In northeastern Italy, the Dolomites combine alpine pastures with great walls of pale rock. Tre Cime, Lake Braies and Seceda each call for a different approach. A lakeside stop and a high-altitude hike need different preparation. Choose an area before booking your nights. The 8 sites below give practical guidance on access arrangements and the time you should allow. Grand Angle organizes walking holidays in the Dolomites, either guided or self-guided. Pierre Paillat’s journal adds memories of mountain huts and landscapes. By 2018, he had guided here for 20 summers.
| Your plan | Area to prioritize | Time to allow |
|---|---|---|
| A first look at lakes and great rock walls | Braies and Tre Cime | A day for the Tre Cime walk, plus a separate stop at Braies |
| Panoramic views and a village base | Val Gardena, Seceda and Alpe di Siusi | Several days to vary outings without changing accommodation |
| A walk to a mountain hut meal | Val di Funes and Gampenalm | Half a day for the walk, longer with lunch |
| A night high in the mountains | Sciliar and Catinaccio, around Alpe di Tires | 2 days with a prepared route and a booked overnight stay |
8 places to discover in the Dolomites
- Tre Cime di Lavaredo
- Lake Braies
- Puez-Odle Nature Park and Val di Funes
- Seceda
- Alpe di Siusi
- Catinaccio and the Alpe di Tires hut
- Passo Gardena and Sella
- Sassolungo
For a holiday focused on walking, our itineraries detail each stage, its difficulty and overnight arrangements.
Locate the Dolomites' landmarks on the map
8 landmarks for your Dolomites holiday
1. Tre Cime di Lavaredo
The 3 towers of Tre Cime reveal themselves as you change sides. Near the Auronzo hut, you first see their southern face. Reaching Forcella Lavaredo opens the view towards their north faces and the mountains around the Locatelli hut. This change in perspective is what makes the walk rewarding.
The circuit from Auronzo via Lavaredo, Locatelli and Langalm covers 9.4 km, 427 m of ascent and 3 hours 30 minutes of walking. It is of moderate difficulty. Allow a full day, including access to the start, stops and the return.
Plan road access to the Auronzo hut and transport before setting out, according to current conditions and booking arrangements. Our article on the history of Tre Cime di Lavaredo offers another perspective on these peaks. To see them during a walking journey, compare the stages of our holiday from Lake Braies to Tre Cime.
2. Lake Braies
Lake Braies, or Pragser Wildsee, sits at the head of a valley below the Seekofel’s walls. From the shore, you can watch mountain reflections and the transition from forest to rock. It suits a day when you want to leave time to look, rather than visit as many summits as possible.
The lakeside circuit is around 3.6 km, almost level, with 1 hour of walking. Allow 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours on site with stops. Part of the path has steps and narrower sections. The full circuit is not equally comfortable throughout compared with the promenade near the hotel.
Seasonal rules apply to valley access. Some buses and parking spaces require booking. Check the conditions for your chosen date. The lake is in a nature park. Keep to the paths and respect lake protection notices.
3. Puez-Odle and Val di Funes
Puez-Odle Nature Park combines the jagged Odle walls with much barer high-altitude plateaux. This variety explains why 2 walks in the same park can have very different difficulty levels. A walk to an alpine pasture in Val di Funes does not describe the effort needed to cross the Puez plateaux.
The walk starts at Zannes, also called Zans. The route to Gampenalm covers 7.3 km, 399 m of ascent and around 2 hours 20 minutes of walking in total. It follows paths 6 and 35. Add time for a meal if you plan to stop at the hut. The starting point at Zannes can be reached by bus from the valley, depending on services in operation.
Gampenalm has a special place in my journal. It recalls the welcome of the Messner family. Meals and evenings at the hut are as much a part of my memories as the landscapes.
4. Seceda
Seceda offers another angle on the long Odle ridge. Grassy slopes in the foreground end abruptly before the rock walls. Leave time to appreciate the place. Mist can hide the mountain shapes before a ridge reappears.
From Ortisei, access by lift uses 2 successive installations via Furnes. Allow at least half a day, including travel and exploring around the upper station, without adding a long hike. Check operating dates and the last descent time. Walking all the way up is a separate outing with its own ascent.
To limit journeys, choose a base in Val Gardena. Seceda and Alpe di Siusi can be explored during the same stay, but their access routes are separate. Avoid squeezing both into one day simply because the lifts start in nearby areas.
5. Alpe di Siusi
Alpe di Siusi, or Seiser Alm, is an open landscape of meadows and chalets facing Sciliar and the Sassolungo group. In the journal, Haflinger horses and the meadows around the Zallinger hut accompany this discovery. The contrast with the rocky Puez plateaux is a good reason to vary your walking areas.
Allow half a day to explore the plateau, longer if you choose a hike. Compatsch and the lift stations provide access points. Then select a documented route suited to your walking experience.
Car traffic towards the plateau is regulated. Depending on how you arrive, you need to plan a lift journey, a bus or a parking permit.
6. Catinaccio and Alpe di Tires
Catinaccio, called Rosengarten in German, combines great rock walls and towers. Passages between this range, Sciliar and Alpe di Siusi lend themselves to a multi-day walk. The Alpe di Tires hut, or Tierser Alpl, lets you remain high in the mountains after day visitors have descended.
You can explore this area over 2 days. Compatsch to Schlernhaus covers 9.2 km, 827 m of ascent and around 3 to 3 hours 30 minutes of walking. The return from Schlernhaus via Alpe di Tires to Compatsch covers 12.4 km and around 4 hours, with 363 m of ascent and 978 m of descent. The second day has more descent, which matters for your knees and familiarity with the terrain. Book your hut night before departure.
My memories of sunrise make sense here. Sleeping in a mountain hut lets you see the mountains at a different hour. Our Dolomites Grand Traverse from Bolzano to Cortina describes a longer journey, with stages to compare with your usual walking. Via ferrata remains a separate activity requiring specific equipment and skills.
7. Passo Gardena and Sella
At Passo Gardena, roads cross a notch between the Sella group and the Puez mountains. The pass helps explain how the range is arranged: inhabited valleys below and great walls separated by high crossings above.
For a visit at the pass, allow a 30 to 45-minute stop, excluding travel and without setting out on a hike. Take time to observe the mountainsides rather than reducing the stop to a photograph.
Piz Boé, mentioned in the journal, is in the Sella group. Reaching a summit and looking at the range from a pass are 2 different projects. A lift can reduce a climb without removing the demands of the paths beyond it.
8. Sassolungo and its walls from Val Gardena
Sassolungo, or Langkofel, dominates Val Gardena’s landscape. Its outline is a landmark from the villages and alpine pastures. Approaching Passo Sella reveals other faces of this rocky group. It remains separate from the Sella massif, despite the similar names.
Allow 30 minutes to 1 hour for a panoramic stop near the pass, excluding travel, if you only want to observe the mountains. A circuit of the group requires a full walking day and a route chosen in advance.
I emphasise the time needed to appreciate the scale of these walls. Leave a moment to look at them from a chosen viewpoint.
Preparing a walking holiday in the Dolomites
Choose an area before booking your nights
For 3 or 4 days, keep one base and a few nearby outings. Val Gardena suits a stay focused on Seceda, Sassolungo and Alpe di Siusi. For Tre Cime and Braies, compare accommodation and trailheads in the northeastern part of the range. Cortina gives access to another group of valleys and landscapes.
A week allows you to explore 2 areas more deeply or plan a multi-day route. Changing hotels repeatedly to tick off every site leaves less time for walking. Our account of 3 days of hiking near Tre Cime (in French) gives an example of walking over several days.
Adapt your walks to the season
Summer and early autumn allow high-altitude walking trips, subject to opening dates and trail conditions. Snow can linger on high passages or return early. Some lifts and mountain huts close between seasons.
For each outing, compare distance, ascent and terrain. Walking times in this article are reference times excluding stops. Visit durations describe time to keep on site. Add travel time separately. Carry protection against rain and cold, along with enough food and water for the day.
Prepare mountain huts and transfers
A hut night extends your time high in the mountains. Pierre’s journal mentions Gampenalm and Tierser Alpl in particular, but access to each hut needs separate planning. Some are reached on foot, others by road.
Near Cortina, Malga Federa offers food and accommodation among woods and alpine pastures. Rifugio Passo Staulanza stands at the pass of the same name and is accessible by road. Choose between these 2 properties according to your itinerary.
For a private connection from a station or airport, Viaggi Prealpi offers transport in the Belluno Dolomites. Specify your pick-up and arrival points, passengers and luggage when requesting a quotation.
Photographs from the journal are by Pierre Paillat. The Lake Braies photograph is by JC Praire, and Seceda by Anna Voli.
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Practical questions about exploring the Dolomites
Which places should I choose for a first stay?
For a walking holiday, Tre Cime and Val di Funes offer 2 different approaches to the rock walls. For visits using lifts, consider Seceda and Alpe di Siusi. Then choose a base near your priorities and leave flexibility for the weather.
Do I need to do via ferrata?
No. The Dolomites have many hikes without via ferrata. Difficulty depends on the route, its passages and conditions. Read a precise description instead of judging difficulty from a photograph or the presence of a lift.
Can I explore the Dolomites without a car?
Yes, by organizing your holiday around the transport available in your chosen area. Check connections from the station, journeys to trailheads and the last return services. Routes, reservations and tickets vary between valleys.
How much time should I allow?
3 or 4 days let you explore one area without changing base. A week leaves more time for walks, mountain huts and another area. The 8 sites in this article offer possible places to visit. They do not form a circuit to follow in order.
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Article written by
Pierre Paillat
Contemplative mountain leader
From the Dolomites to Provence, from Ubaye to Gran Paradiso, he makes every hike his own. A poet's friend, this sturdy mountain man appreciates Pierre's passion for Giono. Read more
