Why go
The Dolomites are pale limestone towers rising straight out of green meadows, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2009 and the most dramatic mountain scenery in Italy. What sets them apart from the Rockies is access: lifts, marked trails and staffed mountain huts put high, wild country within reach of ordinary walkers, and you finish the day with strudel on a hut terrace.
The range spreads across three regions. South Tyrol (Alto Adige, or Südtirol), which belonged to Austria until 1919, is mostly German-speaking, with tidy villages, Austrian-style food and every place name in two or three languages. Trentino is Italian-speaking, and Cortina d'Ampezzo sits in the Veneto. In Val Gardena, Val Badia, Val di Fassa, Livinallongo and Ampezzo people also speak Ladin, an old Romance language. Signs read Ortisei / St. Ulrich / Urtijëi, and that is normal.
Different from home
There are no US-style national park gates or entry fees for the mountains themselves. Most trails are free. Costs come from lifts, parking, toll roads and huts, and since 2025 several hot spots have added booking systems to manage crowds.
Where to base yourself
Val Gardena
The most popular all-round base, with lifts to Seceda, the Alpe di Siusi meadows and the Sella Ronda ski circuit. Ortisei has the liveliest town center and woodcarving shops. Buses link it to Bolzano in about an hour.
Alta Badia
Ladin villages under the Sassongher and Sella, gentle wide slopes, and some of Italy's most ambitious mountain restaurants. Good for families and food lovers.
Cortina d'Ampezzo
The glamorous one: a real town with boutiques, an evening passeggiata and Olympic venues. Closest base to the Tre Cime, Cinque Torri and Lago di Sorapis. Prices run high.
Alta Pusteria
On a rail line, near Lake Braies and the north side of the Tre Cime, with a cycle path down toward Austria. Quieter and often cheaper.
Val di Fassa
Under the Marmolada, the highest peak at 10,968 feet (3,343 m), with access to the Sella Ronda and the Catinaccio (Rosengarten) group.
Bolzano
The regional capital and rail hub, with arcaded streets, a daily fruit market and Ötzi the Iceman. Good for a first or last night, or for travelers without a car.
For a first summer trip, pick two bases: Val Gardena or Alta Badia for three or four nights, then Cortina or Alta Pusteria for the Tre Cime and Braies. See Planning your trip for fitting this in after Venice or Verona and Lake Garda.
Getting there and getting around
Arriving
- Bolzano by train: high-speed and EuroCity trains on the Brenner line take about 1 hour 30 minutes from Verona and about 3 hours from Milan or Venice (changing in Verona). From Bolzano, buses climb to Val Gardena and Val di Fassa.
- Pusteria valley by train: change at Fortezza for Brunico, Dobbiaco and San Candido.
- Cortina: no train. Seasonal express buses run from Venice airport and Mestre in about 2 hours, and local buses connect from the Calalzo rail station in about an hour.
- Airports: Venice Marco Polo, Verona and Innsbruck (Austria) are the usual choices. See Flights.
Buses and guest cards
South Tyrol's public buses are good, frequent in summer and timed to meet trains. Timetables are on südtirolmobil. Many hotels in South Tyrol give guests a free card covering local buses and regional trains for the length of the stay; ask when you book. In the Veneto, Dolomitibus runs summer lines around Cortina, Auronzo and Misurina.
Driving
A car gives you freedom between valleys, but the famous passes (Sella, Gardena, Pordoi, Falzarego, Giau) are narrow, steep and jammed with traffic and motorcycles at midday in July and August. Mountain-village parking is paid and fills early. From November 15 to April 15, many roads require winter tires or chains on board. See Driving in Italy.
Insider tip
Cross the big passes before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m., and use the bus for days when you start and end a hike in different places. A one-way hike back to a bus stop beats retracing your steps to the car.
Booking rules at the busiest spots
Social media turned a few viewpoints into traffic jams, and in 2025 and 2026 local authorities responded with booking systems and higher prices. Rules have changed every year, so check the official links the week you go.
Seceda (Val Gardena)
The Seceda ridge, with its tilted grassy slab and the jagged Odle peaks, is reached by lift from Ortisei. From May 22, 2026, lift tickets are sold only online with a fixed time slot, and the round trip rose to €74 (about $83) from €52 the year before. In summer 2025, landowners put a paid turnstile on a popular trail across their pastures; the provincial government had it removed because the path is on park land, and rangers now patrol, redirect walkers and fine people who leave the trail or litter.
Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Drei Zinnen)
The three towers are the symbol of the Dolomites. The toll road from near Lake Misurina climbs about 4 miles (6 km) to the Rifugio Auronzo car park at 7,654 feet (2,333 m). For 2026 it reopened on May 23 with mandatory online booking for every vehicle through auronzo.info.
| Vehicle | 2026 toll |
|---|---|
| Car | €40 (about $45) |
| Motorcycle | €26 (about $29) |
| Camper or caravan | €60 (about $67) |
You choose a day and time slot, and the ticket is valid for 12 hours from your entry time. You can add or change the license plate until 11:59 p.m. the day before, useful if you pick up a rental car on arrival. The road closes for snow, and the booking season ends in fall; the park's customer service is on +39 345 1607 497 (daily 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Thursdays). Without a car, take Shuttle 444 from Dobbiaco (also booked in advance) or summer Dolomitibus buses from Cortina and Auronzo. Walking in is free from Misurina, Val Fiscalina near Sesto or Landro near Dobbiaco.
The loop around the towers from Rifugio Auronzo, via Rifugio Lavaredo and Rifugio Locatelli, is about 6 miles (10 km) and takes 3–4 hours with modest climbing. It is busy; start before 8 a.m.
Lake Braies (Pragser Wildsee)
The emerald lake with its wooden rowboats is reached by a single valley road that is restricted in high summer. In recent summers (July 1 to September 15 in 2025, and again through September 15 in 2026), cars could enter from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. only with a booked day-stay ticket: €40 (about $45), which includes a reserved space at the P4 car park and a €16 meal voucher. Campers, coaches and vehicles over about 6.5 feet (2 m) high cannot book. Cancellation is free up to three days ahead. Bookings for 2027 are due to open in May 2027 on the official Braies parking site.
Outside the restricted hours or season you can drive in and pay to park. Public buses run up the valley from Dobbiaco and Brunico; in peak season seats on these buses have also needed booking, so check südtirolmobil. The walk around the lake is about 2.2 miles (3.5 km), flat and about an hour; arrive at sunrise for the photo without the crowds.
Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm)
Europe's largest high-altitude meadow. The road up from Siusi is closed to private cars during the day while the lifts run, except for guests of hotels on the plateau with a permit. Take the cable car from Siusi or the gondola from Ortisei instead.
Watch out
Drone flying, camping and fires are banned or tightly restricted in the nature parks, and parking on road shoulders near trailheads is fined. Stay on marked trails through pastures; mown hay is the farmers' livelihood.
Hiking and the mountain huts
Trails are marked with red-and-white paint and numbered on signposts that give walking times, not distances. Times are realistic for fit walkers; add 25 percent if you stop for photos. Tabacco 1:25,000 maps are the standard paper maps, and most huts sell them.
The rifugi
A rifugio (mountain hut, Hütte in German) is a staffed lodge serving hot meals by day and offering dorms or private rooms at night. Most open from mid- or late June to late September, with some open into October and a few for the ski season; each sets its own dates, which depend on snow.
- Book July and August nights months ahead, by email or the hut's website. Popular routes such as the Alta Via 1 fill early in the year.
- Half board (mezza pensione: dinner, bed, breakfast) is the norm; budget roughly what a modest hotel costs, per person.
- Bring a sleeping-bag liner, which is required; huts provide blankets or duvets.
- Carry cash. Many huts take cards now, but connections fail at altitude.
- Showers, if any, are short and sometimes cost extra. Earplugs help in dorms.
- Members of the Italian Alpine Club (CAI) or partner clubs get discounts.
Classic hikes
Seceda ridge
Lift up, walk the ridge, then descend through the Cisles meadows past huts to Col Raiser and lift down to Santa Cristina.
Tre Cime loop
The most famous circuit in the range, with three huts on the way.
Lago di Sorapis
A milky turquoise lake under a cirque, reached by a narrow trail with cables in places. Crowded midday; the roadside parking at Passo Tre Croci fills early.
Cinque Torri
Five rock towers with World War I trenches restored as an open-air museum, reached by chairlift.
Alta Via 1
The classic hut-to-hut trek, about 75 miles (120 km) north to south, with no technical climbing on the main route.
Via ferrata routes (iron paths with fixed cables and ladders, many built in World War I) need a harness, lanyards and helmet, which you can rent in towns, and a guide if you are new to them.
Watch out
Summer thunderstorms build most afternoons; be off exposed ridges by 2 p.m. It can snow at 8,000 feet (2,400 m) in August, and temperatures drop to the 40s°F (5–9°C) even when the valley is in the 80s°F (27–30°C). Call 112 for mountain rescue. Rescue helicopters may bill for call-outs that turn out not to be emergencies, so carry insurance that covers mountain rescue. See Safety and The outdoors.
Summer lifts and passes
Summer lifts generally run from early or mid-June to mid-September or early October, with dates varying by valley and lift. Single rides add up fast at the busiest lifts, as the Seceda price shows. Multi-day summer lift passes, such as the regional Dolomiti Supersummer card and valley passes in Val Gardena and Alta Badia, can cut the cost if you ride several lifts a day. Some hotels include a lift pass in the rate in early and late summer. Check each lift company's dates before you plan, since the shoulder weeks in June and September are when lifts close for maintenance.
Save money
Use lifts to gain height and walk down instead of riding both ways, or pick hikes that start from a pass. A one-way ticket usually costs well under a round trip.
Skiing and Dolomiti Superski
The Dolomiti Superski pass covers 12 ski areas with about 1,200 km (745 miles) of slopes and roughly 450 lifts on one ticket, one of the largest ski networks in the world. The season usually opens in late November or early December and runs to early or mid-April.
| 2026/27 pass (high season, adult) | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 day | €89 (about $100) |
| 6 days | €453 (about $507) |
| Season pass (presale) | €990 (about $1,109) |
| Dolomiti Superski Family, per day | €43 (about $48) |
Prices are lower outside the high-season weeks, and children and seniors get discounts; check the calendar and buy at dolomitisuperski.com. The Family pass can be bought online for the first time this winter. New lifts for 2026/27 include gondolas at Kronplatz, Versciaco and Buffaure.
The Sella Ronda
A ski circuit around the Sella massif linking Val Gardena, Alta Badia, Arabba and Val di Fassa across four passes, about 25 miles (40 km) including lifts. Signs mark it clockwise (orange) or counterclockwise (green). Confident intermediates can do it in a day; start by 10 a.m. and keep an eye on the last lifts back to your valley, or you face a long taxi ride. The longer Great War ski tour links in the Lagazuoi and Cinque Torri.
Different from home
Since 2022, Italian law requires skiers on the slopes to carry third-party liability insurance; you can add it to your lift pass for a few euros a day. Helmets are compulsory for skiers under 18. Lift passes are much cheaper than at big US resorts, and ski-in huts serve proper lunches with wine.
The 2026 Olympics legacy
The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics ran from February 6 to 22, 2026, followed by the Paralympics in March. Cortina hosted women's alpine skiing on the Tofane, curling and the sliding events on a rebuilt bobsled track; Anterselva in the Pusteria valley hosted biathlon; and Val di Fiemme in Trentino hosted cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The closing ceremony was in Verona's Arena.
For visitors, the legacy is renewed lifts and venues, upgraded roads around Cortina and some new hotels. Expect Cortina to keep its higher post-Olympic prices, and look for events and World Cup races at the Olympic venues.
Bolzano and South Tyrol
Bolzano (Bozen) is worth a night. The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology holds Ötzi, the 5,300-year-old Iceman found in a glacier in 1991, with his clothes and copper axe; book a time slot in summer. Walk the Laubengasse arcades, eat at the Piazza delle Erbe market, and ride the Renon (Ritten) cable car for views and a narrow-gauge train across the plateau. From late November to early January the city's Christmas market is one of Italy's best; see Festivals.
The food is Alpine: speck (smoked ham), canederli (Knödel, bread dumplings), Schlutzkrapfen (spinach ravioli), Kaiserschmarrn (shredded pancake) and apple strudel. The South Tyrol Wine Road runs south of Bolzano through Lagrein and Gewürztraminer country, the grape named for the village of Tramin. See Food and Wine.
When to go
- Late June to mid-July: wildflowers, huts opening, some snow on high passes. Lifts are running.
- Mid-July to August: warmest and busiest, with Italian and German holidays peaking around August 15 (Ferragosto). Book everything.
- September: clear, stable weather and fewer people, though lifts and huts begin closing from mid-month.
- October to November: golden larches, quiet trails, many hotels and lifts closed. A between-seasons gap.
- December to March: skiing, Christmas markets and snowshoeing. Late March often has the best snow and sun.
See When to go.
Where to stay
Valley hotels in South Tyrol are family-run and excellent, often with spas, and many sell half board. Expect $$ in Alta Pusteria and Val di Fassa, $$–$$$ in Val Gardena and Alta Badia, and $$$–$$$$ in Cortina, more at Christmas, in February and in August. Minimum stays of three to seven nights are common in peak weeks. All towns charge a nightly tourist tax at check-in. Farm stays (Roter Hahn farms in South Tyrol, agriturismi elsewhere) are a good-value option; see Where to stay.
What trips people up
- Turning up at the Tre Cime toll booth or the Seceda lift without a booking.
- Planning to drive to Lake Braies at 10 a.m. in August without the day-stay ticket.
- Trying to see Cortina, Val Gardena and Braies all from one base in one day. Distances look short; mountain roads are slow.
- Arriving in late September or October expecting all lifts and huts to be open.
- Hiking in sneakers with no rain jacket. Carry layers, water and a phone with the local emergency number, 112.
- Skiing without the required liability insurance.
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