The route that gives the Dolomites their full argument: three days based in Cortina d’Ampezzo for the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (the three rocky pinnacles on the Austrian-Italian border, the most photographed single mountain formation in the Alps, the 2-hour circuit at 2,438 metres that gives all three peaks visible simultaneously from the north face) and the Tofane massif via ferrata and the specific Dolomite phenomenon of the enrosadira (the alpenglow — the pink-red colour that the calcium rock turns at dusk when the sun drops below the western ridgeline, the effect visible on the Tre Cime at 8:30pm in summer for approximately 20 minutes), two days at the Alpe di Siusi (the largest alpine meadow in Europe, the meadow at 1,800 metres with the Sassolungo and the Sciliar massifs visible above the meadow in every direction), and two days in the Val Gardena for the ski resort infrastructure that the summer hiking uses.
Reading time: 10 minutes | Last updated: 2026
The Dolomites (the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009 — the 9 mountain massifs covering 141,903 hectares in the South Tyrol) are the Alps’ most visually distinctive range: the calcium carbonate rock that the Jurassic sea deposited horizontally and that the tectonic uplift has tilted and eroded into the specific vertical towers and walls that distinguish the Dolomite skyline from every other Alpine skyline. The enrosadira (the Ladin word for the alpenglow) is the specific Dolomite optical phenomenon — the calcium carbonate gives the red and pink wavelength reflection at the low sun angle that the granite rock does not.
Before You Leave
Getting there: Fly London-Venice (Ryanair, easyJet — 2 hours) or London-Innsbruck (easyJet — 2 hours). The car (2-3 hours from Venice, 1.5 hours from Innsbruck): essential for the Dolomite circuit. The rifugio: The mountain hut system (rifugio in Italian) gives the accommodation at altitude (€60-120 per person per night half-board). Book 4-6 months ahead for July-August.
The Route
Cortina d’Ampezzo (3 nights) → Alpe di Siusi (2 nights) → Val Gardena (2 nights)
DAYS 1-3 — Cortina d’Ampezzo
Day 1: Tre Cime di Lavaredo
The Tre Cime circuit:
The Tre Cime di Lavaredo (the Lavaredo cirque — the three pinnacles (Cima Grande at 2,999m, Cima Ovest at 2,973m, Cima Piccola at 2,857m) on the former Austria-Italy border):
The circuit (the 9.5km trail, 500m ascent from the Auronzo car park at 2,320m, the full 360° view of the three peaks visible from the north face at the midpoint): 3 hours. Car park fee: €30/day in peak season (the price that the Dolomites management system uses to limit car numbers). Or take the bus from Misurina village (€5/person return) and avoid the car park charge.
The enrosadira: be at the north face viewpoint (the flat section at the halfway point of the circuit, the north wall of the Tre Cime visible from below) at 8:20pm in July. The rock turns pink-red for 15-20 minutes. Then grey.
Day 2: The Tofane Via Ferrata
The Via Ferrata Michielli-Strobel:
Full detail in Via Ferratas for Beginners. The Cortina-specific addition: the Rifugio Averau (the rifugio at 2,413m accessible by cable car from the Passo Falzarego) as the route start and the descent to the Rifugio Lagazuoi for the dinner with the Lagazuoi massif visible from the terrace at 2,752m: pasta e fagioli at €12, the Dolomite view free.
Day 3: The Falzarego and the Cinque Torri
The Cinque Torri (the five rock towers in the Falzarego area — the via ferrata accessible towers, the World War 1 trenches preserved in the rock (the Dolomites were the front line of the 1915-1918 Italian-Austrian campaign — the specific mountain warfare visible in the trenches carved into the cliff faces)): free.
The Lagazuoi museum (the WWI tunnels in the Lagazuoi massif — the 1km underground tunnel circuit through the wartime passages): €8.
DAYS 4-5 — Alpe di Siusi
The cable car from Ortisei:
The Alpe di Siusi cable car (the gondola from the Val Gardena floor at 1,236m to the Alpe di Siusi plateau at 1,800m — the meadow visible from the cable car as the vast horizontal green above the vertical rock of the valley wall):
The sunrise circuit:
The Alpe di Siusi at 6am (the meadow in the first light, the Sassolungo (3,181m) visible above the plateau to the north, the morning flower (crocus, gentian, Alpine aster) visible in the meadow before the hiking day begins): the most peaceful morning in the Dolomites.
The Schlern plateau (the Sciliar massif above the Alpe di Siusi — the plateau walk from the Saltria bus stop, the 3-hour circuit giving the valley visible below and the Sassolungo above simultaneously): free.
DAYS 6-7 — Val Gardena
The Seceda:
The Seceda (the cable car from Ortisei to the Seceda peak at 2,518m — the ridge giving the Odle massif visible from the viewing platform as the specific Dolomite wall formation, the meadow below, the Val Gardena below the meadow): cable car €25 return.
The Vallunga valley:
The Vallunga (the valley north of Selva — the flat valley floor walk (10km return, 150m ascent), the valley walls visible in every direction, the specific Dolomite enclosed valley that gives the mountains at human scale): free.
What It Costs
| Category | Budget | Mid-Range |
|---|---|---|
| Return flights (UK-Venice or Innsbruck) | £40-100 | £60-150 |
| Car hire (6 days) | £150-300 | £220-400 |
| 7 nights accommodation | £210-560 | £420-1,050 |
| Cable cars (Tre Cime, Alpe di Siusi, Seceda, Lagazuoi) | £80-120 | £80-120 |
| Food (7 days) | £70-160 | £160-350 |
| Via ferrata hire | £20-40 | £20-40 |
| Total | £570-1,280 | £960-2,110 |
