Val Gardena Luxury Chalets

While Selva Val Gardena is a sprawling resort, it’s easy to get around on foot. Regular buses link Selva, Ortisei, and Santa Cristina, and the ski lifts depart from all three centres. Once you’re on the slopes, you can cover the whole ski area without taking any buses.

Travelling by car

Val Gardena is easy to reach by car via the Brenner motorway. It’s one of the easiest resorts in the Dolomites to reach by car and it doesn’t require driving through any major mountain passes. If your luxury ski chalet in Val Gardena doesn’t include parking, you’ll find several parking options throughout the three villages.

Travelling by train

The closest train stations to Val Gardena are Bolzano, Ponte Gardena, Chiusa, and Bressanone. You’ll find plenty of direct train routes from major cities in Germany, Austria, and Italy. Why not combine your ski trip with a short city break? From the four train stations, you’ll either need to take a bus or arrange a transfer to the resort.

Airports

Bolzano is the closest airport to Val Gardena. However, airports like Innsbruck and Verona are more likely to offer a wider choice of international flights.

Bolzano (BZO) – 47km
By car – 50 minutes
By bus – 2 hours

Innsbruck (INN) – 120km
By car – 1 hour 30 minutes
By bus – 2 hours

Verona (VRN) – 194km
By car –  2 hours 10 minutes
By bus – 2 hours 15 minutes

Transfer

There are a range of transfer options into Val Gardena, including shuttles, taxis, and helicopter services. There’s a heliport in the Pontives, right at the entrance to Val Gardena.

A vibrant and authentic atmosphere makes Selva a great base for a few drinks after a day on the slopes. It lacks the wild nightlife scene of many similar Italian resorts. But if you’re looking for a lively spot to mingle with some fellow skiers, you’ll have plenty of venues to choose from.

With an average of 300 sunny days a year, apres ski in Val Gardena always makes the most of the sunshine:

• Before your final run of the day, stop by Piz Seteur for some live music, glorious views, and afternoon shenanigans.
• La Stua is one of the trendier spots in Selva. You can sample a warming bombadino inside the warm wooden farmhouse, get rowdy with live music on the terrace, or laze by the fireplace on the first-floor champagne bar.
• The cosy Kronestube is a warm and friendly spot for your post-slope pint. It has a huge choice of beer taps and regular live music events.

If you don’t want to head back to your Selva Val Gardena luxury accommodation, you have plenty of options to continue your night:

• Lius Keller is the ultimate place to party. This basement bar has been around for 40 years and is infamous for its raucous parties.
• A popular spot with the local instructors, Bar Saltos starts out with relaxed drinks on the terrace and gets progressively livelier until 1 am. Live music, theme nights, and speck parties keep things interesting throughout the week.
• For a stylish cocktail, Yellos Music Lounge Bar has comfy sofas, chilled-out music, and excellent drinks.

Huge sunny pistes and an endless ski area make skiing around Val Gardena a joy. The valley is famous for hosting world-class sports events including the Alpine World Cup. Dolomiti has put huge investment into their infrastructure, so you can enjoy fast and modern lifts with wonderful features like heated seats. The slopes back into Selva spread down both sides of the valley, where pretty tree-lined runs guide you home.

The ski area

Staying in Selva gives you seamless access to the Dolomiti Superski area, where over 1,246km of slopes await you. Val Gardena is the biggest resort in the area, with 175km of piste and altitudes up to 2,518m. An efficient lift system means minimal queues, so you’ll be whisked across the mountain in minutes.

From Selva, you’ll have direct access to two ski areas:

• Via the Dantercepies gondola you’ll reach the Dantercepies sector. There’s a dreamy combination of long red runs. It also has some options for beginner and advanced skiers and is an access point to start the Sella Ronda circuit.
• Via the Ciampinoi gondola you’ll reach the Ciampinoi sector. It’s home to some challenging red and black runs. From here you can move on to Plan de Gralba, Santa Cristina, Seceda, Ortisei, and Alpe di Suisi.

Boarders

Snowboarders in Val Gardena will appreciate the lack of drag lifts and cat tracks, although you’ll want to get to know the flat areas so you can maintain your speed. Beginner boarders may get tired of the drag lifts in the nursery area below Dantercepies, but there is plenty over in Ortesei to keep them happy. Signposting in Val Gardena can be confusing, so make sure you follow directions carefully to avoid biting off more than you can chew.

If you’re an intermediate snowboarder, you’ll be in your element in Val Gardena. Wide blue and red pistes are one of the highlights of the ski area. The 10.5km La Longia is a red run bound to get your legs burning. If you’re up for a challenge, you can take on the Sella Ronda circuit, suitable for any snowboarder confident on a red run. Want to get off the beaten path? Hire a guide and check out areas like Passo Pordoi.

Freestylers will find over 24 parks across the area, but Alpe di Suisi is the best. The 2km park has over 40 obstacles, including rails, kickers, and boxes, divided by ability. You’ll also find lots of natural hits to play with throughout the Val Gardena area.

Beginners

The area below Dantercepies is the ideal place for new skiers to master their skills. An emporium of drag lifts and magic carpets sits just below the gondola, making it easy to access from the centre of town. You’ll find a huge choice of ski schools here and a welcoming atmosphere to help you take your first snow steps. Once you’ve got the basics nailed, Plan de Gralba is the next logical step, where you’ll find a great network of gentle blues.

There are two registered ski schools in Selva:

• Scuola Sci Selva is the first and largest ski school in Selva Val Gardena. They offer private and group lessons in a range of snow sports disciplines for children and adults.
• Ski and Snowboard School 2000 offers lessons in a wide variety of disciplines for all ages.

Intermediates

With almost 90% of the runs in Val Gardena marked as red or blue, intermediate skiers in Val Gardena are in for a fantastic week. Find your feet again with the long blues in Seceda and Alpe di Suisi before getting stuck into the reds in Ciampinoi. Wrap up the day by taking the long red route down from Passo Gardena to the base of the Datercepies lift. It’s an excellent way to get your legs burning.

If you’re keen for an adventure, make sure you take on the world-famous Sella Ronda circuit, which stops right in Selva. The 40km route circles around the 6km Sella Massif, giving you the ultimate tour of the Dolomiti Superski area. During the day, you’ll venture across four different passes and four Ladin Valleys. It takes around 4 hours to complete without any stops, so the general advice is to make the first lift on the circuit by 10 am.

Advanced

Expert skiers will find plenty to challenge them in Val Gardena, from short, steep and technical to long and gruelling. To get the most out of your time in the Dolomites, why not attempt to tick off all of the Legendary 8? These are a mix of red and black runs that obtained iconic status thanks to their beauty, history, and exhilaration.

Follow in the tracks of the greats at the Saslong slope. The FIS Alpine World Cup terrain is famous for being some of the trickiest to master, with hair-raising steep sections and some natural rollers. You’ll find some challenging black runs around Ciampinoi, with the most difficult being The Steep. Its name doesn’t lie as this slope has an average gradient of 29.67 %!

While not renowned for its backcountry, Val Gardena serves up some exquisite off-piste opportunities. You’ll find the most epic powder around Forcella Mezdi, Val Lasties, and Forcella del Pordoi. But to really get the most out of the Dolomite backcountry, we recommend hiring a guide for at least one day of your trip.

Val Gardena has an excellent snow record and even better snow machines. But with almost every day a bluebird, the highlight is cruising down pristine slopes in the sunshine. The lifts start in early December and are often open until early April.

December
December is a beautiful time to be in Val Gardena, with twinkling lights in Selva and a traditional Christmas market in Ortisei.
Average snowfall: 44cm
Snow days: 4

January
As the winter festivities wind down, the snow ramps up, making January an excellent month to visit.
Average snowfall: 80cm
Snow days: 5

February
One of the highlights of February is the carnival, when the villages come alive with masked parades, vibrant processions, and live entertainment.
Average snowfall: 84cm
Snow days: 6

March
As the weather warms up, the slopes might need some topping up from the snow machines. This is a big month for music festivals and parties, making it one of the best times to visit Val Gardena for apres ski.
Average snowfall: 40cm
Snow days: 3