I’ll be honest, I planned my first trip to the Dolomites almost entirely around the hiking (it’s my favourite hobby after all). The peaks here are angular and pale and enormous, and being up on the ridgelines above them feels like standing on a different planet.
Manu (my Italian partner) has been coming to the Dolomites since he was a teenager, growing up making summer trips here with his family. Based on his local knowledge and the two trips we’ve now done together, this itinerary is the one we’d recommend to anyone.
If you’re looking for the no-hiking version of the Dolomites, I have that covered too. But if you’re here for the trails, you’re in exactly the right place.
A Note on Fitness Level
This itinerary is for people who are comfortable hiking for 4-6 hours, enjoy a bit of elevation gain, and aren’t looking for a technical climbing experience. None of the hikes requires via ferrata equipment or specialist skills, and good hiking shoes (or trail runners!) are non-negotiable throughout. Trekking poles are always useful but not super necessary; we didn’t have them on our trips.
Where to Stay
We based ourselves in San Vigilio di Marebbe for the full five days of hiking, as it sits at the heart of the itinerary, within easy reach of Lago di Braies, the Tre Cime toll road, and the valley roads connecting everything else. It’s also a beautiful South Tyrolean village! Here are 3 of hotel options depending on budget:
Apart Residence Rautal (mid-range)
The self-catering apartments mean you can eat in when you want to, and we always had the spa almost entirely to ourselves, which felt like a luxury. The position in San Vigilio puts everything on this itinerary within reasonable driving distance.
Excelsior Dolomites Resort (luxury)
If you want the same brilliant location with a more polished hotel experience, the Excelsior is the other option in San Vigilio worth knowing about. Rooftop spa, infinity pool, floor-to-ceiling mountain views from the suites. It’s a step up in price but an excellent base for the same itinerary.
Naturhotel Lüsnerhof (my personal favourite)
Strictly speaking, Naturhotel Lüsnerhof is in the nearby village of Luson rather than San Vigilio itself, but it’s close enough to work for this itinerary and honestly it’s my favourite hotel in the entire area.
Essential Links Before You Go
Hiking routes:
- Sass de Putia circuit on AllTrails
- Tre Cime di Lavaredo circuit on 10Adventures
- Cadini di Misurina offshoot on AllTrails
- Nuvolau on 10Adventures
- Seceda from Col Raiser on 10Adventures
Parking pre-bookings required:
- Lago di Braies (10 July to 10 September): prags.bz
- Rifugio Auronzo for Tre Cime (peak season): auronzo.info
Restaurants:
- Garsun in San Vigilio, booking required and non-negotiable
- Agriturismo Soleseid for lunch with valley views
- Pizzeria Arnolds for a lighter evening
eSIM: If you’re coming from the UK, pick up an eSIM from Airalo before you travel.
Your 5-Day Dolomites Hiking Itinerary
Day 1: Sass de Putia and Santa Maddalena
Distance: 10 km circuit
Elevation gain: approx. 750 m
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailhead parking: Passo delle Erbe, paid, fills fast
Sass de Putia is a circular hike (and Manu’s favourite!) in the Puez-Odle Nature Park that winds through alpine meadows, forests, and rocky slopes around the massif, finishing with a steep climb to the Forcella di Putia saddle at 2,300 metres.
The trailhead is at Passo delle Erbe (Würzjoch), accessible from both Val di Funes and Val Badia. There’s a large paid car park directly at the pass opposite Rifugio Ütia de Börz. It fills quickly in high season, so aim to be there by 8am. From the pass, follow trail 8A through the meadows to begin the circuit counterclockwise.
The steepest section comes on the climb to Forcella di Putia, where the path narrows and the ground becomes loose scree and rock. This is where the hike earns its moderate rating and honestly you’ll be super out of breath by the time you reach the top (but so will everyone else!). Take your time, watch your footing, and the saddle at the top is a spectacular reward: panoramic views across to the Odle peaks, Val Badia, and on a clear day, the Marmolada glacier.
On the descent, you pass through the southern side of the massif via wide grassy trails with views across Val Badia before the path loops back through spruce forest to the starting point. Stop at Ütia de Göma on the way back down. With tired legs and the end of the hike in sight, the polenta there was one of the best things I ate during the entire trip!
In the afternoon, drive the 35 minutes to Santa Maddalena in Val di Funes. This isn’t a second hike, it’s a wind-down: a 30-minute walk from the village on the Panoramaweg to the famous viewpoint of the church against the Odle peaks. Most people stop at the main viewpoint. Walk a little further up the road above it and you’ll find a quieter angle with more of the valley in the foreground.
Day 2: Tre Cime di Lavaredo and Cadini di Misurina
Distance: 10 to 11 km circuit plus 3 to 4 km for Cadini
Elevation gain: 400 to 500 m for circuit, additional 200 m for Cadini
Time: 4 to 5 hours for circuit, add 90 minutes for Cadini
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailhead parking: Rifugio Auronzo, pre-booking essential via auronzo.info
This is the most famous hike in the Dolomites and the one that’ll have the most people on it. The key to getting the most out of it is to be at the Rifugio Auronzo car park before 8am as it’ll put you ahead of most people and, importantly, gives you the morning light on the north faces of the peaks when they’re at their most dramatic.
You need to book your parking slot online through auronzo.info before your visit. The toll road from Misurina costs around €30 per car depending on season, which includes the parking (steep, I know!).
From Rifugio Auronzo, hike the circuit counterclockwise on trail 101. This takes you along the southern faces of the peaks first, which is relatively flat and a good warm-up, before the path rounds the mountain to reveal the sheer north faces at Forcella Lavaredo. The contrast between the two sides of the Tre Cime is one of the things that makes this hike worth doing in full rather than just driving up and walking to the first viewpoint.
Rifugio Locatelli, about halfway round on the northern side, is the best lunch stop on the circuit.
After completing the main loop, if you’ve got the legs for it, do the Cadini di Misurina offshoot. It starts from Rifugio Auronzo and takes around 40 to 45 minutes each way. Follow trail 117 as it climbs a narrow rocky path along the ridgeline towards the Cadini peaks. At the viewpoint, a chain of jagged spires and towers rises in front of you in a way that looks completely unlikely. When you’re walking towards it, take the path that veers to the left: it leads to a quieter, less visited viewpoint with more space and a slightly different angle. The main platform gets queues. The left fork doesn’t.
This is, in my opinion, the easiest hike with the biggest reward in the Dolomites. After a full circuit of Tre Cime, the Cadini detour feels like a bonus that most people don’t know to take – you can of course also to Cadini first and Tre Cime after, up to you!
Day 3: Lago di Braies and a rest afternoon in San Vigilio
Distance: 3.5 km lake circuit
Elevation gain: minimal
Time: 1.5 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead parking: Lago di Braies, pre-booking required in peak season via prags.bz
By Day 3, your legs will have earned a break. This is deliberately the lightest day on the itinerary, structured around an early morning at Lago di Braies followed by a slow afternoon in San Vigilio. It’s the recovery day so enjoy it!
Get to Lago di Braies before 8am and between 10 July and 10 September, the Braies Valley road is closed to private vehicles from 9:30 am to 4 pm. Book your parking in advance, and I’d recommend parking at P4, which is the closest to the lake and costs from around €6.
The boat rental is worth doing if you want the full experience. A shared ride costs around €15 per person for 45 minutes. Boats are first-come, first-served and tend to sell out by mid-morning in peak season.
Spend the afternoon back in San Vigilio. Lunch at Agriturismo Soleseid, which sits just outside the village with outstanding views down the valley. Then the spa. Then, if you have a booking, dinner at Garsun.
Garsun has 30 seats, a fixed multi-course Ladin menu that changes but on our visit included ricotta and spinach dumplings, spelt soup, pork shank with sauerkraut and baked potatoes, and fried dough desserts with apple and jam. Everyone eats the same thing at the same time and the owner is a sweet old lady who comes out between courses to chat, the whole evening has the quality of being invited into someone’s home for dinner.
Day 4: Nuvolau
Distance: approx. 8 km return, longer with Cinque Torri extension
Elevation gain: approx. 550 m
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailhead parking: Falzarego Pass car park, free
This is the hike that most people on a Dolomites trip haven’t heard of, which is exactly why it belongs on this itinerary. Manu first mentioned Nuvolau before we left and described the summit view as the one nobody talks about. He was right.
The trailhead is at Falzarego Pass (Passo Falzarego) in Belluno, on the border of South Tyrol. From San Vigilio, the drive takes 40 to 45 minutes via the mountain road south. There’s a car park at the pass by the Lagazuoi cable car station. The trail begins on the wide gravel road behind the car park, following signs for trail 441 towards Rifugio Averau.
The first section climbs steadily through increasingly rocky terrain past the small and beautiful Lago Limedes. The path then crosses a gully, and the angle increases sharply as you approach Forcella Averau.
From Forcella Averau, the path continues to Rifugio Averau, a well-positioned hut on the saddle between Averau and Nuvolau. Stop for coffee if you want, but continue to Rifugio Nuvolau: the final kilometre from here is steeper, and the summit is a completely different experience. Rifugio Nuvolau is the oldest rifugio in the Dolomites, perched on the very top of Monte Nuvolau at 2,575 metres with a 360-degree panorama that on a clear day takes in Lagazuoi, Civetta, Sorapis, and the Marmolada glacier.
The homemade tiramisu at Rifugio Nuvolau is famous among people who know about this hike. Order it!
On the descent, you can vary the return route by looping back via the Cinque Torri area, passing five dramatic rock towers that were used as a WWI military position and still have preserved trenches and fortifications you can walk through.
Day 5: Seceda from Col Raiser
Distance: approx. 10 km circular
Elevation gain: 400 to 500 m
Time: 4 to 5 hours with stops
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailhead: Col Raiser cable car station, Santa Cristina. Cable car approx. €25 return.
Save your best legs for last, because Seceda is the hike that earns its reputation fully and my personal favourite on the itinerary.
Drive to Santa Cristina in Val Gardena. The Col Raiser cable car station is at the upper end of town, a steep five-minute walk from the main road. The cable car runs from around 8:30 am and costs around €25 round trip. Park at the cable car station car park, which charges around €1.50 per hour.
From the top station at Col Raiser (2,100 metres), follow trail 4A through wide alpine meadows towards Troier Hut. This first section is mostly flat with panoramic views of the surrounding Dolomites opening up in every direction.
Continue on trail 2 for the steady climb towards the Seceda ridge. The gradient increases and the meadows give way to rockier, more exposed terrain. The rifugios along the way, including Piera Longia and Baita Daniel on the descent, are excellent excuses to stop. At Baita Daniel in particular, find a table outside with a view and order the polenta. The view from that terrace, with the Odle peaks in front of you and the valley far below, is one of the finest lunch spots in the Dolomites.
The summit ridge at Seceda is where the hike becomes something else entirely. The Odle ridgeline runs in a jagged line along the horizon, dropping away sharply on both sides, and the Dolomites unfold around you in every direction. In 2025, local landowners installed a €5 turnstile on one section of the ridgeline path near the main viewpoint as a protest against overtourism. You can bypass it entirely by taking a lower alternative trail which is marked and accessible. The alternative viewpoint is arguably better, with more space and a slightly wider angle on the peaks.
From the ridge, return via trail 1 and then trail 4 back towards the Col Raiser station. The descent through the meadows is beautiful in the afternoon light. If you’ve timed it right, you’ll be back at the cable car for late afternoon, which gives you enough time to drive back to San Vigilio for a final evening in the valley.
FAQ’s
How hard is hiking in the Dolomites?
It depends on the trail, but most popular day hikes, including all five on this itinerary, are rated moderate. That means sustained ascent, some rocky terrain, and four to six hours of walking, but no technical climbing or via ferrata equipment required. The biggest challenges tend to be altitude, which makes effort feel greater than the numbers suggest, and weather, which changes fast at height. If you’ve done day hikes in mountain environments before, this itinerary is well within reach.
How many days do you need in the Dolomites for hiking?
Five days is the sweet spot for a first hiking trip. It gives you enough time to cover the best trails without feeling rushed, with one lighter recovery day built in. If you have more time, you could easily spend ten days here and not run out of trails worth doing. If you’re short on time, three days is workable but you’ll need to choose between the eastern highlights (Tre Cime, Lago di Braies) and the western ones (Seceda, Nuvolau) rather than doing both.
What is the best time of year to hike in the Dolomites?
September is the best month overall: fewer crowds than July and August, golden autumn light, larch trees beginning to turn, and all rifugios and trails still open. Early July is excellent for wildflowers and long days, though you’ll share the popular trails with more people. June is beautiful and quiet but some high-altitude huts open late. Avoid the peak weeks of late July and August if crowds bother you, particularly on Tre Cime and Seceda.
Do you need a guide to hike in the Dolomites?
Not for the hikes on this itinerary. All five are well-marked, well-trafficked, and straightforward to navigate independently using AllTrails or the route links provided. A guide is worth considering if you want to add via ferrata routes, do multi-day hut-to-hut trekking on routes like the Alta Via 1, or venture off the main trails into less marked terrain.
Can you hike in the Dolomites without a car?
It’s possible for individual hikes, but not practical for this itinerary. Trailheads like Passo Falzarego and Passo delle Erbe have no public transport connections that work for an early morning start. Val Gardena and Ortisei are served by buses from Bolzano, so the Seceda day could be done without a car, but the rest of the itinerary requires one. If you don’t have a car, base yourself in Cortina d’Ampezzo or Ortisei and focus on the hikes accessible from those towns by bus or cable car.
