The Best of Dolomites in One Day

Then we will arrive to Costalunga Pass. Near the Pass we will see the historical “Grand Hotel Carezza”, built in 1893, the first luxury hotel in the Dolomites which hosted very important guests like the Empress Sissi, Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie. From the Costalunga Pass we will reach the Fassa Valley in Trentino: we will pass through the towns of Vigo di Fassa and Canazei to arrive under the imposing peaks of the Sella Group. From here begins a long series of 27 hairpins bends (switchbacks) that will lead us to the famous Pordoi Pass at an altitude of 2.239 meters (7.350 ft) above sea level. One hour of staying if you decide to arrive with the cable car to Sass Pordoi (altitude of 2950 meters: the cable car is open from late May until end of October and from Christmas to Easter). From the Pordoi Pass we go down to the village of Arabba and continue east until we reach the Falzarego Pass the gateway to the eastern Dolomites. We reach then Cortina d’Ampezzo, the “Pearl of the Dolomites”, Italy’s premier mountain resort and home of the Winter Olympic Games of 1956. Cortina together with Milan will once again host the Winter Olympics in 2026.

From Cortina we reach then the Misurina Lake with the incredible panoramic view of the Three Peaks of Lavaredo. The lake, with the view of the Three Peaks to the north and the Sorapis to the south, is the most famous image of the Dolomites in the world. Just 20 minutes from Misurina we will have the opportunity for a brief stop at another important lake in the Eastern Dolomites, Lake Dobbiaco. From Dobbiaco in about 20 minutes we reach the extreme North-East Italy a few kilometers from the border with Austria for the great final of the day with the visit to the famous Braies Lake.

From Braies in an hour and 40 minutes we return to Bolzano via the Pusteria Valley and then the Isarco Valley.