August 2024
One week exploring the Dolomites – Cortina d’Ampezzo and Ortisei, Italy
The Dolomites have been on my travel bucket list for a long time – once I discovered this magical region in Italy, it has been a region I could not wait to explore. After marking it down for the 2024 travel year, it has finally arrived. While we have visited many parts of Italy, this one will be the most unique. In the Italian Alps, the influence here will be more from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany than traditional Italian culture as it is really its own thing. The pictures of this location simply do not do it justice and I knew that going into this trip. The Dolomites really is a perfect destination for an outdoor getaway – a great way to experience nature and disconnect.
Since there is so much to do, we split our stay up in two different areas of the Dolomites to make our exploration easier – Cortina d’Abruzzo and Ortisei. We planned our stay in Cortina d’Abruzzo first and then booked the remaining portion of the trip in Ortisei. Our journey started by taking a red eye flight to Venice and picked up our car rental to start our journey north.
We were quite surprised by the traffic once we entered the mountains region going in both directions and while it added a half hour to our drive, the traffic going towards Venice was far worse – so just keep this in mind as we heard this is quite common during peak seasons. The views are stunning along the drive so pay careful attention when driving. As we passed by each small town, our interest climbed and we made a quick stop in Pieve di Cadore to explore the antique market and get our first gelato of the trip. It felt great to get out and stretch but we were eager to reach our final destination.
After a short while longer, we were happy to make it to Cortina d’Ampezzo. Cortina d’Ampezzo is home to all sorts of outdoor activities for every season. From world class skiing to almost 200 miles of hiking trails, from kayaking and mountain biking to rock climbing and cross country skiing. This was the home of the 1956 Winter Olympics and will be the location of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Cortina d’Ampezzo attracts tourists from all over the world and the town is ready to entertain them.
Our hotel, Hotel Al Larin, was located just on the outskirts of town and after an easy check in, we took some time to settle in before venturing out to town.
Read the full review for Hotel Al Larin here!
The walk from the hotel to downtown was twenty minutes and it was a beautiful scenic stroll. We were hesitant on walking but more weary of parking and the walk ended up being a great option.
Dowtown Cortina d’Ampezzo was simply beautiful and while the downtown is not too big, there is a lot going on in a short distance.
Then our mission was food – we were starving and since it was before 7PM, our options were quite limited. Spots Google had marked as open or times of service were a bit off in this town so keep that in mind. I also found that overall, the town’s restaurants overall rating was lower than I would have expected and in comparison to other places. After a few failed attempts, we ended up at Dolom’eats and while it was not my first, second, or third choice, we were fed. Some of our dishes were good, some were incredibly small for the price they are charging, and some required a bit more flavor. Dolom’eats works in a pinch but unfortunately, there are not a ton of options competing to elevate it either. I will say, the fried mushrooms were amazing so definitely order those if you end up here.
The walk back was as pleasant as the walk there and we got to enjoy sunset views of the mountains. It was hard to believe after so many months of planning and excitement that we were finally here. After a long travel day, we passed out easily ready to start an incredible week.
Day 1
Since we were tackling one of the most popular hikes in the Dolomites, we left the hotel at 530AM for a 40 minute drive at the advice of our hotel – advice which we were grateful for as we were originally going to leave an hour later. Apparently, parking at the trail can fill up by 7AM so we were fine to guarantee our success. And the hotel was able to provide us with to-go breakfast bags which was so wonderful. Today our plan was to hike Tre Cime di Lavaredo – the three famous and iconic peaks of the Dolomites.
Read about our day completing the Tre Cime di Lavaredo Circuit Trail here!
We had two options for the afternoon – complete the Cadini di Misurina trail just across from Rifugio Auronzo or drive to Lake Braies. Since we were pretty beat from the hike, we did not want to overdo it on our first day so we opted to drive to Lake Braies.
The drive down from the mountain was so scenic – since our drive in the morning was all dark, we knew the mountains were looming but could not get a good visual of what they actually looked like and wow. Make sure your brakes are in good shape as the descend on this road is steep and narrow. On our drive to Lake Braies, we passed Lake Dürrensee which had many visitors enjoying day on the lake and the Vista Panoramica Tre Cime Lavaredo viewpoint where the Tre Cime are framed perfectly for a photo.
Read about our time at Lago di Braies – and if that boat ride is worth the hype – here!
We had a relaxing car ride back to our hotel and got ready for another evening in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The first thing we did when we parked in town was check in with Restaurant Ariston Bar. To get a table which they were able to give us in a half hour. With that, we went to explore town, I picked up a gelato next door at Da Po’ and others grabbed a beer to pass the time. When we made our way back to the center of town, there were so many people dressed in traditional outfits and a percentage even carried instruments. A few minutes later, a full procession began with the band playing and others walking. It was neat to have caught this cultural tradition. In looking later, this was actually the Festa Delle Bande that takes place the last week of August each year.
Before we knew it, our time for dinner arrived and we were excited for a well rated meal.
Dining review Restaurant Ariston Bar here!
After a fantastic meal, we returned to Hotel Al Larin for our final evening in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Day 2
We packed up our bags and enjoyed a full breakfast spread at the hotel before officially checking out and hitting the road. There were two goals for today – hike the Lago di Sorapis trail and make our way to Ortisei.
Lake Sorapis is another popular hike when staying in the Cortina d’Ampezzo area. The glacier blue water with towering peaks attracts many people on this difficult trail.
Read about the hike exploring the Lago di Sorapis here!
With the hike complete, our second goal of the day was to tackle to drive across the Dolomites to Ortisei. The drive took two and a half hours and it was lots of switch backs, climbing up and down passes, and takes a lot of concentration – Kevin did a fantastic job driving. The views along this drive are simply stunning so make sure to enjoy the view and stop along the way. There are many inviting towns that we would have loved to stop and explore but we were really just wanted to get to Ortisei.
Ortisei is the main village of Val Gardena and is a popular destination for visitors to base themselves both for summer and winter activities when exploring this area of the Dolomites. There is a rich history in Ortisei – there is even a unique local language that people native to this area still speak called Ladin which is the first language you learn to speak growing up here. Interestingly, it is also the international center of wood carving which dates back to the 17th century. I wish I knew this before arriving as I would have arranged for a wood carving class for Kevin so if that is something you are interested in, definitely take a look. Make sure to visit the Museum Gherdëina where many wood carvings are on display and visit the local stores downtown that sell various wood carved items.
We arrived around 5:30PM and after our day so far, could not wait to shower and get into some dry clothes. I had spent a long time trying to find a hotel in this area that had a few more amenities at a reasonable price. The wellness hotels in the area can be extremely pricey and offer amazing amenities (some are well over $1000 a night) but we knew most of our days would be out of the hotel so it was a balance to weigh. But then I found Hotel Digon through searching Google reviews and I had a feeling I found the perfect place to stay in Ortisei.
Read the full review for Hotel Digon here!
We took the rest of the day to chill at the hotel – take hot showers, relax at the pool, and enjoy our first dinner service at Hotel Digon. With our two goals accomplished, we could sleep easy.
Day 3
It was a beautiful morning in Ortisei and we could not wait to explore. After breakfast at the hotel, we hopped in the car and made our way to our first gondola station of the trip – Seceda Mountain Station.
Seceda features another absolutely stunning view that is iconic to the Dolomites. And what is even better about visiting is that you do not need to hike for hours to see this stunning view. This also means it is an extremely popular spot for all tourists, not just the active ones. That being said, this was one of our favorite viewpoints of the trip and the Seceda Ridgeline Trail is well worth the journey.
Read our visit atop Seceda and the hiking trails we explored here!
Once back in Ortisei, we did the most fun part of vacation – laundry. After our rain our hike, our need for laundry was expedited so we took an hour at the downtown laundromat before heading back to the hotel. The rest of the day was spent at the hotel, enjoying the pool, sauna, and relaxing before having dinner to end the day.
Day 4
With more of a relaxed day ahead, we had a later start after enjoying our hotel breakfast before heading out for the day. After multiple days of 20,000+ steps, many miles walked, and even some injuries sustained, my plans for completing a 15 km / 9.3 mile hike at Alpe di Siusi were put on the back burner but that did not mean we could not go up in the gondola and see what the largest pasture in Europe has to offer.
Read about Alpe di Siusi, the largest pasture in Europe, here!
We took the afternoon to explore downtown Ortisei – the walkway bridge from the gondola station directly connects. Unfortunately our timing for lunch – both by day of the week and hour of the day – made finding a place that was open tricky. Turonda came highly recommended but was closed (despite Google indicating it was open) so we ended up at Mauriz Keller Pizzeria which was quite tasty. After strolling in and out of some store fronts, including wood carving ones, we made our way back to Hotel Digon to enjoy the evening.
Day 5
This morning was our final day of adventure and we were certainly ending it in a big way – completing a via ferrata in the place that invented them. Since our first time completing a via ferrata in Banff, we knew we could not pass the opportunity to embark on another climbing adventure.
Read about our via ferrata experience in the Dolomites here!
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and enjoying the amenities of Hotel Digon.
Day 6
After five days of physical activity, our reward was a day indulging in a day of wine tasting. Italy is full of famous wine regions – Tuscany, Pidmonte, Sicily – but did you know that high in the Italian Alps is a wine region that famously produces the best Pinot Noir and white wines in the country? When visiting the Dolomites, make sure to stop at the Alto Adige wine region.
Read about our day wine tasting through the Alto Adige wine region here!
After returning the Ortisei, we enjoyed our final evening at Hotel Digon which included a terrace aperitivo before our dinner service.
Day 7
It was a long drive back to Venice – took us three and a half hours with one stop. Once we arrived at our Airbnb, we took a drive to Venice. Kevin visited almost ten years ago and I have never been so it was a great opportunity to see the famous city. What an incredible adventure in the Italian Alps, the Dolomites! I always love our outdoor trips and the Dolomites is truly something special. The mountains have endless options available to explore and I know we only scratched the surface. I can definitely see us returning here in the future to explore more of the region – there is so much to offer. I can only imagine what it is like here in the winter time – they are hosting the 2026 winter olympics so the winter game must be epic here. If you are considering a trip to the Dolomites, it really is a much easier trip to navigate than it appears.