7-Day Best of the Dolomites: Hiking and Gourmet
Always wanted to visit the Dolomites, but never knew where to start? This is the perfect trip for you! We have assembled an itinerary that includes our favorite hikes, the most famous vistas, and the best restaurants - all in one great trip! You'll hike your way through Cortina d'Ampezzo, around the Tre Cime di Lavaredo - perhaps the most famous peaks in all the Dolomites. You will explore two natural parks and a plethora of vistas as you hike to the Alpe di Sennes. You'll discover Alta Badia - "the heart of the Dolomites" - with it's towering peaks and lush valleys, and experience the three cultures that thrive here - Italian, German, and Ladin. You'll straddle the landscape and history of these two areas, hiking through tunnels created during World War I, where the Italians and Austrians battled for this territory in the early 20th century.
And what's better than complementing all that hiking with incredible cuisine? You'll dine on traditional Italian fare in Cortina, heavily influenced by its location in the Veneto and proximity to Venice. In Alta Badia you'll discover South Tyrolean cuisine, with its Austrian and Ladin influences. Your culinary experience will be well rounded, introducing you to everything from the best and most highly regarded restaurants in the region, to hearty Dolomites cuisine at rifugi (mountain inns), to a meal at a historic, working "malga" or dairy farm. The culinary highlight? Dinner at a 1-Star Michelin restaurant! This trip truly is the best of the Dolomites!
Available early June through end of September.
Accommodations are just examples -- actual accommodation will depend on availability. This can also be done with 3-star hotels and/or no gourmet.
It is easiest to access the trek from Venice.
Full Itinerary
Day 1: 7-DAY BEST OF THE DOLOMITES / Arrive in Cortina d'Ampezzo (D)
Arrive in Cortina d'Ampezzo (1,224m / 4,016') on your own (private transfer on request), and check into your hotel. Cortina d'Ampezzo is a charming alpine resort town surrounded by stunning peaks. Host to the 1956 Winter Olympics, Cortina enjoys a reputation for great skiing in winter, and in the summer attracts hikers and climbers who challenge the rocky faces of the nearby mountains.
If you are doing this trip as a self-guided adventure, you will meet with a local representative who will provide a trip briefing and orientation, as well as maps, and everything necessary for your self-guided adventure, typically around 6-7pm. Guided treks have their briefing tomorrow.
Dinner at your hotel.
Meals included: Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Hotel Beppe Sello (Cortina)
Luxury Accommodations: Hotel Cortina (Cortina / 4-Star)
Day 2: Hike Alpe di Sennes Circuit (BD)
For guided treks, you will meet with your guide who will provide a full trip briefing and orientation at 8:30am. Self-guided treks have a briefing the night before.
This walk to the Alpe di Sennes uplands entails a wonderful range of scenery and habitats, two natural parks - Dolomiti d'Ampezzo and Fanes-Sennes-Braies - and the spectacular Croda Rossa mountain group.
In the morning take a private transfer to the Rifugio Malga Ra Stua (1,688m / 5,538'), a cozy hut-cum-dairy farm set in a valley lying between the Croda Rossa (northeast) and Lavinores (west) Dolomite groups. From here, you hike uphill on a wide gravel trail to Rifugio Sennes (2,126m / 6,975'), and on to Rifugio Fodara Vedla (1,980m / 6,496') where you stop for lunch and enjoy a lovely view east to the Croda Rossa.
After lunch, you'll hike on a stony track, a former wartime mule route, traversing a series of grassy basins dotted with bushes and dwarf mountain pine, the ideal home of marmots and chamois. The final part of today's hike winds steadily down through Arolla pine and larch, back to the Rifugio Malga Ra Stua. Private transfer back to your hotel.
(~5-6 hours hiking, 12.2 km / 7.6 miles, 470 m / 1'545' ascent, 470 m / 1,545' descent; possibility to do a shorter hike, to be discussed with your guide.)
Option to hike to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo at an extra charge.
Tonight you will have dinner in a 1*Michelin restaurant
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Hotel Beppe Sello (Cortina)
Luxury Accommodations: Hotel Cortina (Cortina / 4-Star)
Day 3: Hike Tardelba and Faloria (BD)
This morning begins with a private transfer to Passo Tre Croci, right above the north-east border of Cortina.
Today's hike will allow you to admire the view of the Cristallo mountain group to the North, the Tofane to the West behind the Cortina basin, and the Ciadin del Loudo to the South.
Hike a section of the panoramic "Dolomieu Trail", providing stunning views of the classic Dolomite's rock layers as you hike through woods of larches and spruce pines just above Rio Gere. Take a transfer back to your hotel in Cortina.
(~5,5 hours hiking, 11.4 km / 7.1 miles, 510 m / 1,670' ascent, 600 m / 1,970' descent.)
Tonight's dinner is included at a typical restaurant with local dishes.
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Hotel Beppe Sello (Cortina)
Luxury Accommodations: Hotel Cortina (Cortina / 4-Star)
Day 4: Hike Cinque Torri Area / Passo Giau to Passo Falzarego (BD)
Today's hike is of great interest, not only for the incredible scenery but also for the abundance of reminders of the terrible years of WWI, due to the vicinity of the former border between the long-dismantled Hapsburg Empire and Italy.
You will hike from rifugio Giau to rifugio Scoiattoli, then to rifugio Averau and finally to Passo Falzarego stopping at the beautiful Lake Limedes along the way.
From your Rifugio at Passo Giau, take path #443, which runs below the Nuvolau/Ra Gusela mountain and winds its way on variable terrain through impressive rock formations and boulders, with spectacular views of the rugged Croda da Lago massif on your right and the pastures below.
Continue along this path until you reach Rifugio Scoiattoli 2255m/7,396'). You may wish to stop here for refreshments and pictures because the view of the Cinque Torri boulders from the Rifugio's terrace is unprecedented.
From Rifugio Scoiattoli, ascend to rifugio Averau, the perfect place to have lunch, on path #439 and then #441. In the afternoon, hike towards Passo Falzarego, taking path #419, passing Lago Limedes on the way. After the lake, take path #422 to get back on to #419. From Passo Falzarego, you will have a private transfer to your hotel in Alta Badia.
(Duration: 3 hours - 8,6km/5,3miles - Ascent 343m/1125'- Descent 486m/1590')
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Hotel Stores (Alta Badia)
Accommodations: Hotel Christiania (Alta Badia / 4-Star)
Day 5: Hike Santa Croce Sanctuary (BD)
Today you will hike to the Santa Croce Sanctuary at the base of the Sasso della Croce (Sass dla Crusc for the Ladin-speaking population). Begin walking uphill on a paved road, passing through a number of closely-knit hamlets formed of clusters of ancient shingle-roofed timber farmhouses and barns, known as viles, or small communities, characteristic of Val Badia.
After a 45-minute walk on a road, pass through the last vile, continue hiking on a gravel trail that leads to the Santa Croce Sanctuary. Walk gradually uphill through the pine forest with great views of Santa Croce, the Conturines, and Sella mountain groups, as well as the towns of La Villa, San Cassiano, Corvara, Pedraces, and San Leonardo - all part of the Val Badia valley. Along the way there are a couple of steep ascents.
It takes about two hours from San Cassiano to reach the church and sanctuary of Ospizio S. Croce (2,045m / 6,710'). There is a charming rifugio here, where you can enjoy a traditional Dolomites lunch. Don't miss the famous Kaiserschmarren, a crepe-like pancake with powdered sugar and jam! Descend to San Cassiano, on the same path. After lunch, return to your hotel on the same path.
(~4-5 hours hiking 11km / 7 miles, 590m / 1,935' ascent and descent.)
Tonight you will enjoy dinner in a gourmet restaurant.
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Hotel Stores (Alta Badia)
Accommodations: Hotel Christiania (Alta Badia / 4-Star)
Day 6: Hike on the Pralongia Plateau: from Piz Sorega to Pralongia (BD)
In the morning reach the Pralongia High Plateau by cable-car from San Cassiano (ticket not included).
This area is surrounded by mountains including the Marmolada (3,343m /10,964'), the Queen of the Dolomites, the highest peak in the Dolomites and home to its largest remaining glacier. Once on the Plateau, there are plenty of rifugios (mountain inns) where you can enjoy the panorama and have lunch and a good glass of wine.
To return to San Cassiano, you can either return to the cablecar station along the same way, or alternatively, you could hike down to San Cassiano on path 22.
(Descend by cablecar 2-3hrs, 8,7km/ 5,22 miles, 188m/616' ascent and descent; Descend on foot to San Cassiano 3-4 hour hiking, 11km / 6,6 miles, 188m / 616' ascent, 651m / 2,135' descent).
Farewell dinner at the hotel.
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Hotel Stores (Alta Badia)
Accommodations: Hotel Christiania (Alta Badia / 4-Star)
Day 7: Depart Alta Badia (B)
Breakfast and departure on your own (private transfer on request).
Meals included: Breakfast
Pricing
7-Day Best of the Dolomites: Hiking and GourmetPrices are Per Person and Valid for Trips through December 31, 2024
| # People in Group: | 2-3 | 4+ |
| 4-Star / Guided: | $7895 | $6195 |
| 4-Star / Self-Guided: | $4795 | $4395 |
*** Contact Us for other itinerary and lodging options! ***
NOTE: Prices are per person in U.S. dollars based on double/triple occupancy. All quotations are based on the current rates of park fees, VAT, other government taxes, and current exchange rates. Should any of these be increased or a new tax introduced, these increases will be added on even if your trip has already been paid for.
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