Day 1: Venice to Dobbiaco
Meet your Explore! guide at Venice Marco Polo Airport for the scenic 3-hour transfer across the Veneto plain into the Dolomites. Watch the landscape transform from vineyards and cypress trees to pine forests and limestone peaks as you climb into Val Pusteria. Arrive in Dobbiaco (Toblach, 1,256m), a historic spa town at the watershed between the Adriatic and Black Sea basins. Check into your hotel, then join your guide for an orientation walk through the town’s prettiest corners. Evening welcome dinner at a traditional Gasthof. Overnight Dobbiaco.
Day 2: Lago di Braies Circuit
Transfer to Lago di Braies (1,494m), the Pearl of the Dolomites. The 4km circuit walk around the lake offers constantly changing perspectives on Croda del Becco (2,810m) reflected in the intensely turquoise water. After the circuit, hike the ancient trail from Braies to Dobbiaco through the Braies Valley — a 10km route that follows the Rio Braies stream through forests of spruce and larch. The path was once a smugglers route between the Habsburg Empire and the Venetian Republic. Arrive back in Dobbiaco for a free evening. Total: 14km, +300m, 5 hours. Overnight Dobbiaco.
Day 3: Strudelkopf Summit
Transfer to Ponticello, then ascend to the Strudelkopf summit (2,307m) for a 360-degree panorama spanning 80+ named peaks. The summit cross is a popular spot for panoramic photos — the Sexten Dolomites, the Rieserferner Group, and on clear days the Grossglockner (3,798m) in Austria. Descend via alpine pastures known for June-July wildflower displays. Afternoon free time in Dobbiaco — optional visit to Gustav Mahler’s composing hut where he wrote parts of Das Lied von der Erde. Total: 12km, +830m, 5 hours. Overnight Dobbiaco.
Day 4: Monte Elmo WWI Ridge
Cable car from Sesto to Monte Elmo (2,050m), then hike the border ridge to the summit (2,434m). The trail follows the Italian-Austrian frontier with well-preserved WWI trenches, tunnels, and artillery positions. This was part of the high-altitude front line from 1915-1918. After exploring the fortifications, lunch at Sillianer Hutte. Transfer to San Candido (Innichen) for the night — a medieval town with a stunning Romanesque Collegiate Church (1280 AD). Total: 11km, +400m, 4.5 hours. Overnight San Candido.
Day 5: San Candido to Cortina via Tre Cime
Morning explore San Candido’s arcaded streets and the Collegiate Church with its 8th-century frescoes. Then transfer to the Tre Cime trailhead at Rifugio Auronzo (2,320m). The classic anti-clockwise circuit around the three colossal towers — Cima Grande (2,999m), Cima Ovest (2,973m), Cima Piccola (2,857m) — passes through Forcella Lavaredo to Rifugio Locatelli (2,405m). Lunch on the terrace with the Tre Cime perfectly framed. Optional walk through a WWI tunnel lit by headlamp on Monte Paterno. After completing the loop, transfer to Cortina d’Ampezzo — the Queen of the Dolomites. Evening: aperitivo on the Corso Italia. Total: 10km, +350m, 4.5 hours. Overnight Cortina.
Day 6: Cinque Torri WWI Museum & Cortina
Morning ride the Faloria cable car (2,123m) for sweeping views over the Ampezzo Valley. Mid-morning transfer to Cinque Torri (Five Towers) at Passo Falzarego — Europe’s most authentic WWI open-air museum at 2,200m. Walk through reconstructed trenches, command posts, and barracks preserved exactly as they were in 1917. Hike around the base of the five dolomite towers (5km easy loop). Afternoon return to Cortina for free time — explore the Corso Italia’s luxury boutiques and cafes. Overnight Cortina.
Day 7: Croda da Lago Circuit or Free Day
Option A: Challenging hike to the Croda da Lago circuit via Passo Giau (2,236m). Follow a section of the Alta Via 1 trail, passing beneath the Nuvolau Group. Views of Monte Pelmo (3,168m) — the Throne of the Gods — and the Civetta (3,220m), a sheer 1,200m rock face. Return via Rifugio Fedare. Total: 15km, +600m, 6 hours. Option B: Free day in Cortina — gentle valley walks, the Giro delle Malghe trail linking three alpine dairies, or the Messner Mountain Museum. Evening farewell dinner featuring Ampezzan cuisine — casunziei all’ampezzana (beetroot ravioli). Overnight Cortina.
Day 8: Departure
Breakfast in Cortina. Transfer back to Venice Marco Polo Airport (2.5 hours) for departure.
