Intrepid’s Hiking the Dolomites itinerary does both. Rather than racing across northern Italy in search of every famous viewpoint, the trip originates from a single alpine village and explores the surrounding peaks one day hike at a time. All while someone else (in this case your Intrepid guide) worries about every logistical detail. It’s a refreshing approach when many outdoor itineraries mistake motion for adventure.

That’s where Intrepid earns its keep. For eight days, our small group of a dozen hikers called the wonderful Hotel Union in delightful Dobbiaco, Italy  home. We unpacked once, learned which post-hike restaurant served the best pizza, pasta, and tiramisu, and woke each morning knowing that our biggest decision was which pair of socks to wear and what delicious delicacy to indulge in at the fantastic breakfast buffet (hint: it starts with “pistachio” and ends in “cream”).

That consistency ended up being the itinerary’s greatest strength.

The Dolomites themselves hardly need introduction. Their pale limestone and serrated peaks rise forcefully from forests and flower-filled meadows, creating landscapes that look both impossibly rugged and invitingly pastoral. Having hiked some of the world’s greatest mountains, I can honestly say the Dolomites are among the most dramatic I’ve ever seen–like somebody blended Switzerland’s, Yosemite’s, and Patagonia’s good looks with better food.

One morning you’re hiking toward panoramic ridges overlooking (or circling) Tre Cime, the Dolomites’ signature mountainscape. The next you’re wandering through forests and meadows before stopping at one of the many Italian “rifugios” (aka a well-provisioned mountain lodges with fresh food) for lunch, homemade apple strudel, or a local cheese tasting. Along the way, I delighted in plucking fresh raspberries, mulberries, and blueberries from the vine. 

The hiking is moderately easy. Most days involve roughly four to six hours on well-maintained trails with steady climbs that leave your legs pleasantly tired instead of completely demolished. If you’re reasonably active and occasionally hike at home, you’ll probably do just fine logging around 20 miles over five days. If you’re looking for technical mountaineering or suffer-fests worthy of bragging rights, look elsewhere.

Personally, I appreciated the physical restraint. Adventure doesn’t always have to hurt to be memorable. And instead of navigating seasonal cable cars, unexpected trail closures, limited parking, oversold buses, the latest weather conditions, and multiple language barriers, you simply lace up your boots every morning and follow a local guide who handles everything else. It’s the difference between spending your vacation solving foreign logistics versus actually enjoying the scenery. 

That convenience is ultimately what you’re paying for, and in this case, I think it’s money well spent. 

Not everything is perfect, though. Heavy crowds resulted in a three hour bus and train delay one afternoon. The next one I found the explanatory lectures to be excessively frequent and disruptive to the natural flow of hiking, followed by a second train delay of 30 minutes. The third day resulted in yet another public transportation delay, leaving many guests frustrated (including our guide) with the lack of private transportation we expected from Intrepid.

Ultimately, if you dream of carrying your own pack hut-to-hut through remote alpine terrain, this isn’t that experience. You’ll sleep comfortably in the same hotel room each night instead of rotating mountain refuges. Likewise, serious hikers may wish for longer days or more ambitious elevation gains, not to mention the removal of a mid-week “free day” (which I really enjoyed) to rest from a not-so-difficult walk in the mountains. 

But Intrepid isn’t trying to attract those travelers. Instead, it beckons those seeking broader appeal–an active vacation that feels adventurous without ever becoming exhausting.

Sometimes the smartest travel decision isn’t choosing the most difficult destination or hardest trail. Sometimes it’s simply choosing a trip where somebody else worries about complex planning so you can focus on why you came in the first place. To walk through beautiful mountains. 

And maybe eat one more slice of apple strudel than you probably should.

Trip highlights: Stay all seven nights in Dobbiaco avoiding nightly hotel changes (plus the happening Hans Restaurant). Guided “moderate” hikes of no more than 4-7 miles per day under 1400 feet of elevation gain. Includes local guide, seven breakfasts, one picnic lunch, apple strudel tasting, cheese tasting, cable car ride, and roundtrip Venice airport transfers. 

Blake Snow contributes to fancy publications and Fortune 500 companies as a bodacious writer-for-hire and seasoned travel journalist to all seven continents. He lives in Provo, Utah with his wife, five children, and one ferocious chihuahua.