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How many days in the Dolomites? 5 days, two bases and a lift every morning
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
The Dolomites are not one valley but a chain of rock towers spread across South Tyrol, Trentino and the Veneto, linked by high passes that take time to drive. Use two bases: Val Gardena (Ortisei) in the west and Cortina d'Ampezzo in the east, and give it five days. The rhythm that works: take a cable car up early, walk from hut to hut at 2,000-2,500 metres, and come down before the afternoon storms that are common in July and August.
Short answer
Three days covers Seceda, the Alpe di Siusi and the Tre Cime loop. Five adds Val di Funes, Lago di Braies, the Lagazuoi tunnels and the drive over the Sella passes.
The 5-day plan, day by day
Day 1: Ortisei, Seceda and the Alpe di Siusi
Morning. From Ortisei in Val Gardena, take the cable car via Furnes to Seceda at 2,500 metres (about €50-60 return). Walk 15 minutes to the ridge, where green meadows end in a vertical drop beside the jagged Odle peaks.
Afternoon. Back in Ortisei, take the Mont Seuc cable car to the Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm), the largest high-altitude meadow in Europe, with the Sassolungo and the Sciliar on the horizon. Its gentle paths suit all ages.
Evening. Walk Ortisei's pedestrian centre, known for its wood carvers, and eat canederli (bread dumplings with speck or cheese) for about €14-18.
Cars cannot drive onto the Alpe di Siusi from about 9:00 to 17:00 without a hotel permit; use the cable cars.
Day 2: Val di Funes and Bressanone
Morning. Drive about 1 hour to Val di Funes. Walk to the viewpoint over the church of Santa Maddalena with the Odle behind it, then to the tiny chapel of San Giovanni in Ranui in its meadow (a few euros to approach).
Afternoon. Walk the Adolf Munkel trail from the Zannes car park, about 9 km and 3-4 hours, along the foot of the Odle cliffs with a stop at the Malga Geisleralm hut for apple strudel.
Evening. Go down to Bressanone (Brixen), the oldest town in Tyrol, for its cathedral cloister and the arcaded old streets.
The famous church and chapel views are on farmland; stay on marked paths and pay the small fees where asked.
Day 3: Lago di Braies and the Tre Cime di Lavaredo
Morning. Drive about 1.5 hours east to Lago di Braies (Pragser Wildsee), a green lake below the cliffs of the Croda del Becco. Walk the 3.5 km loop in about 1 hour; wooden rowing boats are for hire at the boathouse.
Afternoon. Continue 40 minutes to Misurina and take the toll road to Rifugio Auronzo (roughly €30-45 per car, pre-booking now required in summer). Walk the Tre Cime loop, about 10 km in 3-4 hours, past Rifugio Locatelli, with the three north faces lit by the afternoon sun.
Evening. Drive 30 minutes down to Cortina d'Ampezzo for the night.
In July and August, cars can only reach Lago di Braies at peak hours with a prepaid parking booking; arrive before about 9:30 or take the bus.
Day 4: Cortina: Cinque Torri and Lagazuoi
Morning. Take the chairlift to the Cinque Torri, five rock towers, and walk the open-air First World War museum of trenches and gun posts on the old Italian-Austrian front line.
Afternoon. Drive 15 minutes to Passo Falzarego and ride the Lagazuoi cable car to 2,750 metres (about €25-30 one way). Walk down through the wartime tunnels dug inside the mountain, with a head torch, about 1.5 hours.
Evening. Drive to Passo Giau for sunset over the Ra Gusela peaks, then dinner in Cortina: try casunziei, beetroot ravioli with poppy seeds, around €16-20.
Cortina co-hosted the 2026 Winter Olympics; lifts and roads were improved, but prices in town are among the highest in the Alps.
Day 5: The Sella passes and Lago di Carezza
Morning. Drive west over Passo Falzarego and Passo Pordoi. At Pordoi, the cable car rises to Sass Pordoi at 2,950 metres (about €25-35 return), the "terrace of the Dolomites", with views to the Marmolada glacier.
Afternoon. Continue over Passo Sella and down to Lago di Carezza (Karersee), a small lake of green and blue below the towers of the Latemar, 10 minutes' walk from the road.
Evening. End in Bolzano, 40 minutes away, and visit the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, home of Ötzi the 5,300-year-old Iceman, before dinner on the Piazza Walther.
The passes are narrow and full of cyclists and motorbikes; some, like the Sella, have car-free days in summer.
Only have 3 days?
With 3 days, stay in Val Gardena for Seceda and the Alpe di Siusi, then go to Cortina for the Tre Cime loop. You lose Val di Funes, Braies and the Sella passes.
Got extra days?
With a 6th or 7th day, walk the Puez-Odle plateau from Selva, or sleep one night in a rifugio on the Alta Via 1 near Cortina. Lake Garda is 2 hours south of Bolzano.
Where to stay in Dolomites
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Bolzano / Bressanone | Cheaper hotels on the railway, 45-60 minutes from the high valleys. | €100-160 |
| Mid-range | Ortisei / Selva (Val Gardena) | Lifts to Seceda and the Alpe di Siusi from town; many hotels include a local transport pass. | €170-280 |
| Mid-range | Cortina d'Ampezzo / San Vito di Cadore | Base for the Tre Cime, Cinque Torri and Lagazuoi; San Vito is cheaper. | €170-300 |
| Comfort | Alpine spa hotels in Val Gardena, Alta Badia or Cortina | Half board with five-course dinners, pools and saunas facing the peaks. | €350-700 |
Getting around
A car gives the most freedom; Ortisei to Cortina is about 1.5-2 hours over the passes. Without one, SAD buses link the South Tyrol valleys and many hotels give a free guest pass; the Dolomiti Bus network covers Cortina. Nearest airports are Venice (about 2 hours to Cortina by bus) and Verona or Innsbruck (about 2 hours to Bolzano). Trains from Verona reach Bolzano in about 1.5 hours. Lifts mostly run from mid-June to late September.
What to eat in Dolomites
The food mixes Austrian and Italian. In South Tyrol, order speck with rye bread, canederli, schlutzkrapfen (spinach ravioli), goulash with polenta and Kaiserschmarrn, shredded pancakes with berry jam. In the huts, a lunch costs €15-25 with a radler or local Lagrein wine. Around Cortina, look for casunziei and polenta with mushrooms. Strudel and coffee in a rifugio is about €8. Dinners are early in the mountains, often from 18:30, and many huts serve lunch only.
Best time to visit
Mid-June to late September for hiking, with 18-25°C in the valleys and 8-15°C at 2,500 metres; snow can linger on high paths into early July. July and August are busiest, with afternoon thunderstorms. September is calmer and clearer. Many hotels and lifts close from mid-October to early December. Winter (December to April) brings skiing on the Dolomiti Superski network.
Month-by-month weather for Dolomites →
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | €55 | €110 | €250 |
| Food & drink | €35 | €60 | €110 |
| Sights & tickets | €30 | €55 | €80 |
| Local transport | €15 | €35 | €60 |
| Total per person, per day | about €135 | about €260 | about €500 |
Approximate 2026 prices; sights are mostly cable cars and toll roads, and transport assumes a shared rental car. South Tyrol and Cortina charge a tourist tax of roughly €2-5 per person per night.
Before you go
Common questions
Do I need a car in the Dolomites?
Not strictly, but it saves time. South Tyrol's buses are good and often free with a hotel guest pass, and they reach Ortisei, Val di Funes and Braies. But connections between Val Gardena and Cortina are slow, and early starts before the first bus are often the key to avoiding crowds. With a car, check summer restrictions at Braies, the Alpe di Siusi and the Tre Cime road.
Which is the best base, Ortisei or Cortina?
Use both if you have five days. Ortisei puts you on the lifts to Seceda and the Alpe di Siusi and near Val di Funes. Cortina is next to the Tre Cime, Cinque Torri and Lagazuoi and close to Braies. With only three days, choose Val Gardena for the variety of easy lifts, or Cortina for the big classic hikes.
Do I need hiking experience?
No for most of this route. The Seceda ridge, Alpe di Siusi, Braies loop and Tre Cime loop are well-marked paths that fit anyone with good shoes and normal fitness. The Lagazuoi tunnels are steep and dark, so bring a head torch. The via ferrata routes, with fixed cables and ladders, need equipment and a guide if you are new.
When are the cable cars open?
Most summer lifts run from about mid-June to late September or early October, roughly 8:30 to 17:00-17:30, and winter lifts from early December to April. Between seasons many lifts, huts and hotels close. Check each lift company's website for exact dates, and for multi-day passes such as the Val Gardena or Dolomiti Supersummer cards.
How this guide was made
Compiled by TonyPlan from official tourism, transport and attraction sources and on-the-ground travel knowledge. Prices are approximate for 2026 and change with season; anything we could not confirm is marked as approximate.
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