By air
Venice (VCE) or Innsbruck (INN), ~2–3 h by road
Europe · Italy
Dolomites, Italy
Jagged pink peaks and alpine meadows
Getting there
Best time to visit
June to September for hiking; December to March for skiing
Don't miss
Tre Cime di Lavaredo
Seceda
The Alpe di Siusi
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Things to do
Hiking the Tre Cime loop
The Seceda ridge
Via ferrata routes
Skiing the Sella Ronda
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: sambuco · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Hiking boots, layers
A quieter corner
Lago di Braies at dawn
Questions travellers ask
Is summer or winter better for the Dolomites?
Both work: June to September for hiking, or December to March for skiing, including the Sella Ronda.
Which hikes should I do in the Dolomites?
Hike the Tre Cime loop and the Seceda ridge, or try a via ferrata route. Bring hiking boots and layers.
What else should I see in the Dolomites?
Lago di Braies at dawn, the Alpe di Siusi and Cortina d'Ampezzo. Refuel on canederli, speck and apple strudel.
Which airports work for the Dolomites?
Venice (VCE) or Innsbruck (INN), then allow about 2–3 hours by road.
About Dolomites
- Mountains
Where it is
The Dolomites are a range of the Southern Limestone Alps in north-east Italy, spread across the regions of Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia; their highest peak, the Marmolada, rises to about 3,300 m.
History
During the First World War the front line between Italy and Austria-Hungary ran across these peaks, and the protected paths built for soldiers were forerunners of today's via ferrata routes. Mountain tourism grew in the 20th century around resorts such as Cortina d'Ampezzo, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 1956 and co-hosted them in 2026, and in 2009 the Dolomites were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
People
Italian, German and Ladin are spoken in the Dolomites, and the Ladin people of valleys such as Val Gardena and Val Badia keep their own Romance language and customs. Val Gardena is known for woodcarving, and mountain huts (rifugi) serve dumplings (canederli), speck and strudel.
Known for
- The Tre Cime di Lavaredo
- The Alpe di Siusi high meadows
- The Sella Ronda ski circuit
- Via ferrata climbing routes
- Lago di Braies
Did you know?
The Dolomites are named after the French mineralogist Déodat de Dolomieu, who in the 18th century first described dolomite, the rock that gives the peaks their pale colour and their reddish glow at sunset.
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