Take great walks surrounded by the most beautiful mountain peaks in Italy
The Dolomites are known for their imposing mountain peaks with striking rocky peaks and beautiful valleys. From the most beautiful lakes to the most impressive walks: the Dolomites have it all! For every adventurous traveler or nature lover, this is perhaps the most beautiful destination in all of Italy. I have been to a number of mountain areas in France and Austria, but nothing as impressive as the rugged Dolomites. The Dolomites are enormous and spread over several areas, including South Tyrol, Trentino and Veneto. Time to visit some highlights!
Highlights in the Dolomites
From cycling, mountain biking, hiking to climbing, it's all possible in the Dolomites! Because the DOlomites is such a huge area, the travel distances between the highlights are quite long. Moreover, you have to cross several passes by car with many hairpin bends, making it not easy to get everywhere quickly. We have set aside three whole days for three several highlights, because unfortunately we had very bad weather on our fourth day. It can be stormy and cold in the Dolomites. It is recommended to visit various places i.en the Dolomites, so that you can get everywhere faster and easier, without having to sit in the car all day. Two good bases are Ortisei/Urtijëi and Cortina d'Ampezzo. These are two attractive mountain villages located in a valley, which are real ski resorts in winter. However, every pass and every angle you see during a ride is truly fantastic! We regularly got out to enjoy breathtaking views. So you can also choose to explore a smaller area and not travel past all the highlights. This way you avoid the necessary tourists.
These are generally frequently mentioned highlights in the Dolomites:
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Alpe Di Siusi: the largest alpine meadow in Europe, surrounded by beautiful mountains. A perfect place for walking, cycling and enjoying nature.
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Cinque Torri:A group of five mountain peaks known for their unique shapes. In this area you can take a beautiful walk around the Cinque Torri.
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Sailing over i tLake Braies, an easily accessible location by car. It is an enchanting lake, surrounded by beautiful mountainsg peaks, making it one of the most photographed places in the Dolomites.
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Three Zinnen and Cadini Di Misurina: the Three Zinnen are known for the three enormous mountain peaks that seem to emerge from nowhere. You can enjoy beautiful walks around the Drie Zinnen. The relatively unknown Cadin viewpoint is also located herei Di Misura, the most beautiful place in the Dolomites during our trip.
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A nice hike to Lake Sorapis, known for the bright blue color of the mountain lake with imposing surrounding mountains.
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With a cable car to the top Seceda, known for the enormous gigantic crack in the Earth's crust.
We visited Lago di Braies, the Drei Zinnen (and the Cadini Di Misurina viewpoint) and Seceda. Below you can read our experiences and some useful tips!
Drei Zinnen and Cadini Di Misurina
The Three Zinnen, or the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, are one of the most popular destinations in the Dolomites. All place names in the Dolomites have both a German and Italian name, because the Dolomites were part of Austria until 1918. Prepare for enormous heights (and accompanying colder temperatures), because the peaks of the Drei Zinnen are no less than 2,900 meters above sea level. You can reach the Drie Zinnen by car by parking at the starting point of the walk to the Drie Zinnen, namely the parking lot next to the Rifugio Auronzo mountain hut. This costsas much as €30 per day. This parking lot also fills up very quickly in high season! The earlier you come, the less pressure. Don't you like arriving here at 8:00 am? Then it is also an option to take a shuttle bus from camping Alla Baita in the village of Misurina. There are several parking spaces in Misurina, but here too they can fill up quickly during the high season. We were very lucky to find a spot! For real fanatics it is still possible to hike to Rifugio Auronzo, but this is a tough climb with a lot of height difference. You will arrive at the mountain hut within 1.5 to 2 hours, but from here you also have to walk to the Drei Zinnen. So I would choose to pay €30 or use the shuttle bus. You can buy tickets for the shuttle bus at the boarding point. Once you have arrived, you can walk a beautiful route around the Drei Zinnen or you can choose to just walk back and forth to the Lavaredohutte mountain hut. This is also quite a tough walk.
After you have returned from your walk to or around the Drei Zinnen, there is another highlight planned: the Cadini Di Misurina viewpoint. In contrast to the Drei Zinnen, this viewpoint is hardly visited. From the parking lot at Rifugio Aurenzo it is about a 30-minute walk to the viewpoint. Download maps.me with the map of Northern Italy, because the route cannot be found on Google Maps. These are the coordinators of this breathtaking place: 46.601622, 12.295076. Watch carefully how you walk and do not follow the exact route as on maps.me, but try to avoid paths with a deep abyss. Ultimately the paths end up at the same viewpoint.
Lago de Braies
Lago di Braies, also known as the Pragser Wildsee, is a must see in the Dolomites! It is a world famous and beloved lake surrounded by rugged mountain peaks. The lake is located at an altitude of 1496 meters, but is very easy to reach by car. From May to October it is possible to float on the lake in a rowing boat and enjoy special views. Make sure you bring enough cash! We didn't have €30 in our pocket to sail on a boat... very unfortunate. For truly avid photographers, it is even possible to gain private access to the boathouse around 7:00 am to take photos on the jetty and be the first to sail the boat. You can book this unique experience here. It is also very nice to walk a circuit of 3.6 kilometers around the lake. Allow one and a half to two hours for this. It is a very accessible walk.
To visit the lake, it is good to take the following things into account: between July 10 and September 10 you are allowed between 09:30 and 16:00not to drive to Lago di Braies by car without a reserved parking space. The road is closed about 5 to 6 kilometers in advance, so you can only drive through with a reservation. Reserve a parking space in time! (at least one week in advance). If you visit the lake before 9:30 AM, you can drive through without a reservation and you can park in a paid parking lot. After this you can always return between 09:30 and 16:00. You can also choose to walk (60 minutes) or cycle (10 minutes) from the closed road. Onthis website you can find more information and reserve a parking space.
Seceda
Marvel at the very special Mount Seceda, because this mountain has created a gigantic crack in the earth's crust. Enjoy a beautiful view! Seceda is located in Val Gardena, a beautiful ski area. It is possible to climb Seceda, but this is a huge climb of more than four hours. So we had a wonderful time taking the cable car up! If you suffer from fear of heights, I would advise you to close your eyes for the entire ride. Once you arrive at the top, it is possible to walk a number of beautiful routes (trail one routes of about an hour). These are more accessible than the walks around the Drei Zinnen.
In the famous mountain village of Ortisei it is possible to take the cable car up. There is a handy parking garage next to the entrance (Parcheggio coperto Seceda), but it quickly fills up. This also applies to the other parking garages in Ortisei. So be on time! Unfortunately we could no longer find a parking spot, so we parked a village further away. From here we caught the public bus to Ortisei. You always get there in the end! But a good tip is to arrive here before 9:00 am. The costs for the cable car are not cheap (€35 p.p.), but 100% worth the money!
How do you get to the Dolomites?
From Venice you can reach Cortina d'Ampezzo in about 2.5 to 3 hours by car. You will be in Ortisei within 4 to 5 hours.
Don't own a car? Although the Dolomites are truly a destination to visit by car, there are also plenty of buses to take you to the highlights. Less flexible and time-consuming, but certainly also a possibility. From Venice you can travel by train via Verona to Bozen and Waidbruck in the Dolomites. From here you take a bus to Ortisei. Expect a travel time of 7 hours.
Stay
The Dolomites are a huge area with many passes, meaning you can easily spend hours in the car visiting a highlight. Because of this, I would recommend choosing two different drop-off locations if you want to see all the highlights. An option is the village of Ortisei (Urtijëi) from here to visit Seceda, Seiser Alm, Gardenapas and Gran Cir. Cortina d'Ampezzo is a good base to visit the Cinque Torri, Giau Pass, Lago di Braies, Lake Sorapis and the Three Zinnen. If you only have time to visit one of these places? Then I would prefer Cortina d'Ampezzo.
We stayed at this campsite, Sass Dlacia, located between both places. A campsite in an excellent location at an enormous height! This made the nights quite cold in the summer. The campsite is located between Ortisei and Cortina d'Ampezzo. This means that it will take you a little longer to reach a number of destinations, but on the other hand it is possible to visit, for example, the Drie Zinnen and Seceda from the same base. It just depends on your preference and how much time you have in the Dolomites!
Continue your journey
Time to go home! Are the Dolomites your starting point for a road trip through Italy? Then continue your journey to the beautiful Venice.
