Visiting the Dolomites has been on the top of my bucket list for so long!
Given that I've been living just a few hours' drive away from the Dolomites for nearly four years, I can't believe it's taken me this long to finally visit. However, to be honest, planning a trip to the Dolomites simply overwhelmed me. There is so much information out there and the region is huge, spanning across three of Italy's northern regions: Veneto, Trentino-South Tyrol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
You could spend weeks exploring in any season of the year and still not cover it all. I've tried to compile my guides in a straightforward way that reduce as much feeling lost at where to start as possible.
On our very first visit to the Dolomites (first of many, I can assure you that), we spent four days covering the basics of the whole area. We wanted to get a taste of everything there was to offer. This meant no major hikes - just a few short, pretty ones - and choosing just the highlights to visit.
On our second day, my SD corrupted and I lost about 300 photos as we made our way from Misurina to Sassolungo via the famous Passo Giau. So, a month after our first visit, we headed back to the Dolomites to re-do the section where the photos were missing so we could recapture them!
This post was first published from our first visit on 22 June 2025 and last updated when we went back to re-photograph the missing section on 19 July 2025.
Read on for how we spent our first four days in the Dolomites:
By flight: There are a number of airports used to reach the Dolomites; the main one is in nearby Venice. Munich, Germany has the next major international airport, but there are also other smaller airports in Verona or in Innsbruck or Salzburg, both in Austria.
→ From any of these airports, you can rent a car to explore the Dolomites.
You can take a Flixbus directly from Venice airport to Cortina in the Dolomites in just over two hours.
By car: The best way to explore the Dolomites is with a car; either with your own wheels or with a rental. Parking is available at every attraction and this gives you the freedom and flexibility to explore on your own schedule, pulling over whenever and wherever you wish.
We drove down from where I currently live in Salzburg through the beautiful southern Austrian state of Tyrol. Visiting from further abroad? I highly recommend combining a trip to the Dolomites with time in Austria!
We saw many people with campervans throughout the Dolomites, which might be a fantastic option for you and gives you more freedom about where you can spend the night without having to look for accommodation. I don't have personal experience with this yet!
By bus: There is a great bus network servicing the Dolomites, perfect for if you don't have a car.
→ Find out the entire bus route to explore the Dolomites with.
Schloss Weißenstein in Matrei, Austria
Venice, where the closest main airport is for the Dolomites
Our 4-day route through the Dolomites
Our first day was mostly dedicated to traveling, seeing us drive from where I currently live in Salzburg through the beautiful southern Austrian state of Tyrol before crossing the border. The Dolomites are spread across three of Italy's northern regions: Veneto, Trentino-South Tyrol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
Stop 1: Lago di Dobbiaco / Toblacher See
The Lago di Dobbiaco was our very first introduction to the incredible beauty of the Dolomites. Turquoise blue waters are surrounded by mountain peaks at this like that reminded me so very strongly of my time in Banff and Jasper National Park in Canada.
Stop 2: Lago di Braies / Pragser Wildsee
We visited the Lago di Braies, the most famous lake in all of the Dolomites, at the end of our first day. The golden hour light was definitely pretty, but I'd recommend coming earlier in the day as the sun disappears behind the mountains much sooner than sunset and so the lake will be in shadow.
Being the most famous lake, it is absolutely as touristy as you expect, with multiple parking lots. Lago di Braies was made a globally known name thanks to those curated photos of the idyllic wooden boats on the lake.
Dinner: Pizzeria Ristorante Helmhotel
In our opinion, this is the best pizza in the Dolomites. The restaurant is attached to a hotel and features lots of different indoor and outdoor seating spaces serving up tons of delicious options - including gluten free pizza!
Located at: Bozner Straße 2 in the Helmhotel
Reservations: not required
Stay: Hotel Tolderhof
We booked all our hotels as we went - this might not work in peak seasons (July and August) - but we felt comfortable doing that in mid-June and it gave us the ultimate flexibility to explore as fast or as slow as we wanted to each day without having to reach a specific destination. Of course, that also meant that not everything was available. We were happy with where we ended up, though!
On our first night, we checked into the delightful alpine Hotel Tolderhof, just near the border with Austria. While basic and a bit dated, it was comfy, cozy and quite and the staff was lovely. The breakfast was also outstanding.
Located in: Prato Alla Drava
→ Book your stay at Hotel Tolderhof.
→ Check out other places to stay to suit your budget and accommmodation type near San Candido.
Breakfast at Hotel Tolderhof
On our second day, we drove down to the Tre Crime area to visit more lakes, do a short hike to an epic viewpoint and then drive the Passo Giau to Sassolungo.
Stop 1: Vista Panoramica Tre Crime
Our first stop was at the beautiful viewpoint overlooking Tre Crime. It's also the start of many popular hiking trails and the parking lot was full with avid outdoorsy people getting ready for a day of adventures. We just frolicked in the field a bit before continuing on our way in the sweet morning light.
Stop 2: Lago di Landro / Dürrensee
Not as well-known as some of the other lakes, I actually really enjoyed this one. Situated right on the roadside with plenty of parking, this is such a beautiful lake, especially in morning light. You can walk around the lake on a pretty and very flat, easy trail, as well as go swimming in the bright blue water.
Stop 3: Lago di Mirusina
This lake is quite famous, given that it is nestled at the bottom of the road up to where the best hikes around Tre Crime start. Quite a large lake, Lago di Misurina feels a bit like a central hub of the eastern Dolomites region. You can walk, swim, go for boat rides, dine at one of the many restaurants around or stay in one of the many hotels that line the iconic horizonline.
Stop 4: Cadini di Misurina Viewpoint Hike
This lake is quite famous, given that it is nestled at the bottom of the road up to where the best hikes around Tre Crime start. Quite a large lake, Lago di Misurina feels a bit like a central hub of the eastern Dolomites region. You can walk, swim, go for boat rides, dine at one of the many restaurants around or stay in one of the many hotels that line the iconic horizonline.
→ Check out my detailed guide to hiking the Cadini di Misurina Viewpoint!
Stop 5: Cortina d'Ampezzo
Unfortunately, from then on, my SD card corrupted on the afternoon that we made our way from Misurina to Sassolungo via the famous Passo Giau. We came back a month after our original visit and re-did all the stops from which we had lost photos, so the photos below are from July even though our original trip was in June.
Cortina is one of the main towns of the Dolomites and the host of the 2026 Winter Olympics alongside Milan. It reminded me a lot of other mountain towns I've been to such as Whistler in Canada and Chamonix in France. In Cortina, you can stop for shopping and a bite to eat.
Stop 6: Passo Giau
We also recreated our photos from Passo Giau, a mountain pass that winds through gorgeous mountain views. I highly recommend this drive and stopping whenever and wherever for countless photogenic snaps! The iconic Cinque Torri is here and the sweeping views from the top of the pass are truly outstanding.
Stop 7: Lago di Fedaia
The Lago di Fedaia is an artificial lake with a dam at one end sitting at a high elevation at approximately 2050m at the top of Fedaia Pass. The reservoir was damned in the 1950s as a source of electricity and to prevent against floods. We enjoyed driving along the dam to look at the views.
Stop 8: Passo Sella
We finished our second jam-packed day driving the Passo Sella, another incredible mountain pass ending at Sassolungo. We got so lucky and watched the most colourful sunset from the top of the pass, mountains streamed in colour all around us.
Stay: Passo Sella Dolomiti Mountain Resort
We booked all our hotels as we went - this might not work in peak seasons (July and August) - but we felt comfortable doing that in mid-June and it gave us the ultimate flexibility to explore as fast or as slow as we wanted to each day without having to reach a specific destination. Of course, that also meant that not everything was available.
On our second night, we checked into the Passo Sella Dolomiti Mountain Resort. It was nice enough but for the price we paid, we expected a lot more. It was cool to wake up next to the base of the cable car but our "mountain view" room looked onto a parking lot so it didn't feel like there wasn't privacy nor any other extra benefit for spending the money to be on site.
Located in: Sassolungo at the cable car
→ Book your stay at Passo Sella Dolomiti.
→ Check out other places to stay to suit your budget and accommmodation type in Selva di Val Gardena.
Our third day we nickanmed cable car day as we spent the bulk of it on two of the most famous cable car routes in the Dolomites. We then drove the Passo Gardena to finish in Val di Funes.
Stop 1: Sassolungo Cable Car
Sassolungo is the main mountain of the Val Gardena region. There are two main ways to reach the top of Sassolungo in the summer: hiking or riding the cable car.
The cable car to Sassolungo is nicknamed the "coffin" cable car because they are straight, upright, skinny cable cars that look like hanging coffins. Only two people can fit in each car and jumping on and off is quite an experience! The ride to the top of Sassolungo takes about 15 minutes, giving you plenty of time to enjoy the incredible views of Val Gardena all the way up; arguably better than the views from the summit of Sassolungo itself.
→ Check out my detailed guide to visiting Sassolungo and how to ride the cable car!
Stop 2: Seceda Cable Car
Seceda is one of the most iconic mountains in the Dolomites and the cable car to the top is a must-do, albeit eye-wateringly expensive!
The top of Seceda is one of the best-known views in the Dolomites, popular especially with engagement and wedding photoshoots if you take a quick scroll through Instagram! The main viewpoint looking towards Seceda is about a ten-minute walk from the top of the cable car. It is a bit of an uphill incline, but very manageable. There are also plenty of further hiking options starting up here, as well as a number of different huts serving up food and drink. You can really spend hours exploring up here.
→ Check out my detailed guide to visiting Seceda and how to ride the cable car!
Stop 3: Passo Gardena
After our day of cable cars, we drove another beautiful Dolomites mountain pass: the Passo Gardena. Winding from Plan De Gralba to Corvara in Badia, near the Sassolungo area, this route is full of mountain views and places to stop and take photos including of some very cute donkeys if you can spot them!
Stop 4: Church of St. John / Chiesetta di San Giovanni
In the famous village of Santa Maddalena lie two churches to visit. The first is the Church of St. John which you can see from a small viewing platform in front of a majestic mountain backdrop.
→ Check out my detailed guide to visiting the churches of Santa Maddalena!
Stay: Hotel Kabis
We booked all our hotels as we went - this might not work in peak seasons (July and August) - but we felt comfortable doing that in mid-June and it gave us the ultimate flexibility to explore as fast or as slow as we wanted to each day without having to reach a specific destination. Of course, that also meant that not everything was available.
On our third night, we checked into Hotel Kabis in the village of San Pietro, just a few minutes' drive from Santa Maddalena. We really enjoyed our stay. The staff was lovely, we enjoyed a yummy dinner on site (the breakfast was a bit lacking) and our room had a cute balcony looking straight over the mountains of Val di Funes.
Located in: Peterweg 14, San Pietro
→ Book your stay at Hotel Kabis.
→ Check out other places to stay to suit your budget and accommmodation type around Val di Funes.
Our fourth and final day started early to catch the sunrise in Santa Maddalena. We spent the rest of the day visiting a few more lakes in the western side of the Dolomites before dinner and sunset in Merano to end our trip.
Stop 1: Sunrise at Santa Maddalena Church
If you've ever looked at photos of the Dolomites, chances are high that you have seen snaps of the Santa Maddalena church, one of the most-photographed spots in the region. You cannot drive directly to Santa Maddalena Church nor to the famous viewpoint; you must walk there. Luckily, the walk is short and easy and so beautiful!
→ Check out my detailed guide to visiting Santa Maddalena Church including where to get the best view!
Stop 2: Church of St. John / Chiesetta di San Giovanni
We went back to see the Church of St. John in the glorious morning light and it was so wonderful to get to see the contrast from the cloudy night before.
→ Check out my detailed guide to visiting the churches of Santa Maddalena!
Stop 3: Lago di Soraga
A much lesser-known lake and perhaps not as iconically pretty as the rest, this one sits on the side of the road and has plenty of grassy areas to walk, picnic and hang out. We actually loved the light here and snapped a few shots which incidentally might be my favourite new photos of me.
Stop 4: Lago di Carezza
I think this lake was the biggest surprise for us. The water is a shocking mix between emerald green and azure blue, so radiant you might think it fake. The water in Lago di Carezza is very clear thanks to a combination of the algae in the lake, the white rocks on bottom reflecting the surface and the underground springs that feed the lake.
Dinner: Forsterbräu Meran
We finished our trip in the Dolomites on the western side with a quick stop in Merano for dinner at the delicious Forsterbräu Meran. The food was outstanding, even if the service left a little to be wished for. We had a post-dinner gelato at Iceberg Gelateria and then drove around some of the roads above the city to catch golden hour.
Located at: C.so della Libertà 90, Merano
Reservations: not required
Stay: Hotel Saltus
We didn't stay here on our first trip, rather we came back when we wanted to re-photograph the section our SD card had lost. In Bolzano, just 20 minutes from Merano, you'll find the Dolomites' first eco wellness resort, perfect for a day of spa relaxation after your intense trip exploring the Dolomites!
Located in: Bolzano
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
