Dolomites by Crosstrek

First of all, I would like to say that I will not be giving you a detailed description of all the places we visited and where we stayed, because, firstly, this information is publicly available and easy to find, and secondly, I think that preparing for the trip and searching for these places yourself can be a fun part of your own journey. And I wouldn't want to deprive you of that. I will always try to guide you, please do not expect exact GPS coordinates from me.

And now to the trip itself and a few other things that preceded it. 

We had been thinking about going to the Dolomites for a long time, so we decided at home that it could actually be a nice part of our summer vacation at Lake Garda in Italy, and we started planning the trip.

As the departure date was slowly approaching, we started talking at home, just out of boredom, about what our next car might be once our current XV had served its purpose, and since we are already "hooked," as they say, there was no doubt about the brand, but rather about the specific model. We thought about the Forester for a while, but in the end we decided that the size of our XV was actually enough for us, and the choice was clear. We decided that our next Subaru would be a Crosstrek.

And lo and behold, our local Subaru Liška Plzeň dealership had one available, and in the color we liked best, which was Sun Blaze Pearl.

All it took was a few emails and one phone call, and before we knew it, the deal was done and we were on our way to pick up our new Crosstrek. Thanks to the dealer's super-fast processing of all the paperwork, we knew that everything would be sorted out before our vacation, which made us look forward to the trip even more.

And without wanting to disparage our XV in any way, because, after all, it took us to many beautiful places that we probably wouldn't have been able to reach with a car of another brand, I can't avoid making certain comparisons in the following lines. But more on that later. Back to the vacation.

We wanted to sleep in our roof tent, partly because we enjoy this way of traveling, and partly because accommodation prices in this area are astronomical during the season, that is, if you manage to find a place to stay at all.

We didn't plan to drive all the way to Italy in one go, so we used the BezKempu app to choose one place to stay in the Czech Republic and the next day we set off via Dolní Dvořiště towards Austria. We arrived at Mondsee, where we spent our first and last night in a campsite during our trip south.

And here we have the first comparison between our former XV and the new Crosstrek. The comfort of the chassis and seats, combined with the soundproofing of the interior, is really noticeable compared to the previous generation. And the nickname from some reviews, Baby Outback, fits the new Crosstrek quite well.

After breakfast in Mondsee, Austria, we set off for the Dolomites. Our first stop was at Lago di Braies, a truly beautiful place known not only from Instagram photos, but also from TV series and movies. However, it should be noted that if you don't get up early, you will become part of a huge crowd of people who, just like you, have come to see the lake during the high season. But that's just how it is in places like this, and any sane person more or less expects it.

We found out from various sources that it is possible to park a short distance from the lake and spend the night there. We spent it in the P4 parking lot, paying €38 for access to the lake and a parking space, but the price also included a €15 voucher for local stalls. This can only be used for food and drink, not for souvenirs.

Later, however, we learned that we would have to pay the local bellboy another €15 for issuing a ticket that would raise the barrier at the exit. But what the heck, it won't ruin us, we said to ourselves. While setting up our tent, we got some info from our Czech neighbors in a camper van that if you arrive after 4 p.m., you can park for free, and if you leave within 24 hours, you pay €35 at the machine at the entrance.

Somehow, in a way that is still a mystery to us, it might be possible to save money by parking in the adjacent P3 parking lot, which is apparently for vehicles lower than 2.20 m. But thanks to some communication noise, we somehow missed that. Nevertheless, it might be possible to save a few euros that way. 

Our next journey took us through the Passo Gardena pass, the first part of which is a continuous climb with one tight bend after another, and the second, logically, a long and steep descent, so the driver has to concentrate on the road all the time and only has moments to enjoy all the beauty around him. Cars belonging to other travelers are parked in every possible and impossible place along the road, having stopped to either take a walk or snap a few photos.

And here we come to another comparison between the Crosstrek and the XV 1.6. In the past, we have driven the XV on a few mountain roads, including the ascent to Grossglockner, so we know how much the steep and continuous climb affected this weaker car. Especially when you're driving a car fully loaded with a tent on the roof. With the new e-boxer in the Crosstrek, there's no comparison.

The revs are completely calm, and at the lowest speeds, you can really feel the help of the electric motor. I mean, you can really feel it. It's not just because of the instrument panel, where you can see a clear and logically arranged display of the distribution of power from the engine and battery to the wheels, charging, and so on.

And if you think that you will miss the paddles under the steering wheel for downshifting when braking with the engine on long descents, because that was actually the only scenario in which I personally used them, don't worry, you won't. Just put the gear selector in the "L" position and the engine will shift down to lower virtual gears on its own, so you can take your foot off the brake pedal. But enough with the technical details. Just put the gear selector in the "L" position and the engine will shift down to lower virtual gears on its own, giving the brake pedal a break. But enough of the technical details, let's move on.

We continued on to another place to spend the night, which we found in the park4night app and which was just below a place called Passo Giau. The place was a short distance from the road and yet completely quiet. Besides us, about five other crews gradually arrived, mostly with camper vans, but everyone was completely calm and polite. We were already quite high up in the mountains, so during the afternoon and evening, rain alternated with sunshine several times, and the temperature differences were perhaps as much as 20 degrees. However, it is a sheltered spot, so the tent hardly moved. But be aware that temperatures can drop quite sharply at night. At the end of July, we only had about 3 degrees.

We had breakfast in the morning, then went for a walk to Passo Giau, took a few photos, and continued through more beautiful mountain passes to the town of Ortisei, which was to be the starting point for our last trip this year to see the beauty of the Dolomites. We spent the night about a 15-minute drive from the town, at a spot we found again in the park4night app. It was another spot close to the road, but nicely hidden in the woods. We didn't have much choice, as it was the only place far and wide where we could sleep peacefully without the threat of a fine from the local police. During the evening, two more crews from France and one from Belgium joined us, so at least we didn't have to worry about any unexpected visitors during the night. Since we were the first to arrive, we took the flattest spot, so we offered the French our leveling ramps, which immediately broke the ice. We exchanged a few words with them, heated up our dinner, and went to sleep.

We wanted to get up as early as possible so we could leave early.

The last and, dare I say, for me personally the most beautiful place we visited in the Dolomites this year was Seceda. If you don't know this place even from photographs, drop everything and go google it immediately. But I guarantee you that if this scenery catches your eye in photographs, it will take your breath away in real life. From one side, it may appear to be a beautifully colored mountain meadow leading up the hill, which you can see plenty of in this part of the country, but when you walk a few steps and look from a different angle, you will see something incredible. The aforementioned mountain meadow on the approaching side suddenly breaks off and is followed only by steep cliffs, the height of which I dare not even guess. In short, it is a feast for the eyes that is difficult to describe, believe me...

Of course, each of us may see it a little differently, and some might argue that

there are even more beautiful places in the Dolomites, with higher rocks, steeper cliffs, and who knows what else, and they would be right, but for us it was the best possible end to our journey across the Dolomites.

A few more important tips for you.

We definitely recommend arriving at 8:30 a.m. when the cable car and the parking lot right next to it open. We arrived at 8:45 a.m. and barely managed to park. The spaces in the covered garages are quite small, but it's doable.

There are several cable cars leading to Seceda, but only the one from Ortisei will take you comfortably to the top.

We paid €45 per person for a return ticket, which is actually two consecutive cable cars. The first, smaller cabin takes you from Ortisei to the Furnes intermediate station, and the second, more reminiscent of a bus on cables, takes you almost to the very top of Seceda. From there, it's about a 15-minute walk uphill to the most amazing place we had the opportunity to see in the Dolomites this year.

Of course, you can also walk from the intermediate station, or even directly from Ortisei, but the journey will take a lot of energy. It is said to be about a five-hour walk, but I would say it will be even longer. And what's more, with a huge elevation gain.

What else can I say in conclusion? Perhaps only that we were lucky with our fellow campers at the sites we found on park4night, so everything always went smoothly, calmly, and in a friendly atmosphere. This way of spending your vacation and sleeping "in the wild" probably attracts like-minded people, meaning people with at least a basic relationship with nature and decency. Although, of course, you can also come across some idiots. You know how it is...

But let's not end on such a negative note... The new Crosstrek has been a tremendous help and, above all, a joy to us.

It's a car that's a real pleasure to drive. A reliable, smart, and safe car that we haven't found a single fault with so far. Although we tend to avoid highway driving, the new Crosstrek handles it better than the XV and pampers its passengers while driving. This also applies, of course, when driving on country roads, which the Crosstrek loves, and when driving off-road. But that has never been a problem with our Japanese brand cars.

We are glad that we were able to try out all possible scenarios for its operation so soon after taking delivery of our new car, and that it performed excellently in all situations.

And finally, if you can, travel, discover new places, taste the local cuisine, and be considerate to each other, not only on the road and off the road.

Good vibes only...

You can find a shortened and slightly edited version on the website of Subaru's Czech representative, specifically here.