10:45
Timeline
Six days: Cortina and the Cinque Torri, the Tre Cime, Lago di Braies on the way to Alta Badia, the Sella passes, Val di Funes, the Falzarego on the way home.
Day 1 · Sat
The drive up to Cortina and the Cinque Torri
Venice to Cortinaland 10:00👟 ≈ 6,500 stepsLand at 10:00, the car, and 2 h 15 min up to Cortina. The chairlift to the Cinque Torri for an easy first walk among the towers.
🗺 The whole day in Google Maps →13:45
stay
Drop the bags at the hotel📍 in Google Maps
Leave the bags and drive on 15 minutes towards the Falzarego pass.
14:30
walkphoto ↑
The Cinque Torri by chairlift📍 in Google Maps
Five rock towers on a grassy shoulder above Cortina, with restored First World War trenches and gun posts in an open-air museum.
chairlift about €20 return eachday's highlight
The chairlift from Bai de Dones on the Falzarego road. At the top, a loop of an hour and a half round the towers and through the trenches, about 6,000 steps, gentle.
Rifugio Scoiattoli at the top has a terrace for a drink with the view to the Tofane. Check the last lift down, usually about 17:00.
17:30
18:30
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Cortina's Corso Italia📍 in Google Maps
The resort town of the 1956 and 2026 Winter Olympics, in a wide valley ringed by peaks.
free
The pedestrian main street fills for the passeggiata, the evening walk. The bell tower of the Basilica is the town's landmark.
19:30
food
Dinner in Cortina📍 in Google Maps
€30–45 each
Restaurants on and off the Corso; a middle option. Casunziei, half-moon ravioli filled with beetroot and topped with poppy seeds, is Cortina's own pasta.
If you fall behind
- Skip the Cinque Torri if the lift has closed and walk the Corso instead.
- Eat lunch at the airport and drive straight up.
Day 2 · Sun
The loop round the Tre Cime di Lavaredo and Lago di Misurina
Tre Cimeout 07:30👟 ≈ 14,500 stepsThe toll road to Rifugio Auronzo by 8:15 and the 10 km loop round the Tre Cime, lunch at Rifugio Locatelli. Lago di Misurina on the way back.
🗺 The whole day in Google Maps →
07:30
getting there
Drive to Rifugio Auronzo by the toll road📍 from 🏁 Rifugio Auronzo
toll about €30–40 a car45 min
Over the Tre Croci pass to Misurina, then the toll road up to the hut at 2,320 metres. In recent summers the road has needed a booked time slot; check the official site before the trip. The car park at the top fills by 9:00.
08:15
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The loop round the Tre Cime di Lavaredo📍 in Google Maps
The three limestone towers of the Dolomites' best-known mountain, on the old Austrian-Italian border, a World Heritage site.
freeday's highlight10 km, 400 m up
Anticlockwise: past Rifugio Lavaredo to the Forcella Lavaredo saddle, where the north faces appear, then down and round to Rifugio Locatelli. About 10 km and 400 metres of climbing in total, four hours with stops.
The paths are wide and well marked; boots or trail shoes. Weather turns fast at this height: a waterproof and a warm layer even in July. Afternoon thunderstorms are common; be off the high ground by 15:00.
11:15
food
Lunch at Rifugio Locatelli📍 in Google Maps
The mountain hut facing the three north faces, built on the First World War front line.
€15–25 each
Huge and busy; order at the counter. Speck dumplings in broth, polenta with cheese, apple strudel. The caves and tunnels on the hill behind are the old war positions.
14:00
getting there
Back to the car at Rifugio Auronzo📍 from 🏁 Rifugio Auronzo
1 h 15 min on foot
The second half of the loop, past Malga Langalm, back to the car park.
15:30
walkphoto ↑
Lago di Misurina📍 in Google Maps
A lake at 1,750 metres with the Tre Cime and the Sorapiss reflected in it.
free
A flat walk round the shore, 40 minutes, and an ice cream at the café on the water. Then 25 minutes back to Cortina.
19:30
food
Dinner in Cortina📍 in Google Maps
€35–50 each
A restaurant with tablecloths in the town; venison with polenta, and a glass of Lagrein, the red of South Tyrol.
If you fall behind
- Walk only to Rifugio Lavaredo and the Forcella, then back, two hours.
- If storms are forecast, start at 7:00 and skip Misurina.
Day 3 · Mon
Lago di Braies at dawn, then through Val Badia to Corvara
Cortina to Corvaraout 06:45👟 ≈ 9,000 stepsOut at 6:45 to reach Lago di Braies before the crowds, about an hour's drive. The lake loop, then down Val Badia to Corvara by early afternoon.
🗺 The whole day in Google Maps →
06:45
getting there
Check out and drive to Lago di Braies📍 from 🏁 Lago di Braies
1 hbooked parking
North through Carbonin and down the Val di Landro to the Pusteria valley, then up to the lake. From July the road is closed to cars without a booked parking slot during the middle of the day; book online and arrive within your slot.
08:00
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Lago di Braies📍 in Google Maps
A green lake under the cliffs of the Seekofel, the most photographed lake in the Dolomites, with a wooden boathouse.
parking about €30–40day's highlight
The path round the lake is 3.5 km, an hour, flat except a short stepped stretch on the far side. At 8:00 the water is still; by ten the shore is crowded.
The rowing boats at the boathouse open about 9:00, about €30 for half an hour; go then, before the queue.
10:30
getting there
Drive to San Cassiano📍 from 🏁 San Cassiano
1 h 15 min
West along the Pusteria to San Lorenzo, then south up Val Badia, where the villages speak Ladin, the old Romance language of the valleys.
12:00
food
Lunch in San Cassiano📍 in Google Maps
€25–35 each
Restaurants in the village with terraces facing the Sasso della Croce cliffs. Turtres, fried pastries filled with spinach or sauerkraut, are the Ladin dish.
14:00
stay
Check in at Corvara📍 in Google Maps
Fifteen minutes on. An afternoon off before three active days.
17:00
walkphoto ↑
Evening walk under the Sassongher📍 in Google Maps
The pyramid peak that stands over Corvara.
free
The meadow paths above the village towards Colfosco, an hour, gentle. Dinner at the hotel, half board.
If you fall behind
- If you miss the parking slot at Braies, take the shuttle bus from Villabassa, booked online.
- Skip the evening walk.
Day 4 · Tue
Round the Sella: the four passes and the cable car to Sass Pordoi
Sella passesout 08:00👟 ≈ 8,000 stepsThe loop of four passes round the Sella massif, about two and a half hours of driving with stops. The cable car to Sass Pordoi and a walk on the plateau at the top.
🗺 The whole day in Google Maps →
08:00
getting there
Over the Campolongo pass to the Pordoi📍 from 🏁 Passo Pordoi
45 minhairpins
Clockwise: Campolongo to Arabba, then up 33 hairpins to the Pordoi at 2,239 metres. Mornings are quieter; by midday the passes fill with motorbikes and cyclists.
09:00
sightphoto ↑
Cable car to Sass Pordoi📍 in Google Maps
A cable car from the Pordoi pass to a rock terrace at 2,950 metres on the Sella massif, known as the Terrace of the Dolomites.
about €30 return eachday's highlightcold at the top
Four minutes up a sheer wall. From the top the Marmolada glacier is opposite. A path crosses the stony plateau to Rifugio Forcella Pordoi and, for the fit, to Piz Boè, the Sella's highest point at 3,152 metres, two hours each way.
It can be close to freezing at the top in July: gloves and a jacket. Allow two hours for a walk on the plateau.
11:30
food
Lunch at the Pordoi pass📍 in Google Maps
€20–30 each
Huts and hotels at the pass; a middle option with a terrace. Canederli, bread dumplings, in butter or broth.
13:00
walkphoto ↑
Passo Sella and the Sassolungo📍 in Google Maps
The pass at 2,240 metres between the Sella massif and the Sassolungo, whose towers rise straight from the meadows.
free
Twenty-five minutes on. Park at the pass and walk the flat path towards Rifugio Comici below the Sassolungo, an hour there and back.
15:00
walkphoto ↑
Passo Gardena and back to Corvara📍 in Google Maps
The pass at 2,121 metres between Val Gardena and Alta Badia, under the Cir peaks.
free
Stop at the top for the Cir spires; then 20 minutes down to Corvara. Dinner at the hotel.
If you fall behind
- If Sass Pordoi is in cloud, take the Col dei Rossi cable car from Canazei instead, lower and clearer.
- Skip the walk at the Sella pass.
Day 5 · Wed
Val di Funes: the church of St Johann and the Adolf Munkel trail under the Odle
Val di Funesout 07:45👟 ≈ 14,500 stepsAn hour and a quarter to Val di Funes. The little church of St Johann under the Odle, then the Adolf Munkel trail along the foot of the peaks, lunch at Geisleralm.
🗺 The whole day in Google Maps →
07:45
getting there
Drive to Val di Funes📍 from 🏁 Santa Maddalena
1 h 15 min
Down Val Badia and west by Brixen, or over the Passo delle Erbe if open, slower but beautiful. Park at the Zanser Alm car park at the head of the valley, paid.
09:00
sightphoto ↑
St Johann in Ranui📍 in Google Maps
A small baroque church of 1744 alone in a meadow under the Odle peaks, one of the Dolomites' best-known views.
about €4 each for the meadow
The farm that owns the meadow charges a small fee to walk to the church. Stand on the path by the farm for the classic view.
10:00
walkphoto ↑
The Adolf Munkel trail📍 in Google Maps
A path through pine forest and scree along the foot of the Odle, the jagged peaks of the Puez-Odle nature park, built by the mountaineer Adolf Munkel's alpine club.
freeday's highlight9 km, 500 m up
From the Zanser Alm car park, up through the forest to the trail (path 35), then east under the cliffs to Geisleralm; about 9 km and 500 metres of climbing for the loop, four hours with lunch.
The middle section crosses scree under the walls: the views are straight up the rock. Paths are well signed.
12:30
food
Lunch at Geisleralm📍 in Google Maps
€20–30 each
A wooden hut with deckchairs in the meadow facing the peaks. Kaiserschmarrn, torn pancake with plum jam, is the thing to eat here.
14:00
19:30
food
Last dinner in Alta Badia📍 in Google Maps
€40–60 each
Alta Badia has several Michelin restaurants; for a last dinner out, book one of the village's proper restaurants rather than the hotel's half board.
If you fall behind
- Walk from Zanser Alm straight to Geisleralm and back on the forest track, flat, two hours.
- If storms are forecast, keep to the valley: the church and Santa Maddalena only.
Day 6 · Thu
Over the Falzarego pass and back to Venice
Corvara to Veniceout 09:00👟 ≈ 4,000 stepsCorvara to Venice airport, about 3 hours on the road. The Falzarego pass and the Lagazuoi cable car on the way, lunch in Cortina, the car back by 14:45.
🗺 The whole day in Google Maps →
08:30
getting there
Check out and drive to the Falzarego pass📍 from 🏁 Passo Falzarego
40 min
Via Passo Valparola. Bags in the car.
09:15
sightphoto ↑
Cable car to Lagazuoi📍 in Google Maps
A peak of 2,750 metres above the Falzarego pass, tunnelled through by Italian and Austrian troops in the First World War.
about €25 return eachday's highlight
Three minutes up. The terrace of Rifugio Lagazuoi at the top looks over the Tofane, the Civetta and the Marmolada.
The wartime tunnels lead down inside the mountain; they need a headlamp, a helmet and two hours, so save them for another trip. Allow an hour and a quarter.
11:30
food
Lunch in Cortina📍 in Google Maps
€20–30 each
A quick lunch in town or at a bar on the SS51 south.
12:30
getting there
Drive to Venice airport and return the car📍 from 🏁 Venice airport
2 h 15 minat the airport by 15:00
Down the SS51 and the A27. Fill the tank before the rental return; the stations nearest the airport are on the Tessera road.
If you fall behind
- Skip Lagazuoi and drive straight down.
- Eat at the airport if the road is slow.
