Things to do in Dolomites
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Dolomites
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Hiking high season; busiest, book rifugi months ahead.
Quieter trails; September is often kinder in every way.
Ski season; Val Gardena and Alta Badia are the great ski valleys.
Shoulder: lifts closed, many hotels shut, trails snowbound or muddy.
Larch gold and empty trails; the last huts closing.
What's on
- Maratona dles Dolomites early July
The great road-cycling race over the passes; roads close.
- Christmas markets December
Bolzano and the valley towns.
Best things to do in Dolomites
Seceda
The jagged ridgeline by cable car; the Dolomites' great viewpoint.
Tre Cime di Lavaredo
The 10km circuit around the famous peaks; start early.
Lago di Braies
Emerald lake and boathouse; book parking, come in the morning.
Alpe di Siusi
Europe's largest high meadow; the gentle high day.
Lago di Sorapis
Milky-turquoise lake on a proper ascent; the colour is real.
Marmolada
The highest peak by cable car; WWI museum in the rock.
Val di Funes
The quiet valley; church of San Giovanni against the Geisler.
Cinque Torri
Five towers with WWI trenches between; chairlift up.
Where to stay in Dolomites
Val Gardena
a first base, car optional
Three villages on the bus network with cable cars to the high trails.
Alta Badia
food and spas
Central and sunny with the finest mountain dining.
Cortina d'Ampezzo
town life and the east
The most town-like town, with the Tre Cime and lakes in reach.
Val di Funes
quiet and photographs
The small valley with the Geisler views; for the slow week.
3 Peaks area
Tre Cime and Braies
Practical villages on the train line by the eastern trailheads.
A rifugio
one unforgettable night
Dinner as the light goes and the peaks at dawn; book direct, months ahead.
Think twice about
- Bolzano as a hiking base
Useful for arrival, but every mountain day becomes a long commute. Sleep in the valleys.
- Two bases on a short trip
Changing hotels costs most of a day. With fewer than five nights, stay put.
- A valley far from your trailheads
The valleys do not connect quickly. Pick the base for the walks you want.
Best restaurants in Dolomites
St. Hubertus
Three-star mountain cooking; book months ahead.
Tivoli
Cortina's starred dining room; the town's special dinner.
Rifugio Emilio Comici
The hut lunch at 2,153m; dumplings with a view.
Baita Sofie
Lunch on the Seceda ridge with the Odle behind.
Malga Geisler
The alm hut on the Munkel trail; the walker's reward.
Rifugio Averau
The famous hut terrace above Cortina.
Adlerkeller
Tyrolean classics in the Ortisei cellar.
La Siriola
Starred dining in San Cassiano; the refined evening.
Outdoor things to do in Dolomites
Sella Ronda
The four-pass circuit around the Sella; bike it or drive it.
Adolf Munkel Trail
Under the Geisler north faces; huts along the way.
Lago di Misurina
Lake with the Sorapis behind; Cadini viewpoint above.
Passo Pordoi
Cable car to 2,950m in four minutes; the easy high hit.
Best hotels in Dolomites
Adler Spa Resort Dolomiti
Ortisei's spa-hotel standard.
Alpina Dolomites
Design hotel above the meadow.
Hotel Touring
Good-value family hotel in Santa Cristina.
Rosa Alpina
San Cassiano's great hotel, home to St. Hubertus.
Hotel La Perla
The Corvara classic.
Cristallo
The grand Cortina hotel.
Hotel de la Poste
The historic centre hotel.
Valentinerhof
The valley's known stay.
Is Dolomites expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €85 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €200 a person |
| Splurge | €450 a person |
| No limits | €900 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Tre Cime di Lavaredo: a few days ahead
- Lago di Braies: a few days ahead
- Rifugio Locatelli: months ahead
- Adler Spa Resort Dolomiti: weeks ahead
- Alpina Dolomites: weeks ahead
- Rosa Alpina: weeks ahead
- Hotel La Perla: weeks ahead
- Cristallo: weeks ahead
- Rifugio nights in July and August: book direct with the hut, months ahead.
- St. Hubertus: book months ahead.
- Braies parking and the Auronzo road: reserve summer slots.
Is Dolomites safe?
- Weather changes fast and trails are exposed; check the forecast every morning and do not start a high walk after midday. Mountain rescue 118, general emergency 112.
Dolomites travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Braies at midday in August without a parking booking: you will be turned away.
- Valley restaurants with the view and the inflated menu; the hut lunches are better.
- Winter ski products sold for summer; the road circuit is the summer version.
Getting around Dolomites: public transport and more
- A car gives the most freedom; the mountain roads are winding, allow double the map time.
- Val Gardena's guest card covers the valley buses; Dobbiaco is on the rail line.
- Tre Cime and Braies parking is managed and must be booked in summer.
- Lifts run mid-June to late September and December to March.
Who Dolomites suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Dolomites your trip
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