Guides · Cortina d'Ampezzo
5 Best Hikes in the Dolomites Near Cortina d'Ampezzo
By Tomas Achmedovas · CEO and co-founder
CEO and co-founder
This guide covers the 5 best hikes in the Dolomites near Cortina d'Ampezzo, picked because each one can be walked in a single summer day from a trailhead less than 45 minutes from town. Every entry gives the round-trip distance in kilometres, the total ascent in metres, walking time, difficulty, the trailhead address with parking notes, and the Dolomitibus line that reaches it if you would rather leave the car behind.
The 5 routes fall into two clusters. Tre Cime di Lavaredo and Lago di Sorapis sit east and northeast of Cortina d'Ampezzo along the SR48 towards Misurina, so they pair neatly on consecutive days. Cinque Torri, the Croda da Lago circuit and the Lagazuoi tunnels all lie west and southwest along the SR48 and the SP638 towards Passo Giau, close enough to each other that one parking plan or one bus ticket covers the lot.
Read the access notes before you book anything. The Tre Cime di Lavaredo toll road now demands a reserved slot and a registered number plate, three of these hikes depend on lifts or high roads that only operate from June to mid-October, and two involve cable-secured ground where snow lingers into late June. Each entry closes with a Pro Tip carrying a time, a price or a trail number you can act on. That snow returns in September at the same altitudes, so check Cortina d'Ampezzo weather the evening before rather than planning the week off a seasonal average. Walkers running a longer Dolomites trip often approach through Venice, two hours south and the nearest airport of any size. The hotels in Cortina d'Ampezzo near the bus station put the Tre Cime shuttle, the Cinque Torri chairlift and the Faloria cable car within one short walk.
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1Tre Cime di Lavaredo Loop - The Signature Circuit of the Sesto Dolomites
The Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop is the circuit most people picture when they imagine walking in these mountains. It runs 8.8 km around the three limestone towers with 425 m of ascent, tops out at 2,455 m, and takes 3 to 4 hours. Go counterclockwise from Rifugio Auronzo: the path climbs gently to Rifugio Lavaredo, swings under the north faces at Rifugio Locatelli (Dreizinnenhuette), then contours back on wide gravel. Difficulty is moderate, with no exposure. The whole massif sits inside the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage property, inscribed in 2009.
Access is the complicated part. The trailhead is the car park at Rifugio Auronzo, 2,333 m, at the top of the toll road from Misurina. For 2026 the toll costs EUR 40 per car, EUR 26 per motorcycle and EUR 60 per campervan, covers 12 hours, and requires an online reservation with your number plate through the official Auronzo access portal. The road opened on 25 May 2026 and usually closes in mid to late October. No shuttle-only rule applies in 2026, but slots sell out fast. Dolomitibus line 30 links Cortina d'Ampezzo to Misurina, where line 31 covers the last stretch in about 20 minutes.
2Lago di Sorapis - Turquoise Glacial Lake on Trail 215
Lago di Sorapis is the milky turquoise lake below the Sorapiss massif, and the walk in from Passo Tre Croci is the classic version: 11.6 km out and back on trail 215, 460 m of total ascent, 3 to 5 hours, graded moderate. The pass sits at 1,803 m and the lake at 1,923 m, so the numbers understate the effort - the route rolls through scree basins and includes several short ledges secured with steel cables and two metal ladders. Vertigo-prone walkers should know that before setting off. Rifugio Vandelli at 1,926 m serves lunch from 11:30 to 14:30 between late June and late September and takes cash only.
The season runs from late June to mid or late October; earlier than that, snow sits on the cabled sections. Swimming and wild camping at Lago di Sorapis are both banned and enforced. Parking at Passo Tre Croci is free roadside space plus a small overflow lot signed Parcheggio per Sorapis, and it fills by 08:00 through August. Dolomitibus lines 30 and 31 both stop at Passo Tre Croci, 15 to 20 minutes from Cortina d'Ampezzo, which removes the parking problem altogether.
3Cinque Torri and the Open-Air War Museum - Five Towers Above a 1915 Front Line
Cinque Torri gives you five detached limestone towers, a restored Italian front line from 1915 to 1917, and one of the shortest serious payoffs in the Ampezzo Dolomites. From Baita Bai de Dones at 1,889 m, trail 425 climbs 4.4 km and 350 to 400 m to Rifugio Scoiattoli at 2,265 m in 1 to 1.5 hours, easy to moderate on forest track then a service road. Up top, the Museo all'Aperto delle Cinque Torri is a free open-air circuit of roughly 2 km with about 100 m of ascent, taking an hour through reconstructed trenches, gun positions and barracks with interpretation boards. Round trip on foot from the car park comes to about 11 km and 500 m of ascent across 4 hours.
The Seggiovia Cinque Torri chairlift removes the climb: it runs 6 June to 11 October 2026, 09:00 to 17:00, at EUR 20.50 one way and EUR 27.50 return. Parking at Baita Bai de Dones on the SR48 is large but typically full by 09:30 in August. Dolomitibus line 52, Cortina Scuole to Pocol to Passo Falzarego, runs along the SR48 past the base station from 8 June to 9 September 2026.
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4Croda da Lago Circuit - Lago Federa, Larches and Forcella Ambrizzola
The Croda da Lago circuit is the toughest route here and the best one in autumn. The full loop covers 12.8 km with 900 m of ascent, takes 4.5 to 6 hours, and is graded moderate to strenuous, linking trails 437, 434, 435 and 436 with a high point near 2,475 m at Forcella Ambrizzola. The descent from Forcella di Formin crosses loose boulders and unstable rock, which is where the grading earns itself. Lago Federa and Rifugio Croda da Lago (Palmieri) at 2,046 m come about 4 km in, ringed by the larch stands that turn gold in the first half of October.
If the full circuit is too much, the out-and-back to Lago Federa is 8.4 km with 500 m of ascent in 2.5 to 3.5 hours. Both start at Ponte de Ru Curto, 1,700 m, on the SP638 towards Passo Giau. Parking is free roadside and very limited, so arrive before 09:30. The season runs from late June to mid or late October. Dolomitibus line 53, Cortina Scuole to Passo Giau, follows the SP638 past the bridge between 8 June and 9 September 2026.
5Lagazuoi Tunnels - A First World War Gallery Descent to Passo Falzarego
The Lagazuoi tunnels turn a descent into a history lesson. Italian sappers hacked the Galleria del Lagazuoi out of the mountain during the First World War, and the marked route now drops 647 m from the summit ridge back to Passo Falzarego, allowing about 3 hours 30 minutes including the exposed Cengia Martini ledge. Helmet, gloves and a head torch are compulsory, a via ferrata set is strongly advised, and phone lights are useless in the long dark sections. Walkers who want the views without the tunnels can take the open path down to Passo Falzarego instead, about 4 km and 650 m of descent in 2 to 3 hours, graded easy.
Funivia Lagazuoi carries you from Passo Falzarego, 2,105 m, to Rifugio Lagazuoi at 2,752 m in a few minutes. For summer 2026 it runs 6 June to 18 October, every 15 minutes, first car 09:00, last uphill run 16:40 and last downhill run 17:00, with one-way tickets in the EUR 21 to EUR 24 range depending on season. On foot the climb takes roughly 2 hours via path 402 to Forcella Travenanzes then path 401. Dolomitibus line 52 from Cortina d'Ampezzo stops at the valley station.
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CEO and co-founder
Tomas is the co-founder and director of trip1, an European company specializing in reservation services. He launched the company in 2025 with a focus on building scalable, efficient operations.
5 Best Hikes in the Dolomites Near Cortina d'Ampezzo - FAQ
The Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop, the walk to the turquoise Lago di Sorapis on trail 215, Cinque Torri with its open-air First World War museum, the Croda da Lago circuit past Lago Federa, and the wartime tunnels down from Lagazuoi to Passo Falzarego. Each is a single day from a trailhead less than 45 minutes from Cortina.
The Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop. It circles the three limestone towers for 8.8 km with 425 m of ascent and takes 3 to 4 hours, with no exposure. Walk it counterclockwise from Rifugio Auronzo past Rifugio Lavaredo and Rifugio Locatelli under the north faces. The trailhead is reached by a toll road that needs an online booking.
Avoid early June and late autumn if you want to hike high. Snow lingers on cabled sections such as Lago di Sorapis into late June and returns in September, and many lifts stop in October: in 2026 the Cinque Torri chairlift closes on 11 October and the Lagazuoi cable car on 18 October. July and August weekends are the most crowded.
Yes, if you choose the route. The Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop is moderate with wide paths and no exposure, the Cinque Torri chairlift leaves only an easy hour around the war museum, and the open path down from Lagazuoi is graded easy. Leave the Lago di Sorapis ledges, the Croda da Lago circuit and the Lagazuoi tunnels for later.
In 2026 it costs 40 euros per car, 26 euros per motorcycle and 60 euros per campervan, and the ticket is valid for 12 hours. You must book online in advance with your number plate, as there is no paying at the barrier. The road climbs from Misurina to Rifugio Auronzo and normally stays open until late October, weather permitting.
Moderate, but harder than the numbers suggest. Trail 215 from Passo Tre Croci is 11.6 km out and back with 460 m of total ascent, taking 3 to 5 hours, and it includes short ledges secured with steel cables and two metal ladders. People with vertigo should think twice. Swimming and wild camping at the lake are banned.
