Our Dolomites road trip was chalk full of the best places to visit in the area during the off season and was perfect for our little family. With only 48 hours, we wanted to see as much as possible and since we rented a car, we were able to do just that!
48 Hours in the Dolomites
Our Dolomites road trip was chalk full of the best places to visit in the area during the off season and was perfect for our little family. This was a multi-generational trip, so we were planning for lots of different energy levels and interests. This was our first international trip with our son and Katie’s parents were along for the trip as well. With only 48 hours, we wanted to see as much as possible and since we rented a car, we were able to do just that!
Day one, we started our morning off waking up to a view of the Seceda ridge line from our stay in Brixen! We made a quick breakfast before we headed off on a scenic, mountain pass drive to Lago Di Braies where Katie cried. The lake was stunning and we already had our little one in the carrier, so we could not resist doing the 3.5km hike around it to see what else we could explore. The lake is breathtaking from all angles and you got a new aspect of the landscape throughout the entire walk. We decided to grab lunch at Emma's Bistro. Katie managed ordering food despite Google translator not working and got two sandwiches, a soup, a beer and an espresso, really diving into the Italian lifestyle.
We then headed off on a short drive to Lago Dobbiaco for a pram/stroller friendly walk. We were beyond thrilled when we ended our walk to see a rare find, a FREE public bathroom. There had been restrooms at Lago di Braies but you had to pay for them or show a receipt that you purchased something from the Bistro.
We then continued our journey to Cortina to wonder the town and grab a snack. The town was under a good bit of construction for the upcoming 2026 Olympics and already had a count down clock going in the middle of town. We found an adorable little cafe and bakery and grabbed a table on their covered patio, which they had installed wind flaps for the season. We all decided we needed a sweet treat, or deserved one after all the steps we had taken that morning. What we ordered vs what showed up to the table were two completely different things. Chris and Katie’s parents all ordered ice cream and 3 giant sundaes arrived in tall sundae glasses covered in whip cream. Katie ordered an espresso and the waiter asked if she wanted it, “American style”, which she said, “sure” and that is exactly what he brought, a black coffee. After our snack we got back on the road and found ourselves surrounded by snow covered mountains on the Gardena Pass on our way to Ortisei.
We had originally planned to take the Seceda Cable Car in Ortisei but we were there in late April and it did not open until early May. The town was very quiet and only a few shops were open but we still wanted to walk around the town, it was so cute not to explore a little.
Day two we checked out of our gorgeous stay and made our way to Maddalena Alta, Italy! The plan was to hike to a meadow to see the quintessential view of the Seceda Ridge line behind St Magdalena Church. There is a small parking lot on the side of the road near the few buildings that make up their town. We saw a few signs with a picture of a church on it and began to follow them up and down hills, through fields and gravel paths for about a 30 minute walk. We ended up right at the church instead of the meadow above it, but it was still beautiful. We continued on the path passed the church to take pictures with it in the distance and the Seceda ridgeline as a back drop.
This was our last stop in the Dolomites before heading to spend time in Lake Garda, so we started our road trip south and grabbed lunch on the road. These 48 hours were an amazing way to start off our Italian adventure! Check out the blog over on YouTube!
Where we stayed: https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/oberprantschollhof-horse-mountain-stable.html?label=gen173nr-1FCAEoggI46AdIM1gEaKsCiAEBmAExuAEXyAEM2AEB6AEB-AECiAIBqAIDuAKRw_-4BsACAdICJDYyOTliZjA0LTg1MWQtNDZhNy04OGMzLTBjNzMwYmUxYTIwYtgCBeACAQ&sid=fc1ced906974565f7a80cd6929084ab9&aid=356980&ucfs=1&checkin=2025-04-24&checkout=2025-04-26&dest_id=-123483&dest_type=city&group_adults=4&no_rooms=2&group_children=1&age=0&req_age=0&nflt=tdb%3D4%3Bprice%3DEUR-min-max-1%3Bhotelfacility%3D28%3Bentire_place_bedroom_count%3D1&matching_block_id=142611901_217013253_4_0_549755813888&atlas_src=sr_iw_title#map_closed