Dolomites
5
Day Itinerary •
Italy
Five days in the Dolomites and Trentino reveals the full extraordinary range of northeastern Italy's most dramatic region. Beyond the famous Tre Cime and the Alpe di Siusi lies the extraordinary city of Trento with its Renaissance princely palaces, the wild Brenta Dolomites above Lake Garda, the hidden Fassa and Badia valleys with their unique Ladin culture, and the extraordinary wine route of the Trentino vineyards. This route covers the complete hidden Dolomites. The iconic landscapes of the eastern Dolomites, the South Tyrolean cultural depth of Bolzano and Merano, the extraordinary Fassa valley and its Ladin culture, the wild Brenta group overlooking Lake Garda, and the extraordinary Trentino city and wine country.
Best Time To Visit
June to September or December to March
Getting There
Fly into Venice (VCE) or Innsbruck then drive into the Dolomites
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 100 to 170 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and driving
DAY 1
TRE CIME AND CORTINA
MORNING
TRE CIME DI LAVAREDO, THE MOST ICONIC MOUNTAIN IN ITALY
The three extraordinary vertical rock towers rising 2,999 metres above the surrounding plateau are the most photographed mountain landscape in Italy. The 10km circular trail around the base takes 3 to 4 hours. Start before 8am to avoid crowds. Road toll approx 30 euros per car in summer. Drive: 30 min drive to Misurina
MIDDAY
LAGO DI MISURINA AND THE CINQUE TORRI
The highest lake in the Dolomites gives extraordinary reflections of surrounding peaks on still mornings. The Cinque Torri nearby have extraordinary Great War trenches preserved in the rock as an open-air museum. Chairlift approx 15 euros return. Drive: 30 min drive to Cortina
AFTERNOON
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, QUEEN OF THE DOLOMITES
Host of both the 1956 and 2026 Winter Olympics. The cable cars to the Tofana di Mezzo at 3,244 metres give the finest panoramic views in the Dolomites. Extraordinary for walking and people watching.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Cinque Torri Great War open-air museum around the five rock towers preserves extraordinary 1915 to 1918 trenches dug into the rock. Free to walk. One of the finest and most moving mountain war sites in the Alps.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Rifugio Auronzo Coffee before the Tre Cime circuit. Extraordinary mountain views. | Lunch: Rifugio Lavaredo Local speck, canederli and Moretti beer on the mountain. | Dinner: Ristorante El Zoco, Cortina Outstanding traditional. Local venison, canederli and South Tyrolean wines.
DAY 2
ALPE DI SIUSI
MORNING
ALPE DI SIUSI, EUROPE'S LARGEST ALPINE MEADOW
The vast plateau at 1,800 to 2,350 metres with extraordinary views of the Sassolungo and Sciliar rising vertically from green meadows. Cars banned April to November. Take the gondola from Ortisei. Summer hiking pass approx 35 euros. Drive: 30 min gondola down
MIDDAY
CASTELROTTO, THE FINEST TYROLEAN VILLAGE
The most authentic village in South Tyrol, with an extraordinary Baroque bell tower and genuine Tyrolean culture including folk music and extraordinary painted facades. Walk the streets and find traditional craft workshops. Drive: 30 min drive to Sciliar
AFTERNOON
SUNSET ON THE SCILIAR
The sacred flat-topped mountain of South Tyrolean culture. The walk from Compatsch to the summit (2,563 metres) takes 2 hours. The view at sunset over the valley below is one of the finest in the Dolomites.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Val Gardena is the wood-carving capital of the world. The Ladin-speaking communities have carved religious figures and nativity scenes since the 17th century. Buy directly from the workshops in Ortisei.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Rifugio on the Alpe di Siusi Apple strudel at dawn on the plateau. Views of the Sassolungo. | Lunch: Malga Sanon, Alpe di Siusi Working alpine dairy farm. Fresh cheese, speck and extraordinary views. | Dinner: Restaurant Zum Turm, Castelrotto Most beloved local restaurant. Schlutzkrapfen pasta and Vernatsch wine.
DAY 3
BOLZANO AND MERANO
MORNING
BOLZANO, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY CITY IN THE ALPS
The most extraordinary and undervisited city in the Italian Alps. A perfect fusion of Italian and Austrian culture. The extraordinary Gothic cathedral and the finest fruit market in northern Italy in the Piazza delle Erbe. Drive: 15 min walk to museum
MIDDAY
OTZI THE ICEMAN, THE 5300-YEAR-OLD MAN
One of the most extraordinary archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. His body, equipment and last meal analysed in extraordinary detail. He was murdered by an arrow in the back. Entry approx 13 euros. Drive: 30 min drive to Merano
AFTERNOON
MERANO, THE BELLE EPOQUE SPA CITY
The extraordinary Terme di Merano fed by natural spring water is one of the finest spas in the Alps. Day entry approx 30 euros. The Tappeiner promenade above the town gives views over the entire Merano basin.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Castel Tirolo above Merano is the castle from which the entire County of Tyrol takes its name. The museum tells the story of Tyrolean history with extraordinary objects. Entry approx 8 euros.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Caffe Bonetti, Bolzano The finest traditional cafe in Bolzano's extraordinary arcaded old town. | Lunch: Vogele, Bolzano Most beloved restaurant since 1790. Canederli, speck and Gewurztraminer. | Dinner: Ristorante Sissi, Merano Outstanding modern South Tyrolean cuisine. Local venison and extraordinary wine.
DAY 4
FASSA VALLEY AND LADIN CULTURE
MORNING
THE VAL DI FASSA, THE HEART OF THE LADIN DOLOMITES
The Val di Fassa is the most beautiful of the inhabited Dolomite valleys and the heartland of the extraordinary Ladin culture, a Rhaeto-Romance minority speaking a language descended directly from Latin that has survived in these valleys since Roman times. The valley is dominated by the extraordinary Sassolungo (3,181 metres) and Marmolada (3,343 metres, the highest peak in the Dolomites) massifs. The village of Canazei at the head of the valley is the finest base for the Sella Ronda, the extraordinary circular ski route linking all the major Dolomite ski areas. Drive: 30 min drive to Marmolada
MIDDAY
THE MARMOLADA, THE QUEEN OF THE DOLOMITES
The Marmolada at 3,343 metres is the highest peak in the Dolomites and the only one with a permanent glacier. The cable car to the summit (approx 35 euros return) gives the finest 360-degree panorama of the entire Dolomite group. The extraordinary Great War ice tunnels in the glacier, where Austrian soldiers lived an entire winter in 1916 in tunnels carved into the ice, are accessible on guided tours. Drive: 30 min drive to Vigo di Fassa
AFTERNOON
THE LADIN MUSEUM AND HIDDEN VALLEY CULTURE
The Museo Ladin de Fascia in Vigo di Fassa is the finest museum of Ladin culture, explaining the extraordinary survival of a Romance language in these Alpine valleys through centuries of German and Italian rule. The traditional Ladin farmhouses (viles) scattered through the valley are extraordinary examples of Alpine architecture. The local Ladin speciality, canederli, schlutzkrapfen and buckwheat dishes, is unlike anything elsewhere in Italy.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Sella Ronda is the most famous ski route in the world, a circular 40km route linking the four major Dolomite ski areas around the Sella massif. In summer the same route is cyclable and gives extraordinary views of the entire central Dolomites.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bar in Canazei Coffee with views of the Sassolungo before the drive to the Marmolada. | Lunch: Rifugio on the Marmolada Lunch at 3,343 metres with the finest view in the Dolomites. | Dinner: Restaurant in Vigo di Fassa Traditional Ladin food. Schlutzkrapfen (spinach and cheese pasta) and local wine.
DAY 5
TRENTO AND THE BRENTA
MORNING
TRENTO, THE EXTRAORDINARY RENAISSANCE MOUNTAIN CITY
Trento is one of the finest and most overlooked cities in northeastern Italy. The extraordinary Castello del Buonconsiglio, residence of the prince-bishops of Trento for 400 years, contains remarkable frescoes from 1407 including the extraordinary Ciclo dei Mesi, the finest secular fresco cycle of the International Gothic style in Italy. The city is also famous as the site of the Council of Trent (1545 to 1563) that defined the Catholic Church's response to the Reformation. Entry approx 10 euros. Drive: 30 min drive to Brenta
MIDDAY
THE BRENTA DOLOMITES, THE WILD WESTERN GROUP
The Brenta Dolomites are the westernmost and most isolated group of the Dolomites, rising dramatically above Lake Garda and the Trentino valleys. The extraordinary cable car from Madonna di Campiglio to the Groste plateau gives the finest view of the Brenta towers. The Via delle Bocchette, the extraordinary via ferrata route along the Brenta cliff faces, is considered the finest via ferrata in the Alps. Drive: 30 min drive to Lake Garda
AFTERNOON
LAKE GARDA FROM THE TRENTINO SHORE
The northern shore of Lake Garda in Trentino is the finest and least visited stretch of the lake. The town of Riva del Garda at the lake's northern tip is an extraordinary small town with a medieval castle on a tiny island and an extraordinary setting between the vertical cliffs of the Brenta and the extraordinary blue of the lake. The Trentino Garda wines from the slopes above the lake are extraordinary.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Trentino wine route along the Adige valley from Trento to Bolzano produces extraordinary Gewurztraminer, Pinot Grigio and Lagrein wines from extraordinary steep terraced vineyards. The Teroldego Rotaliano grape grown only in this valley produces the finest red wine in Trentino, almost unknown outside the region.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Caffe in Trento's Piazza Duomo Coffee in one of the finest Renaissance squares in northern Italy. | Lunch: Ristorante Osteria del Pettirosso, Trento Outstanding Trentino cuisine. Local trout, mushrooms and Trentino Pinot Nero. | Dinner: Ristorante Al Volt, Riva del Garda Outstanding restaurant in the most beautiful town on Lake Garda's northern shore.
Where To Stay
Cortina d'Ampezzo, Night 1 Hotel de la Poste, the historic heart of Cortina since 1835. Approx 150 to 280 euros. Castelrotto or Ortisei, Night 2 Traditional South Tyrolean hotel. Approx 100 to 170 euros per night. Canazei or Trento, Nights 3 to 5 Mountain hotel in the Fassa valley or Trento city hotel. Approx 90 to 160 euros per night.
Top Tips
1. Tre Cime road opens at 6am. Arrive before 8am to avoid the queues and the 30 euro road toll crush.
2. Alpe di Siusi at sunrise is extraordinary. Stay on the plateau the night before for the best light.
3. Book rifugios along walking routes well ahead in July and August. They fill up entirely.
4. The Otzi museum in Bolzano is one of the finest exhibits in Europe. Allow 2 hours minimum.
5. South Tyrolean speck is cured ham of extraordinary quality. Buy it directly from producers in the valleys.
6. The Dolomites in October have golden larch forests that rival any autumn colour in Europe.
Total Budget
85 to 140 euros/day