Full itinerary and tips to self drive to the best destinations in the Dolomites! Includes hiking recommendations for beginners and intermediate level hikers.

Alpe di Siusi, Italy

Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Italy

Lago di Braies, Prags, Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, Italy

Lago di Carezza, Welschnofen, Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, Italy

Cortina d'Ampezzo, Province of Belluno, Italy

Ortisei, Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, Italy

Lago di Sorapis, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Province of Belluno, Italy

Seceda Ridgeline, Villnöß, Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, Italy

Nova Levante, Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, Italy

Dolomites, Sëlva, Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, Italy

Adolf-Munkel-Weg, Villnöß, Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, Italy

Val di Funes, Villnöß, Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, Italy

Italian Dolomites

Have multiple methods for navigation. I added a GPS to our rental car reservation, had our cell phones and printed detailed directions and maps through Google Maps.

The following information is a guide to see the most of the Italian Dolomites in the shortest amount of time. If you have more time to explore, I suggest adding additional days on to your journey! There are so many additional hikes/stops that can be added to the itinerary, but this was solely meant to see the most beautiful locations in the shortest amount of time. The itinerary consisted of 2 travel days and 6 full days for exploring. The starting and ending points can be switched for what works best for your travels.

Pack light and comfortable. Check the weather for when you're visiting. I suggest the shoulder season (May) for less tourists and beautiful hiking weather!

We started our journey by flying into Innsbruck, Austria as that was the cheapest option, and easiest route for us to access the first stop in the Dolomites. Once we arrived we rented our first car directly at the airport. I believe the only way to complete this itinerary is by renting your own car. It might be a large part of your expense for the trip, however it allows you to see more, stop where you like, and gives you the luxury of making your own itinerary. Our flight landed in Innsbruck around 2pm, however I wouldn't suggest a flight getting in any later than that. If you have time, I highly suggest exploring Innsbruck for a day or two. It is something we didn't have time to do, but looked like such a cute city.  

There are multiple airports you can fly in to in order to access the Dolomites. Depending on your preference and if you choose to visit one of these cities before or after, it is totally up to you!

From Innsbruck we were off to our first stop! It was roughly a two hour drive to Nova Levante, Italy. We decided to stay for the night at Rechenmachers Rosengarten, as it was close to the first stop that we wanted to make the following day. It also helped that it had an indoor pool, spa and sauna that you could take advantage of during your stay. Our reservation also included full board for the night we were there, so once we arrived we took advantage of the pool and sauna and then feasted at their delicious dinner. 

We started today early as we wanted to get to the first stop before any other travelers and had a full rest of the day planned!

The first stop is roughly 15 minutes away from the hotel, and that is to Lago Di Carezza. It was the EASIEST most picture perfect location in all of Dolomites that we went to. It involves zero hiking to get to, just a short trail around the lake (approximately 2 miles) that will take about 30 minutes to complete. 

Parking is directly across the street, and in just a short hop across the road you will be looking at crystal blue waters with the most beautiful reflection. Pro tip, the best spot for photographs is the wooden platform at the beginning of the trail.

After the walk around the lake, it is time to get back into the car for a drive to the picture perfect valley, Val di Funes. This drive will take just about an hour if you don't take any stops. 

Next is the first true hike of the trip so make sure you are drinking enough water! You will drive to Zannes Car Park. This is a parking area that leads you to all the popular trail heads in the area. You can put Pacheggio Malga Zannes in your GPS that will take you right there.

There are multiple hikes to choose from. The most popular is the Adolf Munkel Trail which takes about 3 1/2 hours. There are many food huts along the way that you can stop at to grab a bite to each or a refreshing drink. The route for this hike from the parking area is via part 6, then 35, then 36 to get back to the parking lot. 

We decided to opt for just hiking directly to the top to have lunch with a view instead of doing the whole hike. Most of this will be in the woods, and I will warn you it was straight up for a lot of the way, but let me tell you once you get to the hut, the food and beers will taste so AMAZING. For this route you will just take trail 36 there and back instead which will take about 1 hour each way. 

Do not miss eating at Geisler Alm Hut. It will probably be one of the most picturesque meals you can ever have, and it was also delicious!

After your tummies are filled with delicious food and drinks head back down the trail to the car. If you have more days to add to your itinerary you can definitely have this be your only activity for the day. A lot of travelers spend multiple days in this area as there is so much to see! For us, we only had one night here, so it was to continue on with the afternoon and explore another area. 

Next we explored more of the Val di Funes area. You will need about 2 - 3 hours to explore this area, so we did it mid afternoon/early evening to see the sunset over the mountains in the distance. There is both the Church of St. Magdalena and the Church of St. John (San Giovanni Church). You can walk between both of the churches which takes about 40 minutes. 

We opted to just go to the best viewpoint to see St. Magdalena church, but the short walk is on a privately owned road so DO NOT DRIVE! You will need to hike up the road. We saw a few cars driving, and it was just so disrespectful to the people that lived there. For this you will park your car near St. Magdalena church and walk up the hill in front of you across the bridge. There will be a sign that says Panoramastrasse, and you will follow that. The hike will take you about 20 minutes and it's a great spot to watch the sunset. 

After watching the sunset, it was time to head to our hotel for the night for a much needed shower and more to eat. We decided to stay at Viel Nois Guest House which was a recently new hotel and so cute! There is a delicious restaurant on site, and also has a hot tub on the roof that you can privately book for two hours. They provided champagne and fruit to enjoy while seeing the mountains glow in the distance from the moonlight and it was so peaceful after a fun packed day.

Next you will head to Ortisei which is approximately 45 minutes away. We decided to be ready for our hike and drive straight to the location instead of heading to our next hotel, but up to you on what you have time for. The next hike will be in plateau Alpe di Siusi which is Europe's largest high plateau filled with lush green meadows, huts and cows with the gorgeous dolomites mountains behind them. 

You can either walk if you're already staying in Ortisei or drive directly to the Alps di Suisi cable car. You will need to take this cable car up to the top in order to hike around the plateau. Be advised if you are afraid of heights this might not be for you, as the cable car goes pretty high up there. The hike runs in a circuit and takes about 4 hours to complete; more time if you stop for food and drinks.

Part 1 - Gondola to Saltria - approximately 1 hour

Exit the gondola and head left, following trail 9 to Saltria. You will be hiking down, to the lowest point of the plateau. Trail 9 descends to the Schgaguler Schwaige alpine pasture hut/restaurant. Detour for a few minutes along trail 6 toward Compaccio where you can see gorgeous views. Head back to Schgagular Schwaige and continue Trail 9 to Saltria for about 50 minutes. When trail intersects with bike path 19, continue straight on trail 9.

Part 2 - Saltria to Rauchhutte - approximately 1 1/2 hours

The hike continues northwest along the Hans and Pauls Steger Path (trail 30). Turn right on the paved road, which links Saltria with Compaccio. Don’t follow the road leading south to Sporthotel Floralpina. After 300m veer left on trail 30, leaving the road. The Hans and Paul Steger Web steadily ascends rollings meadows up to the Wiedner Eck bus stop (about 35 min). Multiple paths intersect, detour to Rauchhutte (about 10 min) for homemade pasta, regional wine and terrace views. Turn right on the Compaccio-Saltria road and the hut will be on your left in 550 meters. After lunch at Rauchhutte, return to the Wiedner Eck bus stop and continue following well groomed trail 30 up to Hotel Steger Dellai. You can also detour to Gostner Schwaige (for cheese lovers) another excellent alpine pasture hut (turn left on 30a and shortly thereafter right on 30b).

Part 3 - Hotel Steger Dellai to Maglga Sanon - approximately 40 minutes

The way to Malga Salon initially follows a paved road. Pass the pond near Hotel Steger Dellai and follow the paved hotel track down to the road. Turn right onto the sidewalk in the direction of Sanon Hutte/Baita Sanon (trail 3, signed 35 min). Follow the sidewalk for 1.1km. When the paved road divides, continue left in the direction Piz (trail 6 on maps). Shortly thereafter, turn right on trail 6B to Malga Sanon Hutte/Baita Sanon.

Part 4 - Malga Sanon to Ortisei Gondola - approximately 45 minutes

Trail 6B wanders between hay huts to Sporthotel Sonne (20 min). From the hotel, follow the familiar path back to Schgaguler Schwaige and all the way up to the Gondola Mountain station.

Todays hike is only a short drive from the hotel. You will head to the Secede Cable Car parking lot to hike to the famous Seceda Ridgeline. Depending on what time of year you go, or your activity level there are many different ways that you can get to the top. There are chairlifts that can take you all the way up, however they are only open during the summer months to take up for hiking. There are many different options for you to chose from, however I the route we took. The easiest and fastest way is to take the Seceda Cable Car to Furnes Mountain Station. From there you will take the Furnes-Seceda cable way to the summit. The cost of the cable cars is about 36 euro per person roundtrip. The cable cars starting running around 830am depending on the time of year. From the summit it’s about a 10 minute walk to the outlook. From the Ridgeline, you can do a circuit hike to Rigugio Firenze/Regensburge Hutte.


Since the Furnes-Seceda cable car was closed at the time of year we went, we got out at the Furnes station and walked to the top from there. It took about 2 1/2 - 3 hours roundtrip to do this hike. It was steep the whole way, but boy was it a beautiful climb!

After spending a lot of time at the Ridgeline taking in the beauty we headed back down and ended up stopping at one of the Huttes for a snack and a beer with a gorgeous view and it was so worth it. 

Once we made it to Cortina d’Ampezzo we went to hike a famously beautiful cotton candy blue lake Lago di Sorapis. You will drive to Passo Tre Croci which is the start of the trail head for a lot of hikes, but the one we choose is to hike to the famous blue lake. I highly suggest you get there early to start the hike as the trails are extremely narrow and not enjoyable when there is too many people on them.

Today you’ll be leaving the town or Ortisei and heading to Cortina d’Ampezzo. There are two different ways to get there depending on how much time you have:

This is a gorgeous scenic road that twists its way through the mountains, connecting Selva in the Val Gardena with Corvara in the Val Badia. It does get busy with tourists in the warmer months, as from the main vantage points you can see all the famous Dolomites groups.

Similar to Gardena Pass but with fewer crowds. 

Restaurant Ariston (Typical dishes in rustic environment), Dolom’eats to the Aquila (Typical dishes in rustic environment), Lago Scin Restaurant (15 min drive but picturesque place), Ra Stua Restaurant (top quality meat), Alberti Massimo’s Pianozes Lake Restaurant (Lakefront with terrace), Tivoli Restaurant of Graziano Prest, Al Camin Restaurant of Pompanin Fabio

I do have to mention that if you are afraid of heights this hike might not be the best option for you. It is also one of the most intense hikes we took, not because it is steep, but there was multiple moments where you are walking next to a large drop off with no fence or railing stopping you. Additionally there are metal stairs you have to climb at one point, and slippery rocks where you have to hold on to cabling, otherwise you will fall off the edge. Another piece of advice is to not take your dog on this hike unless they are very experienced dog hikers. We saw multiple people with dogs that were terrified during the hike where the owners were practically pulling them along. 

Other than the intensity level of this hike, it is a really easy trail to follow. Once you park at Passo Tre Croci you will follow Path 215 all the way to the lake and take the same route to come back. The roundtrip journey takes about 4 to 5 hours depending how often you stop. There is a hut near the lake, Refugio Vandelli, where you can grab snacks and a restroom, however check on if it is open during the time of year you go as it is only open during the summer months, or when the snow melts.

After the hike we went back into town in order to check into our hotel, Cortina d’Ampezzo Camina Suite and Spa. We will again be at this hotel for the next two nights and chose to stay here a little outside of town for their cute location and sauna that they had on site. Cortina d’Ampezzo is a larger town that has multiple activities and plenty of restaurants you can choose from for all different budget types. Here are some restaurant recommendations I suggest:

Il Ponte (Pizza), Lovat Bar Pasticceria (Gelato), Hacker Pschorr Haus (Brewery), Pizzeria ai du Forni (Pizza by the slice), Panino Top Bar (sandwiches), Pontejel Bierstube Forst (Tyrolean and Ampezzo dishes)

Everyone usually starts the hike by starting on trail 101 and hiking the loop in a counterclockwise direction. I highly suggest you do the opposite and end that way. This will allow you to be hiking the trails pretty much all by yourself for the majority of the time, until you finally catch up to the people just beginning their hike. There are three sections of the hike and as I mentioned this is backwards from what everyone else will be doing.

Today we spent hiking around the famous Tre Cime di Lavaredo. The roundtrip circuit is about 6 miles and takes about 4 hours to complete, depending on how often you stop. You need to arrive early for this hike, I suggest going at first daylight as you will be almost the only people hiking on the trails. Additionally, the parking lot only allows a certain number of cars in at a time, once it is full you have to wait until someone leaves before you can enter.

You will follow the SS49 that leads you straight through the Tre Cime National Park and heads to Missurina. From here follow the sign that says Rifugio Auronzo. The last part is a private road and to go up you have to pay 30 euro for cars. The opening hours are 7am - 7pm and only takes cash. Drive directly to Refugio Auronzo to begin the hike. 

Once you part head to Trail 105. Everyone will be heading to the right of the large mountain but you will start your hike towards the left. You will start off on the opposite side of the mountain which offers spectacular views over the Puster Valley and the Cadini di Missurina. Follow the trail until you end at Malga Langalm which is a cute Refugio where you can eat or drink something or watch the cows grazing in the fields depending on what time of year you go.

Once you pass Malga Langalm, follow trail 102 that will take you down into the valley and back up a steep incline. At the top of the hill you will see Drei Zinnen Hutte or Refugio Locatelli. Behind the Refugio are caves carved out into the rocks which were trenches part of the WW1 bunkers. We chose to skip going to the Refugio and turned right to head towards our car, and where everyone was just starting their hike.  

You will need to turn right onto Trail 101. This is the main hiking trail that will take you back to the parking area. You will be walking on a wide gravel road where the Drei Zinnen will be towering over your on your right side.

The Tre Cime di Lavaredo hike is at a much higher altitude than the rest of the Dolomites so it will take longer for the snow to melt. Additionally in late May/early June it was still pretty chilly, so after the long day we were ready to head back to the hotel and warm up in the sauna.

Italian Dolomites

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