The 5 Best Hikes in the Dolomites

Starting from Col Gallina, this loop links Lago di Limides, Monte Nuvolau, and the iconic Cinque Torri — an impressive rock formation overlooking the Cortina d'Ampezzo valley and a World War I open-air museum. From Nuvolau's summit (2,574 m), the panorama takes in the greatest massifs of the Dolomites: Tofane, Sorapiss, Pelmo, Civetta, and Marmolada.

This complete and varied loop has no technical difficulty and ranks among the most beautiful hikes in the area. Lago di Limides, Nuvolau's summit, and the Cinque Torri attract large crowds during peak season, but the sections in between remain surprisingly quiet.

This hike extends the classic ascent of the Piz Boè by crossing the Altipiano delle Mesules, a vast, rocky plateau perched over 2,900 meters high in the heart of the Sella Massif. After passing Rifugio Boè, you will make your way through an almost lunar landscape to Piz Selva (2,940 m), which towers steeply over Val Gardena.

Throughout the route, you can see the Marmolada and Odle massifs, the Sassolungo, and, on clear days, the Austrian Alps. The contrast is striking: the crowds at Piz Boè give way to the almost total solitude of this rocky plateau.

The Croda da Lago loop circles this striking massif with its jagged ridges, southwest of Cortina d'Ampezzo. The route crosses larch forests, skirts the photogenic Lago Federa — whose waters mirror the silhouette of Becco di Mezzodì — then crosses two passes before descending through Val Formin and a vast field of boulders. A varied loop, fairly busy on the way up to the lake but very quiet beyond it.

This long hike starts at Passo Rolle and ascends to Monte Mulaz (2,906 m), the northernmost peak of the Pale di San Martino massif. The route passes through Baita Segantini and Val Venegia before entering a rocky landscape of scree fields and jagged peaks.

Hikers are rewarded with a 360° panorama of the Marmolada, the Rosengarten, the surrounding valleys, and the San Martino peaks towering over a spectacular rocky amphitheater. It is a demanding route, but there are no real technical difficulties, and crowds thin out once you leave Val Venegia.