Dolomites with a Motorhome | Itinerary, Route & travel blog
We didn’t mean to visit the Dolomites with a motorhome. We were on our way to Slovenia. Honest. But we got sidetracked after seeing a beautiful photo on Instagram. So we decided to detour and check it out.
It happens to us a lot. But we’ve learnt to just go with it! It’s one of the things we love most about touring Europe in a motorhome– so many opportunities to change your mind and explore new places!
We didn’t have a plan, a route, places to visit or anything. So we created a quick route plan whilst we were driving and off we went!
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Exploring the Dolomites with a Motorhome
The Dolomites are widely regarded as one of the best places to visit in Italy. They’re more spectacular than you can ever imagine and are now one of our favourite road trip destinations EVER. We’re already planning our return trip and YES, we will be taking the motorhome. Because travelling by camper in the Dolomites is AMAZING.
[mv_video key=”qpxbyfulctnwwafaaxnd” volume=”70″ aspectRatio=”true” title=”See the Dolomites in 60 Seconds! You won’t believe these views!!” thumbnail=”https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/v1573115618/bmgn9ziqztcmaidi975q.jpg” doNotOptimizePlacement=”undefined” doNotAutoplayNorOptimizePlacement=”false” sticky=”false”]Dolomites Travel Blog and route planner
This is our Dolomites road trip itinerary and Motorhome travel blog. It shows our route, rest stops, where we filled with gas, got water and emptied toilet etc. We also share our thoughts about each area.
Our intent is to help other people with a motorhome or campervan plan their own trip to the Dolomites. If you’re in a car, you will also find this helpful (except for maybe the bit about getting gas and emptying the toilet….!!)
It’s one of our new favourite places to explore- we hope you love it too!
I’ll be creating lots more posts with helpful info, but this is a quick guide to travelling the Dolomites with a motorhome. I hope you find it useful.
Dolomites Road Trip Facts
Time of year: Beginning of October
Days in the Dolomites: 4
Motorhome: Swift Escape 685 (6.6m long and 2.9m high) – see our Swift 685 motorhome review
People onboard: 2 adults and Mac the cocker spaniel
Towing/ extra vehicles carried? No- we decided not to take our motorbikes this trip.
One Day Dolomites Itinerary
If you only have one day in the Dolomites, we recommend driving the Great Dolomites Road. This road is easily reached from Venice if you start early. If you have a little more time, be sure to stop at the magnificent medieval town of Bassano del Grappa– it’s on the way and you won’t regret it.
One day Dolomites Route Map
170km • 6 hours (which includes stops for breakfast, lunch and a million photo stops!!)
Dolomites Route Planner
- Left at 8.30 and drove to Bolzano – 45 mins • 60km
- Drove the Great Dolomite Road (SS241) from Bolzano to Canazei
- Turn onto the Sella Pass towards Ortisei (SS48, becoming SS242) DO NOT confuse this with OrtEsei- also in Italy but not the same place!! 3 hours • 76km
- Ortisei to Funes, to see the little chapel in the field. Stayed overnight here 40 mins • 32 km
Things to see on Day one
Lake Carrezza
Stopped for 2 hours (including a late breakfast) but you could easily stop for 10 minutes. Cost is 2€/hour for a camper. There are toilets, a cafe and a gift shop here.
You have to pay for parking at the machine next to the gift shop- pay as you are ready to leave- you need COINS (Euros)
Get to Lake Carreza before 10.30 or It is crazy busy. There is space for motorhome parking but not much. Even in October, it was pretty busy.
TOP TIP: Walk over the suspension bridge to the left of the car park and up the hill- the views of the Dolomites are spectacular.
Canazei
Really pretty town with lots of options for restaurants, cafes, hotels if you need them and activities. If you want to buy souvenirs, gifts or wander around shops, this is a great place.
Sella Pass
Unbelievable stop just past the top of Sella Pass – be careful not to stop in a bus/ coach parking area but there are several other laybys in the area you can use.
We had lunch here and walked out into the largest Alpine meadow in the Alps. Which was beautiful!
Motorhome Service Stops
Ortisei (which randomly is FULL of Jesus statues and shops selling religious statues. We couldn’t figure out why… )
Stopped at Hotel Pontives to empty toilet & get water. Cost us 10€, which is pretty expensive, but the next nearest motorhome point was about 45 minutes away and we didn’t want to pay for a campsite.
We also filled up with fuel and LPG (GPL in Italy) at the petrol station just south of Ortisei.
Where we stopped for the night
Funes, near Santa Magdalena Church
GPS :
N 46°38’18.4092” E 11°43’5.7323999999999”
46.638447,11.718259
Address :
ItalyWe stayed in a car park opposite a restaurant. It was level and very quiet once the restaurant had closed. We had no problems where we stayed, but not sure if that would be the case in high season.
We later discovered there is another car park a bit further down the hill with handwritten signs declaring camper parking. But this car park is on a slope.
ALSO, you can drive further up the hill and down the little lane towards the church. At the end, you’ll find an approved area for camper parking where you can pay to spend the night. Think it was 10€ but forgot to write the exact amount down. We walked up here and it was very quiet.
READ MORE: Is visiting Val di Funes worth your time?
Favourite bits from Day One
The entire day we spent staring out of the window, going ‘WOW’.
A lot.
The entire Dolomites is breathtaking, but the Great Dolomites Road and Sella Pass are two of the best roads we have ever driven. If you’re visiting on a motorbike, you are in for a treat!!
Our favourite was the Sella Pass. The views, the road, the adventure- it was AMAZING. If you only get one day in the Dolomites, do this drive. You definitely won’t regret it.
Kat never planned to buy a motorhome. She also never planned to quit her job as an air traffic controller, go touring around Europe in said motorhome, start one of the UK’s largest motorhome travel websites… or get a cocker spaniel.
Find out how she went from stuck in the rat race to being a digital nomad and inspiring thousands of people to have their own epic adventures here.
If you’d like to connect with Kat, send her an email or follow her adventures on social media.
