Dolomites, Italy - a 7 day itinerary

Last month, I finally visited the Dolomites for the first time - which is a mountain range in Northern Italy. The natural beauty of this place was beyond my expectations and everything looked like a postcard! In this post, I will outline some of the top areas that should be on your list to visit if you plan to spend a week here.

WHERE TO STAY

We moved accommodations throughout the week, as the region is actually quite large. Some of the places we stayed were: an apartment in the north west of the region, a B&B which had an incredible spa area and 2 Refugio's. Refugio's are mountain huts that you hike to get to - we loved Refugio Gardenacia (which had the most incredible dinner if you go for their half board option!) and Refugio Schlutterhutte. It is worth noting that Refugio's are seasonal so they only open from mid-late June until Sept/Oct.

WHEN TO VISIT

We visited middle of June, where there was still a surprising amount of snow on hiking paths and the weather was unpredictable. We often had spells of sunshine followed by cloud and rain which meant not every area we went to, we saw in it's best light. I would recommend visiting from late June onwards.

TRAVEL

To get to the Dolomites, we flew into Venice and then hired a car and drove 2 hours north to get to the Dolomite region. A car made our travel around the Dolomites really easy, but there is a good bus service around the Dolomites if you don't fancy the drive. There is a lot of steep and windy/hair-pin bends in the Dolomites, so be sure to get a car which will be able to manage the hills! (I mention this, as we ended up with a small 1 litre engine car and it really struggled!)

WHERE TO VISIT - HIKES

• Tre Cime di Lavaredo -an easy/medium hike (can be more challenging terrain if there is snow!), 3-4 hours in total for the 10km circular route. 400m elevation throughout this hike. Note: There is a 30 euro toll for cars to access the parking area. All trails link here.

• Lago di Sorapi - a moderate/advanced hike, taking approx 4.5 hours over 13.5km. There is 921m elevation gain on this hike and free parking on the side of the road (as long as you get there early!) There are both out and back and circular routes to complete this hike, we did an out and back to avoid the snow! This hike leads up to the most incredible blue lake nestled within the mountains - a must do! All trails link here.

• Seceda - a must do in the Dolomites but learn from us - check the live webcam before going up! The cable car to Seceda will set you back 45 euro per person for a return journey, so you want to make sure you won't be in a cloud when you reach the top! Once we got the cable car up, we did a 2 hour circular route hike to Peralongia hut. You can avoid the cable car but a hike up will take approx. 6 hours with some serious elevation - so it's not for the faint hearted! All trails link here.

• Lago Federa - this beautiful but steep 10km hike with 750m elevation will take approx. 3 hours to complete in total. It leads to a beautiful lake which has a refugio at the top. Parking is free at 'Ponte de Ru Curto' and the route is easily signposted following the 437 trail.

• Church of St. John at Val di Funes - a 45 minute easy walk to the Santa Maddalena Viewpoint (type “Panorama di Santa Magdalena” into google maps for exact location)

• Alpe di Siusi - this was our last hike of the week and we wished it to be an easy one, so we did a 2 hour easy circular meadow trail. There are so many walks you can do in this area, so be sure to research on all trails to see what suits you! Note: You cannot drive a car up here between 9am-5pm unless you have accommodation in the area. So either you need to get there outside of those times or get a cable car or bus. We parked for free in Telfen-Lanzin and got the no.10 express bus (which took 20mins) up to Compaccio (which is the heart of the Alpe di Siusi). All trails link here.

• If you are staying in refugio's - you will also need to consider the hikes to get there too!

WHERE TO VISIT - LAKES

• Lake Antorno - 15 minute circular flat walk

• Lake Misurina - 45 minute circular flat walk

• Lake Dobbiaco - 60 minute circular flat walk

• Lago di Braies - 1hr 15 min flat circular walk round the lake. Parking costs 8 euros. This lake is very famous and is so pictureqsue but as a result it gets very busy so head there as early as you can! You can also hire a private rowing boat for 50 euro for a 45 minute hire.

• Lago Limides - 40minute out and back short hike, you can park easily on the side of the Falzarego pass if you would like a stretch of the legs!

WHERE TO VISIT - OTHER

• Cortina d' Ampezzo - a cute and quaint little town to stop in at!

• Falzarego pass - 38km long road with 38 hairpin bends

• Gardena pass - 15km long road

• Sella Pass - 17.4km long road and by far my favourite pass with the most stunning scenery

• Piz Boe - a cable car which will talk you 3000m above sea level with a 5km out and back hike at the top to reach the summit. We had planned to do this, but unfortunately the cable car wasn't running the day we had planned - so will put it on the list for next time!

Happy Travelling!

Ruth xxx