Dolomites FAQs

Cortina is easy to access from several airports. The leading international airports closer to the Dolomites are Venice (160km) and Munich (Germany). The region also has smaller airports, such as Treviso, Verona, and Innsbruck (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. Visit their websites 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 minutes. The ticket can be purchased 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 as one of the world’s most beautiful mountain resorts. Known as “the pearl of the Dolomites,” Cortina’s is privileged in a highly open and sunny valley (Ampezzo from the Latin àmplus) 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 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“)
In these mountains, we find the most significant number of Ferratas in the Dolomites, all reachable quickly and easily. There are plenty of mountain climbing routes, too, and many have justly gone down in mountaineering history. Of course, countless paths allow you to enjoy the beauty of the place entirely.
Moreover, Cortina has many cultural, sporting, and folklore events and many shops and boutiques.

If you can help it, stay away from the high season. Most people want 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, summer (and August in particular) can often be stormy and wet, especially so in the highest part of the range.

Usually, at the end of May, climbing the southern exposed faces and some railroads is possible. In some cases, heavy snow in the mountains can restrict access to the vie ferrate after winter.

You can go until the end of October. Autumn is usually an amazing season for mountain activities.
The weather is stabler than summer, which brings many dangerous storms. The colors of the forests and the fall lights make the Dolomites look even more beautiful!

During the summer season, they open on June 10th and close on September 25th, approximately. It depends on 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 asking the mountain huts staff for detailed information anyway.

Most of the time, the room has a shared shower, but just a few rooms have one. The shower is usually for a fee because the water in the mountain huts is precious and frequently runs out.

No, but it is highly recommended. Otherwise, arriving early in the afternoon is better for 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 used to walking in the mountains. There are eight 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.

Cinque Torri, which is easy to access, has two refuges 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 Cinque Torri has the same characteristics as any of the other mountains in the Dolomites: the 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 come in handy.

The helmet is a must, even where the rocks are of 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.
Whether to use one or two ropes depends on the route you intend to try: in rappelling down, the distance between anchors is often 50 meters, so two ropes are indispensable. Regarding length, 55—or 60-meter ropes are advisable for multi-pitch routes, and 70 meters is better for sport climbing. However, 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 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. Bring a hand or head torch and an emergency blanket.

No, tourist camping is forbidden outside of authorized campsites in the Dolomites. You can only set up camp occasionally and in areas where it is not explicitly banned, with your tent, and not for more than 24 hours. So you cannot put up your tent in the middle of a forest or 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, you can rent climbing harnesses, helmets, and Ferrata sets in many sporting goods stores.
When you go to the mountains with a mountain guide, the guide provides the necessary equipment, which is usually included in the price.

The average annual temperature recorded in Cortina d’Ampezzo is 6° C, the average maximum temperature in July is 29° C, and the average minimum temperature in January is -7° C. Click here to read further information and details on the climate of the Dolomites.