December 8, 2026
Immaculate Conception
What this means for you
Bigger crowds are possible around the event.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
Traveling to Ortisei?
Enter your dates and see what NoStressTravel has for your exact stay.
📷 Michaela Böhm (Římáková) / Unsplash (Unsplash License)
Ortisei (Ladin: Urtijëi, German: St. Ulrich) is the main town of the Gardena Valley in South Tyrol, situated at 1,236 metres beneath the Sassolungo and the Odle peaks. It is a Ladin-speaking town: most locals speak Ladin at home, the language is taught in schools and heard on the streets. Wood carving has been practised here since the 17th century, and saints' figures, nativity scenes and toys from the valley have made their way to churches and homes around the world; the workshops in the pedestrian zone are still active today. What makes the town truly distinctive are the three cable cars departing from the very centre, each leading to a different mountain world: up to the Seceda ridge, to the tranquil meadows of Resciose, and to the Alpe di Siusi, the largest high-altitude alpine pasture in Europe.
December 8, 2026
What this means for you
Bigger crowds are possible around the event.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
December 25, 2026
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
December 26, 2026
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
January 1, 2027
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
January 6, 2027
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
April 25, 2027
What this means for you
Bigger crowds are possible around the event.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
May 1, 2027
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
June 2, 2027
What this means for you
Traffic and access changes are possible around the event.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
August 15, 2027
What this means for you
Closures of institutions and shops are possible on that date.
What to do
Check the current status before you arrive.
Everything you need for Ortisei in one place
Museo Gherdëina, housed in the House of Ladin Culture (Cësa di Ladins) in the pedestrian zone, has been preserving the history of the Gardena Valley since 1960. The majority of the collection consists of works by local woodcarvers from the 17th to the 19th century: saints, nativity scenes, and wooden toys for which the valley was renowned well beyond the Alps. Also on display are archaeological finds, fossils from the surrounding Dolomites, and a collection dedicated to Luis Trenker, a mountaineer and film director born in Ortisei. For anyone wishing to discover the Ladin valley, this is the best place to start.
Piazza Sant'Antonio is the heart of Ortisei, with a small Renaissance church of Sant'Antonio at the centre of the town's everyday life. From the square extends the pedestrian zone of Rezia Street, lined with shop windows and woodcarvers' workshops where statues, nativity scenes, and figurines are still crafted by hand to this day. This is also where you are most likely to hear Ladin, the language spoken at home by most locals — the greeting 'Bënunì te Gherdëina' means welcome to the Gardena Valley.
The Parish Church of Saint Ulrich was built in the late 18th century, dedicated to the same saint after whom the village takes its German name, St. Ulrich. The interior is a true gallery of local woodcarving: the statues of saints were crafted by artists from the valley itself, and the church shows what the craft for which Ortisei is renowned looked like when put to the service of the village. The main altar, old oil paintings, and painted windows are equally worth admiring.
On the Uhrerhof estate in the hamlet of Bulla (Pufels), at around 1,500 metres above the valley floor, there is a rose garden with more than 6,000 roses in around 250 varieties,…
See the day trip →
Furtaies are a Ladin sweet: a thin batter is poured through a funnel into hot oil in a spiral shape and fried until crispy, then typically served with lingonberry jam. In the Ladin valleys they have traditionally been associated with festive occasions.
Unlock access to see what else is worth trying.
Register for free and explore Ortisei.
