Hiking the Dolomites in summer

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
10
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
6
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
9
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
5
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
10
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
10
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
85 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
20th/454
Top 5%
continent
Europe
country
Italy
Length of time
3-4 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$250 ($500-$1,200 in 2025 prices)
Time of year visited
August
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Cable cars Hiking Mountains
All Tags
Altitude Caves Cliffs Climbing Forests Glaciers Hilltop towns Lakes Local villages UNESCO world heritage site
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary

The Dolomites has the most wow-factor mountain scenery in the world.  The mountains around Machu Pichu in Peru and those of Interlakken in Switzerland are IMO the most beautiful, but the Dolomites blows everything else out of the water for sheer outrageous awe-inspiring wow and should be top of your list if mountain scenery and hiking is something you appreciate. 

 

And it is all just so well done – the cable-car, hiking trails and road infrastructure in place makes it accessible; the views and general vibe is protected from any signs of rampant commercialisation; and the German / Italian vibe gives you good food, pretty alpine villages and typically friendly locals.  No wonder it is so famous and Instagrammer’s wet dream.

 

But . . . Instagrammers means crowds.  To be fair, the set-up and general scale of the place means that crowds are managed pretty well, even at the most famous spots.  But, in order to enjoy the Dolomites in a walking-alone-on-an-Alpine-trail-with-just-you-and-the-views kind of way rather than being in Disney Land, I would suggest two main tips.

 

Dolomites in Summer - View of Monte Cristallo and Cortina from the hike to Cliffhanger Lodge 

View of Monte Cristallo and Cortina from the hike to Cliffhanger Lodge 

Table of Contents

Highlights of the Dolomites in the summer

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#1 The utterly magnificent Lagazuoi hike that skirts the huge south wall of the Col den Bos, the wild Travenanzes Valley and via a series of fascinating World War I tunnels. Really felt like you could see half the Dolomites from up there

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#1 The Lagazuoi hike's wild Travenanzes Valley. Stunning

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#2 The Adolf-Munkel-Weg with its insane close up views of the Sass Rigais mountain line and being able to sit by Glatschalm in the grassy fields gawping. Added advantage of arriving via the amazing Santa Magdalena church view in the Funes Valley,

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#3 Son Forca with great up close views of Monte Cristallo's ascent and snaking back down to the Rio Gere with minimal crowds

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#4 The driving. Hard to think of a more impressive route, and one with enough turns to keep even the daftest petrol head entertained

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#5 The views of Monte Cristallo from Cliffhanger Lodge (yes, the movie Cliffhanger was filmed here, not in the Rockies) - super quiet despite being so close to Cortina

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#6 Lake Landro - the setting is wow and, because it is so shallow, you can easily swim in it from one of the many banks

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#7 Lake Braies - yes its crowded and the closest thing to Disneyland in the Dolomites, but there is a reason. The lake is stunning and well worth the walking loop

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#9 The cable cars - the views, the efficiency, the slight fear as they rocket up the slopes - all insanely impressive and an amazing way to start the hikes

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#10 The beautiful Italian / German villages dotted all through the Dolomites and warranting a 5min stop for gawping . . . back in the car to the next gawp spot

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#11 The classic IG shot at the Seceda Ridgeline. Disneyland-esque with major crowds, but the views make up for it

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#12 Grabbing some apple strudel from cafe-Bar Stetteneck in the super pretty town of Ortisei, just after finishing Seceda Ridge

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#13 Plose's ski-field peaks - giant lush grassy ski-field area, with great views of the Furchetta / Seceda Ridge

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#14 The "other view" from the Seceda Ridgeline. Felt like looking across Lord of the Rings to Mordor

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#15 Cortina - the heart of the Dolomites, site for the 2026 Winter Olympics and generally pretty streets with high-end shop vibe

Which are the best hikes?

 

In no way hiked all the hikes, but these were my favourites and how I would prioritise them.

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lagazuoi (cable car return, 7.9km, 200m elevation gain, 3.1hrs) – just astounding views of what feels like half the Dolomites. Take the cable car from the Falzarego Pass (itself beautiful) to the peak, and walk back down skirting the huge south wall of the Col den Bos, the wild Travenanzes Valley and via a series of amazing World War I tunnels.  Use this All Trails route forcella-lagazuoi-forcella-travenanzes-col-dei-bos.

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Son Forca (cable car return, 4km, mainly down, 1.5hrs) – great views of Monte Cristallo and around.  Get the cable car up to Rifugio Son Forca the from the Rio Gere car park and then snake your way back down.

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Adolf-Munkel-Weg (loop, 6km, 300m elevation gain, 2.5hrs) – nice walk with the added advantage of going via the amazing Santa Magdalena church view in the Funes Valley, but the highlight is the insane close up views of the Sass Rigais mountain line and being able to sit by Glatschalm in the grassy fields gawping at it.  Park at Zans, walk in the loop up the valley to Schmelzwassersee, but then walk back via Glatschalm rather than the rest of the full Adolf-Munkel-Weg loop.

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Seceda Ridgeline – one of the mega famous spots with the classic IG ridgeline photo, with sensational views, but Disneyland-esque with major crowds and a valley of hikes that felt very crowded.  I would still recommend it though, just as the views really are wow.  Take the 2 cable cars up from Ortisei and be sure to grab some apple strudel from cafe-Bar Stetteneck in what is a very pretty town.

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Cliffhanger Lodge (there and back, 8km, 450m elevation gain, 3hrs) – super quiet despite being so close to Cortina and incredible views of Monte Cristallo and Cortina.  Start at the Rio Gere car park and then wander up a combination of the gravel path and clearly-signed hiking routes.

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Plose ski-field peaks (cable car up and then loop, 11km, 500m elevation gain, 3hrs) – walk along the peaks of the giant ski-field open grassy area of Plose, with great views of the Furchetta / Seceda Ridge. There are various routes you can take when up there – we walked a rough loop of route #7 to Monte Fana Pfannspitz via Plose summit.

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lake Braies (loop, 3.7km, 180m elevation gain, 1.5hrs) – really beautiful IG-famous lake and sheer vertical backdrop, but very busy.  Note you have to pay €40 per person to enter the valley, but it is free after 4pm.

Extra Travel Tips

 

Where to base yourself – there are so many good spots, but the real highlights and the central point of the Dolomites are within a 15km band that stretches from around Ortisei in the west to around 10km to the east of Cortina.  This is where you have the SS242, SS243, SS244, SP24, SP37, SR48 roads snaking their way through the likes of the Val Gardena.  Anywhere in that band is perfect, including Cortina which is a great all round base. 

 

But this whole area is low in accommodation supply and very expensive.  We actually stayed in Pieve di Cadore in the east (liked it so much so we returned there) and Bressanone in the west (Biogasthaus Plonderhof, which I highly recommend).  Both meant probably a little more driving, but considering the views and the cost save, were totally worth it.

 

Timings are important to avoid the rush – I’d highly recommend either getting there very early or aim for finishing your hikes late.  Early is obvious – yes there will be the early birds, but from what we saw far fewer crowds.  The later option though surprised us – so many people worry about a late finish that we had hikes almost to ourselves when finishing at 6pm (it only gets dark at 830pm ish).

 

The Dolomites in summer - Busy but beautiful - wandering down the waling routes from the Seceda Ridgeline

Busy but beautiful – wandering down the waling routes from the Seceda Ridgeline

 

You have to book for some sites – places such as Tre Cime di Lavaredo and Lake Braies require payment and reservation for parking, typically booked up 3 days or so in advance.

 

It takes a while to get around – from one end of the highlights to the other (Bressanone to Pieve di Cadore through the middle) is only 125km but will take 3hrs assuming no traffic.  Also bear in mind there can often be landslides, accidents etc which can lead to long delays.

 

It’s pricey – obviously accommodation can get silly in summer (budget around €200 a night), but also little things like cable cars.  Seceda Ridge cable car for example is €52 per person and then you have to pay €5 for entry to some view points.

 

Try something different for accommodation options – hotels are in short supply in summer, but give Airbnb a good look, and especially outside of the main areas.  We found a gem in Pozzale (50mins east of Cortina and near many of the famous sites), 4 bedroom house with just the most astounding views for €100 a night.  Worth looking in detail.

 

Dolomites in summer - big white house with car parked outside in Pozzale for a fraction of the price of a small room in Cortina

Whole house to ourselves in Pozzale for a fraction of the price of a small room in Cortina

 

It’s more German than Italian – yes it’s in Italy, but the majority is very German feeling.  Roadsigns in German, waitresses wearing the Bavarian Alpine gear, food very German.  Perhaps why things run so well! 🤪🤪🤪

 

Top Two Tips for the Dolomites in Summer

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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