The Ultimate 1 Week Dolomites Itinerary Including Top Tips For Hiking In The Mountains
In the summer of 2019 we spent a week on a road trip through the Dolomites, hiking every day, visiting the beautiful lakes and staying in mountain huts. The landscape is like nothing I have seen and definitely not what I expected to see in Italy! The mountains are all a beautiful shade of purple, towering above flowery fields. To date it is still my favourite trip that I have done in Europe and I can’t wait to show you why! This is our exact Dolomites itinerary, including everywhere we stayed, the hikes we did and how we split up our days.
This 8 Day Dolomites Itinerary includes:
- 1: Driving Verona to Bressanone
- 2: Seiser Alm and Tierser Alpl Mountain Hut
- 3: Selva
- 4: Seceda 2500m
- 5: Dobbiaco
- 6: Tre Cime Lavaredo – Rifugio Lavaredo Mountain Hut
- 7: Tre Cime Lavaredo – Rifugio Pian di Cenga Mountain Hut
- 8: Niabassa
- 9: Lago di Braies
We planned our Dolomites Itinerary and trip around the mountain huts we wanted to visit and what days they had availability. If you want to stay in the mountains in the middle of summer I would recommend checking with them before booking any other accomodation because unless you book very early, there are likely days that will be booked up.
How to travel in The Dolomites:
We rented a car in Verona that we drove around the mountains. It cost us about €600 for about 16 days hire so if you were to do just this itinerary it would be a lot cheaper. This is the easier option obviously, but there are buses that take the same routes if you wanted to do it that way.
The Dolomites Itinerary In More Detail
Day 1: Verona to The Dolomites
We flew into Verona airport and arrived at 4.45pm. This was the easiest option for us as we were travelling from Barcelona. Another option is to arrive to The Dolomites via Venice or Innsbruck.
We hired our car at the airport and started driving straight up to Bressanone where we spent our first night. We took the toll road and it took us about 3 hours in total and cost €13. There is a slower road you can take that is free, but as we landed in the evening we didn’t really have the time. The drive up is really pretty as you enter the mountains.
Where to stay in Bressanone:
Hotel Fernblick, Bressanone
Hotel Fernblick felt like a spa hotel. Everything inside the room was wooden and almost felt like a sauna. You can tell this is a big skiing hotel in the Dolomites in the winter. The view from the balcony was amazing! Breakfast was included and was really good too. There were lots of options and it was a great start to fill us up for the day.
€105 for a double room for 2 people including breakfast.
Day 2: Seiser Alm and Tierser Alpl
We started the second day by driving down to Chiesetta Di San Giovanni, in Santa Magdalena, through Seiser Alm. This is a beautiful landscape. We allowed ourselves around 2 hours for this but it ended up taking us a lot longer as we stopped off at different view points for a walk or for a photo. The church cost €4 to go up to it and walk around which is worth paying as it can be hard to see the church without going into the surroundings. Seiser Alm is the hilly landscape you always imagine, with shiny grass fields and wooden houses perched above.
Next, we drove to Tires where we began our walk up to Tierser Alpl Mountain Hut. We took the trail 103 from Weißlahnbad where we left the car at the bottom. This hike was quite strenuous as it is a steady incline the whole way, followed by quite an intense hike at the end as you climb almost vertically up the river bed. There are a lot of ropes to help you up, it was just hard doing this on a really hot summer day. The views are amazing though.
Where to stay in Seiser Alm and Tires:
Tierser Alpl Mountain Hut
This place was amazing, it was so luxurious compared to the others we stayed and felt sort of exclusive in a way because the only way to get there is by hiking. The food was really good, and the views from there over the valley were incredible. For these huts you have to pay extra for hot water in the shower (€2) otherwise it is glacial, and you should bring a cotton sleeping bag otherwise you have to hire that too.
€66 Half board for one person – Including dinner and breakfast
Day 3: Selva
We started day 3 by hiking back to Tires from Tierser Alpl Mountain hut. It took us around 2.5 hours. This was down the same path we came up, but it was considerably easier in the other direction.
From the car we drove to the beautiful lake Lago Di Carezza. This is a very well known spot due to the colour and reflection of the lake itself. You can walk around the outskirts but not go closer as there is a fence beside the path. This was quite a touristy spot but so worth it.
Next we drove down to Ortisei where we stopped for a walk around the town and lunch. The town is super cute, with a lot of souvenir shops and restaurants. After lunch we continued to our accommodation in Selva.
In the evening we drove up to Monte Pana High Plateau – a beautiful drive up the mountain behind the town. The top is not so good a view, unless you take the cable car up even further but that closes at 5pm.
Where to stay in Selva:
Garni Ortles, Selva
This place was super cute. It is a family run hotel by some amazing people! They were always so friendly to us and the breakfast was homemade. We would always get eggs cooked fresh the way we wanted them and every day a new variety of homemade cakes and jams appeared.
€170 for 2 nights in a double room for 2 people
Day 4: Hiking Seceda 2500m
On day 4 we took the cable car up to Seceda from Selva. It cost €18 per person to get right to the top, but the view was worth it and by this point we were too tired to hike all the way. The top was amazing with 360 degree views of the Dolomites mountain range. We ended up spending about 5 hours up here just relaxing and walking around. Then we walked back down an easy pass down to Selva. There’s a lot of restaurants and huts along the way, so if you wanted to stay up there it would be easy and then you could see the sunrise/ sunset which are meant to be amazing.
This was the mid point of our Dolomites Itinerary and we chose to stay 2 nights in the same hotel here for that reason. By this point we were quite tired and decided it was easier to do a low key activity on day 4 and refresh before heading back into the mountains again.
Day 5: Lago Di Sorapis
This quite a big driving day, as well as the mountain hike to the beautiful Lago Di Sorapis. We began the day driving to Cortina d’Ampezzo, a beautiful mountain town, via the mountain pass. This had some amazing views, but in the summer there are a lot of cyclists here so you it can be a challenging drive.
We arrived at Passo Tre Croci where we started the hike (trail no. 215) towards Lado Di Sorapiss. It took us about 1 hour 45 minutes and we were walking/running relatively fast the whole day up. It was AMAZING! The water looked fake, even when you saw it through your own eyes.
We probably spent around 3 hours here. You can’t swim but it’s a nice place to just sit and enjoy the view and maybe bring a picnic lunch.
After we hiked down we drove to our hotel in Dobbiaco, via Lake Misurina, Dürensee and Toblacher See. If you have more time there are all good spots for a walk and maybe a boat trip. We didn’t have time but we did end up going back to Toblacher See for a picnic dinner with takeaway we got from Eirisch Grill (a REALLY GOOD burger and chicken restaurant).
Where to stay near Toblacher See:
Hotel Tobacherhof, Dobbiaco
Quite a big hotel filled with hikers. It is super close to the town and relatively cheap for the area but nothing special.
€102 for a double room for 1 night
Day 6: Tre Cime Lavaredo
This was what our Dolomites Itinerary creation revolved around, so we first checked which nights the huts we wanted to stay in had available and then worked around that.
We ate breakfast relatively early this morning and drove to Parkatz Fischleintal where we started our hike up to Tre Cime Lavaredo. The car park is paid parking, with attendants there during the day so it’s a safe space to leave the car. It cost €15 for three days and two nights parking.
The trail is number 102 which takes you all the way up, quite a steep incline. It took us about 2.5 hours. Just before reaching Rifugio Locatelli, there is a beautiful lake on top of the hill. This is a really good stop for a refresh and quick swim before continuing the hike.
We then took trail 101 to Rifugio Lavaredo (30mins) where we dropped our bags and went for an explore around the area.
The dinner was served at 7pm, so we ate and then headed straight to the sunset. It was hands down the best sunset I have ever seen! Those mountains really have a way with the mist and clouds, it moves so fast. Both nights we experienced amazing sunsets.
Where to stay in Tre Cime Lavaredo:
Rifugio Lavaredo Mountain Hut, Tre Cime Lavaredo
This place was ok. The views were amazing but it was super busy, especially when we arrived in the afternoon. It was not nearly the best hut we stayed at, and the food was pretty average, especially for the price.
€60 Half board – Breakfast and Dinner for 1 person
Day 7: Tre Cime Lavaredo
The next morning we woke up and took it pretty easy, breakfast was served 7 – 8am. We left the hut at 8.30 and did the 2 hour walk to Rifugio Pian Di Cenga.
There are heaps of maps at the top of the mountain with different routes to take if you want to add time – so we went back and looped around Tre Cime before continuing along the valley and up to our next hut.
This place was AMAZING! It was super cosy, and the staff were all so friendly. I think it sleeps around 15 people so you have to book quite early. We did a quick afternoon walk to Cross Fiscalina (about 30mins each way) and then spent the whole evening playing cards.
Where to stay in Tre Cime Lavaredo:
Rifugio Pian di Cenga Mountain Hut, Tre Cime Lavaredo
Rifugio Pian di Cenga was the best place we stayed in The Dolomites. After about 4pm you feel like you are really the only ones up on the mountain. The food here was SO good and they are open as a restaurant if you don’t want to stay the night. The portions for dinner were massive and definitely worth the extra money!
€70 Half Board for 1 person – including breakfast and dinner
Day 8: Niabassa and Lago Di Braies
The next day we walked down the mountain early in the morning, picked up the car and drove to our hotel in Niabassa. It took about 2 hours to walk from Rifugio Pian di Cenga to the car park. We were lucky to get early check in at our next hotel so we had time for a long afternoon nap.
We were going to drive to Lago Di Braies in the afternoon, but when we arrived parking cost €6 which we couldn’t justify just for a quick walk around and it was super super busy. Instead we went back into town for a wander in the park and ate dinner at our hotel. The food was really good here!
Where to stay near Lago di Braies:
Emma Historic Hotel, Niabassa
A really nice hotel and probably my favourite we stayed in! The breakfast was amazing – they had a nut cracker and you could boil your own eggs, and the restaurant downstairs did delicious pizza too. The hotel also has a spa.
€110 for a double room for 1 night
Day 9: Lago Di Braies
We decided to visit Lago di braies at sunrise and arrived at around 5am. There were already a lot of photographers there but it was still quiet and really peaceful. We walked around the lake for about an hour and a half and then headed back. From here it took about 3.5 hours for us to reach Venice.
About Our Dolomites Itinerary
This Dolomites Itinerary is one I would do over and over again. Every time I look back over these photos, I get this spontaneous feeling to book tickets and fly back for another week of hiking in the mountains.
If you have any questions about accomodation or places to go don’t hesitate to leave a comment!
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