May 2026 Newsletter

JGOOT Family Travel Newsletter – May 2026

Trentino, Italy – Family-Friendly Dolomites Without the Crowds

If your family wants the wow-factor of the Italian Alps without the chaos and pricing of the more famous Swiss mountain towns, May is the perfect time to look at Trentino.

Think emerald lakes, dramatic Dolomite peaks, cable cars to family-friendly hiking trails, little villages that still feel like actual villages, and enough pizza, gelato, and mountain huts to keep even reluctant teenage hikers cooperative.

Instead of chasing the busiest Dolomites hotspots like Cortina, we love building this trip around the Molveno + Andalo area in Trentino, near Lake Molveno and the Brenta Dolomites. It gives you the mountain magic, easier family logistics, and significantly better value.

Lake Molveno is one of those places that makes people stop talking when they first see it—clear turquoise water, mountains rising straight behind it, and walking paths, beaches, lifts, and playgrounds all built for families. It’s one of the smartest family bases in the Dolomites.

Getting There

Best airport options:

• Verona (VRN)

• Milan Bergamo (BGY)

• Venice (VCE)

• Milan Malpensa (MXP)

For JGOOT families, Verona is often the easiest sweet spot for convenience.

You’ll typically want a rental car here. This is one of those destinations where having your own wheels dramatically improves the trip and allows you to explore lakes, villages, and scenic mountain roads without train schedules controlling your day.

Reminder: pay for your rental car using your Chase Sapphire Preferred so you can take advantage of the excellent primary rental car coverage.

Also check Rakuten before booking—many rental car companies and third-party booking platforms like Priceline and Hotwire frequently offer extra points per dollar spent. Costco Travel and USAA can also be excellent for competitive rental car pricing.

Best Award Flight Redemptions

We found strong availability into Northern Italy from major East Coast and Midwest hubs using:

• Air France/KLM Flying Blue

• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

• Aeroplan

• Iberia Plus

Availability often starts around:

• 20,000–30,000 points each way in economy

• 45,000–60,000+ points each way in business depending on season

For positioning flights inside the U.S., don’t forget Southwest and Frontier can create major savings under Rule #1.

Cash fares to Milan and Verona in May are often surprisingly strong, especially from New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington, and Miami. We regularly see roundtrip fares under $650 if you stay flexible.

As always, run your redemption through the JGOOT Point Redemption Calculator and make sure you’re hitting our 2¢+ per point standard before transferring.

Where to Stay

Family-Friendly Base Option

Molveno / Andalo Area

This is the sweet spot.

You get lake access, lifts, hiking, easy family activities, and far less tourist congestion than the more famous Dolomite zones.

Great family hotel options:

• Ambiez Family & Nature Hotel – Andalo – true family hotel with kids’ clubs, family suites, indoor play areas, and strong access to lifts and village activities

• Hotel La Perla – Andalo – built specifically for families with children, including family rooms, children’s programming, and walkable access to town

• Alpino Family Hotel – Andalo – designed entirely around family travel with baby/toddler amenities, play spaces, and organized activities

Apartment rentals can also be excellent here for larger families and longer stays. Check British Airways connection to earn Avios on your stay! britishairways.com/content/the-british-airways-club/avios/collecting-avios/hotels/airbnb

What To Do

Trentino is at its best when the pace is slower. This is not a destination for rushing from landmark to landmark—it is a place for long lunches, scenic drives, mountain lifts, lakeside walks, and the kind of family travel where the setting itself becomes the highlight.

The ideal itinerary blends easy outdoor adventure with relaxed village time, giving families enough structure to feel memorable without turning the trip into an exhausting checklist.

Day 1: Arrival in Molveno + Evening on the Lake

After landing in Verona or Milan and making the drive north into Trentino, Molveno is the perfect first base. The village sits directly on the edge of Lake Molveno, with the dramatic Brenta Dolomites rising behind it, and it immediately gives that feeling of having arrived somewhere special.

Your first afternoon should be intentionally simple. Check in, take a walk along the lakeside promenade, and let everyone settle into the slower rhythm of the mountains. Families can rent pedal boats, stop for gelato by the water, or simply wander the village center before dinner.

An outdoor dinner overlooking the lake is the perfect introduction to the region—fresh pasta, local wine, mountain views, and the first reminder that Italy does not believe in rushing through meals.

Day 2: Molveno–Pradel Cable Car + Alpine Walking Trails

This is the signature mountain day and one of the best family experiences in the region.

Take the Molveno-Pradel Cable Car from the village up to Pradel, where wide-open views of the lake and surrounding peaks create the kind of scenery most people associate with postcards.

From here, families can enjoy easy panoramic walking trails rather than difficult summit hikes. The paths are manageable, the scenery is extraordinary, and there are plenty of opportunities to stop at mountain huts for lunch.

This is where the Dolomites become accessible for everyone—children can enjoy the open meadows and nature play areas, while parents still get the dramatic alpine experience they came for. A long lunch at a rifugio with polenta, fresh mountain cheeses, and homemade desserts is part of the day, not an interruption to it.

Day 3: Lake Molveno Beach Clubs + Slow Travel Day

One of the best decisions families can make in Europe is building in a slower day.

Spend this day around Lake Molveno, where the lake itself becomes the destination. Walk part of the lake circuit, rent kayaks or paddle boats, and enjoy the beach areas that make this such a uniquely family-friendly mountain destination.

Unlike many alpine towns that are beautiful but limited for children, Molveno is designed for families. Playgrounds, swimming areas, shaded walking paths, and relaxed cafés make it easy for everyone to enjoy the day without over-planning.

Often, these unstructured afternoons become the memories people talk about most later.

Day 4: Trento + Castello del Buonconsiglio

A day trip into Trento adds a completely different layer to the trip.

The city feels elegant and historic without the intensity of larger Italian destinations, making it ideal for families who want culture without the logistical stress. Walk the old town, explore its lively piazzas, and visit Castello del Buonconsiglio, one of the region’s most important castles.

It is an excellent weather backup day if mountain visibility is poor, but it also provides a welcome contrast to the lakes and hiking trails. Add a relaxed lunch in the historic center and, of course, a gelato stop for serious family research purposes.

Day 5: Scenic Lake-Hopping – Lago di Tovel or Lake Tenno

This is the postcard day.

A drive to either Lago di Tovel or Lake Tenno gives families another side of Trentino’s beauty. Both lakes are famous for their remarkable color—clear alpine water in shades that look edited even when they are not.

Pack a picnic, take an easy lakeside walk, and leave room for the kind of spontaneous stops that make road trips memorable: a roadside bakery, a quiet village café, or a scenic overlook you had not planned for.

This is the kind of day that feels effortless and still ends up being everyone’s favorite.

Day 6: Bolzano Extension + Family-Friendly Grand Finale

If your schedule allows, finishing with one elevated final night is a strong move.

We suggest ending in either Bolzano! The goal is one unforgettable final night, this give you the experience of staying in a castle while still keeping you close to family activities like the old town, cable car rides, and castle visits. Better for older kids and teens than toddlers, but it’s fantastic for that final “wow” moment.This final stop gives the trip a sense of occasion—beautiful surroundings, memorable dinners, and one last “wow” moment before flying home. For families, the goal is not just luxury, but choosing places where both parents and children feel like the trip is still designed for them.

https://www.castel-hoertenberg.com/it/

Food Worth Planning Around

This region is elite for family meals.

Order:

• canederli (bread dumplings)

• polenta dishes

• fresh mountain cheeses

• speck

• handmade pasta

• apple strudel

• local alpine pastries

This is one of those destinations where lunch on a terrace becomes part of the sightseeing.

Family Travel Tips

Europe Mountain Travel With Kids: Stop Overpacking

Families dramatically overpack for the Dolomites.

You do not need a full sporting goods store in your suitcase.

You need:

• good walking shoes

• layers

• one light waterproof jacket

• refillable water bottles

• a small daypack

• backup socks because children are somehow always standing directly in water

That’s it.

Remember: budget airlines like Frontier and European low-cost carriers reward light packing and punish emotional support luggage.

Team No Check wins again.

If you’re moving between multiple bases, every extra bag becomes a tax on your sanity.

Industry Trends

Secondary Airports Are Quietly Winning

Families are getting much better value by flying into the “wrong” airport.

For Trentino, everyone searches Venice and Milan first.

Smart travelers also check:

• Verona

• Bergamo

• Innsbruck

• Bologna

Sometimes the cheapest trip isn’t the cheapest destination—it’s the cheapest entry point.

This is Rule #1 in action. Go where the deals are. This matters even more in Europe where a 90-minute train can save hundreds per ticket.

Always search the region, not just the city.

Educational Opportunities

Bring the Dolomites Home Before You Go

Make the trip feel bigger before departure by giving kids ownership of the destination.

Try These:

1. Build Mountain Layers Experiment

Use graham crackers and frosting to demonstrate how mountain ranges form through pressure and shifting plates.

Graham Cracker Plate Tectonics

Simple, messy, and weirdly effective.

2. UNESCO Dolomites Short Documentary

Watch a short family-friendly documentary on why the Dolomites are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and what makes the rock formations unique.

It helps kids understand why these mountains look so dramatically different from others.

3. Italian Food Night

Make homemade polenta or pasta before the trip.

Children are dramatically more invested in destinations they can snack their way into understanding.

Which, honestly, also applies to adults.

Q&A

“Should we use points for hotels in Europe?”

Usually—only if it’s Hyatt.

This is where people drift off strategy.

Just because you can transfer points to Marriott or another hotel program does not mean you should.

For JGOOT families, Hyatt remains the strongest hotel transfer strategy because the redemption value is consistently stronger.

If the destination doesn’t have a good Hyatt option, we usually prefer:

• paying cash strategically

• using a strong, independent property

• saving transferable points for high-value flights

Do not burn flexible points for weak hotel redemptions just because it feels convenient, especially if European occupancy rules dictate more than one room. Yes, it can be tough to travel to Europe with kids because lodging gets complicated…but apartments (sometimes available through Booking.com with Rakuten) can help with the food budget and keep the family together.

Creativity is key! 

Remember: Earning points is every bit as important as redeeming them. Just because you can’t SPEND points on a hotel doesn’t mean you aren’t Jgoot-ing your trip. It just means you are feeding the points machine with an earning multiplier! 

And speaking of questions, don't forget - you get to ask us any questions you want on this month's LIVE Q&A session: May 18, 10am PT/1pm ET. Click here to join the livestream.

Happy Travels!

Julie, Anthony, and Katie

JGOOT Family Experts