Ortisei: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Ortisei, Urtijëi in Ladin and St. Ulrich in German, is the main village of Val Gardena, where people speak three languages and the oldest of them is Ladin, a descendant of Latin. For three centuries the valley has lived from woodcarving, and its saints and toys were carried by peddlers across Europe. This short walk joins the square, the museum, the church and the carvers' street. About an hour and a half, with a ride up the funicular at the end.

A short history of Ortisei

Ortisei is the largest town in Val Gardena, and its inhabitants speak Ladin, an ancient Romance language preserved in the valleys of the Dolomites. From the 17th century the valley became famous for woodcarving, and for generations statues of saints and wooden toys went from here all over Europe. Until 1919 the area was part of Austria. During the First World War a narrow-gauge railway was laid into the valley, built by Russian prisoners of war, and it ran until 1960. In 1970 Val Gardena hosted the World Ski Championships, and since then the town has lived from winter and from its summer trails.

The ten best sights in Ortisei

1
Parish Church of St Ulrich
The village church on the slope; inside, altars carved by local craftsmen
2
Museum Gherdëina
Woodcarving, Ladin life and a room for Luis Trenker; an hour
3
Luis Trenker monument
Bronze of the mountaineer and film-maker born in the village
4
Castel Gardena
A 17th-century castle in the meadows below Selva; seen from the path
5
Piazza Sant'Antonio
The village square and pedestrian heart; meet here
6
Resciesa funicular
Up to 2,100 m from the village centre for easy ridge walks
7
Mont Seuc gondola
From the village straight up to the Alpe di Siusi
8
Alpe di Siusi
The great high meadow; walk, picnic or rent a bike
9
Seceda
The ridge with the famous view of the Odle peaks; cable car via Furnes
10
Sassolungo
The great rock wall at the head of the valley

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Tours in Ortisei →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Ortisei:

Free walking tours in Ortisei

Carvers' village

Piazza Sant'Antonio · Ladin, the language on the square's signs alongside German and Italian, is spoken by about 30,000 people in five Dolomite valleys. It developed from the Latin of the Roman province of Raetia, and Val Gardena has its own dialect, Gherdëina.
Museum Gherdëina · The museum shows the carved toys that made the valley's name: jointed wooden dolls, horses and figures, turned out by whole families in winter and sold as far as Spain and America. It also covers the valley's fossils and Ladin daily life.
Luis Trenker monument · Luis Trenker, born in Ortisei in 1892, was a mountain guide who became one of the stars of the German 'mountain films' of the 1920s and 30s, as actor and director. His films made the Dolomites famous to cinema audiences across Europe.
Parish Church of St Ulrich · The present church was built in the late 18th century, when the carving trade was already making the village rich. Its statues and altars are the work of Gardena carvers, so it is also a gallery of the valley's craft.
Streda Rezia · Gardena carvers work mostly in Swiss stone pine, a soft, fragrant wood from the high forests. Pieces sold as handmade in the valley carry a mark of origin; machine-roughed figures finished by hand are cheaper, so ask which you are buying.
Resciesa funicular · The funicular climbs from the village to about 2,100 metres in a few minutes. From the top an almost level path runs along the Resciesa ridge, with the Odle peaks ahead and the whole valley below.

The high meadows

Ortisei sits between two of the great sights of the Dolomites: the Alpe di Siusi to the south, the largest high alpine meadow in Europe, and the Seceda ridge to the north, facing the jagged Odle peaks. Lifts from the village reach both, so this is a day of cable cars and easy walking. Start with the Alpe di Siusi in the morning and finish on the Seceda in the afternoon light. Lifts run from late May to October and again in the ski season; check the last descent time.

Mont Seuc gondola · The gondola lifts you from the village straight onto the edge of the Alpe di Siusi in about ten minutes. It is the way in for walkers, because private cars are barred from the meadow road during the day.
Alpe di Siusi · At about 56 square kilometres it is the largest high-altitude alpine meadow in Europe. Farmers still cut its hay in summer and store it in the wooden huts scattered across the slopes.
Kastelruth · Kastelruth, on the western edge of the meadow, is known across the German-speaking world for the Kastelruther Spatzen, a folk band that has sold millions of records. Its tall bell tower stands apart from the church in the village square.
Sassolungo · Sassolungo, 'long rock', rises to 3,181 metres at the head of the valley, and its walls fill the view from the Alpe di Siusi. Its rock is dolomite, named after the French geologist Déodat de Dolomieu, who described it in the 1790s.
Seceda · From the top of the Seceda, at about 2,500 metres, the Odle peaks rise in a row of spires above a tilted green slope that drops sharply on the far side. The scene is one of the most photographed in the Alps; the cable car goes up in two stages via Furnes.
Col Raiser · From the Seceda a path leads down past mountain huts to Col Raiser, from where a gondola descends to Santa Cristina. The huts along the way serve home-made cheese and cakes from their own farms.

Up the valley to the passes

East of Ortisei the valley climbs through Santa Cristina and Selva to two of the great pass roads of the Dolomites. This car route follows it from the village up to the Gardena and Sella passes, with a castle, a car-free valley and the walls of the Sella massif on the way. About 60 km there and back with stops; allow half a day. In summer the passes are crowded with cyclists and motorbikes — drive slowly, and go early.

Ortisei bus station · A narrow-gauge railway once climbed the valley from Klausen to Plan above Selva. It was built in only a few months in 1915–16 by thousands of Russian prisoners of war, to supply the Austrian front in the Dolomites, and it closed in 1960.
Castel Gardena · The Wolkenstein counts built the castle in the 17th century as a hunting seat, with corner towers and a courtyard. It is still privately owned, so you see it from the path, standing alone in the meadows.
Selva di Val Gardena · Every December the Saslong downhill, one of the classic races of the Alpine Ski World Cup, finishes above Selva. The valley hosted the World Championships in 1970, which made it famous as a ski resort.
Vallunga · Vallunga, 'long valley', was carved by a glacier and is closed to cars, with a flat track running about six kilometres into the Puez-Odle nature park. In winter it becomes a cross-country ski trail.
Passo Gardena · The pass, at 2,121 metres, links Ladin-speaking Val Gardena with Ladin-speaking Alta Badia, under the north walls of the Sella. In winter it is part of the Sella Ronda, a ski circuit around the whole massif that can be skied in a day.
Passo Sella · At 2,240 metres the Sella pass lies between the Sassolungo and the Sella towers, and it is one of the four passes of the Sella Ronda. On the other side the road drops into the Val di Fassa, another Ladin valley.

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Getting to Ortisei and getting around

Ponte Gardena–Laion Station · The nearest train station, 25 minutes down the valley on the Brenner line
Ortisei bus station · Buses down to Ponte Gardena and Bolzano and up to Selva and the passes
Bolzano station · The main rail hub, about 50 minutes by bus; fast trains to Verona and Munich

Cheap eats in Ortisei

Ortisei eats South Tyrolean: speck, dumplings and strudel next to pasta and pizza, with prices in euros and a little above the Italian average. A filled roll from a bakery and a slice of strudel make a cheap lunch, and the mountain huts above serve hearty plates at fair prices.

Butëiga dal pan Hofer · Schüttelbrot and rye rolls, about 2-5 €
Trocker · Bakery by the church square, a pastry about 2-4 €
Café Demetz · Coffee and apple strudel on Streda Rezia, about 6-8 €
Gioia Squisitezze · Ice cream on the main street, about 3-5 €
Bar San Durich · Quick coffee and toast, about 4-7 €

Museums in Ortisei

Museum Gherdëina · Carving, toys, fossils and Luis Trenker
Parish Church of St Ulrich · Carved altars and statues by local craftsmen
Castel Gardena · Private castle; view from the meadow path
Luis Trenker monument · A short stop in the centre

Nature and day trips near Ortisei

Alpe di Siusi · Easy walks on the great meadow
Seceda · The Odle view; go in late afternoon
Vallunga · Flat car-free walk into the Puez-Odle park
Resciesa · Ridge walk from the funicular
Sassolungo · The path around its base is a classic full-day hike

Things to do in Ortisei with kids

Resciesa funicular · Easy family walks and a playground at the top
Mont Seuc gondola · Up to the meadow, where children can run
Col Raiser · Gondola and huts with farm food

Where to eat in Ortisei

Vedl Mulin · Restaurant and pizzeria on the square
Zur Goldenen Traube · Tyrolean dishes on Streda Rezia
Sotriffer Restaurant & Wine Bar · Wine bar and dinner in the centre
Turonda · Local dishes near the church
Ustaria Da Checco · Italian cooking at the east end of the main street

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Frequently asked questions about Ortisei

What is there to see in Ortisei?

The top sights in Ortisei are Parish Church of St Ulrich, Museum Gherdëina and Luis Trenker monument. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Ortisei?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Ortisei without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Ortisei?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Ortisei, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Carvers' village.

How do you get to Ortisei and get around?

The main ways are Ponte Gardena–Laion Station, Ortisei bus station and Bolzano station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Ortisei, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Ortisei that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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