Selva di Val Gardena:Ski resort, Sellaronda and where to stay

What is Selva like?

Selva di Val Gardena is the highest village in Val Gardena, in South Tyrol, at 1,563 m. The valley is trilingual: Selva is Wolkenstein in Gröden in German and Sëlva in Ladin, the old language of the Dolomite valleys, which is still taught in the schools here alongside German and Italian.

It sits at the head of the valley, below the Sella massif, with the Puez group, the Cir peaks and the Sassolungo around it, all part of the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites. Of the valley's three villages it is the largest by area. The ruins of Wolkenstein Castle stand above the village, the parish church is Maria Himmelfahrt, and the chapel of St. Sylvester is out in the Vallunga, the long side valley that runs north-east from Selva into the Puez–Odle Nature Park.

Selva suits you if skiing comes first and you want the Sellaronda from the door. If you want a town with a pedestrian centre, Ortisei is further down the valley.

Skiing in Selva

Selva is on the Val Gardena/Alpe di Siusi ski area, part of Dolomiti Superski. The tourist office counts 500 km of directly connected slopes on one pass, and Dolomiti Superski as a whole has 1,200 km of slopes, 450 lifts and 12 ski areas. For 2026/27 the Val Gardena lifts are due to open from 4 December 2026 to 4 April 2027, subject to change.

Two gondolas leave the village. The Ciampinoi gondola climbs to the top of the Saslong. The Dantercepies gondola goes the other way, up towards the Passo Gardena, and its top station is at about 2,300 m. The tourist office calls Selva the ideal starting point for the Sellaronda.

Selva Val Gardena ski area

The tourist office groups Selva's lifts in three sectors. Dantercepies, above the village on the Passo Gardena side, has the two Dantercepies gondolas, the Cir and Costabella chairlifts and a cluster of drag lifts close to the village, including the Nives lift. Plan de Gralba has the Piz Sella cable car, the Piz Seteur gondolas and a set of chairlifts including the Gran Paradiso and the two Comici lifts. The Passo Sella sector has the Sasso Levante chairlift.

Three of the valley's best-known runs come down to or near Selva. The Saslong, the World Cup men's speed course, is 3,750 m long with a vertical drop of 830 m and finishes at Ruacia. Ciampinoi No. 3 runs 2,380 m from the Ciampinoi gondola's top station through the forest to Selva, dropping 677 m. The Cir run, the old women's downhill at Dantercepies, is 2,750 m long with a drop of 675 m.

Over the Passo Gardena the lifts carry on to Colfosco in Alta Badia. The other way, from Ciampinoi you reach the rest of Val Gardena, across to the Seceda above Ortisei, and the tourist office publishes a day circuit, the Val Gardena Ronda, which from Selva runs Dantercepies, Ciampinoi, Piz Sella, Monte Pana, Saltria by ski bus, Punta d'Oro, Monte Piz, Sanon and down the Pilat run.

The Sellaronda from Selva

The Sellaronda is a circuit round the Sella group. Val Gardena's tourist office gives it as 44 km, 23 km of it on skis and 21 km by lift; Alta Badia's counts about 40 km, depending on the route. It crosses four passes, the Passo Gardena, Passo Campolongo, Passo Pordoi and Passo Sella, and you can ski it either way: orange signs lead clockwise, green anticlockwise. From Selva, the Passo Gardena and Alta Badia are one way round, the Passo Sella the other.

You need the Dolomiti Superski pass for it; a Val Gardena pass will not do. The tourist office says skiers of average ability can manage it, but should set off by 10:00 at the latest to finish before the lifts close.

Selva Val Gardena piste map

The tourist office publishes a Val Gardena and Alpe di Siusi lift map and a separate Sellaronda map, both as PDFs. Its open lifts page lists every Selva lift by sector and shows what is running on the day.

Selva Val Gardena lift pass

You can buy a pass for Val Gardena/Alpe di Siusi alone, or the Dolomiti Superski pass, which covers all 12 ski areas on one card, including the Sellaronda and Alta Badia. Prices depend on dates and length of stay, so we do not quote them: the tourist office's ski pass price calculator gives the current figures and sells passes online.

Selva Val Gardena ski hire

The tourist office lists several rental shops in Selva. Intersport Rent Nives, at Streda Mëisules 164, rents skis and snowboards, including children's skis, delivers equipment to your accommodation and has a sports shop; its winter hours run from 1 December 2026 to 6 April 2027. The Ski & Snowboard School 2000 also runs a rental shop.

Ski school in Selva

The Ski- & Snowboardschool Selva Gardena, founded in 1937, is the oldest ski school in Val Gardena and says it is the largest in South Tyrol. It is based at the Nives lift and teaches skiing, snowboarding, telemark, cross-country, freeride and freestyle, in private lessons and in group courses for adults and children; for 2026/27 it is open daily from 1 December to 6 April. The Ski & Snowboard School 2000, on Streda Mëisules, runs private lessons, group lessons and full-day Dolomites outings with an instructor for 2026/27.

Where to stay

Selva has hotels, apartments and B&Bs; the tourist office's accommodation search for Selva lists what is available. The main choice is which end of the village. Near the Ciampinoi gondola you are on the Saslong side; near the Dantercepies gondola and the Nives lift you are closer to the short drag lifts and the way to Alta Badia.

Selva Val Gardena hotels

Hotel Solaia, on Streda Nives, sits beside the slope with an indoor pool and sauna. Two hotels hold the village's Michelin-starred restaurants: the Alpenroyal Grand Hotel and Hotel Tyrol.

Selva Val Gardena apartments

The tourist office lists holiday apartments in Selva open all year, with full kitchens; its apartments page searches them by date.

Selva for families

The Dantercepies sector has a run of short drag lifts near the village, among them Biancaneve and Larciunei, plus a moving carpet, and the main ski school's base is at the Nives lift. Val Gardena's ski schools run children's courses.

Families get special offers at establishments marked with a teddy bear, and from 13 March 2027 the SpringSkiing Val Gardena Family scheme gives advantages on accommodation, ski passes, ski hire and children's lessons. Children staying with member accommodation get a birthday present at the tourist office.

Things to do in Selva

The Vallunga is the walk out of the village: it starts 15 to 20 minutes on foot from the parish church, and in winter it has short beginner loops, a 5 km red training trail and a 10 km route through the valley, as well as snowshoe routes. Val Gardena has more than 133 km of cross-country trails in all.

The tourist office's village tour, an 8.7 km walk of about two and a half hours, starts at the Selva tourist office and passes Wolkenstein Castle, Fischburg Castle, the St. Sylvester chapel and the mouth of the Vallunga. It notes the walk works in the rain too.

Eating and drinking

Selva Val Gardena restaurants

Selva has two of Val Gardena's three Michelin-starred restaurants for 2026. Alpenroyal Gourmet, at the Alpenroyal Grand Hotel, has one star under chef Mario Porcelli. Suinsom, at Hotel Tyrol, has one star under chef Alessandro Martellini.

Lower down the scale, Speckkeller on Streda Mëisules serves South Tyrolean dishes, with pork knuckle on Wednesday evenings and ribs on Fridays; it opens from 16:00 to midnight, Monday to Saturday, in winter 2026/27. Ciastel de Val, on Streda Val, serves Ladin dishes and homemade cakes, open daily from 08:00 to 22:00 from 5 December 2026 to 4 April 2027.

On the mountain, the Dantercepies Mountain Lounge Hut is at about 2,300 m at the top of the Dantercepies gondola, serving Tyrolean dishes, open from 4 December 2026 to 4 April 2027. The tourist office counts more than 60 mountain huts across the Val Gardena ski area.

Selva in summer

The summer lifts run for summer 2026: the Dantercepies gondolas from 12 June to 4 October, the Piz Seteur gondola and Gran Paradiso chairlift at Plan de Gralba from 11 June to 4 October, and the Forcella Sassolungo gondola at the Passo Sella from 30 May to 11 October. The Vallunga is walking country in summer, and the tourist office's Excursion Selva – Ciampinoi – Passo Sella starts in Selva and climbs on foot to Ciampinoi. Selva also hosts the HERO Südtirol Dolomites mountain bike event.

How to get to Selva

By car, leave the A22 Brenner motorway at Chiusa/Klausen and follow the SS242D up Val Gardena. Selva is 32 km from the exit, the furthest of the three villages; Ortisei is at 20 km. From the south, leave at Bolzano Nord and follow the SS242 via Ponte Gardena.

By train, the nearest station is Ponte Gardena, 18 km from the valley; Chiusa, Bressanone and Bolzano also work. Bus 350 runs from Bolzano, Ponte Gardena and Bressanone into Val Gardena. Many hotels give you the Val Gardena Guest Pass, which covers public transport in South Tyrol during your stay, including on arrival and departure days.

Bolzano airport, 40 km away, is the nearest, with SkyAlps flights from London among other cities. Verona is 190 km away, and Venice and Bergamo about 270 km.

Innsbruck to Selva Val Gardena

Innsbruck airport is 120 km from Val Gardena, over the Brenner Pass and down the A22 to the Chiusa exit, then up the valley to Selva. The tourist office warns that maintenance on the Lueg bridge, on the Austrian Brenner motorway south of Innsbruck, limits traffic to one lane in each direction, so allow extra time.

Weather, snow and webcams

Selva is at 1,563 m and the Dantercepies top station is at about 2,300 m, so check the top as well as the village. The tourist office runs all three feeds.

• Selva Val Gardena webcams (tourist office)
• Selva Val Gardena weather (tourist office)
• Selva Val Gardena snow report and open slopes (tourist office)

When to visit Selva

For 2026/27, the Val Gardena lifts are due to run from 4 December 2026 to 4 April 2027. The family scheme starts on 13 March 2027. In summer 2026, the Selva lifts ran from late May or June to early or mid October.

Selva vs Ortisei

Same valley, same pass, different bases.

Choose Selva if you plan to ski the Sellaronda, or reach Alta Badia, more than once, and want to start from the door.

Choose Ortisei if you want a town with shops, the Alpe di Siusi for beginners and a shorter drive from the motorway.

What's nearby

• Ortisei

  The main village of Val Gardena, with a pedestrian centre; lift-linked to Selva via Ciampinoi and the Seceda.

• Santa Cristina

  The middle village of Val Gardena, between Selva and Ortisei, with Monte Pana above it.

• Colfosco

  Alta Badia village on the other side of the Passo Gardena, linked to the Dantercepies area by lift.

• Corvara

  Alta Badia's main village, on the Sellaronda.

• San Cassiano

  Alta Badia village on the Dolomiti Superski pass, beyond Corvara.