Hi !
My wife, son and me are planning a trip in the Eastern Alps, without reserving anything in advance, just popping from campsites to campsites.
One of the destinations I'd like to take us is the Dolomites, I've been there briefly a year ago and I am aware it is packed with tourists.
The question is, do we have a chance to find any free space in the campsites of the regions while arriving without any booking ?
More generally, I'm open to all suggestions of campsites where it might be a little further than the touristic hotspots, near the Dolomites but also other regions in the Eastern Alps where it may be worth hiking.
Thanks !

Hi,
the Dolomites are always very popular, especially between the end of July and the end of August. If you plan your trip in September there is no problem, but in the middle of summer you could find a bit crowded campsites, particularly in the Cortina area and Val di Fassa. Less crowded areas are the Adamello-Brenta Nature Park, but there are also fewer campsites, and the Bellunesi Dolomites. However, do not despair, the place for a tent almost always can be found. Have a good trip in the wonderful Dolomites and enjoy yourself!

I rarely make reservations in the Dolomites; I just show up. In fact, I usually do that wherever I travel, with or without a tent. Provided you're flexible (and in rare occasions willing to pay a bit more), it works fine, and gives me the flexibility to come and go whenever I please. Having camping gear gives me even more flexibility, but it also adds weight, so it depends on the trip whether I bring it. The last few years I did.

If I arrive in a town early enough, my first stop is the local tourist info. They know what's available, and when they offer some sort of accommodation that I like, they'll call to check if they have a place for me.
If I arrive later, then I just go to a campground, B&B, hotel, or even just the first bar that I see. If I like the place but they don't have a place to stay for me, I ask if they can recommend something, and almost always they do, and often they make a phone call too, saving me the trouble of hiking across town only to find the place full.

Obviously I can't say if your family would appreciate it when you arrive somewhere, tired perhaps, and still have to spend time to find a place to stay, be it a campsite or some other type of accommodation.

By the way, the high season this year is from 25 July to 20 August.

Thanks for your answers. I usually like to travel the way you describe, showing up and that's all. But with a child, the strategy is different and I'd like to know that when I arrive something is waiting
If any of you have some unusual, small, or out of the way, good campsites to recommend go ahead. It doesn't have to be just on the foot of mountains. Pretty random countryside is also fine.

Hi Visentin,

During July/high season I have stayed in tent at the campgrounds in:
* Canazei (near roundabout at SE end of town)
* Pozza di Fassa (2 km E of town)
* Fiames (3 km north of Cortina)

We always managed to get room for a small tent.

None of these campgronds are small or out of the way, but they were all close to very interesting peaks. Canazei is close to a road. The other two are more quiet.

Have a great trip.

A small one that I recommend is Löwenhof on the outskirts of Brixen / Bressanone, just west of the Dolomites. I found the staff friendly and helpful. When you get there you don't see much of it because it's mostly behind the hotel and restaurant by the same name.

I showed up unannounced, right in the middle of the the high season, and ended up staying there for a week. Some days I started hiking right from the site, on other occasions I would take a bus to a trailhead. Most of the campers were just passing through, staying for one or two days, and people showed up without reservation regularly while I was there.