How to Visit Santa Maddalena Church in the Dolomites, Italy

jana meerman santa maddalena val di funes dolomites italy-01

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.

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. It's been at the top of my bucket list for so long! 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. Alongside this post, I've written a detailed guide on how we spent our four days in the Dolomites including where we stayed, what we ate and everything we did.

→ Check out my guide for your visit to the Dolomites!

One of the spots that should be on everyone's Dolomites itinerary is a visit to the Santa Maddalena church - and I also recommend visiting the nearby San Giovanni church while you're here, too!

How to Get to Santa Maddalena

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.

By bus: There is a great bus network servicing the Dolomites, perfect for if you don't have a car. You can reach the village of Santa Maddalena from Bressanone (Brixen) on bus 330 in about 45 minutes.

→ Find out the entire bus route to explore the Dolomites with.

Where to Stay Near Santa Maddalena

We spent the night in the nearby village of San Pietro, just a few minutes' drive from Santa Maddalena. It's slightly larger and had a few more accommodation options. There is also a bus that runs between the two villages.

We booked into the Hotel Kabis and 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. We would happily stay here again!

→ Book your stay at Hotel Kabis.

→ Check out other places to stay to suit your budget and accommmodation type around Val di Funes.

Visiting the Church of St. John

There are actually two famous churches in Santa Maddalena: the Santa Maddalena Church which I explain how to reach next as well as the Church of St. John (Chiesetta di San Giovanni).

In order to protect the fields from being trampled by thousands of people, the owners have very sensibly put up a fence around the field and kindly built a viewing platform from which you can snap photos to your hearts desire.

→ Find the exact location of the viewpoint of the Church of St. John on Google Maps.

You'll also see on Google Maps that there are a couple different parking lots near the viewpoint.

Santa Maddalena Church Viewpoint Hike Details

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!

When: year round, with proper winter gear if there is snow

Where: hike begins from the Santa Maddalena / St. Magdalena parking lot

Difficulty: easy

Length: from the parking lot, we walked about 2.5km roundtrip

Directions: from the parking lot, follow the very clear signs to Santa Maddalena Church. You can visit the church for free if you like on the way. Turn left in front of the church and follow the nice signs indicating photo viewpoint (see images below). Please respect those who live here and stay on the provided trails through their fields! The main photo point has a small bench and a religious shrine.

→ Check out my exact route on Strava!

Bathrooms: no

Public Transit: you can reach the village of Santa Maddalena from Bressanone (Brixen) on bus 330 in about 45 minutes

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Jana Meerman

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.

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