12 Unforgettable Things to Do in the Dolomites (From Rifugi Sleeps to Via Ferrata Thrills)
I've been to the Alps six times — from Interlaken to the Austrian ranges. The Dolomites broke the pattern. These aren't gentle green mountains with cowbells and chocolate shops. They're jagged, pale, dramatic limestone towers that look like someone crumpled a piece of paper and scaled it to 3,000 meters. The light at sunrise turns them pink. At sunset, orange. In between, they look like the set of a film nobody had the budget to build.
Here's what to do with your time up there.
1. Hike the Tre Cime di Lavaredo Loop
The most iconic hike in the Dolomites, and maybe all of Europe. Three massive rock towers standing side by side, visible from a 9.5km loop trail that takes 3-4 hours at a comfortable pace.
Drive to Rifugio Auronzo (30 EUR parking per car) and start the circuit counterclockwise for the best light on the Tre Cime faces. Rifugio Locatelli gives you the classic postcard view — those three towers framed against the sky with a mountain hut in the foreground. The food at Locatelli is surprisingly good for 2,400 meters.
Open June to October depending on snowmelt. Start before 8AM to beat the crowds. By 10AM in August, the parking lot is full and the trail feels like a highway.
2. Ride the Seceda Cable Car to 2,519 Meters
From Ortisei in Val Gardena, the cable car lifts you to the Seceda ridgeline in 15 minutes. The cost is 38 EUR round trip, which sounds steep until you step off and see what you've paid for.
Needle-like rock pinnacles rising from rolling green meadows. The scale is disorienting — you can see across entire valleys, with Sassolungo and the Sella Group dominating the horizon. Several hiking trails extend from the top station, including a 2.5-hour walk to the Pieralongia pinnacles.
Runs mid-May to mid-October and December to April. Summer mornings offer the clearest views.
3. Row a Boat on Lago di Braies
A turquoise glacial lake at 1,496m, ringed by forest and dolomite cliffs. The wooden rowing boats are iconic — 15 EUR per 30 minutes in summer. The 3.5km lakeside loop takes about an hour on foot.
The catch: this place has gone mega-viral on social media. Parking fills by 9AM in summer (10 EUR/day). A bus shuttle from Villabassa helps. My advice: arrive before 8AM or come after 5PM when the day-trippers leave. The evening light on the lake is better than the midday shots anyway.
4. Sleep in a Rifugio at 2,752 Meters
Rifugio Lagazuoi is reached by cable car from Passo Falzarego (22 EUR return), and overnight stays (~70 EUR half-board) put you above the clouds for sunrise over the Dolomite peaks.
The experience: you eat a hearty mountain dinner with other hikers, sleep in a bunk room, and wake up to a view that no valley hotel can match. The descent via WWI tunnels (bring a headlamp — the tunnels are original wartime passages) is one of Italy's most atmospheric hikes.
Book bunks weeks ahead in August. Bring a sleeping bag liner — blankets are provided but sheets often aren't. Cash preferred.
5. Walk Through WWI Tunnels on the Via Ferrata delle Trincee
The Dolomites were a fierce front line during World War I. The Via Ferrata delle Trincee on Padon ridge near Arabba threads through original tunnels and trenches at 2,700 meters.
Grade: intermediate (K3). You need a full harness kit (rental ~25 EUR/day in Arabba) or book a guided trip (from 80 EUR). Allow 4-5 hours round trip. Open July to September. Check conditions at the local alpine guides office.
The WWI history adds emotional weight to what's already an adrenaline experience. Climbing through tunnels that soldiers carved in the rock over a century ago, with exposure on both sides, is both humbling and thrilling.
6. Drive the Sella Pass at Dawn
Forget driving the Sella Pass at 2PM with 400 other cars and 47 tour buses. Do it at 6AM when the road is empty and the Sassolungo massif is lit by first light.
The Sella Pass (Passo Sella, 2,240m) connects Val Gardena with Val di Fassa. The drive is free. The hairpin turns are dramatic. The views are obscene. Combine it with Pordoi Pass and you have one of the great driving mornings in Europe.
In winter, the pass is closed. Summer weekends are packed. Dawn runs are the hack.
7. Wander Alpe di Siusi (Europe's Largest High-Altitude Meadow)
Alpe di Siusi sits at 1,850 meters — a vast alpine meadow with Sassolungo and Sciliar peaks as backdrop. In summer, it's carpeted in wildflowers. In winter, there are 60km of cross-country skiing trails.
Cars are banned after 9AM in summer. Use the Siusi cable car (15 EUR round trip) or the bus. The car ban is the best thing about it — the meadow is peaceful in a way that most Alpine destinations aren't.
The mountain huts serve kaiserschmarrn (shredded pancake with apple compote) and apple strudel that justify the cable car ticket on their own.
8. Visit Cortina d'Ampezzo Before the 2026 Olympics Change Everything
Cortina is hosting Winter Olympics events in 2026, which means the town is being polished, expanded, and marketed at a level it's never seen before. Right now, it's still possible to experience Cortina as an elegant mountain town rather than an Olympic venue.
The Faloria cable car (22 EUR return) offers panoramic views of the surrounding peaks. Alta Via 1 — a multi-day hiking route — passes through town. The restaurants are excellent. The boutiques are designer-level.
Skiing: Ski Civetta pass ~55 EUR/day. The slopes are less crowded than the French Alps.
9. Eat Canederli at a Mountain Hut
The Dolomites are in South Tyrol — culturally Austrian, linguistically German, geographically close to Salzburg, and gastronomically stunning. Canederli (knodeln in German) are bread dumplings served in broth or with melted butter and speck (cured ham).
Every rifugio and gasthaus has its own recipe. My favorites came from a hut near Alpe di Siusi — dense, savory, perfect fuel for a day of hiking. A plate of three runs 8-12 EUR. Pair with a local Lagrein red wine.
Other must-eats: speck (the smoked ham is better than prosciutto, and I will die on this hill), apple strudel, and polenta with cheese and mushrooms.
10. Chase the Enrosadira (Alpenglow)
At sunset, the Dolomite peaks turn from grey to pink to deep orange to violet — a phenomenon called enrosadira, caused by the magnesium carbonate in the rock. It lasts 15-20 minutes and it's one of the most beautiful natural light shows on Earth.
Best viewing spots: Seceda ridgeline, the terrace at Rifugio Lagazuoi, the Sella Pass pullouts, or any west-facing restaurant terrace in Val Gardena or Cortina. Order a glass of local wine and watch the show.
The color shift happens because the pale dolomite rock acts like a screen for the sunset light. No two evenings are exactly the same.
11. Hike to Lago di Sorapis (The Blue Pearl)
A milky turquoise lake at 1,925m, reached by a 5.5km trail from Passo Tre Croci (near Cortina). The hike takes 2-2.5 hours each way, with some exposed sections that have cable handholds. Moderate difficulty.
The lake's color comes from suspended rock flour — fine particles of ground dolomite that scatter light. It looks artificially blue. It's not. No swimming allowed (it's a protected natural site).
Get there early. Like most Dolomite highlights, it goes from peaceful to packed between 9AM and noon.
12. Take the Dolomiti Supersummer Card
The Dolomiti Supersummer card (from 58 EUR for 3 days) gives unlimited access to 50+ cable cars across the region. Without it, you're paying 15-38 EUR per cable car ride, which adds up fast.
In winter, the Dolomiti Superski pass covers 1,200km of slopes across 12 ski areas — 6-day pass around 330 EUR.
Buy the multi-day pass. Use it relentlessly. Some of the best Dolomite experiences are reached by cable car, and the pass turns financial hesitation into full-send exploration.
Pro Tips
Weather changes in minutes. Afternoon thunderstorms are standard June-September. Carry a waterproof layer always. Be off exposed ridges by 1PM. Via ferrata in lightning is genuinely life-threatening.
"Gruss Gott" works better than "Buongiorno." South Tyrol is culturally Austrian. German is the primary language in most villages.
Rent a car from Bolzano or Innsbruck (~45-65 EUR/day). Without a car, the SAD Dolomiti Bus network and Mobilcard (28 EUR for 7 days) cover most areas.
Rifugio half-board (60-90 EUR) is the best value accommodation. Book via rifugi.net or by phone. Bring a sleeping bag liner.
