Dolomiti, Italy

A must see in Dolomites! You do not need to hike to get to the lake. We parked at P3 car park, which is the closest car park from the lake. Parking fee: The first 15 minutes of visit is free. Pricing varies depending on arrival time and type of vehicle. We paid 12 EUR for spending roughly 3 hours + there.

It was roughly 50 EURO per person, including a breakfast buffet (7.30am-10.30am).

Head to Seceda Cableway Valley station in Ortisei, Val Gardena. From Antonio Square, look for a sign to “Seceda.” Head down the small street between Sparkasse Ortisei Bank and Calzature Rabanser Di Senoner Emilia shoe store. Take the covered “La Curta” escalator up to the Cableway Valley station. To get to Seceda, you can either hike or take the cable car. If you're up to some hiking, I would suggest taking the Ortisei-Furnes gondola to Furnes (middle station) then hike 2 hours up to Seceda. When you reach Furnes, follow trail 2A Seceda. The hike is very steep all the way up to the top. We hiked up as the cable car was under maintenance but the view made the hike super worth it. Price: Adults: 39.50 EUR round-trip Juniors (8-15 y/o): 21 EUR round-trip When you reach the Seceda cableway mountain station, you will immediately see the slanted and formidable Odle/Geisler peaks. The panoramic view extends to the Puez Group, including Piz Duleda (2909 m), Col dala Pieres (2747 m), and Monte de Stevia (2500 m), as well as the Sella Group and Sassolungo Group. Follow the sign to the Seceda summit and photo spot.

Most convenient stay for Tre Cime and Misurina hike. Prices (for 2023): *** Double/triple ROOM (sheets and duvets provided). € 70,00 HB € 50,00 B&B € 40,00 Sleep only *** Dormitory 4 beds NO LINEN PROVIDED (own linen or sleeping bag NECESSARY) € 60,00 HB € 40,00 B&B € 30,00 Sleep only. All prices are for per day, per person. - HB includes DINNER (two course meal, NO DRINKS), BED and BREAKFAST. - Toilets are on each floor but shared with other guests SHOWERS are available on the first and second floor (2 on each floor). 5 Euro tokens are available at reception (25 LITRES OF HOT WATER EACH). No shower is available if you did not purchase tokens. - Towels are not provided. - In case of water shortage/dry season, showers might not be available to all our guests. Check-in 14:30 to 18:00. Check-out by 09:00. For Bookings with more than 4 people, a 15,00 euro deposit per person will be required. Email address: info@rifugioauronzo.it NOTE: Food: - We found mixed reviews about their food but turns out our dinner was good! We got a starter, mains and dessert. - Breakfast hours: 7.30am-8.30am - Dinner hours: 7pm-8pm - Tips: During dinner time, if you were the first few to queue, you'll sometimes be able to get some leftover mains from lunch time (means more food for you!) Water: Water was one of the main problem we faced as there is no refillable station for water. You have to purchase water from the restaurant. Lights: Lights out is at 10pm. Power will be switched off (in our experience) so do finish brushing up before 10pm.

What to expect? Along the entire hike, you are treated to amazing views of the Dolomites. You will see Tre Cime from all angles. You begin and end the hike from Refugio Auronzo. Distance: 8.8km loop Total Ascent: 425m Difficulty: Easy to moderate Duration: 4 to 5 hours (we took roughly 5 hours to complete, with a few stops and detour in between)

Misurina is the mountain right opposite Refugio Auronzo. It is fairly easy compared to any other hikes that we did in the trip. From Rifugio Auronzo, you will follow trail #117 and head in the direction of Rifugio Col De Varda. Distance: 3.2km round trip Total Ascend: 210m Difficulty: Easy Duration: 1 to 2 hours

Most convenient stay for Tre Cime and Misurina hike. Prices (for 2023): *** Double/triple ROOM (sheets and duvets provided). € 70,00 HB € 50,00 B&B € 40,00 Sleep only *** Dormitory 4 beds NO LINEN PROVIDED (own linen or sleeping bag NECESSARY) € 60,00 HB € 40,00 B&B € 30,00 Sleep only. All prices are for per day, per person. - HB includes DINNER (two course meal, NO DRINKS), BED and BREAKFAST. - Toilets are on each floor but shared with other guests SHOWERS are available on the first and second floor (2 on each floor). 5 Euro tokens are available at reception (25 LITRES OF HOT WATER EACH). No shower is available if you did not purchase tokens. - Towels are not provided. - In case of water shortage/dry season, showers might not be available to all our guests. Check-in 14:30 to 18:00. Check-out by 09:00. For Bookings with more than 4 people, a 15,00 euro deposit per person will be required. Email address: info@rifugioauronzo.it NOTE: Food: - We found mixed reviews about their food but turns out our dinner was good! We got a starter, mains and dessert. - Breakfast hours: 7.30am-8.30am - Dinner hours: 7pm-8pm - Tips: During dinner time, if you were the first few to queue, you'll sometimes be able to get some leftover mains from lunch time (means more food for you!) Water: Water was one of the main problem we faced as there is no refillable station for water. You have to purchase water from the restaurant. Lights: Lights out is at 10pm. Power will be switched off (in our experience) so do finish brushing up before 10pm.

A circular hike to the lake. Distance: 13.5km round trip Duration: 3.5-4hrs Difficulty: Moderate We took trail 216/213 to and fro. This path is slightly more challenging that trail 215. It is steep and there are a few places that requires scrambling. The path is pretty narrow so it will be great to start hiking before the crowd hits. Nevertheless, we didn't meet many hikers using this trail as most of them took trail 215 instead.

Post hiking reward was exploring the town. It is fairly small but filled with lots of shops. Note: Many restaurants are not opened after 2pm and reopens at 5/6pm for dinner.