# Dolomites

Pale rock towers, high meadows and mountain huts for multi-day walks. What to do, what to book in advance and where to sleep around Cortina, Gardena and Sesto.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/dolomites · Revisado: 2026-11-11

## Where should you stay?

The Dolomites aren't a valley but an entire mountain range, spread across Veneto, Trentino and South Tyrol. Don't try to see them from a single place. Choose one or two bases according to what you want to do.

Cortina d'Ampezzo is the most convenient for the Lagazuoi, the Cinque Torri, the Averau and the Tre Cime, which are about 45 minutes away. Ortisei, in Val Gardena, is the base for the Seceda and the Alpe di Siusi. Sesto and Dobbiaco, in the Alta Pusteria, are a short hop from Braies and from the bus to the Tre Cime. With four nights, two in Cortina and two in Gardena works well.

## How do you get there from Spain?

Fly to Venice (Marco Polo or Treviso), with direct flights from several Spanish cities. From Venice airport, the Cortina Express bus reaches Cortina in about two hours, every day of the year. For Gardena and Sesto, the airports of Verona and Innsbruck also work. With a hire car you have more freedom: the mountain passes and the cable car car parks are far from the bus stops.

## What do you need to book in advance?

In summer, two things that used to be free. The toll road to the Tre Cime requires an online reservation in 2026: €40 for a car, €26 for a motorbike and €60 for a motorhome. And Lake Braies, from 1 July to 15 September, between 9:00 and 16:00 can only be reached by public transport, on foot, by bike or with a reserved parking space. Mountain huts with beds need to be booked weeks ahead.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Alps
- Cerca: Hohe Tauern (a 62.1 km · Austria), Innsbruck (a 99.9 km · Austria)

## Qué hacer
- **Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop from the Rifugio Auronzo** (3 h 30 · 8.8 km · Used to walking · Free route · toll or bus to get there): What it is
The Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Drei Zinnen) are three rock towers in the Sexten Dolomites, on the border between the Veneto and South Tyrol: the Cima Grande, at 2,999 metres, the Cima Ovest, at 2,973, and the Cima Piccola, at 2,857. The border runs right along their ridge since a treaty of 1752. They were the front line in the First World War, between 1915 and 1917, and their north faces are a legend of climbing.
The full loop around them is the best-known excursion in the Dolomites: a high-mountain circuit that requires no technique and shows you the three towers from every side.
The route step by step

Distance: about 8.8 km.
Ascent: about 550 metres cumulative.
Time: 3 to 4 hours not counting stops.
Difficulty: medium, because of the altitude and some climbs; the path is wide and well marked.


Rifugio Auronzo. You set off from the end of the toll road, on the south face of the towers. The first stretch is a wide track, almost flat, beneath the south walls.
Rifugio Lavaredo. With hardly any climbing you reach the second hut, at the foot of the Cima Piccola.
Forcella Lavaredo. A short, steeper climb takes you to the pass. Here the north face, the one in the photo, suddenly appears.
Rifugio Locatelli, optional. If you want to see the north face head-on, continue to the Rifugio Antonio Locatelli: it lengthens the loop and adds ascent, but it is the best view of the three towers together.
North and west faces. From the Forcella you go down through the meadows on the north side and round the Cima Ovest to the west.
Return to the Auronzo. A last climb takes you back to the starting point.

Getting there

By car: from Misurina, along the toll road to the Rifugio Auronzo. In 2026 online booking was compulsory, with €40 per car, €26 per motorbike and €60 per motorhome. You have the details at Tre Cime toll road.
By bus: shuttle 444 goes up from the Dobbiaco bus station to the Rifugio Auronzo. In 2026 it ran from 31 May to 11 October, with a prior return booking: when places run out, you can't go up. You have it at Dobbiaco bus 444.

When to go
From late May to October, when the road and the huts are open and snow has gone from the path. Start early: summer storms arrive in the afternoon and from mid-morning the path fills up. At dawn and dusk the light on the walls is something else; if you want to see them like that, sleep at the Rifugio Auronzo.
Water, food and warm clothing
On the loop you pass several huts where you can eat and drink, starting with the self-service at the Rifugio Auronzo. Even so, bring water and something to eat. You are above 2,300 metres: even if it is hot below, bring a windbreaker and a warm layer, a hat and sun cream, because much of the path has no shade.
With children and dogs
With children used to walking it is a great excursion: the first stretch to the Rifugio Lavaredo is almost flat and can be a short outing in itself. Dogs can do the loop; keep them on a lead, because in summer there are many people.
If the weather turns
If you see storm clouds building or hear thunder, don't go up to the Forcella: go back to the Auronzo the same way or take shelter at the Rifugio Lavaredo. In fog the path is still easy to follow, but you lose the view.
- **Seceda by cable car from Ortisei** (3 h · All ages · Desde 74 € per adult, return): What it is
The Seceda is a grassy summit above Ortisei, in the Val Gardena, inside the Puez-Odle nature park, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites. Its north face is a grass slope that rises gently and is cut off suddenly in an edge, and in front rises the jagged ridge of the Odle (Geisler). That view, of the green edge facing the grey spires, became famous around the world when Apple used a photo of it as a background in an iMac presentation in 2017.
You don't need to walk to see it: two lifts take you from the centre of Ortisei up to about 2,500 metres.
The ride up
The company Funivie Seceda operates two sections:

Ortisei–Furnes gondola: 2,500 metres long and 450 of ascent, from the Ortisei valley station, at about 1,200 metres.
Furnes–Seceda cable car: 2,050 metres long and 700 of ascent, to the upper station.

On the way up you pass over the Val d'Anna and the archaeological area of Col de Flam. At the top, next to the summit cross, there has been a panoramic viewpoint since 2007 with a 360-degree view and a table with the names and heights of the mountains: from the Tofane to the Sciliar, the Sella, the Sassolungo and the Marmolada, and further off the Brenta, the Ortles or the Grossglockner.
Summer 2026 prices
For the full Ortisei–Seceda journey:

Adults: €74 return, €49 up only or down only.
Junior, ages 8 to 15: €37 return, €25 one way.
Children aged 0 to 7: free, buying at the same time as an adult.
Dogs and bikes: €7 each.

The Dolomiti Supersummer card is not valid on these lifts. The Gardena Card is, valid from 6 June to 11 October 2026 (€124 three days, €160 six days for adults), if you are going to use several lifts in the valley. Tickets are bought at the ticket offices or in the Seceda online shop.
At the top: what to do
The walk along the edge of the ridge to the viewpoints over the Odle takes about an hour, there and back, along a track and path without difficulty. If you want to walk more, walking down to Furnes lets you see the slope from below and save the down ticket: buy only the up. From the summit paraglider tandem flights and mountain bike routes also leave.
When to go
The lifts open in summer and in the ski season; they are now closed until 4 December. The summer 2027 dates are published on the Seceda website. Go up in the first hour of the morning or at the end of the afternoon: at midday the light is flat on the Odle and in summer there are many people. In July and August storms usually arrive in the afternoon. Check the webcam before paying: with low cloud you will see nothing.
Getting there and parking
The valley station is on Via Val d'Anna, in Ortisei. The car parks in Ortisei are limited, and the company itself recommends arriving by public transport and buying your ticket online. If you go by bus, get off at the Piazza Sant'Antonio stop: from there it is six minutes on foot, using the La Curta escalators, to the station.
With children and dogs
With children it is an easy excursion: under-8s do not pay and the walk at the top is flat. Dogs pay €7. At 2,500 metres it is cool even if it is hot below: bring a layer.
Combine it with
In the same valley you have the Alpe di Siusi by cable car from Siusi. To sleep in Ortisei, the ADLER Spa Resort Dolomiti is a few minutes' walk from the cable car.
- **Lagazuoi: cable car and Great War tunnels** (4 h · With boots, helmet and head torch): What it is
The Piccolo Lagazuoi, at 2,778 metres, was one of the hardest fronts of the First World War in the Dolomites. Between 1915 and 1917, Italian and Austro-Hungarian soldiers dug tunnels into the mountain to blow up or bury the enemy's positions with mines. Today its restored trenches, tunnels and barracks form a free open-air museum, and a cable car climbs in a few minutes from the Passo Falzarego, at 2,105 metres, to the Rifugio Lagazuoi, at 2,752.
It is a visit that mixes history and high mountains: you go up by cable car, see the summit positions and, if you are equipped, come down inside the mountain through the tunnel the Alpini dug.
The cable car
It runs in summer from 6 June to 18 October 2026, from 9:00 to 16:40, with a cabin every 15 minutes; the last descent is at 17:00. In winter it opens from 23 December to 4 April. Dogs are admitted, with their own rules published on the cable car's website. The price is not on the website in the low season: check it at the ticket office or in the Lagazuoi online shop. The Lagazuoi is not included in the Alta Badia Summer Card, although its holders get a discount.
What to see at the top

The summit and the hut. Next to the upper station is the Rifugio Lagazuoi, with a terrace open to the surrounding peaks.
The Austrian positions. On the ridge, restored trenches, observation posts and tunnels.
The Piccolo Lagazuoi tunnel. A helical tunnel dug by the Italian Alpini from the Cengia Martini towards the summit to surprise the Austrians. It is dark, damp and very steep, with a metal handrail cable along the whole route.
The Cengia Martini. The ledge at the exit of the tunnel, the scene of fighting between Alpini and Kaiserjäger, with remains of posts, barracks and rubble from the mines.

Going down through the tunnel
The classic route goes up by cable car and walks down through the tunnel to the Cengia Martini, and from there along path 402 back to the Passo Falzarego. It is about 3.5 km and 350 metres of descent, in about three hours. Dolomiti.it rates it easy, but it is catalogued as a ferrata: you need a head torch, helmet and mountain footwear with a good sole, and ferrata equipment is recommended. At the Lagazuoi infopoint, at the pass, they rent helmets and head torches for €8 each or €13 for both.
If you don't want to go into the tunnel, you can see the summit positions and come down by cable car.
Guided visit and app
The cable car company organises guided visits to the museum with a historical guide and has a free app, La Grande Guerra sul Piccolo Lagazuoi, for doing the visit on your own. Check the dates and price of the guided tour on its website.
When to go and what the weather is like
At 2,700 metres it is cold even in August, and the weather changes quickly. Go up early: summer storms usually arrive in the afternoon and you don't want to be in the tunnel in the rain. In fog, the view disappears; check the webcam before paying.
Getting there
The cable car leaves from the Passo Falzarego, on the road between Cortina d'Ampezzo and the Val Badia. In summer the pass car park fills on good days: arrive early. Without a car, check in Cortina for the buses that go up to the pass in season.
With children
The summit and the trenches work well with children. The tunnel is something else: it is steep, dark and slippery; do it only with older children, used to the mountains and well equipped.
- **Alpe di Siusi by cable car from Siusi** (5 h · All ages · Desde 30 € per adult, return): What it is
The Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm in German) is a high-mountain meadow plateau above the Val Gardena and the village of Siusi allo Sciliar, surrounded by the Sassolungo and the Sciliar. Up there you walk on wide, gentle tracks, from hut to hut, with cows on the pastures and the walls of the Dolomites all around. It is one of the flattest and most rewarding excursions in the area, suitable for almost anyone.
The way up is the Seiser Alm Bahn gondola, which links the village of Siusi with Compatsch, on the edge of the plateau.
The gondola
It climbs 800 metres in about 13 minutes, from the Siusi valley station to Compatsch. In summer 2026 it ran from 22 May to 2 November:

From 22 May to 6 June: 8:00 to 18:00.
From 7 June to 6 September: 8:00 to 19:00.
From 7 September to 2 November: 8:00 to 18:00.

Summer 2026 prices

Adults: €21 one way, €30 return.
Family (two adults with children): €46 one way, €65 return.
Junior (born 2009 to 2018): €14 and €19.
Seniors (born 1961 or earlier): €19 and €27.
Children (born 2019 onwards): free.
Dog: €5 one way, €10 return.
Bike: €6 and €12.

Discounts only apply if all the people are present and show ID. There is a card for three ascents and descents per season for €73.
Why the gondola and not the car
The road to Compatsch is closed to private cars from 9:00 to 17:00. You can only drive up before 9:00 or after 17:00, and if the two car parks on the plateau fill before 9:00, access is closed. At the top, the one at Compatsch costs €31 a day. Below, at the Siusi valley station, there is a free outdoor car park and two paid garages, with more than 1,500 spaces in total.
What to do at the top
From Compatsch tracks and paths lead in all directions across the plateau, almost without any climbing. You can walk for a few hours over the meadows with the Sassolungo and the Sciliar in front of you and stop for lunch at one of the huts. The plateau buses take you to other points if you don't want to come back the same way. Allow the whole day if you want to walk and eat up there at leisure.
With children and dogs
It is a very comfortable family plan: children born in 2019 or later do not pay, and the tracks are suitable for all-terrain pushchairs. Dogs may ride in the gondola and on the area's buses, on a lead and muzzled; on the plateau they must be on a lead, and there may be special rules near livestock.
When to go
From late May to early November, while the gondola runs. June is the month of flowers in the meadows; in July and August there are more people and afternoon storms, so go up early. In September and October the air is clearer and there are fewer visitors.
Combine it with
On the other side of the Val Gardena, the Seceda from Ortisei puts you in front of the Odle ridge. To sleep in the valley, the ADLER Spa Resort Dolomiti is in Ortisei.
- **Walking round Lake Braies** (1 h 30 · 3.5 km · All ages · Free walk · paid parking): What it is
Lake Braies (Pragser Wildsee) is a mountain lake at 1,496 metres, in the Fanes-Sennes-Braies nature park, at the foot of the Croda del Becco, at 2,810 metres. It formed when a landslide from the Sasso del Signore blocked the course of the Braies river. It is about 1.2 km long and 300 to 400 metres wide, reaches 36 metres deep and its water does not exceed about 14 °C. It is also the starting point of the Alta Via 1, the classic Dolomites route to Belluno. Since it appeared in the series Un passo dal cielo, in 2011, it has been one of the most visited places in the region.
The walk round the lake

Distance: about 3.5 km.
Time: an hour and a half, unhurried.
Ascent: almost none.
Where it starts: on the north shore, next to the lake hotel, a few steps from the car parks.

It is best done anticlockwise, starting along the west shore. That shore is flat and wide. The east shore is narrower, with steps and some stretches of rock: if you have a pushchair, go back the way you came. At the far end of the lake, at the southern tip, you have the view of the Croda del Becco reflected in the water.
Traffic regulation and booking
From 1 July to 15 September, between 9:00 and 16:00, the Braies valley can only be entered by public transport, on foot, by bike or with an online reservation or transit permit. Parking reservations open on the valley's tourist website in early June. You can arrive before 9:00 without a reservation, but a space is not guaranteed: in high season there are very few before that hour. Outside that period there are no restrictions and no need to book. You have it summarised at Lake Braies parking.
Car parks
The valley's tourist association publishes these indicative prices, which change by season and time:

P4, 100 metres from the lake: up to €30 for 24 hours or €15 for three hours.
P3, 300 metres: up to €18 a day or €14 for three hours.
P2, 800 metres: up to €10 a day or €7 for three hours.
P1, 5.5 km: €7, summer only and with a shuttle to the lake.

Motorhomes pay €45 for 24 hours at P4.
By bus
Line 442 links Dobbiaco and Villabassa with the lake, and in high season it is reinforced by the 439 from Monguelfo station. Outside the regulation you pay the normal fare to the driver, in cash. During the regulation, the bus also needs a booking with online payment, and when places are full you cannot get on.
When to go
First thing or at the end of the afternoon: the lake is calm, there are fewer people and the light is better. In winter it freezes and since 2012 curling has been played on the ice; do not walk on the ice on your own.
With children and dogs
The walk is easy for children of any age, as long as you watch the east shore, which is narrower. Dogs can do the walk on a lead.
Combine it with
From Dobbiaco, bus 444 goes up to the Rifugio Auronzo for the Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop. To sleep nearby, the Caravan Park Sexten is in the Sesto valley.
- **Averau and Nuvolau via ferratas with a guide, from Cortina** (4 h · No vertigo and fit · Desde 150 € per person, in a group): The Averau rises between the Passo Falzarego and the Passo Giau, above the Cinque Torri, west of Cortina d'Ampezzo. Its ferrata is short, without great difficulties and with some vertical sections, and Guide Alpine Cortina uses it as training for anyone starting out on via ferratas: that is why it is best to go with a guide and early.
What a via ferrata is
A via ferrata is a route over rock equipped with a fixed steel cable and, on the more vertical sections, rungs or staples. You are attached to the cable with a harness and a two-carabiner energy absorber, so you are never loose. In the Dolomites many were born during the First World War, to move troops through the mountains, and today they are the way to reach summits that would otherwise require climbing.
What the outing is like
It is run by Guide Alpine Cortina as a group, with a qualified guide:

Duration: about 4 hours.
Ascent: 500 metres in total, of which 100 on the ferrata.
Level: beginner, with some vertical sections.
Price: €150 per person.
Minimum: 4 participants to confirm the outing.
Meeting: at 8:30 at the guides' office, at Corso Italia 69/a in Cortina.

Book online by choosing the date and number of people. If there are fewer than four of you or you want to go alone, the guides offer the same outing privately: ask for the price by phone or through the contact form.
When it is done
In summer, on the dates published in the guides' calendar, when the wall is free of snow and the lifts and huts are operating. Summer storms tend to arrive in the afternoon: that is why the meeting is early.
Combine it with
Very close by, at the Passo Falzarego, the cable car goes up to the Lagazuoi and its Great War tunnels. For lunch, the Rifugio Averau is at the foot of the ferrata. If you stay in Cortina, the Hotel Menardi is on the way out towards Dobbiaco.

## Dónde comer
- **Rifugio Averau** (Restaurant, Cinque Torri, €€€). Qué pedir: the cappelli dell'alpino and the cialsons, filled pasta from the mountains.
- **Rifugio Auronzo** (Restaurant, Tre Cime di Lavaredo, €€). Qué pedir: a hot dish from the self-service on your return from the walk.
- **Rifugio Lagazuoi** (Restaurant, Lagazuoi, 2,752 m, €€€). Qué pedir: something hot on the terrace before going down through the tunnels.
- **El Brite de Larieto** (Restaurant, Cortina d'Ampezzo, €€€). Qué pedir: the cheeses from their own dairy and the meat from their animals.

## By car: By car, from pass to pass
The car lets you change valley in a morning: Cortina, Falzarego, Gardena and Pusteria are linked by mountain passes. In return, in summer you have to book the Tre Cime road and a space at Braies.
Presupuesto orientativo: 120–200 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Rifugio Auronzo** (Mountain hut): At the end of the toll road, with two- and three-bed rooms and dormitories of five or six, all with shared bathrooms. Sleeping here lets you do the Tre Cime loop at dawn, before the cars arrive. It opens from late May to October, as decided by the municipality of Auronzo.
- **Hotel Menardi** (Small hotel): A house from 1836 owned by the Menardi family, which was an inn on the road between Italy and the Austrian empire and is now a three-star hotel with its own grounds, restaurant and wellness area. It is on the way out of Cortina towards Dobbiaco, convenient by car for the Tre Cime and Braies.
- **ADLER Spa Resort Dolomiti** (Spa hotel): An inn from 1810 in the centre of Ortisei that the Sanoner family, now in its seventh generation, turned into one of the first spa hotels in the Alps. The Seceda cable car is a few minutes away on foot.
### Servicios
- **Tre Cime toll road and car park**: Online booking compulsory · €40 car · €26 motorbike · €60 motorhome
- **Lake Braies parking**: From 1 July to 15 September, 9:00 to 16:00, only with an online reservation, by public transport, on foot or by bike

## On foot: Walking and sleeping up high
The network of huts lets you chain days together without going down to the valley. To start, a night at the Lagazuoi or the Auronzo already changes the trip: you see the mountain when everyone else has gone.
Presupuesto orientativo: 85–130 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're on foot
- **Rifugio Lagazuoi** (Mountain hut, desde 85 € / bed): A hut at the summit, next to the cable car, with rooms and bunk dormitories of 6 to 14 places. The price is a bunk bed with breakfast in summer 2026. It has a sauna with a view: you book it for the afternoon, when the hikers have gone.
- **Rifugio Auronzo** (Mountain hut): At the end of the toll road, with two- and three-bed rooms and dormitories of five or six, all with shared bathrooms. Sleeping here lets you do the Tre Cime loop at dawn, before the cars arrive. It opens from late May to October, as decided by the municipality of Auronzo.
### Servicios
- **Bus 444 from Dobbiaco to the Rifugio Auronzo**: Go up to the Tre Cime without a car or toll · late May to early October · online return booking
- **Cortina Express from Venice airport**: Cortina–Venice airport via Treviso · all year · ticket on the website or app
- **Lagazuoi infopoint and rental**: Helmet and head torch for the tunnels · €8 each, €13 for both · Passo Falzarego

## Camping: Tent in the valley, hikes above
Two campsites cover the two halves of the eastern Dolomites: Fiames for Cortina and the Falzarego, Sesto for the Tre Cime and Braies. Nights are cold even in August.
Presupuesto orientativo: 40–70 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're camping
- **International Camping Olympia** (Campsite): In Fiames, north of Cortina, beside the Dobbiaco road. The pitches are about 80 m² with electricity included, and there is an emptying point for motorhomes. It closes in autumn and reopens in December for skiing.
- **Caravan Park Sexten** (Campsite): A five-star campsite in Moos, in the Sesto valley, open 365 days a year. It has pitches from standard to private ones with bathroom, a spa, swimming pool, indoor climbing wall and children's club. From here the Tre Cime and Braies are close.
### Servicios
- **Bus 444 from Dobbiaco to the Rifugio Auronzo**: Go up to the Tre Cime without a car or toll · late May to early October · online return booking

## By campervan: By motorhome, with reservations
It can be done, but with two conditions: the Tre Cime road costs €60 and requires a reservation, and at Braies motorhomes over 2 m cannot be booked online, they only enter when staff are present in the car park.
Presupuesto orientativo: 50–90 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir in a campervan
- **International Camping Olympia** (Campsite): In Fiames, north of Cortina, beside the Dobbiaco road. The pitches are about 80 m² with electricity included, and there is an emptying point for motorhomes. It closes in autumn and reopens in December for skiing.
- **Caravan Park Sexten** (Campsite): A five-star campsite in Moos, in the Sesto valley, open 365 days a year. It has pitches from standard to private ones with bathroom, a spa, swimming pool, indoor climbing wall and children's club. From here the Tre Cime and Braies are close.
### Servicios
- **Tre Cime toll road and car park**: Online booking compulsory · €40 car · €26 motorbike · €60 motorhome
- **Lake Braies parking**: From 1 July to 15 September, 9:00 to 16:00, only with an online reservation, by public transport, on foot or by bike

## Luxury: Spa after the mountain
The Dolomites have a long tradition of spa hotels, especially in South Tyrol. They give you what is most welcome after a hike: sauna, pool and a long dinner.
Presupuesto orientativo: €300 or more por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir in style
- **ADLER Spa Resort Dolomiti** (Spa hotel): An inn from 1810 in the centre of Ortisei that the Sanoner family, now in its seventh generation, turned into one of the first spa hotels in the Alps. The Seceda cable car is a few minutes away on foot.
- **Caravan Park Sexten** (Campsite): A five-star campsite in Moos, in the Sesto valley, open 365 days a year. It has pitches from standard to private ones with bathroom, a spa, swimming pool, indoor climbing wall and children's club. From here the Tre Cime and Braies are close.
### Servicios
- **Cortina Express from Venice airport**: Cortina–Venice airport via Treviso · all year · ticket on the website or app

## By plane: Fly to Venice and drive or take the bus to Cortina
Venice is the gateway to the Dolomites: from there it is about two hours by motorway from the Marco Polo airport to Cortina d'Ampezzo. To change valley it is best to hire the car at the airport; if you stay in Cortina and walk from there, the Cortina Express drops you in the centre without driving.
### Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Rifugio Lagazuoi** (Mountain hut, desde 85 € / bed): A hut at the summit, next to the cable car, with rooms and bunk dormitories of 6 to 14 places. The price is a bunk bed with breakfast in summer 2026. It has a sauna with a view: you book it for the afternoon, when the hikers have gone.
- **Rifugio Auronzo** (Mountain hut): At the end of the toll road, with two- and three-bed rooms and dormitories of five or six, all with shared bathrooms. Sleeping here lets you do the Tre Cime loop at dawn, before the cars arrive. It opens from late May to October, as decided by the municipality of Auronzo.
- **Hotel Menardi** (Small hotel): A house from 1836 owned by the Menardi family, which was an inn on the road between Italy and the Austrian empire and is now a three-star hotel with its own grounds, restaurant and wellness area. It is on the way out of Cortina towards Dobbiaco, convenient by car for the Tre Cime and Braies.
- **ADLER Spa Resort Dolomiti** (Spa hotel): An inn from 1810 in the centre of Ortisei that the Sanoner family, now in its seventh generation, turned into one of the first spa hotels in the Alps. The Seceda cable car is a few minutes away on foot.
### Servicios
- **Cortina Express from Venice airport**: Cortina–Venice airport via Treviso · all year · ticket on the website or app

## As a family: High mountains without climbing on foot

With children, the cable cars do the hard work. Up top there are wide, almost flat walks, and under-8s do not pay at the Seceda or the Alpe di Siusi if they are with an adult.

### What works best
The Alpe di Siusi: cable car from Siusi and meadows to walk at an easy pace

The Seceda, with the one-hour walk facing the Odle

The walk round Lake Braies, flatter along the west shore

The Tre Cime loop, only with children who already walk three hours

### Where to sleep
Camping Olympia or Caravan Park Sexten, with space and a children's club in Sesto

Hotel Menardi, in Cortina, with its own garden

### Where to eat
El Brite de Larieto, with farm animals

The Rifugio Auronzo self-service before or after the walk

### Keep in mind
It is cold at the top: warm clothes and a hat even in August

Storms arrive in the afternoon: come down before three

Braies in summer, only with a reserved space or by bus

### Qué hacer as a family
- Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop from the Rifugio Auronzo
- Seceda by cable car from Ortisei
- Alpe di Siusi by cable car from Siusi
- Walking round Lake Braies

## With teenagers: Tunnels, cables and a real summit

A teenager gets bored at a crowded viewpoint. They get hooked by the war embedded in the rock of the Lagazuoi, by their first ferrata or by sleeping in a hut at 2,752 m.

### What works best
The Averau ferrata with a guide, beginner level and real exposure

The Great War tunnels at the Lagazuoi, with helmet and head torch

The Tre Cime loop with a detour to the Rifugio Locatelli

The Seceda, for the photo everyone is after

### Where to sleep
Rifugio Lagazuoi, with bunks and sauna

Rifugio Auronzo, to set off at dawn

### Where to eat
Rifugio Averau, on the way down from the ferrata

Rifugio Lagazuoi, on the summit terrace

### Keep in mind
The ferrata requires no fear of heights and a minimum group of four

It is cold and dark in the tunnels: a head torch for each person

From age 8 they pay the junior rate on the lifts

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop from the Rifugio Auronzo
- Seceda by cable car from Ortisei
- Lagazuoi: cable car and Great War tunnels
- Averau and Nuvolau via ferratas with a guide, from Cortina

## With a dog: Lakes, plateaus and the Tre Cime with the dog on a lead

In the Dolomites the dog goes up with you: it walks round Lake Braies and the Tre Cime on a lead, and can ride the Siusi and Seceda cable cars by paying its ticket. To sleep with it, campsites are the safe option: both in this guide admit it, each with its own conditions.

### Hikes
Walk round Lake Braies, easy and flat, on a lead

Tre Cime loop from the Rifugio Auronzo: on a lead, because in summer there are many people

Alpe di Siusi: on a lead across the plateau, with special rules near livestock

### Cable cars
Alpe di Siusi: €5 per trip, on a lead and muzzled in the cabin and on the buses

Seceda from Ortisei: the dog pays €7

### Where to sleep
Caravan Park Sexten: up to two dogs per unit, with a supplement; not in tree houses, Yakima tents or Wellness Lodges

International Camping Olympia, in Fiames: dogs allowed; check conditions when booking

### Keep in mind
The ADLER Spa Resort Dolomiti does not admit pets

The Auronzo and Lagazuoi huts do not publish whether they admit dogs: ask before booking

At 2,500 metres it is cool even if it is hot below

### Qué hacer with a dog
- Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop from the Rifugio Auronzo
- Seceda by cable car from Ortisei
- Alpe di Siusi by cable car from Siusi
- Walking round Lake Braies

### Dónde dormir with a dog
- International Camping Olympia: Dogs allowed; check conditions when booking
- Caravan Park Sexten: Up to two dogs per unit, with a supplement; not in tree houses, Yakima tents or Wellness Lodges

## Consejos

### Take the first cable car up
At half past eight the Seceda and the Alpe di Siusi are almost empty. By mid-morning there are queues at the bottom station.

### Check which lifts are open
Each cable car has its own season. Many open in late May or June and close in early November.

### Bring a jacket even if it's warm below
At 2,500 m it's cold and windy, even in August.

### Go to the Tre Cime without a car
Bus 444 leaves Dobbiaco and drops you at the Rifugio Auronzo. You save the toll and the reservation.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How many days do I need?
Four at the very least to see the Tre Cime, Seceda and Lagazuoi without rushing. With a week you can add a via ferrata, the Alpe di Siusi and a night in a hut.

### Can you go without a car?
Yes, with patience. The Cortina Express runs from Venice airport, bus 444 climbs from Dobbiaco to the Rifugio Auronzo and the cable cars leave from the villages. Between valleys the buses are slow.

### Can you go with children?
Yes. The Seceda and the Alpe di Siusi are reached by cable car and there are flat walks at the top. Children under 8 don't pay on those lifts if they travel with a paying adult.

### Do I need experience for a via ferrata?
Not if you go with a guide. Those on the Averau and the Nuvolau are beginner level, though you need a head for heights and to be fit.

### When is it least crowded?
In June and September. In the first half of September the lifts are still open and the schools have already started.

### Do you have to pay to see the Tre Cime?
The route itself is free. What you pay for is the toll road up to the Rifugio Auronzo, or the bus if you go up without a car.