Are you planning to spend five days exploring the Dolomites in Italy? You will love this alpine gem where dramatic peaks meet charming villages and breathtaking trails. Whether youโre here for the hikes, the views, or the food, this mountainous region delivers a balanced blend of adventure and relaxation. Hereโs how to soak up the best of the Dolomites in just five days!
In this guide we’ll be heading to Bolzano, Selva di Val Gardena, Seceda, Sassolungo, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Lago di Braies, and more.
From the Vlog
Starting in Milan – Day 1
When heading to the Dolomites, you will likely be coming from either Milan or Venice. This itinerary goes in a loop, so we will start in Milan and end in Venice. You can most definitely flip this itinerary if your trip calls for visiting Venice first.
Do you need a car in the dolomites?
Yes!
I think itโs very important to have a car while visiting the Dolomites. Most Italian destinations have great public transport or are walkable, eliminating the need for a car.
Since the Dolomites are so vast and mountainous, I think it’s crucial to have a car to get around. Yes, there were some public busses, but I don’t think that would allow for the same experience. I am not sure how we would have seen everything that we did without a car.
Milan to Bolzano
Book a rental car and pick it up at either the Milan airport or the Milan Centrale Train Station. From Milan, head north towards Selva di Val Gardena. Stop in Bolzano along the way for lunch and to see a stunning town with Austrian influence. The drive from Milan to Bolzano will be about 3 hours.
Driving from Milan to Bolzano is very easy, but after Bolzano it does start to get pretty mountainous! Since I am from Denver and grew up driving in the Rocky Mountains, it felt very familiar. If you’re not used to driving in the mountains, I could see this drive being intimidating.
There is a main parking garage in Bolzano that’s hard to miss! Follow the signs for the parking garage in the center of town. Give yourself a few hours here to walk around and grab lunch. If you have extra time, รtzi the iceman is in the Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano!
Bolzano to Selva di Val Gardena
Driving from Bolzano to Val Gardena should take about 40 minutes to one hour. This drive is where you will really start to feel like you’re unplugged in the mountains.
Where to stay
Hotel Maciaconi
I loved my stay at this boutique hotel right at the base of the mountain in Selva di Val Gardena. They had fantastic rooms and restaurants, and a great pool/spa area. We also were able to book a hiking guide complementary of the hotel which was a highlight for us!
Hike to Sassolungo – Day 2
We were able to do this hike with a guide from Hotel Maciaconi. This was included in our stay and we gave him a tip after the hike. He was so knowledgable about the area and took us to a secluded restaurant on the mountain that we surely wouldn’t have known about without him. Getting to this hike requires a bus from Selva di Val Gardena to the ski lift, and then a lift to the top of the mountain. We spent a few hours hiking to the different famous peaks, and hiked back down to the bus stop. This took up the majority of our day and we loved every second. Bring lots of water and sunscreen!
Visit Seceda – Day 3
For this one, I recommend getting up pretty early in order to get a parking spot and beat the rush. I have an extensive guide on How to Get to Seceda on the blog.
How To Get To Seceda
Are you headed to the Dolomites in Northern Italy this year? Visiting the Dolomites was one of my favorite trips, but it is logistically harder to plan…
From Selva di Val Gardena, drive over to the Seceda ski lift. You’ll take two lifts up to the top of the mountain, and then you can spend a few hours up there exploring at the peak. There is also an aprรฉs restaurant at the peak which was where we had lunch with an incredible view!
Many people take the lift to the top and hike down the entire mountain, which is possible too. We spent a few hours at Seceda exploring and then took the lift back down before driving to Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Drive to Cortina d’Ampezzo
The drive from Selva di Val Gardena to Cortina d’Ampezzo is about 1.5 hours of magical mountain scenery. Be ready for a few sections of one lane mountain driving with sharp turns through the stunning Italian peaks. This was probably one of the most beautiful drives I have ever seen and I already can’t wait to go back!
Where to stay
Camina Suite & Spa
This was one of my favorite hotel stays ever. Nestled just outside of town in Cortina d’Ampezzo, this hotel was quiet and backed up to beautiful trails. The spa area in this hotel was fantastic and I wish we had more time here. The staff was super accommodating and had early breakfast options for those of us who were rising early for hikes and excursions. There was also a restaurant to enjoy dinner in the hotel. Highly recommend!
Lago di Braies Day Trip – Day 4
This is another early morning, but it’s beyond worth it. I recommend arriving to Lago di Braies by 8am and this drive is about 2 hours long. After about 9am, the big tour groups start to show up and we were so grateful to have quiet time at this serene lake before the crowds came. By arriving at 8am, we also were able to see the boats perfectly lined up before they were sent out into the water.
There are not many places to stop for food on the way to or from Lago di Braies, so try to organize a to-go breakfast (Hotel Camina did this for us) and pack a decent amount of snacks and water. We spent about 1.5-2 hours here walking around the trail that circles the lake. It was truly breathtaking and the photos don’t do it justice.
Explore Cortina d’Ampezzo
Cortina d’Ampezzo is a picture perfect little ski town and we loved wandering around. We walked into town from Hotel Camina and popped in and out of shops and cathedrals. They had a great restaurant called Ristoranti 5 Torri, which felt like an old ski town restaurant that brought back memories from some of the ski towns in Colorado that are inspired by this area.
We also loved our dinner at Ristorante Dolomiti Lodge. This was a little bit out of town but had amazing views and food. If you have time, I recommend eating dinner here one night.
WWI Museum
Something that I didn’t really think about before our trip was the World War I history that was present in this area, specifically in Cortina d’Ampezzo. If you’ve ever heard of the Via Ferrata, that originated in this region to transport soldiers and goods across the mountains during the war. When driving from Selva di Val Gardena to Cortina d’Amezzo, you will pass a big grey building that looks a bit like it’s crumbling. This is the Museum of the Great War.
As a history buff, I found this fascinating. This museum is an old fort where the soldiers of WWI lived during the war. There are even a few trenches surrounding the fort. Inside, you will see uniforms, weapons, and old rooms where they used to sleep.
I’ve seen so many WW2 museums while traveling, but not much from WWI, so this was eye opening. Being inside this museum really gave me a feel for how miserable the conditions of this war were. One of our days was very rainy, so we decided to come up to the museum and I’m glad we did. If you have time, I recommend stopping by! It’s not everyday you can say that you were inside of a WWI bunker in the Dolomites.
Hike 5 Torri
We didn’t end up doing this because we had a very bad weather day, but this is a top hike in the Dolomites and is accessible from Cortina d’Ampezzo. You can drive to the base of this hike and ride the cable car up to the hiking trail. We were told this hike is relatively easy.
Drive to Venice – Day 5
After a few days in Cortina d’Ampezzo, head out of the mountains towards Venice. We were flying out of Milan, but my mom had never been to Venice before, so we made the stop. It was very easy to swing by Venice for a few hours before heading over to the Milan Malpensa airport. We parked our car at the Venice train station, took the train into Venice, and spent about four hours exploring. We had enough time for lunch, sightseeing, and a gondola ride.
