Dolomites Journey

16/10/2026

There are two kinds of hiking days in the Dolomites.

On some, you want a bit of distance, somewhere you can see how big the mountains really are. On others, you want to be right in among the rock, where the air is cooler and the walls rise straight up beside you.

A good trip has both, and getting that mix right is a big part of how I plan days for people: https://www.dolomitesjourney.com/custom-itinerary

14/10/2026

Visit Lago di Braies if you want to. I do. Just look at the wider area before deciding where to stay, and check the summer access rules before you go.

San Candido, Sesto and Dobbiaco each work differently as a base for Braies, the 3 Peaks and Val Fiscalina. I compare them in this guide: https://www.dolomitesjourney.com/san-candido-sesto-dobbiaco-guide

14/10/2026

Not every great Dolomites day needs a hike. These mountaintop museums are a good reminder that some of the best culture in the region sits high up, with the views as part of the experience.

They're also a smart backup for a cloudy day, when the high trails aren't worth it. Have you visited one?

https://bbc.com/travel/article/20251010-italys-hidden-mountain-museums-in-the-clouds

In the Dolomites, mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner has turned his life story into a collection of high-altitude museums.

12/10/2026

This is the Borest, a small gondola that floats just above the meadows between Colfosco and Corvara.

It doesn't take you up a mountain. It just saves you the last stretch back to Corvara at the end of a long hiking day, and that's exactly why I love it. If you'd rather walk, the path right underneath it is lovely too.

If you're working out which lifts to use on your trip, my cable car page covers the main ones in each area: https://www.dolomitesjourney.com/cable-cars

09/10/2026

Choosing your Dolomites village affects far more than the view from your hotel.

Ortisei is the easiest base for Seceda and Alpe di Siusi. Corvara puts you in the heart of Alta Badia, with the Sella passes close by and, for me, the best food in the Dolomites. San Candido has a different feel and makes a great base for exploring the eastern Dolomites.

I always start with the experiences someone wants, then choose the base. Do it the other way around and you spend too much of your trip in the car.

What are you still trying to figure out about where to stay? Tell me below. Val Gardena DolomitesSüdtirol Alto Adige South TyrolAlta Badia

08/10/2026

I love getting messages like this after a trip.

Michael and Jeanne had never used a travel planner before, and I planned their September Dolomites trip around the kind of hiking they wanted, with all the practical details taken care of too.

Thank you, Michael, for taking the time to leave this Google review.

Planning the Dolomites for 2027?
I offer personalized trip planning:
dolomitesjourney.com/trip-planning

07/10/2026

For a gentler walking day in Alta Badia, I’d choose Pralongià. The meadows give you room to wander, with mountain views throughout the walk and rifugi where you can take your time over lunch.

My free Alta Badia Highlights guide has more ideas for the area: https://www.dolomitesjourney.com/guides/alta-badia-highlights Posta Zirm Hotel, in Corvara (Alta Badia) Alta Badia

05/10/2026

Dolomites trail signs are generally excellent, but I still check the entire route before setting off, including where we’ll finish and how we’re getting back.

I also photograph signs at junctions as we hike. It’s surprisingly useful when I’m checking a route again later or planning it for someone else.

After 16 years of Dolomites trips, I have an embarrassing number of photos of trail signs.

02/10/2026

Yes, there are still places in the Dolomites where you can stop and hear almost nothing.

I’ve watched the region get busier since my first visit in 2010. The biggest change I’ve made is giving fewer places more time. We can walk past a busy viewpoint, take another path and find space again.

That approach runs through my free guide, The Dolomites Without the Rush.

.official .dolomites

30/09/2026

People ask me this regularly. Why the Dolomites, again, every year, without fail?

I find it genuinely difficult to answer completely. Some of it is the landscape, which does something to me that no other mountain environment has managed to replicate. Some of it is the culture, the particular South Tyrolean mix, the rifugio world, the food, the way the communities sit in the mountains rather than next to them.

But I think mostly it comes down to this: the Dolomites keeps changing and somehow stays exactly the same. I have watched villages expand, trails get busier, hotels renovate. And then I walk up above the valley floor and it is identical to what it was the first morning I arrived in 2010.

Sixteen years. Same feeling.

If you are thinking about your first trip to the Dolomites, go. And if you want help making sure it goes well, I am here.

You can find everything you need at dolomitesjourney.com