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Italy - Dolomites
The Dolomites, located in North Eastern Italy is part of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretches from the River Adige iin the West to the Piave Valley in the East, covering an area of 16,000 Square Kilometres. Known for its stunning mountain peaks, beautiful mountain passes and lakes, the Dolomites is very popular for skiing, hiking and outdoor recreation.
Browse this page for some very spectacular hikes in The Dolomites, with General Descriptions, Trip Tips and Hiking Tips.
Use the drop down sub menu under Hiking for other country locations.
ENJOY!
Seceda
The Dolomites, Italy
Seceda is one of the most iconic mountains in The Dolomites, rising to 2,519 metres with a spectacular ridgeline of jagged peaks rising from a grassy slope in Summer and a beautiful snow field in Winter on one side and a sheer vertical drop on the other.
Located in Val Gadena, Seceda is a must-do hike in the Dolomites as you can get right close to it peak whether by Gondola (in season) or by hiking up.
In Winter, it is a spectacular ski area with long runs and long elevation drops. In the Summer, it is very popular with hikers as well as tourists.
There are lots of photo opportunities to be had no only at the top but throughout the loop hike from the Almhotel to the ridge at the top and then to the Rifugio Firenze before looping back to the Almhotel.
The Rifugio was not yet open as we were there mid May, but the Almhotel has a great menu and very hospitable service. You also get a beautiful 360 degree view from the hotel located on top of a plateau.
Trip Tips
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Access to Seceda Mountain is either via the Seceda-Furnes Cables Cars from Ortisei, or the Col Raiser Cable Car near Santa Cristina. The Seceda-Furnes Cable Cars are open only for the Ski Season and then from June for the Summer hiking Season. The Col Raiser opens a bit earlier in May when it is safe, but it takes you only half way up the mountain to the Almhotel / restaurant. From there it would still be a good 2-hour uphill hike up to the top.
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There are a selection of accommodation options at both Ortisei and Santa Cristina. Do check seasonal opening dates of hotels, restaurants and cable cars when planning your trip.
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As the main skiing and hiking attractions in The Dolomites is spread across a vast area, plan first which areas you wish to hike at, then choose the most ideal location to stay to minimise daily driving distances. To cover all the main bucket list hikes, you would probably need to stay in at least two different locations.
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Most popular locations for accommodation are Cortina d'Ampezzo, Santa Cristina and Ortisei.
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For our week in The Dolomites, we stayed in Santa Cristina as Seceda was our first priority, and from here it was easy to do day hikes at Santa Magdalena, Lake Braies, Alp di Siusi, Reinbach Falls. Unfortunately, we could not make the long trip to Tre Cime as the poor weather (without views) did not justify the long drive there and back.
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If you have time to do only one hike in The Dolomites, in my humble opinion, Seceda has to be it!
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Many petrol refuelling stations in Europe are not attended by cashiers. Often your foreign credit card and PIN do not work at the pumps. So have the right amount of cash as the fuel is prepaid and change is not provided, so you need to have some idea about your tank size and be a a bit of a math wizard.
Hiking Tips
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We chose to hike The Dolomites in mid May to avoid the Summer crowd. The Seceda-Furnes gondolas were closed but we wanted to hike and not ride the gondola to the top, so that was fine.
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We took the Col Raiser cable car to the Almhotel. From there we did a loop trail that took us on a longish climb up to the ridge, continuing from there to Rifugio Firenze (which was still closed), and finishing the loop back at the Almhotel.
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The climb from the Almhotel to the Ridge took us past the Unesco Panorama Balcony. With due respect, this panorama view point was beautiful but not as stunning as the iconic view at the ridge top.
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Unfortunately, the day was very overcast and we found that the last 200 metre elevation climb was still covered in snow, so the going was slower than usual. There were still a couple of dozens people doing the hike up, but everyone turned around at the view point without doing the loop to the Rifugio as the ridge was still icy. Everyone, except us 3 crazy Aussies (see video) who went on the ridge anyway, and was well rewarded by the experience.
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Two mornings later, we had a sunny break in the weather which was overcast all week and we decided to repeat the same hike at Seceda again. This time round, most of the snow has melted, and the scenery was quite different - sunny with a bit of clouds but otherwise, blue skies.
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Alpine weather and terrain conditions are unpredictable - be prepared for the elements, and allow extra time to complete the loop so you do not miss the last gondola for the day and have to spend the night up there.
Beautiful Mountain Passes
The Dolomites, Italy
The drive into, out of and through of The Dolomites, particularly on the mountain passes is an exhilarating experience where you are treated around every corner imposing and stunning mountain peaks. This is when you want to be the front seat passenger rather than the driver to be able to fully soak in the views.
But drivers do not be distracted from driving safely as there are many lookout points for that instagram photo or video.
Top tip for capturing the stunning mountain passes on video: mount a GoPro on your dashboard to capture some stunning scenery as you weave through switch back after switchback. However, instead of letting your GoPro running constantly, make it handy for you or your passenger to turn the recording on and off to capture short snippets of the best videos or photos so you do not have to spend a lot of time later trying to edit out the best footage from a very long video recording.
Some of the most scenic passes are: Passo Gardena, Passo Sella, Passo Giau, Passo Rolle, Passo Pordoi. My personal faourites are Passo Sella and Passo Gardena.
Reinbach Falls
(Cascate di Riva)
The Dolomites, Italy
The Reinbach Falls or Cascate di Riva is a definite hidden gem at the North end of The Dolomites that is very often overlooked by visitors to The Dolomites but definitely worth every minute of the drive there.
This waterfall has 3 stages, the most impressive and most voluminous is the one at the top. In the Spring water gushes down with mighty force and volume with a loud roar and the resulting mist is like a constant light drizzle that showers onto the viewing platform, so you get a 4D experience!
Located near the picturesque town of Campo Tures, about 1.5 hours' drive from Santa Cristina.
Trip Tips
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From a trip planning point of view, we recommend to do Lake Braies and Reinbach Falls on the same day as they are located 45 minutes from each other and are in the same direction if driving from Santa Cristina or Ortisei; or even if you are coming from Cortina d'Ampezzo.
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Both are relatively short hikes / walks, so time wise, they are a perfect combination for making the most of a day.
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While Lake Braies is always overrun by people - both tourists and locals because of it being very well known, Reinbach Falls offers a more tranquil walk in a zen like environment where you might find a few locals frequenting it and the odd tourist.
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Perfect for waterfall chasers.
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There is a wool museum nearby if you have time to spare.
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Many petrol refuelling stations in Europe are not attended by cashiers. Often your foreign credit card and PIN do not work at the pumps. So have the right amount of cash as the fuel is prepaid and change is not provided, so you need to have some idea about your tank size and be a a bit of a math wizard.
Hiking Tips
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If you have 2 to 3 hours to spare, we recommend doing the 8 km loop from Taufers Castle, then coming back through part of the town of Campo Tures so you can experience some of the architecture of this picturesque town.
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If you are short of time, the easy way to see all three cascades is to park at Via Winkel / Winkelweg where there is a camp ground and a small cafe. From here, the out and back walk to see all 3 cascades is about 1 hour or so depending on the time you spend at each view point. The walk has some steep and slippery sections but is beautiful as you are following the river.
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Keep and eye out for beautiful sculptures olong the trail too.
The church dedicated to St. Magdalene. The original building was built in 1934 and only the tower remains. The chapel, built in the 17th century with baroque elemants, has a sculpture of St. Magdalene, the patron saint at the altar.
This is another popular destination for hikers and instagramers because of the setting of the chapel surrounded by lush green meadows and farland, with a stunning backdrop of stunning tyrolean peaks.
Sadly when we were there, it was very overcast and the mountainous backdrop was concealed in clouds.
Santa Maddalena
The Dolomites, Italy
Trip Tips
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There are several hikes in this area of varying distance and degree of difficulty.
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It is about 45 minutes' drive from Santa Cristina West, North and then back East.
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The narrow road up to the chapel is close to the public. You could park at a couple of small car parks in the small town and start your walk from there.
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Many petrol refuelling stations in Europe are not attended by cashiers. Often your foreign credit card and PIN do not work at the pumps. So have the right amount of cash as the fuel is prepaid and change is not provided, so you need to have some idea about your tank size and be a a bit of a math wizard.
Hiking Tips
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Access As we were doing two locations that day, we chose to do the 4 kilometres out and back walk from the town to the chapel and then further up the hill, past farmland onto to Panorama di Santa Maddalena.
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The walk itself has a constant but moderate gradient, and the out and back trip would take about 1.5 hours. But be sure to allow time to dwell and spend time at the chapel and to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
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Unfortunately for us there was no panoramic view of the beautiful mountainous backdrop due to overcast conditions. Hope you will have better luck!
Lake Braies
(Pragser Wildsee)
The Dolomites, Italy
Lake Braies is a beautiful natural lake in the Prags Dolomites in South Tyrol, at an altitude of 1,500 metres and catchment area of 30,000 Square kilometres.
This is an extremely popular spot for both tourists and locals, so expect to see crowds of tourists as well as local families.
The lake is known for its beautiful emerald colour and lovely reflections of the mountain peaks on a still day.
The walk around the lake is less than 4 kilometres with elevation gain of 188 metres.
Trip Tips
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From a trip planning point of view, we recommend to do Lake Braies and Reinbach Falls on the same day as they are located 45 minutes from each other and are in the same direction if driving from Santa Cristina or Ortisei; or even if you are coming from Cortina d'Ampezzo.
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Both are relatively short hikes / walks, so time wise, they are a perfect combination for making the most of a day.
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Expect big crowds at Lake Braies but its definitely worth a visit to personally experience the beauty and take some obligatory photos. You would need good timing and clever angles to be able to capture the scenery without any or too many people in your photos!
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Many petrol refuelling stations in Europe are not attended by cashiers. Often your foreign credit card and PIN do not work at the pumps. So have the right amount of cash as the fuel is prepaid and change is not provided, so you need to have some idea about your tank size and be a a bit of a math wizard.
Hiking Tips
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We strongly recommend to go early to be able to enjoy the tranquility of the lake before it gets very busy.
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It is worthwhile to walk the loop around the lake to see it from all angles and possibly find some quieter spots for chilling and for great photos.
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There is a little coffee shop at parking which gets very busy, and a bigger cafe / restaurant about 200m down the right hand shore as you approach from parking.
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Also check out the souvenir shop.
Alpe di Siusi
The Dolomites, Italy
This beautiful 13-kilometre loop trail near Ortisei, South Tyrol is a moderately challenging route, taking about 3.5 hours to complete. This is a very popular area for hiking, mountain biking, and snowshoeing in winter.
The hike offers a phenomenal view of the Alpe di Siusi mountain pastures, the iconic Sassolungo and other mountain ranges. Easy gravel paths and some asphalted mountain roads, which makes it suitable for anyone. Be mindful of some gradients, with total elevation gain of 300 metres.
The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime.
Trip Tips
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The trail head is actually very near to Ortisei and Santa Cristina, but the drive there around the mountains is a loop that take around 40 minutes.
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Staying at Santa Cristina made it easy for us to include this hike in our week in The Dolomites, doing it on the day of our departure before heading back to Venice going South on the A22.
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There is a nice bar / hotel at the Sporthotel Sonne.
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Many petrol refuelling stations in Europe are not attended by cashiers. Often your foreign credit card and PIN do not work at the pumps. So have the right amount of cash as the fuel is prepaid and change is not provided, so you need to have some idea about your tank size and be a a bit of a math wizard.
Hiking Tips
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A relatively easy hike with easy trails and mostly wide expansive meadows and great vistas in all directions.
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Particularly stunning is the view of Alpe di Siusi and the iconic Sassolungo.
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A nice coffee (or beer if you like) awaited us on our return at the Sporthotel Sonne.
Jimmi Hut
The Dolomites, Italy
Jimmi Hut (Rifugio Jimmi) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Situated next to the upper station of Cable Car Frara, just off Passo Gardena, it is a perfect place for peace and relaxation. Surrounded by the majestic peaks of the Sella massif, the refuge combines the romantic charm of traditional huts with the comfort of modern hospitality.
The refuge offers alpine delicacies in a cosy lounge overlooking the breathtaking alpine scenery after a hike or a ski run
Trip Tips
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This short hike from the Passo Gardena Groedner Joch Lookout is a must-do when you take a drive through Passo Gardena.
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Prior to the trip, check opening dates of the Hut as it may open only some time in June. Do allow time to enjoy the hospitality of the family-run hut that has a reputation as a great meeting place for 30 years.
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Many petrol refuelling stations in Europe are not attended by cashiers. Often your foreign credit card and PIN do not work at the pumps. So have the right amount of cash as the fuel is prepaid and change is not provided, so you need to have some idea about your tank size and be a a bit of a math wizard.
Hiking Tips
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From the Groedner Joch High Mountain Pass Lookout, it is a short 1.5-kilometre walk on a slight gradient up to Jimmi Hut.
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From here you get a 360-degree panoramic view of the surrounding mountains including the Sella Masif.
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