Summer 2025 Part 1: Dolomites

Destination: Italy, Dolomites and Lakes

Duration: 18 days

Transportation: Wheelchair bus aka the ‘Pawpatroller’.

Travel group:

Basically: Lanah (wheelchair hero and tireless question machine), hubby and me.

Week 1: friends stayed in a hotel nearby.

Week 2: our small, cozy family of three.

The following applies to every trip/journey:

All trips and vacations are primarily practical challenges and concerns about possible infections or other physical ailments. However, we no longer let this stop us from doing what we love most: spending time together, discovering new places, and marveling at and immersing ourselves in unfamiliar landscapes and cultures.

Summer 2025 was a varied vacation: mini city trip, mountains, rugged landscapes, hiking, lots of driving in our bus, mountain lakes, forests, pizza on the go, 4-course dinners in restaurants, swimming, and also relaxing, doing nothing, reading a book.

We experienced extremes from 15 degrees, seeing snow on the mountain tops to 28 degrees and seeking shade, from villages where time has stood still to towns overflowing with tourists.

🧭 Our route (or rather: at least 2000km of quality time, 12 toilet breaks, 4 power bank charges)

With our own wheelchair bus via Germany, two nights in Munich, on to Arabba, in the province of Belluno in northern Italy. You can read about this in this blog post, Part 1.

After a week, we continued to Lago Molveno in another region in northern Italy, namely Trentino. We returned via Austria and Germany with an overnight stay that we will book along the way. You can read about this in another blog post, Summer 2025 Part 2 Trentino. This will follow shortly.

In this blog, I (Lanah's mom) will take you along on part of our itinerary, places to stay, accessible activities, Italian hospitality, and how traveling with a disability is possible, provided you are well prepared.

Here we go!

The weather was mostly rainy during the trip. That's why we ate our sandwiches on the bus and took a quick nap, changing position for a moment to stretch our legs.

🛏️ Accommodations Blog post Part 1 and Part 2

A mix of:

🏨 Holiday Inn Express München Messe– budget, hygienic, easy parking, on the outskirts of the city, cramped rooms, elevator.

🏨 Alpenrose Hotel Arabba**** – Large rooms, hygienic, friendly staff, Austrian atmosphere, cozy, sauna, restaurant, elevator, located in a beautifully situated mountain village.

🛏️ B&B Dolce Vita Ambiez in San Lorenzo Dorsino – authentic Italian village, hygienic, very friendly owners, helpful, large room, elevator, parking a challenge, waking up to church bells.

🛏️ Hotel Forsthaus Nürnberg **** – booked on the way, spacious room, hygienic, beer garden (yay!), restaurant, sauna, wooded area, close to the highway.

*Tip: Use filters for “wheelchair accessible” + “family-friendly” when booking, if possible. Not available? Contact the reception and explain your wishes and requirements. Often, another room is also suitable in terms of size.

🏰First stop: Munich

Accommodation

If you are looking for a hotel close to the Munich Trade Fair and just 15 minutes from the city center, then the IHG is the place to be. Hygiene? Fine. Breakfast? Not exactly Michelin-star worthy, but hey, there's something for everyone.

Our room? Standard: a double bed and a sofa bed. Just big enough to unpack your suitcases and perform a tactical maneuver for a child in a wheelchair.

We usually go for the budget option: hygienic, convenient, and above all, quick to leave, because let's be honest—we usually only stay in a hotel for 24 hours. Luxury for one or two nights? Preferably not, considering the budget.

But then came the challenge:

The hotel had two elevators. Note that word “had.” Upon arrival, there was already a sign: “Elevator 1 out of service for maintenance.” No problem, we thought, elevator 2 will do. Until it also decided to go on strike. And believe me, with a child in a wheelchair, such a hotel suddenly becomes an Olympic obstacle course.

Most of the time, the staff was able to reset the elevator. Until the first morning. We wanted to have an early breakfast, but no: the elevator repairman didn't arrive until around 9 a.m. So there you are... mom, who isn't fond of elevators to begin with, now faced with a striking elevator and a child asking, “Are we there yet?”

Suddenly, you start thinking about Plan B, Plan C... basically the entire Ferrari F1 arsenal of backup options.

That same evening, slightly exhausted but determined, we asked the reception if the wheelchair could stay downstairs. After all, we wanted to leave early for Italy. After a brief explanation (and a lot of frowns), they said, “Fine, no problem.” Hallelujah.

The moral of the story? Book budget, but always check if there is a room available on the ground floor or first floor. If the elevators go on strike, climbing one flight of stairs is still doable. No garanties the elevator will work? Ask to park the wheelchair ait the reception.

Adventures in the city

Arrival day: tired, sticky, sore bottoms from sitting. We decided that our culinary activity would be called ‘home delivery’. Perfect! We ate a delicious poké bowl while building with Lego.

Where? In the hotel lobby, as the room was a bit too small to maneuver a wheelchair. Perfect, plenty of space, hotel tableware, hotel washing up... great ;)

The next morning, we woke up surprisingly early (something about 5-year-old daughters looking forward to the day...?)

It wasn't our first time in this city, so we quickly decided how to spend the day: Marienplatz, shopping streets, Hofbrauhaus, and a nice meal. The Eisbachwelle, fun to see, is a place near Englischer Garten where you can surf all year round on a continuous wave in the Eisbach river. Unfortunately, we didn't get to do that on this day due to rain showers in the afternoon and tired legs from strolling through the city.

While shopping, something legendary happened: Dad, who has been saying for years that he “always wanted to buy a lederhosen,” just went ahead and did it this year. While trying them on, Lanah gave him a thumbs up, and the miracle was complete.

Despite the light rain, this visit to Munich was another success: a little shopping, fun, enjoying each other's company, good food, lederhosen in the bag, subway rides, escalator adventures, and of course a delicious beer on the terrace.

Getting around and parking in Munich

We parked the wheelchair accessible van at the P+R in Studentenstadt and then took the subway to the city center. Munich knows how to build a city center. Shops, street musicians, and no scary, child-unfriendly stairs—kudos!

In city centers, it's almost impossible to park unless you enjoy driving around endlessly in the hope of finding a parking space on the street that happens to be big enough for the bus.

Our experience has taught us that this almost always leads to unpleasant situations in the bus and a waste of precious energy.

Compromise is always the magic word when it comes to trips, so we decided to park the bus at a P&R and take public transport into the city, albeit with the sports wheelchair that Lanah unfortunately cannot drive herself.

Why?

Public transport (everywhere) claims to be wheelchair accessible, but the gaps between the platforms and the subway cars are often too large, and the small swivel wheels of the large electric wheelchair get stuck. We don't like to take that risk. In addition, not every subway stop is equipped with an elevator. For now, we are still ‘circumventing’ this by using escalators, but we really shouldn't be doing that... shhh!

Food & Drinks Munich

During our stay in the city, it was chilly but mostly dry. The atmosphere in Munich is always ‘Burgundian’ or, in this case, Bavarian: hospitable, outdoor terraces filled with people, a bakery on every corner, mostly southern German cuisine in the city center, but if you venture a little further afield, you will find less touristy gems and not necessarily German cuisine.

Is the weather nice? Enjoy your meal on the terrace.

Many typical Bavarian restaurants/brauhaus are basically very old and authentic buildings, natural and beautiful! Unfortunately, this makes it difficult to visit with a wheelchair due to steps at the entrance or in the restaurant itself.

The Hofbrauhaus is easily accessible, but it was very busy and we didn't feel like eating sausage, sauerkraut, or pork knuckle.

We chose the Hard Rock Café, a tradition we used to do more often during city trips. It was easily accessible, the food was good, and the music was to our taste ;)

*Tip: always go inside and ask if there is room for X number of people with, in this case, a child in a wheelchair. With Lanah in view, who then waves very cutely, they usually make room. Very nice :)

🏔️ Main destination 1: Arabba

Until shortly after the Brenner Pass, we zoomed along the highway—nice and straight. Then we took the back roads, because, well, if you really want to get into the Dolomites, the navigation system says, “Have fun on the provincial roads!”

Fortunately, that has its charm too. You wind your way through picturesque villages, see laundry flapping in the breeze, and get a free mini regional experience while hoping that the navigation system doesn't suddenly say, “Take the next goat path on the left.”

Welcome to Arabba—a charming dot on the map in the province of Belluno, in the middle of a part of the Dolomites that is still unknown to us. A village so small that you drive through it three times before you realize you're already there. A village where the weather forecast is often changeable and where, of course, it's not very warm given the altitude. But oh, what a view!

Arabba is located at an altitude of 1,600 meters, nestled between two mountain passes: the Passo Campolongo and the Passo Pordoi. It has exactly what you need: a handful of bars, a few hotel restaurants, a pharmacy (always handy), a small supermarket, a chairlift, and a gondola lift. In short: compact, cozy, and just our thing.

And yes, our talent for booking places that are either on top of a mountain or in a village with 12 inhabitants remains unmatched.

Fun fact: Italy has 109 provinces spread over 20 regions—five of which are autonomous regions with extra rights. I'm glad that in geography class, I only had to remember the 12 provinces of the Netherlands. That was challenging enough.

*Tips: Prone to motion sickness? Take the wheel yourself! Then nausea turns into “just about bearable.”

See a speed limit on a mountain pass that you think only Formula 1 drivers can achieve? Just ignore it. Drive at a speed that keeps everyone in the car happy. Just don't forget: be kind to your brakes and treat your clutch like it's your best friend😉

Our stay

Unfortunately, our travel group was split between two hotels. When we called our friends' hotel, they didn't sound very reassuring: “We're not sure if the wheelchair will fit in the elevator...”

So we decided to play it safe and look elsewhere. The receptionist was helpful, asked questions, and enthusiastically recommended the Alpen Superior Suite. “But keep in mind,” she said, “the parents will sleep in the loft so that Lanah has space downstairs.”

It sounded like a plan, so we booked it!

Hotel Alpenrose ***s : Austrian and Italian charm mixed together, with friendly staff, cuisine worth coming back for, saunas, an elevator that actually works (yes, that's worth mentioning) and a parking garage. It's just a shame that our bus didn't fit in that garage... but hey, street parking also has its charm on streets with an average gradient of Rocky Mountains.

The room: large, cozy, and slightly acrobatic.

A suite for six people, spacious, cozy, with a view of the mountains, and no air conditioning. But with nineteen degrees during the day and cool nights, that's more of a wellness choice than a loss. The toilet wasn't adapted, but with some creative thinking—toilet seat reducer, improvised stool—we had a great system.

Until we came face to face with the stairs in the room. An architectural masterpiece that seems particularly suitable for people with an athletic past. It ended right at the foot of the bed, making the passage three centimeters too narrow for the wheelchair.

The collision: Limburg dialect at volume 10

Night two. Dark. Silence. Until mom, half asleep and at full speed, gets acquainted with the edge of the stairs. A moment later, colorful Limburg exclamations filled the room — loud enough to echo through the Dolomites.

Result: a bruised, swollen shin and a good story for breakfast.

After a visit to the pharmacy for some cooling ointment, the vacation continued as usual with a thick blue shin on the right and the existing heel spur on the left.

But hey, as we now know: a vacation without a little drama is like Tyrol without mountains — just not the same.

🚶‍♀️Activities

Marmolada – The Queen of the Dolomites 👑

Once you're in the area, you have to climb the Marmolada. At 3,342 meters, this mountain is literally and figuratively the highlight of the area. We chose the best day of the week for our gondola lift climb, because you want as much unobstructed view as possible once you get to the top. And honestly: the view is breathtaking. Amazing, this is why we come to the Dolomites!

Corvara

A relatively flat day hike (at least we thought so) along the foot of a mountain range towards a small waterfall. The route was easily passable, even with the Hippocampe. Out of breath? Yes! Worth it? Absolutely.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to visit the waterfall with Lanah, as it required following a very narrow path, full of boulders, uphill, for about 100 meters. Lanah didn't like it.

Ortisei

A day trip full of hairpin bends and views that will make your camera overheat. We drove past the Sassolungo (Mom's favorite), the Sella massif (this time from the other side), and over the Gardena Pass and Sella Pass. Every turn brought another “wow, stop for a photo!” moment.

Ortisei itself? Beautiful, but very touristy. The architecture is charming, the coffee shops tempting, and Lanah, of course, didn't say no to a lunch break. We deliberately skipped the famous Seceda lift and Seiser Alm lift — too crowded, too Instagram. We preferred peace and quiet, mountains, and fresh air without selfie sticks.

Porto Vescovo

This mountain is practically in Arabba's backyard — you can hike up or take the gondola for a lazy ride.

Mom and Lanah took two gondolas up, while Dad and the rest of the group decided to take on the challenge and hike up.

A hike of about 7 km over varied terrain.

We were sitting at the top, relaxing and enjoying the view with a snack and a drink, when the rest of the group reached the summit, exhausted ;)

Piz Boé

Pronounced ‘Pietz Beu’, at 3152 meters it is the highest peak in the Sella massif.

You can take the gondola up to enjoy the view and relax in the restaurant. The summit is not accessible by wheelchair, as it requires a strenuous, advanced hike. The mountain pass to and from it is also very worthwhile in our opinion.

The rest of the adventure

Dad went on two more days of strenuous hiking with the tour group (read: up the mountain, down the mountain, sweat, repeat). Mom and Lanah chose zen mode: strolling through the village, drinking coffee, and hitting the sauna when Dad returned. To be fair, that was also a top performance.

🍕Food/Drink

We ended up in several mountain huts, bars, and restaurants. Mountain huts are usually a bit more expensive and the quality is not necessarily very good. Small cafés and bakeries are always good for an espresso with a pastry, and restaurants are always a gamble unless recommended by locals. Google Maps with Street View is always very useful for viewing the entrance. Need more information? Calling is faster and clearer ;)

Hotel Restaurant Alpenrose

Here you can enjoy traditional Italian dishes, with a different menu every day. A nice warm, traditional alpine atmosphere. Ideal for a hearty meal after an active day. For the children, they make a dish of their choice on the spot, such as schnitzel or spaghetti. Lazy in our own hotel, wonderful!

Bar Peter

Located in the center of Arabba, Bar Peter is a cozy place where you can enjoy local specialties, various beers, and pizzas for all tastes.

It is reasonably priced and exudes ‘après-ski’ in winter. The main entrance was not accessible, but we were directed to the back entrance with a small ramp providing access to an outdoor terrace equipped with heaters.

Pizzeria 7 Sass

On the edge of the village, a gem you probably won't find on Instagram — and that's exactly its charm.

Upon entering, you might think, “Are we really going to eat here?” The decor screams “vintage brown café,” the smell betrays that people used to smoke inside (probably until last week), and your order is written down on a scrap of paper that seems to have already lived a lifetime.

But then the pizza arrives, and suddenly nothing else matters. The crust is perfect, the sauce is fresh, and the toppings are simple but delicious. The couple who run this place (probably since the 1960s, but no one dares to ask) do it with love. The locals drink their beer here after work, which is usually the best seal of approval a pizzeria can have.

Pico Café

Located in the center of Arabba, next to the church, near the Garnì Marilena. The café offers a modern and relaxed atmosphere with views of the Sella group. The menu also includes homemade cakes and paninis. We regularly enjoyed an espresso here before our walk or an aperitif in the evening.

🚗 Parking and on the road

Do you like hairpin bends and mountain passes? Then the Dolomites are the place for you. But forget Google Maps: it says you can get from village to village in 15 minutes, while a tourist on mountain roads is more likely to set a world record for ‘slow driving’.

Suffer from motion sickness? Drive yourself! That way, you might be less bothered by it. Although I have to admit that Mom still looked a little green behind the wheel...

Never take the same route twice! Never take the same road back. That way, you'll discover new panoramas, picturesque villages, and extra curves every time.

During our trips, we passed Col di Lana, through Canazei and over the Pordoi Pass, past the Sella Massif, Sassolungo, etc. – a real cocktail of bends and views. Beautiful!

Parking in small villages: usually no problem. There are always designated disabled parking spaces.

Larger towns are often a bit more difficult, sometimes there are only 2 disabled parking spaces out of 100 spaces. It's a matter of circling around or parking a little outside the center.

Parking at lifts or attractions: drive slowly to the entrance. The best spots for people with disabilities are often there. Bonus: you avoid unnecessary parking fees at those paid parking spaces with barriers.

♿ Tips for a wheelchair vacation in the Dolomites

Accessibility of the Dolomites:

• Less wheelchair-friendly than the Austrian Alps. Why? Narrower hiking trails, gravel paths with lots of rocks, very steep sections, busy roads between villages, so a little flexibility and a Hippocampe or sports wheelchair are useful.

• Most gondolas are large enough for a wheelchair.

• In ski areas, you will often see a 2-person gondola, a narrow, enclosed lift that resembles a ‘cocoon’. Wheelchairs do not fit in these.

• From the gondola, hiking trails to mountain huts and restaurants are often easy to navigate (gravel paths).

• Looking for a more adventurous hike? Then you will encounter narrow paths with boulders. Sometimes it's fine for 1 km, and then often there is an impassable section of 100 meters.

• If this is a short section, we are willing to carry the wheelchair. In these situations, Dad will go ahead and check whether the walk can be resumed after the impassable section.

• Ask the locals in hotels and B&Bs which routes are really suitable—they know the secret accessible gems.

• Want to be sure of a place in the restaurant? Make a reservation and mention the wheelchair.

• Always take something to eat and drink with you for the journey. Mountain huts are not always open, sometimes a walk (or car ride) takes longer than you think, and sometimes a sweet or a sip of drink helps against motion sickness.

• Bring spare tires and a pump for the wheelchairs.

• Do you use a vacuum-based seat cushion?

• Please note that differences in altitude create pressure differences in the seat cushion. It is therefore possible that you have shaped the seat cushion and pumped it up at the bottom of the mountain, but once you reach the top, the cushion is out of shape and no longer provides stability. We were not aware of this and experienced it on the Marmolada ;)

• Walking on bumpy paths does mean that you need to remain alert at all times to the sitting position and comfort of the person in the wheelchair.

• If necessary, adjust the sitting position in between, for example with an extra cushion, take an extra break, etc. During breaks, we always take Lanah out of the wheelchair and put her on our lap or on a blanket in the grass to change her position.

• Bring extra clothing so you can put on and take off layers.

• Bring a first aid kit. Mama works in healthcare , so don't even ask about the size of her first aid and medication kit... ;)

• In restaurants or on terraces, Lanah sits in different places:

- in the large wheelchair in the orthosis, provided you can bring it inside or there is space

on the outdoor terrace (most comfortable).

- on a (closed) bench with the stabilizer

- on a cushion in a chair with closed armrests (ask for extra cushions if necessary)

- simply on Mom or Dad's lap.

• European Disabled Parking Card: It's always handy to have a photo of it with you to show at the ticket offices of attractions and lifts.

• European Disability Card: In Germany, Austria, and Italy, they recognize this card, a passport for people with disabilities. Unfortunately, you can't get it in the Netherlands yet, but a little explanation works wonders; most ticket offices are cooperative.

The End – Part 1 of our journey

And that concludes the first chapter of our Dolomites adventures. From blue shins to golden views, from designer stairs with attitude to pizzas with personality — it was anything but boring.

Part 2 will follow soon, with even more mountains, stories, and probably a few more moments of “how did we end up here again?”.

So keep following us if you want to know how our Alpine adventures continue — because this was just the beginning!