Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
During peak season—the so-called “white weeks” of winter—buses deliver
hotel guests directly from Venice and Treviso airports to their hotels; this happens
on Saturday and Sunday. An excellent source of information regarding shuttle
services into Cortina is www.dolomiti.org , a superb regional resource.
Cortina has its own urban bus service (Dolomiti Bus information: % 0436-
867921; Mon-Fri 8:15am-12:30pm and 2:30-6pm, Sat 8:15am-12:30pm), which
operates various routes and is useful for getting to out-of-town cable cars and
hotels that aren't in the center. Bus tickets ( .80) are available from tabacchi and
bars near the bus stops; if you're planning to make frequent use of the bus, buy
books of tickets ( 8 for 12) or get a weeklong Guest Card pass ( 10). There's also
a round-the-clock taxi service; call RadioTaxi ( % 0436-860808).
ACCOMMODATIONS, BOTH STANDARD & NOT
Cortina's accommodations aren't cheap, and the popularity of the resort with up-
market travelers means those winter prices are not going to drop in a hurry. Out-
of-season, Cortina is quiet and low-key, and hotel prices ease up; some even close
down during the slowest periods. But when the snow falls and demand skyrock-
ets, so does the cost of a bed in even the simplest of hotels; also, high-season
demand makes it virtually impossible to secure a bed without several months'
advance reservation. Note: Some hotels will ask you to stay for a full week during
high season; at best they might offer discounted rates for extended stays.
The best way to save on lodging is to stay in a private home; visit the tourist
office (Piazzetta San Francesco, 8; % 0436-3231) to see what's on offer. Its web-
site ( www.infodolomiti.it ) also carries extensive listings of other alternative lodg-
ing options, including farm stays and bed-and-breakfasts. If you're the genuinely
outdoorsy type, you can forgo hotel accommodations altogether, and head out
(on a mapped hike) with your camping equipment and a plan to make use of one
of the many refuges dotted around the d'Ampezzo area; these operate in the sum-
mer period from late June until late September. The tourist office and its website
(see above) have information about the refuges.
Standard Hotels in Cortina
Cortina's great boom happened in the 1950s when the town prepared for the
crowds attending the Olympic Games; ideas about hotel style have not exactly
moved on since then and accommodations remain simple and a trifle “cottagey,”
with plenty of wood paneling and floral bedspreads.
€€ - €€€
If you're arriving by bus and want to be near the center, there are
more than enough options right near the bus terminal. Unpretentious and unas-
suming, Hotel Cornelio (Via Cantore, 1; % 0463-2232 or 0436/2535; www.hotel
cornelio.com) offers value and a welcoming attitude. When I last stayed here dur-
ing low season, its rather tiny single rooms were among the cheapest I could find
( 45, including breakfast), although prices do drop even lower as you head out
of town. Rooms are almost entirely done in wood, so there is some creaking and
groaning, and you have a good idea of when your neighbor is flushing the loo or
moving around the room, but that's pretty much standard for Cortina. Even my
tiny room had a small terrace with a Dolomite panorama, and given the dearth of
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