One of the most beautiful places you can visit in South Tyrol...With rolling meadows as far as the eye can see and wooden chalets it's the perfect place for a stroll or even a day hike.
The largest alpine meadow in Europe, sitting onto of Val Gardena valley it stretches between the foot of the Sassolungo Group and the Sciliar massif. Covering an impressive 52sq km it is the perfect place for a scroll along it's rolling pastures. Located in South Tyrol in Northern Italy this is the one place in the Dolomites where calmness takes over.
The meadows stretch as far as the eye can see surrounded by mountain tops, it looks like it's own island on top of land. In the summer is is green with dotted flowers and alpine huts, however in the winter it is the perfect place to ski.
Alpe di Siusi Guide
Summary: Alpine meadow with perfect hikes suitable for all abilities Distance: various Time: 1 hour - 7 hours Max elevation: 1,394 metres Difficulty: Easy to Hard Best time: Early June |
This is the perfect place to spend half a day or a full day, it is great for families and walkers of all abilities. The alpine huts usually serve food from May to October, but when I went in early July it was dotted with wild flowers. No matter when you make the trip you will see the landscapes beauty in every season.
How to get to Alpe di Siusi
Now although I was staying in Ortisei, I made the trip to the Seiser Alm Bahn cableway as I wanted to walk the alpine meadow from the other side, this is also the cheaper option as it was 20 euro's round trip with free parking. It takes around 15 minutes and it is a steep accent over a gradual include of over 800 metres. The trip in the car from Ortisei to Siusi Seis was also very lovely as the small villages were very picturesque.
The other option is the Ortisei cable car which is quite steep and has views over the town of Ortisei. This costs 23.90 euros with 1.5 euro/per hour parking and takes around 5 minutes to the top. The choice is yours!
You can also drive to Alpe di Siusi although it is not recommended, in high season there are no cars allowed from 9am - 5pm, so if you are making the trip it needs to be before or after this time. There is also limited parking at the top and can get quite busy! It is also very expensive at 19 euros per car.
It is also possible to get to the top of Alpe di Sisui via bus - you can take the route 10 which is the Seiser Alm express from Seiser Seis to Compaccio.
Alpe di Siusi Walking Route
Compaccio to the Ortsei cable car:
One of the easiest routes you can do at the top is walk from one cable car to the other, this way you get to experience both cables cars (depending if you have a car or not and where you are staying) and get to appreciate most of the alpine meadow. It takes around and hour and a half and is relatively flat, there is a gravel path which you can follow all the way, which is parallel to the main road.
It's a 6km walk but you can take your time, grab some photos at the two view points near the Ortisei top station and something to eat at the many little alpine huts along the way.
Monte Bullaccia circuit:
The next best hike is from Camaccio to Mount Bullaccia, it's a 10km circuit while takes around 3 hours, while having beautiful views over Seceda, Val Gardena, Sasso Lungo and the Odle Group. There is a wonderful view point near the top of Mount Bullaccia, which is home to the witches bench, as well as the Engelrast viewpoint near the end of the hike.
Rifugio Alpe di Tires circuit:
One of the more demanding hikes and will take a full day - around 8 hours and approx 21km but it's totally worth it! If you want to summit the the Schlern plateau and see the Catinaccio/Rosengarten mountains up close this one is for you.
Starting in the meadows you'll cross them to Saltner Hütte where you will then climb the Schlern Plateau, where the Rifugio Bolzano is located. Here is where you can hike for another 30 minutes to get to the highest point at 2,653 metres Monte Pez, before reaching Sciliar Altopiano and Rifugio Alpe di Tires. You then decend over Denti di Terra Rossa to finish the circuit.
Alpe di Sisui Kit Essentials
Hiking equipment |
|---|
Hiking boots - Scarpa Women's Ranger 2 GTX Activ Lite Walking Boots |
Hiking backpack - Osprey Women's Tempest 34 Daysack |
Hiking poles - OEXX-Lite Trigger Trekking Poles |
Keeping hydrated - Osprey Hydraulics™ LT 2.5L Reservoir |
Must-have lightweight jacket - Jackpine Recycled Insulated Jacket |
Dolomites maps and guides |
All Trails map - Col Raiser - Secëda - Forcella Pana - Rifugio Firenze |
Phsycial map - Tabacco 05 Val Gardena – Alpe di Siusi |
If you found this useful check out some other guides below and follow me on Instagram @alice.wonders_
Comments