The Dolomites were on my “to visit” list for a long time, but I just didn’t know when to go to how to narrow down what to do.  The possibilities for things to do and see seem endless initially. Once we were able to narrow it down, creating the itinerary was a breeze. In case you’d like to visit the Dolomites (or are just curious about what we did), I’m sharing our 4-day road trip itinerary with you!

We take a lot of trips of four day weekends because it’s convenient with our work schedules.  This works perfectly for a short trip to the Dolomites, but if you have the option to stay longer, do it! The more time, the merrier!  

Day 1

Flights:

We flew into Venice (Marco Polo) airport, because that was the most convenient and cheapest option for us.  You can also fly into Venice (Treviso), Verona, or Innsbruck, Austria for short drives.  Milan and Munich are other options that are a bit further away. For more detailed information on transportation, see “How do I get there?” here.

Rental Car:

After flying into Venice, we rented a car.  We are Hertz Gold Card members (do it, it’s free!), so we don’t have to wait in the hours of lines to rent a car.  It’s an incredibly nice service to have (and for free!) and saves us a ton of time.

Hotel:

We hopped in our rental and drove to our hotel in Cortina.  From Cortina, we visited Tre Cime (~45 minutes) and Lago di Sorapis (~20 minutes).  The town is much more built up than I thought it would be and has lots of shopping.  To be honest, I was a bit surprised by all of the designer shops!  If you need any additional gear, you can always stop at a shop in town.

For more about where to stay, see “Where should I stay?” here.

Hike:

Tre Cime di Lavaredo –  You could definitely spend DAYS hiking here, but we opted to arrive a few hours before sunset for two reasons: reduction of crowds and getting to watch sunset and hike back in the dark.   This was my absolutely favorite hike of the whole trip.  It was vast and stunning and a relatively easy one! The paths are wide and a bit rocky with some sheer drop-off cliffs. The views were STUNNING as everything is wide open and you can see for miles.

Get a pin and more specific details about visiting Tre Cime di Lavaredo under “Where are the places I must see in the Dolomites?” here.

Day 2

We spent the morning shopping and eating before we embarked on our evening hike.

Hike:

Lago di Sorapis – This hike is the complete opposite of Tre Cime di Lavaredo.  It’s very leafy and with several walks thought the forest and a tiny, one person path.  I would 100% recommend visiting here in the early morning or evening, as it would be pretty annoying to be stuck in the hiking conga line.  This hike was harder and a bit more dangerous.  Jordan liked this hike more than Tre Cime.  The lake at the end made it worth it!  A helpful tip is to bring bug spray.

See more details about how to find Lago di Sorapis, under “Where are the places I must see in the Dolomites?” here.

Day 3

From Cortina, we drove west toward Ortiesi for our last night. Along the way we drove though the old Dolomites road which included several small towns, Passo Sella and Passo Gardena.  We made sure to stop along the way for some photos and just to enjoy the general splendor.  There are many gondolas and hiking trails to stop off on along the way if you have time!

For more about Passo Sella and Passo Gardena, see “Where are the places I must see in the Dolomites?” here.

Hotel:

After arriving at our hotel, Alpenhotel Rainell, we decided to relax at the spa and pool until dinner.  The views from this hotel were worth it!

Day 4

Walk:

We awoke early (I’m talking 4:30AM) to drive to Alpe di Suisi for sunrise views.  We were sleepy, but the 30 minute walk to my view of choice was easy and we were rewarded with some killer views!! 

Learn more about visiting Alpe di Suisi by reading “Where are the places I must see in the Dolomites?” here.

After returning to the hotel, we checked out and drove over to the Seceda lift.  We purchased two lift tickets and up, up, and away we went.  The views are the top were completely incredible and we definitely wanted more time here. 

Read more about how to reach Seceda under “Where are the places I must see in the Dolomites?” here.

After two hours at the top, we took the lift back down to the car and drove the three-ish hours to the airport. 

We had several places we wanted to see but didn’t get to (due to time and my unwillingness to deal with people), so we will return once again! Check out some additional places to visit by scrolling all the way to the bottom of the page and reading “Places we didn’t have time for, but want to see when we return” here.

Could you pack in more than we did? Absolutely! Would you want to?  Well, that’s totally up to you!