FAQs about the Dolomites
In this page you will find answers to Frequently Asked Questions asked by my guests.
Cortina is easy to access from several airports. The main international airports closer to the Dolomites are the one in Venice (160km) and the one in Munich (Germany). There also are smaller airports in the region, in Treviso, Verona and Innsbruk (Austria). We recommend flying to Venice (Marco Polo) as a first choice. Once in Venice you can take a bus to Cortina.
The Cortina Express Bus www.cortinaexpress.it and AVTO Bus www.atvo.it operate direct buses from Venice to Cortina d’Ampezzo. Another company is www.flixbus.it. Go to the web sites for schedules and more information. The bus takes about 2-3 hours.
The closer stations are the one in Calalzo di Cadore in the south, and the one in Dobbiaco (Toblach) in the north.
During the season, there are direct bus connections between Cortina and some Italian cities:
– bus service between Mestre (Venice) railway station and Cortina d’Ampezzo (Bus line Cortina Express) in connection with the Eurostar trains from/to Milan.
– bus service between Bologna railway station and Cortina d’Ampezzo (Bus line Cortina Express/Zani) in connection with the Eurostar trains from/to Florence-Rome-Naples and with the “Adriatica” line (Rimini-Ancona-Pescara-Bari).
The journey from/to Mestre takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes and from/to Bologna 3 hours and 55 min. It is possible to pay the ticket on board.
Every Dolomite valley has magnificent towns which offer guests a wide range of services.
But there is no point in denying that Cortina d’Ampezzo is universally acknowledged to be one of the most beautiful mountain resorts in the world. Known as “the pearl of the Dolomites”, Cortina’s is a privileged position in an extremely open and sunny valley (Ampezzo from the Latin àmplus) and is surrounded by a ring of magnificent mountains.
In a letter to Ernest Walsh, Ernest Hemingway wrote: «Cortina d’Ampezzo is in the swellest country on earth. The people are good and square too. We spent the end of a winter there once at the hotel Bellevue. Liugie Menarde proprietor. It is the loveliest country I’ve ever known. We are coming down there this winter on a skiing trip if everything goes well.» (see: “Ernest Hemingway – Selected letters 1917-1961“)
It is in these mountains that we find the largest number of via ferratas in the Dolomites all reachable quickly and easily. Naturally there are plenty of mountain climbing routes too and many of them have justly gone down in mountaineering history. Of course there are also countless paths that allow you to fully enjoy the beauty of the place.
Moreover, there are a lot of cultural, sporting and folklore events going on in Cortina and a great many shops and boutiques.
If you can help it, stay away from the high season. Most of people wants to be in the Dolomites in the summer… but that in itself does not ensure to try out these mountains at their utmost.
Yes, crowds can become a problem, but these can even be dodged; apart from that, though, often the summer (and August in particular) can be stormy and wet, especially so in the highest part of the range.
Usually during the end of May it is possible to climb the southern exposed faces and climb some railroads. In some cases, after winter with heavy snow, the snow on the top of the mountains can restrict the access to the vie ferrate.
You can go until the end of October. Usually autumn is an amazing season for all the activities on the mountains.
The weather is stabler than summer, which brings many dangerous storms. The colors of the forests and the fall’s lights make the Dolomites look even more beautiful!
During the summer season, they open on the 10th of June and close on the 25th of September, approximately. It depends according with the weather conditions.
In winter most of the huts are closed, except those located on the ski slopes.
Yes. It was not necessary, but the rules changed after the Covid19.
I suggest to ask the mountain huts staff for detailed information anyways.
Most of the times the room has a shared shower, just a few rooms have a shower. Usually the shower is with fee, because the water in the mountain huts is precious and frequently it runs out.
No, but is highly recommended. Otherwise it is better to arrive early in the afternoon to have a better chance of getting the room.
Tabacco Maps are arguably the best topographic maps in the Dolomites. They are scaled 1:25000 and cover the whole north-eastern part of Italy. You can buy the maps here.
The “Alte vie” (High Routes) of the Dolomites are alpine trekking routes that connect various refuges. In general they are not particularly difficult, at least for those who are used to walking in the mountains. There are 8 routes provided with indications and marked with a characteristic symbol: a triangle with a number that labels each route.
The possibility to stay at a refuge – reservation is recommended – is guaranteed from the end of June to the end of September, but as bad weather is not uncommon in the mountains it is always better to be well equipped.
I would definitely recommend Cinque Torri which is easy to access, has two refuges very near the rock faces, climbs of all grades and exposures (north, south, etc.) and single and multi-pitch routes. Its routes are not very long but the Cinque Torri has the same characteristics as any of the other mountains in the Dolomites: same type of rock, vertical rock faces, slabs and overhangs. For more information consult the Classic routes and Dolomite cliffs pages.
The amount of protection varies from route to route: rest places with bolts and cemented in rings are quite frequent. On the most challenging sections there is often more frequent protection (sometimes much more than is necessary) but as soon as you reach easier terrain the pegs disappear and the route to follow is much less evident. Be careful around old, rusty, time-corroded pegs!
Though rarely indispensable, friends and nuts are come in handy.
helmet is a must even where rocks are excellent quality. Sometimes routes are broken up with ledges full of debris and if someone above you is not careful ropes can easily dislodge rocks and send them tumbling down.
The decision of whether to use one or two ropes depends on the route you are intending to try: in rappelling down the distance between anchors is often 50 metres and so two ropes are obviously indispensable. As far as length is concerned, for multi-pitch routes 55 or 60-metre ropes are advisable, for sport climbing 70 metres is better but be careful as some cliffs have pitches of up to 40 metres in length and for these you need an 80-metre rope.
1. Set off early in the morning.
2. Check the weather forecast.
3. Check the route as you near the rock face. What might seem obvious from a photo and from a distance is much less clear when you are underneath it.
4. If the descent involves a gondola check the times of the last descent.
5. Take a hand or head torch with you and an emergency blanket.
No, in the Dolomites tourist camping is forbidden outside of authorised campsites. You are only allowed to set up camp occasionally and in areas where it is not specifically banned, with your own tent and not for more than 24 hours. So you cannot put up your tent in the middle of a forest or on a riverbank, light a fire and camp.
In the Veneto, article 12 of Regional Law no. 40 dating to 1984 imposes a total ban on camping outside campsites.
Yes, a lot of sporting goods stores you can rent climbing harnesses, helmets and ferrata set.
When you go on the mountains with a mountain guide, the guide is going to provide the necessary equipment, usually included in the price.
The average annual temperature recorded in Cortina d’Ampezzo is 6° C, the average maximum temperature in July of 29° C and the average minimum temperature in January of -7° C. Click here to read further information and details on the climate of the Dolomites.