(CAMPING IN) KLAUSEN: A GOOD BASE TO EXPLORE THE DOLOMITES

AUGUST 2024

We accidentally ended up in Klausen/Chiusa on our Dolomites roadtrip. This originally wasn’t planned, but we had issues with our campervan and got it repaired in a garage in Klausen… Which wasn’t the worst thing that could’ve happened because Klausen is a very charming old town and you can even do some hikes from Klausen. The garage owners recommended campsite Gamp to us, which also was a great choice. In this blogpost I will try to give a small impression of Klausen and its surroundings.

Klausen

Klausen (Italian name: Chiusa) is one of the oldest towns of Italy and it has a beautiful historic, colorful and medieval style old town. It kind of reminded me of Salzburg, and you know I love Salzburg so it says something! The Monastero di Sabiona and the Branzoll Fortress tower over the city and the town is surrounded by vineyards, making it super picturesque. While we were waiting for our campervan to get repaired we explored the historical city center, the wood carving shops and the churches. In a little square we had pizza at Zum Hirschen, which was very tasty.

Campsite Gamp

Campsite Gamp is located a short walk from the center of Klausen, making it an ideal spot to stay. We paid about € 40 per night for our campervan and were able to enjoy all facilities. The showers were super clean, there is a little camping shop and even a swimming pool. There is an upper camping part and a ground level, the upper one has the best views over the monastery and fortress. The spots weren’t very big, but I would still recommend to stay here.

Alpe di Villandro/Villanderer Alm

Klausen is a good gateway if you want to do some hiking. The base of Alpe di Siusi and Seceda is only 20 minutes of driving from Klausen. But, even if you don’t have a car you can start your hiking adventure in Klausen. We took the public bus up to Alpe di Villandro, which is an alpine meadow with plenty of hikes. The bus takes you up until about 2000 meters and features a spectacular sight of Klausen and the vineyards while you make your way up. Because we were looking forward to having some sort of lunch we hiked down to Granpanorama Hotel Sambergerhof, where we enjoyed a cake buffet. The hike down only took 1 hour, but it was very steep so we definitely felt this the next day. I wish I had done more research on which hikes to do at Alpe di Villandro, because I think there are better hikes out there. Granpanorama Hotel Sambergerhof was a beautiful stop though and it offered amazing views over the mountain ranges.