ones. Next, we are going to propose activities that you can do in the Dolomites with children. But first we want to explain how to get to them and their characteristics.

What exactly are the Dolomites?

A group of mountain ranges found in the Italian regions of the region are called Dolomites. Trentino Alto-Adige, Veneto y Friuli Venezia Giulia. Likewise, a small part of them is in Austria. They are called Lienz Dolomites.

They make up, therefore, a good part of the Italian Eastern Alps, located south of the main chain. They have a length of 150 kilometers, a width of 191 and, as we have told you, an area of ​​around fifteen thousand square kilometers. Its highest point is the Marmolada, with 3342 meters of altitude, but there are many other elevations that exceed three thousand. For example, Sassolungo, Pelmo, Antelao, Civetta or Cima Tossa.

UNESCO declared the Dolomites Heritage in 2009, while establishing a protection zone in them of 135 hectares. In fact, the group of these mountain ranges houses a national park, the Dolomites of Belluno, and nine natural.

On the other hand, among the main towns in the area you have towns as full of charm as Cortina from Ampezzo, Bolzano, Trento, Madonna di Campiglio, Feltre or Bressanone. Finally, as a curiosity, we will tell you that it owes its name to the French geologist Dèodat Tancrêde of Dolomieu, who was the first to study the limestone rock that forms them. Precisely this, when the sun sets, takes on a pinkish color that tends to violet in a phenomenon called enrosadira and it is one of the great attractions of the area.

How to get to the Dolomites?

The best way to travel to the Dolomites with children is By plane. The closest airports to the mountain colossus are those of Venice y Verona. The first is located about one hundred and fifty kilometers from Cortina di Ampezzo, as we have pointed out, one of the main towns in the dolomite area. For its part, the second is a little further away, specifically about two hundred and sixty.

Optionally, you can choose the aerodromes of Milan or Bergamo, but they are even further away. In either case, you have bus lines that take you to the Dolomites from these cities. In general, there are three companies that make this route from the different cities mentioned. Is about FlixBús, Buscenter and Eurolines.

You can also choose to the railway from the locations where your flight lands. Fairly, Verona is the center of the railway connections that go to the mountain colossus. In it you cross the Brenner line, which reaches Bolzano and Trento. For its part, the one that serves the Friuli Dolomites is the one that connects Venice with Tarvisio through Udine.

As for the roads, if you want to travel in a rented car, you have the motorway A4, from which others leave that take you to the mountain massifs. For example, in the aforementioned Verona you can take the A22 that takes you to Trento and Bolzano; the A23 arrives at Tarvisio and A28 to Porderone and the Friulian Dolomites.

What to do in the Dolomites with children

Now that we have reached this mountain colossus and know a little more about it, let's focus on what you can do in the Dolomites with children. There are many activities you can do. We don't need to mention you el esqui, because it is taken for granted. Some of the many stations you can choose from are Val di Fassa, Val Gardena, Kronplatz or Arabba-Marmolada, all of which have schools for the little ones.

Therefore, we will focus on other more original activities such as boat trips on its beautiful lakes, amusement parks, visits to museums and other possibilities.

Enjoy the tourist attractions of the Dolomites

There are many activities designed for the little ones that you can find on your trip to the Dolomites with children. One of the most relevant is the Fun Bob. It is a monorail sleigh whose exit you can reach by cable car and marvel at its views. It covers 1,7 kilometers with a gradient of 314 meters. But you can regulate the speed so that your children do not take risks.

Next to this attraction you have the Kingdom of the Barandi Giant. In this case, it is a circular path in which everything is seen from the perspective of a very high being. In fact, next to the road is the dwarf village. As a curiosity, we will tell you that legend says that Barandi was a boy who, by drinking water from a magical spring, became a giant with enormous strength.

Likewise, in Val di Fiemme you have the amusement park Latemar Montagna Animata, which is also reached by cable car. It has several activities, among which three routes along trails prepared for the little ones stand out. Are those of the Dragon Forest, the Dos Càpel Geotrail and the Distracted Shepherd Walk.

In turn, the Spormaggiore Fauna Park It is a space where different species of recovered animals live. For example, bears, foxes, wolves, owls or lynxes. Children can even feed them. But, perhaps, the main amusement park to visit in the Dolomites with children is the Gardaland, although it is not actually in the mountain range, but rather next to the beautiful Lake Garda. However, it is the one that receives the most visitors per year in Italy.

Take a boat trip through one of its lakes

Precisely, there are many lakes that you can visit in the Dolomites as a whole and which one is the most beautiful. Among them, those of Alleghe, Dobbiaco, Landro or Carezza. But we will recommend two for their enormous beauty. Is about those of Braies and Misurina.

The first of them, known as «the Pearl of the Dolomites», stands out for its turquoise blue waters or the impressive peaks that surround them. It has a typical wooden pier where you can rent small boats. For its part, that of Misurina It does not lag behind the previous one in beauty. It has an area of ​​no less than fifteen hectares. In fact, it is the largest in the mountain community of Cadore. Likewise, among the giants that frame it are the Three Peaks of Lavaredo or the Sorapiss Group.

Visiting museums, another activity to do in the Dolomites with children

As we have already told you, there are many towns that are spread along the slopes of the Dolomites. They all have the beauty of high mountain towns, but they also have their own monuments and museums. As for the latter, visiting them is a perfect activity to do in the Dolomites with children.

So, you can take them to Archaeological Museum of Alto Adige, where the mummy of Otzi, "the ice man." Died around the year 3200 BC, he is a hunter who was found in the Ötztal Alps (hence his name). In addition, the center organizes numerous activities for the little ones.

They are also very interesting Civic Museum of Natural History of Porderone, with its stuffed animals, and the Museum Ladin Ursus Ladinicus of San Cassiano. The latter, as its name indicates, is dedicated to the Ladino bear, which lived sixty thousand years ago in the area. For his part, the MUSE Photo Studio (Trento Science Museum) helps children carry out different scientific experiments, while exploring spaces such as a tropical jungle.

But many millions of years ago it was dinosaurs who walked through the Dolomites. Numerous fossils have been found in the area, which have been taken to different museums. So, Vittorino Cazzetta of Selva di Cadore or the Dolomythos of San Candido. However, there are also footprints that have been preserved in nature. It is the case of the curious Dinosaur Way you'll find Pelmetto.

Other adventures in the Dolomites with children

There are so many activities you can do in the Dolomites with children that it is impossible for us to mention them all. But we will also talk to you about the villages built on the trees in Claut and on Mount Civetta, with its houses connected by hanging bridges.

For its part, the Giant Fir Trail will allow the little ones to discover gnomes and other elves, while the MonteRaida Adventure It has a giant swing. Whereas in Ortisei what is offered is a zip line of seven hundred meters.

But, if we talk about a natural space like this, we cannot forget the hiking trails. Two of the easiest, which do not pose any risk to the little ones, are those that surround the aforementioned lakes of Braies and Dobbiaco. Somewhat more difficult due to its length, but equally simple, it is that of the Three Summits of Lavaredo. Finally, among the routes of the Siusi Alp There are also very easy ones.

In conclusion, we have shown you many activities that you can do in the Dolomites with children. Likewise, we have explained how to reach them. But, to finish, we want to advise you to visit some of its most beautiful towns. Come and discover this wonderful natural space.