Selva di Val Gardena

Updated October 2026 · Sources: Val Gardena Marketing, Dantercepies, Dolomiti Superski, Seiser Alm Marketing, Südtirolmobil

Find a place to stay in Selva di Val Gardena

Selva di Val Gardena (Wolkenstein in Gröden in German, Sëlva in Ladin) is the last and highest village in Val Gardena, in South Tyrol, northern Italy. It sits at 1,563 metres, right below the Sella massif, and has about 2,600 residents. Coming up from the Brenner motorway you pass Ortisei and Santa Cristina first; at Selva the road splits towards the Gardena Pass and the Sella Pass. Bolzano airport is about 40 km away, Innsbruck 120 km, Verona 190 km, Venice 270 km and Munich 300 km.

The reason to pick Selva is its position. This is where Val Gardena links into the Sellaronda, the ski circuit around the Sella massif, and three lifts leave from the village: Ciampinoi, Dantercepies and, at Plan de Gralba, Piz Seteur. The Saslong, the World Cup downhill course, starts at the top of Ciampinoi.

In summer Selva is the base for the Vallunga, a car-free valley in the Puez-Odle Nature Park, for the two Dolomite passes and for hikes to the Puez and Cir groups. The village is small and easy: you can walk around it in half an hour, and the valley buses stop in the centre.

The village itself doesn’t take long. The highlights are just outside: the Vallunga with its chapel and castle ruins, the two lifts climbing towards the Sella and Cir, and the two passes a few kilometres away.

The centre and the church of Santa Maria Assunta

Selva’s centre runs along the main street, Strada Mëisules, with shops, cafés, rental shops and the tourist office (at number 213).

The landmark is the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta. It stands where a small votive chapel was built in 1503; the current building dates from the 19th century and was extended in the late 1980s. From the church to the Vallunga is a 15–20 minute walk.

The Vallunga

The Vallunga (Langental in German) is a glacial valley running north-east from Selva into the Puez group, inside the Puez-Odle Nature Park. There are no roads or houses: just a wide path through larch and stone pine forest that opens further up into meadows between high rock walls.

The classic walk follows trail 14 to the large meadow of Pra da Rì at the head of the valley. It’s easy, with a gentle climb, and fine for children: allow about three hours there and back with breaks. The car parks at the valley entrance are paid and fill up early, so in summer walk in from the centre.

San Silvestro chapel

At the entrance to the Vallunga, alone in a meadow, stands the small chapel of San Silvestro. It’s late Baroque in origin and was substantially altered around 1880. You reach it on trail 14 after a few minutes’ walk.

Wolkenstein Castle ruins

Just above the chapel, wedged into the rock face, are the ruins of Wolkenstein Castle. It was built in the 13th century, destroyed in 1525 and never rebuilt; parts of the walls survive. It gave the village its German name, Wolkenstein, and its name to the lords of Wolkenstein.

Castel Gardena

Between Selva and Santa Cristina, above the valley road, stands Castel Gardena (Fischburg in German), built between 1622 and 1641 by the Counts of Wolkenstein as a summer residence. Unlike Wolkenstein Castle it is intact, but it’s private property: you can only see it from outside, from the footpath that runs nearby.

Ciampinoi and the Saslong

The Ciampinoi gondola leaves from the centre of Selva and climbs to about 2,250 metres, facing the Sassolungo (Langkofel) and the Sella. In summer 2026 it ran from 6 June to 11 October; from the top there are walks towards the Sella Pass and a downhill mountain-bike trail to Plan.

In winter the Saslong World Cup run starts at Ciampinoi: about 3.5 km and over 800 metres of vertical down to Santa Cristina, with its famous “camel jumps”. It’s a black run, open to everyone outside race days.

Dantercepies and the Gardena Pass

Selva’s other gondola is Dantercepies, which leaves from the east side of the village and climbs to 2,300 metres, above the Gardena Pass (2,121 m). From the top station you walk down to the pass in about 20 minutes or take the Cir chairlift. In summer 2026 the gondola ran from 12 June to 4 October; an adult return ticket cost 28 euros.

From the pass, trails lead to the Cir, the Puez and the Pisciadù hut on the Sella, and the road drops to Colfosco and Corvara in Val Badia. By car the pass is about 11 km from Selva.

Sella Pass and the Sassolungo

The second road out of Selva climbs via Plan de Gralba to the Sella Pass, at about 2,240 metres, between the Sella massif and the Sassolungo. On the other side it drops into Val di Fassa, towards Canazei.

From the pass a small gondola rises to the Forcella del Sassolungo, next to the Toni Demetz hut, right between the Sassolungo walls: in 2026 it ran from 30 May to 11 October. The pass is also a starting point for the full Sassolungo circuit.

Plan de Gralba

Plan de Gralba is a hamlet of Selva about 3 km above the village on the Sella Pass road. In winter it’s a ski hub: the Piz Seteur gondola and the Gran Paradiso chairlift leave from here and the Sellaronda passes through. In summer 2026 both lifts ran from 11 June to 4 October. Parking is paid.

Selva is part of the Val Gardena – Alpe di Siusi ski area, with 181 km of slopes and 79 lifts, and of Dolomiti Superski: 12 ski areas and around 1,200 km of slopes on a single pass. For the 2026/27 season, opening is planned for 4 December 2026, snow and cold permitting, with closing on 4 April 2027. The Sellaronda opens the same day.

Selva’s ski sectors

• Ciampinoi: from the centre up to about 2,250 metres. Runs back to Selva, Plan de Gralba or Santa Cristina, plus the start of the Saslong. Mostly red and black runs.
• Dantercepies: 13 km of slopes and 700 metres of vertical. The Dantercepies run (2.8 km, blue/red) comes down to Selva; the black Cir run was the women’s downhill at the 1970 World Championships. This is Val Gardena’s gateway to the Sellaronda towards the Gardena Pass.
• Plan de Gralba: towards the Sella Pass, with wider slopes and the Sellaronda link to Val di Fassa.

Via Ciampinoi and Santa Cristina you also reach the rest of the valley: Col Raiser and Seceda above Santa Cristina and Ortisei, and from there the Alpe di Siusi.

The Sellaronda from Selva

The Sellaronda circles the Sella massif over four passes: 44 km, about 21 of them on lifts. From Selva you can ski it either way: clockwise, follow the orange signs (up the Dantercepies towards the Gardena Pass); anticlockwise, the green signs (towards Plan de Gralba and the Sella Pass).

You need to be a confident intermediate and keep a steady pace. The tourist board recommends starting by 10 am so you’re back before the lifts close. Miss the last connection and the taxi back from the next valley is long and expensive.

World Cup on the Saslong

The Saslong races take place every December. In the 2026/27 season the men’s super-G is on Friday 18 December 2026 and the downhill on Saturday 19 December 2026. For a few days before and after, some sections are closed for training and racing, and shuttle buses run for spectators. Tickets and programme on the official Saslong Classic website.

Ski passes

For 2026/27 a Dolomiti Superski one-day adult pass in high season costs 89 euros; six days cost 453 euros. It covers the Sellaronda and the other valleys in the network. With the Superpremière offer, passes are valid from 4 to 19 December 2026 on better terms if you book a stay with a participating property: check the conditions on the Val Gardena website.

Cross-country, ski schools and snowshoeing

Cross-country skiing in Selva means the Vallunga, between 1,600 and 1,800 metres in the Puez-Odle Nature Park, a 15–20 minute walk from the church. There are several loops of different difficulty; the first section is flat and good for beginners. There are more trails at Monte Pana, above Santa Cristina, and on the Alpe di Siusi.

The village has several ski and snowboard schools with children’s courses. In winter the Vallunga is also the easiest place for a snowshoe walk or a stroll on groomed snow.

In summer most of Selva’s lifts open between late May and mid-June and close between late September and mid-October. They get you above 2,000 metres quickly, for easy walks or long days out.

Hikes from Selva

• Vallunga to Pra da Rì: easy, about three hours return with breaks, good for families. Start on foot from the centre.
• Promenade Cir (from the Dantercepies top station): easy, about 45 minutes, 1.5 km and 80 metres of ascent, pushchair-friendly.
• Passo Cir (2,470 m): moderate, about 2 hours 30, 4 km and 300 metres of ascent, on Alta Via 2 in the Puez-Odle park.
• Puez loop: hard, about 6 hours 30, 14.5 km, 490 metres up and 1,120 down. From Dantercepies over the Forcella Crespeina (2,530 m) to the Puez hut, then back to Selva down the whole Vallunga.
• Pisciadù hut: hard, about 5 hours, 8 km and 650 metres of ascent from the Gardena Pass, with a short, easy protected section before the hut, at almost 2,600 metres.
• Sassolungo circuit: 17.3 km, about 5 hours 25, 842 metres of ascent, hard. You can shorten it with the Forcella del Sassolungo gondola from the Sella Pass.

Via ferratas

Above the Gardena Pass there are two short via ferratas on the Cir: Gran Cir (easy, summit 2,578 m) and Pitla Cir (moderate). On the Val Badia side the Brigata Tridentina via ferrata, graded C, has a suspension bridge: about 530 metres of cables and 4–5 hours for the full loop. You need the gear and experience, or a mountain guide.

Cycling

Selva is on the Sellaronda loop in summer too. In 2027 the Sellaronda Bike Day, with the four pass roads closed to cars, is scheduled for 5 June and 11 September. For mountain bikers there are lift-served downhill trails from Ciampinoi and Dantercepies. Note that bikes aren’t allowed on the pass buses.

• Santa Cristina: the next village down, where the Saslong finishes, with the Monte Pana chairlift and the Col Raiser gondola towards the Odle peaks.
• Ortisei: the valley’s main town, with a pedestrian centre, the Val Gardena museum and lifts to Seceda and the Alpe di Siusi.
• Corvara in Badia: over the Gardena Pass in Val Badia, hub of Alta Badia and the Sellaronda.
• Canazei: over the Sella Pass in Val di Fassa, below the Sella and the Marmolada.
• Alpe di Siusi: by gondola from Ortisei; in winter also on skis through the ski area.

Selva has mostly mid-range and upmarket hotels, guesthouses and apartments. Prices rise in winter and in August, and the weeks around Christmas, New Year and the World Cup book up early. Choose your area by what you plan to do.

• Centre, near Ciampinoi: for skiers who want to do everything on foot. Shops, rentals and buses on your doorstep.
• Dantercepies side and Vallunga entrance: for skiing the Sellaronda clockwise and, in summer, for families and hikers. Quieter in the evening.
• Plan de Gralba: for skiers who want to start straight from the slopes towards the Sella Pass. Little going on in the evening; you’ll need a car or bus to get into the village.
• Without a car: stay in the centre, close to the 350 and 352 bus stops.
• On a budget: an apartment outside the centre, or a base in Santa Cristina or Ortisei, linked to Selva by frequent buses and, in winter, by the slopes.

By car

Take the Brenner motorway (A22) to the Chiusa/Val Gardena exit. Then follow the SS242 up the valley through Ortisei and Santa Cristina: Selva is at the end, about 30 km from the exit. If you’re driving down from Germany or Austria, allow for roadworks on the Lueg bridge on the Brenner motorway in Tyrol.

By train

Selva has no station. The nearest are Ponte Gardena (18 km from the valley) and Chiusa (23 km) on the Brenner line; further away are Bressanone (34 km) and Bolzano (40 km), where long-distance trains stop. With FRECCIALink you buy a single train-plus-bus ticket to Selva from several Italian cities. If you arrive on a DB/ÖBB EuroCity from Munich or Innsbruck, a 5-euro connecting ticket covers the onward journey.

By bus

Line 350 links Bolzano, Bressanone, Chiusa and Ponte Gardena with Val Gardena as far as Selva. Line 352 serves Selva and Plan de Gralba; in summer the pass lines (471 and 473) continue to the Sella and Gardena passes. If your accommodation is part of the Val Gardena Guest Pass scheme, valley buses are free. Timetables on Südtirolmobil.

By plane

The nearest airport is Bolzano (about 40 km from Val Gardena). Next come Innsbruck (120 km), Verona (190 km), Treviso (230 km), Venice and Bergamo (270 km), Munich (300 km) and Milan Malpensa (350 km). Most international flights land at Verona, Venice, Bergamo, Milan or Munich; transfer buses run to Val Gardena from the main airports.

Parking

Spaces are limited in the centre and at the lift stations, especially in busy weeks. Parking at Plan de Gralba and at the Vallunga entrance is paid. If you’re staying in Selva, leave the car at your accommodation and use buses and lifts.

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