Must-SeeCortina d'Ampezzo
Veneto
The Dolomites' most glamorous resort, a Winter Olympics host in 1956 and 2026.
Full Guide
The Dolomites
Cortina, Val Gardena and the pale peaks of the Alps.
The Dolomites are Italy's most spectacular mountains: towers, spires and walls of pale limestone rising straight out of green alpine meadows in the northeast of the country, across South Tyrol, Trentino and the Veneto. At sunset the rock glows pink and orange, a light the locals call enrosadira, and nine of the mountain groups together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Base yourself in a valley: Cortina d'Ampezzo for the Tre Cime and the great passes, Val Gardena for the Seceda ridge, or the Alpe di Siusi, the largest high meadow in Europe. Summer is for hiking and climbing on fixed-cable routes, winter for one of the largest linked ski areas in the world.
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- Best Time
- Late June–September for hiking; December–March for skiing
- Ideal Trip
- 5–7 days
- Fly Into
- Venice (VCE), Verona (VRN) or Innsbruck (INN); trains reach Bolzano from Verona in about 1½ hours
- Getting Around
- A car for the passes; buses and cable cars link the valleys in summer
The Short List
Type
Rank
Must-See
Must-SeeVal Gardena and Seceda
South Tyrol
Ladin villages under the jagged Seceda ridge, one of the Dolomites' great views.
Guide Coming Soon
Worth a DetourAlpe di Siusi
South Tyrol
Europe's largest high meadow, facing the Dolomites' sharpest peaks.
Guide Coming Soon
Worth a DetourBolzano
South Tyrol
The Italian-Austrian gateway to the Dolomites, home of Ötzi the Iceman.
Guide Coming Soon
If You're NearbyMarmolada
Trentino and Veneto
The Dolomites' highest peak, topped by their only large glacier.
Guide Coming Soon
On the Map
Grey pins: guides still being written.
By Region
Good to Know
Getting Around
The valleys are joined by high mountain passes, beautiful but slow, with hairpin bends and heavy summer traffic. Regional buses run between the main valleys, and cable cars and chairlifts carry hikers up to the high trails. The road to the Tre Cime charges a toll, and a few roads limit cars at the busiest times.
Weather
Summer days are warm in the valleys and cool on the peaks, and afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August, so start hikes early. Snow covers the passes from about December to April. Many lifts and mountain huts close between seasons, from April to June and from October to early December.
Food
The cooking is half Tyrolean, half Italian: canederli, bread dumplings served in broth; speck, the smoked ham of South Tyrol; spinach-filled schlutzkrapfen; polenta with mushrooms; and apple strudel. Mountain huts serve hearty lunches with a view.
Before You Go
Many places have two or three names, in German, Italian and Ladin: Ortisei is also St. Ulrich. Book rooms early for August and the ski holidays. Lifts and huts open only from about mid-June to late September, and from December to Easter.