Ortisei

Updated October 2026 · Sources: Val Gardena Marketing, Seiser Alm Marketing, Seilbahnen Seceda, Dolomiti Superski, Museum Gherdëina

Find a place to stay in Ortisei

Ortisei (St. Ulrich in Gröden in German, Urtijëi in Ladin) is the main village of Val Gardena, in South Tyrol (Alto Adige), northern Italy. It sits at 1,236 metres, has about 4,700 residents and is the first of the valley’s three villages as you drive up from Chiusa, before Santa Cristina and Selva. Bolzano airport is about 36 km away (45 minutes), Innsbruck 113 km, Verona 185 km.

The main reason to stay here: three lifts start within walking distance of the centre. One goes up to the Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm), one to the Seceda below the Odle peaks, one to the Resciesa. In a few minutes you are at around 2,000 metres without touching your car. In the village you get a pedestrian zone with shops and woodcarvers’ workshops, a museum on the valley’s history, and a woodcarving tradition that goes back at least to the 1600s.

In winter Ortisei is linked to the Val Gardena – Alpe di Siusi ski area (181 km of slopes) and to the Dolomiti Superski pass; La Longia, a 10.5 km run, comes all the way down from the Seceda to the village. In summer it is a hiking base, with lifts running from May to early November. At the end of November the Christmas market opens.

You can see the centre on foot in a couple of hours. For the Seceda, the Alpe di Siusi and the Resciesa, reached by lifts from the village, allow at least half a day each.

The pedestrian zone and Via Rezia

The heart of Ortisei is the pedestrian zone between the parish church of St. Ulrich and the church of St. Anthony, along Via Rezia (Streda Rezia in Ladin). It is the street of shops, cafés and windows full of wood carvings. The tourist office is at number 1.

Piazza Sant’Antonio is where the buses stop and where you set off for the lifts: the La Curta escalators take you towards the Seceda gondola station, a few minutes’ walk away.

St. Ulrich and St. Anthony churches

The parish church of St. Ulrich, the saint behind the village’s German name, was built at the end of the 18th century, with Baroque and Neoclassical features and wood sculptures by local artists. The small church of St. Anthony, at the other end of the pedestrian zone, dates from the second half of the 17th century.

Museum Gherdëina

The Val Gardena museum is in the Cësa di Ladins, Via Rezia 83. In an hour you get the whole valley: four centuries of wood carvings, wooden toys made in Val Gardena, fossils including an ichthyosaur found on the Seceda, and the Lenten cloth from St. James’s church, dated 1620.

One section covers Luis Trenker, the mountaineer, actor and film director born in Ortisei. Opening hours change with the season, so check the Museum Gherdëina website before you go.

Woodcarving

Ortisei has carved wood since at least the 17th century: whole families made religious statues, altars and figures of saints, and many workshops are still active. The shop windows range from nativity figures to contemporary pieces.

If you buy a carving, ask whether it is hand-carved or machine-made. The price difference is large, and you should know what you are paying for.

St. James’s church

Above the village, in the hamlet of San Giacomo, stands the oldest church in Val Gardena. It was remodelled in late Gothic style in the 1600s and has a Baroque altar with figures by the Vinazer family of carvers. You can walk up from the centre on a forest path.

St. Anne’s church and Luis Trenker’s grave

Luis Trenker and the mountaineer Ludwig Norman-Neruda are buried in the cemetery of St. Anne’s church. A short stop if you are interested in climbing history.

Seceda

The Seceda (2,519 m) is the mountain with the tilted ridge you have seen in almost every Dolomites photo. From Ortisei you go up in two stages: a gondola to Furnes, then a cable car to about 2,500 metres. In summer 2026 an adult return ticket cost €74 and you had to book online in fixed 30-minute time slots.

Prices, times, hikes and the fee at the photo spot are all on our Seceda page. Here, just note that the valley station is on Via Val d’Anna, a few minutes from the centre, and that parking is limited.

Alpe di Siusi by cable car from Ortisei

The Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm) is the wide high plateau of meadows and farms on the opposite side of the valley from the Seceda. From Ortisei, the Ortisei – Alpe di Siusi cable car leaves from the Oltretorrente district and arrives at Mont Sëuc, at about 2,000 metres. In 2026 it ran from 1 May to 2 November, 8:30 am to 5 pm (until 6 pm from 6 June to 16 October).

This is the easiest way up. On the other side, from Siusi, the road onto the plateau is closed to cars from 9 am to 5 pm whenever the Siusi cable car is running. From Ortisei that does not affect you. The Ortisei cable car is covered by both the Gardena Card and the Dolomiti Super Summer pass.

Resciesa

The Resciesa (Raschötz) is the mountain above Ortisei on the north side, inside the Puez-Odle Nature Park. You ride up on the Resciesa funicular, a few minutes from the Seceda gondola, to over 2,100 metres. In 2026 it ran from 16 May to 11 October.

At the top you walk along a broad, easy ridge with views of the Sassolungo, the Sella and the Odle. It is the quiet alternative to the Seceda: no booking, fewer people, and the Dolomiti Super Summer pass is valid. In winter it is the village’s sledging mountain.

Sassolungo

The Sassolungo (Langkofel, 3,181 m) closes off the valley to the south-east; you see it from Ortisei, the Alpe di Siusi and the Resciesa. You don’t climb it from the village, but the loop around it, starting from Monte Pana above Santa Cristina, is one of the best hikes in the area (see the summer section).

Ortisei is part of the Val Gardena – Alpe di Siusi ski area, with 181 km of slopes and 79 lifts according to the Alpe di Siusi lift company. The area belongs to Dolomiti Superski: 12 ski areas and around 1,200 km of slopes on one pass. For the 2026/27 season a Dolomiti Superski adult day pass costs €89 in high season.

The village has two direct lift links, one on each side of the valley. To switch between them you cross the centre.

Seceda and La Longia

The Ortisei – Furnes gondola and the cable car take you to the Seceda area: 25 km of slopes, including the black Catores and the red runs at Fermeda. From here La Longia, a 10.5 km red run, goes all the way down to Ortisei: long and scenic, for skiers confident on reds. The Seceda lifts are open from 4 December 2026 to 4 April 2027.

From the Seceda, via Col Raiser, you link to Santa Cristina, Selva and the Sellaronda, the four-pass circuit around the Sella group: 44 km, of which about 21 km on lifts.

Alpe di Siusi

The Mont Sëuc cable car takes you onto the Alpe di Siusi, which alone has 62 km of slopes and more than 20 lifts. The runs spread over an open plateau with gentler gradients than the Seceda: the side to choose for beginners and families. The cable car’s 2026/27 winter dates are not yet published; it usually opens in early December.

Cross-country, sledging and snowshoeing

For cross-country skiing, go up to the Alpe di Siusi: about 80 km of groomed trails between 1,800 and 2,200 metres. Sledging is mostly on the Resciesa, on a run from the top of the funicular towards the village; wear a helmet and check winter opening first. Snowshoe routes are on the Alpe di Siusi and the Resciesa: stay on marked trails and check the avalanche bulletin.

Ortisei hosted the Alpine World Ski Championships in 1970.

In summer Ortisei works as a base camp: leave your room, take a lift, and half an hour later you are on the trail. The village lifts open between May and June and close between mid-October and early November. If you plan to ride a lot, the Gardena Card (2026: 3 days €124, 6 days €160) also covers the Seceda. The Dolomiti Super Summer pass covers the Alpe di Siusi and Resciesa lifts, but not the Seceda.

Alpe di Siusi: the Molignon hut loop

From the Mont Sëuc top station, walk down into the middle of the plateau, climb to the Molignon hut (2,054 m) below the Denti di Terrarossa and return via Saltria. 17.7 km, about 5 hours 20 minutes, 651 metres of ascent and descent: a full day, moderate. For something shorter, stroll the wide paths around the top station.

Resciesa: hut and summit cross

From the funicular, follow trail 35 to the Resciesa hut and the cross on the Resciesa di Fuori (2,281 m). About 4 km return, 2.5 hours at an easy pace, around 150 metres of climbing: good for families. The Santa Croce chapel is near the hut.

Seceda on foot or by cable car

From the top station the classic walk goes down to Pieralongia and the Odles hut: 5.8 km, about 1.5 hours. Walking up from Ortisei takes 3.5 to 4.5 hours and about 1,200 metres of ascent. The small Lech da Iman lake is on the Seceda, along the Malga Troier loop.

Sassolungo circuit

The full loop around the Sassolungo group starts at Monte Pana above Santa Cristina (reached by chairlift). 17.3 km, about 5.5 hours, 842 metres up and down, graded difficult. You need sure footing and a settled forecast.

Cycling and mountain biking

Forest roads lead from the village towards San Giacomo and the Firenze hut below the Odle. Bikes are not allowed on some sections inside the Puez-Odle park. On Sellaronda Bike Day, in June and September, the four passes around the Sella are closed to traffic: in 2027 on 5 June and 11 September.

Ortisei’s Christmas market is called the “Christmas Village” (Nadel Urtijëi). For 2026/27 the provisional calendar runs from 28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, with a break from 30 November to 4 December. On weekdays it opens in the afternoon, 4 pm to 7 pm; at weekends 11 am to 7 pm, with food stalls open until 8 pm.

Expect wooden huts with crafts and gifts, South Tyrolean food and live music. If you want to combine it with skiing, December before Christmas is the quietest time. Selva has its own market too, from 29 November to 3 January.

• Santa Cristina: the next village up the valley, with the Col Raiser gondola to the Odle and the Monte Pana chairlift for the Sassolungo.
• Selva di Val Gardena: at the head of the valley, at the foot of the Sella and the Vallunga.
• Passo Gardena (2,121 m): the pass to Alta Badia, with hikes and via ferratas.
• Sellaronda: on skis in winter, by bike in summer, around the Sella group.
• Val di Funes: the north side of the Odle, with the chapel of Santa Maddalena; by car via Chiusa.
• Seceda: the most photographed ridge in the valley, booking required in summer.
• Alpe di Siusi: the high plateau, straight from the village by cable car.

Ortisei is the largest village in the valley, with every type of accommodation: hotels, residences, holiday apartments, B&Bs and farm stays above the village. Location makes a big difference.

• Centre and pedestrian zone: if you arrive without a car. Close to the Piazza Sant’Antonio bus stop, the Seceda gondola and the Resciesa funicular. Pricier, livelier in the evening.
• Oltretorrente, near the Alpe di Siusi cable car: if you will ski or hike mostly on the Alpe di Siusi, and for families with young children.
• Near the Seceda station (Via Val d’Anna): for skiers who want an early start towards the Seceda and the Sellaronda and to ski back down La Longia.
• San Giacomo and the hillside farms: quiet and views. You’ll need a car or strong legs.
• Budget: apartments and B&Bs outside the centre, or Santa Cristina and Selva, closer to the Sella.

In peak season (Christmas, February, August) book early: Ortisei fills up fast and many places have minimum stays.

By car

On the Brenner motorway (A22), take the Chiusa / Val Gardena exit and follow the SS242 into Val Gardena: about 15 km to Ortisei. From Bolzano you can also go via Ponte Gardena. If you come over the Brenner from Austria, roadworks on the Lueg bridge cause delays.

By train

There is no railway in the valley (the old Val Gardena railway closed in 1960). The nearest stations are Ponte Gardena (about 18 km), Chiusa, Bressanone and Bolzano, served by Intercity and Eurocity trains. FRECCIALink sells a single train-plus-bus ticket to Ortisei from Milan, Verona, Bologna, Florence, Rome and Naples. On DB/ÖBB Eurocity trains you can buy a €5 connecting ticket for the bus. Details on the Val Gardena website.

By bus

Line 350 links Bolzano, Bressanone and Chiusa with Ponte Gardena and Val Gardena; line 360 runs from Bressanone to Ortisei. The main stop is Piazza Sant’Antonio in the centre. If your accommodation takes part, the Val Gardena Guest Pass makes valley buses free.

By plane

The nearest airport is Bolzano, about 36 km (45 minutes), with seasonal flights including London. Then Innsbruck (113 km, about 1 hour 15 minutes) and Verona (185 km, about 2 hours). Further away: Venice and Bergamo (about 270 km), Munich (about 300 km), Milan Malpensa (about 350 km) and Zurich (about 420 km). Many visitors fly into Verona, Innsbruck or Munich and use a bus transfer or rental car.

Parking

In summer and peak weeks, parking in the centre and at the lifts fills up early. The Seceda station has a garage and an open-air car park with just over 250 spaces in total. If you are staying in Ortisei, leave the car at your accommodation.

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