Cortina sits two hours north of Venice by road, climbing straight past Belluno into the Ampezzo valley. It is known for vertical Dolomite limestone and a dining culture split between alpine rifugi and polished wood-panelled dining rooms. Cortina d'Ampezzo is worth visiting if you want high-altitude mountain trails by morning and handmade casunziei with poppy seeds by afternoon. Look elsewhere if you want cheap lodgings, flat terrain, or lively all-night clubs.
Last updated 20 Sept 2026
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Life here centres on Corso Italia, a pedestrian strip flanked by wood-shuttered houses and quiet cafes. Days revolve around the mountain lifts: you ride up into cold limestone cirques in the morning, stop at a rifugio for lunch, and return for the evening stroll when locals gather over glasses of sparkling Franciacorta. It suits walkers, skiers, and anyone who enjoys serious mountain scenery paired with a comfortable bed.
Ride the Freccia nel Cielo cable car early up the Tofana ridge to beat the afternoon clouds. Take lunch at Rifugio Col Drusciè over hot canederli dumplings in broth. Spend the late afternoon ambling Corso Italia, stopping for a glass of Kerner at Enoteca Cortina before a quiet wood-oven dinner. Select 1 Day above to see it.
Drive twenty minutes south to Passo Giau for open high-meadow walking under the jagged crest of Ra Gusela. Head down into the quiet Ampezzo hamlets of Zuel or Chiave for lunch, ordering roasted pork knuckle with polenta and local craft beer at an unpretentious mountain osteria. Choose 2 Days to expand the plan.
Dedicate the day to the rugged loops around Tre Cime di Lavaredo, a forty-minute drive northeast via Misurina. Walk the outer trail in early light, pack a wedge of aged Montasio and speck for the trail, and finish with an unhurried grappa back in town at Cooperativa di Cortina.
Ride the Faloria cable car to reach high ridgelines or tackle the scree paths circling the iconic rock towers of the Cinque Torri.
Order casunziei all'ampezzana, half-moon ravioli filled with sweet beetroot and tossed in browned butter with poppy seeds.
Hike to Rifugio Nuvolau or Rifugio Averau for polenta with melted mountain cheese and local venison stew served on wind-scoured decks.
Ski the steep Olympic slopes of the Tofane or drop into the gentle groomed trails of the Faloria bowl right from town.
Drink cool-climate Alto Adige Pinot Nero, Lagrein, and crisp Kerner poured by the glass at enotecas along Corso Italia.
Walk the central streets to study wood-and-masonry Ampezzo chalets, the 18th-century Basilica bell tower, and painted facades.
Sample smoked speck, air-dried bresaola, and cured wild boar sausages sliced thin with dark rye bread at traditional bottegas.
Explore the restored World War I trenches, artillery posts, and tunnels carved into bare rock at the open-air museum of Cinque Torri.
Clip into iron cables on classic via ferrata routes like Ivano Dibona on Monte Cristallo or scale sunny limestone crags.
Try aged Montasio, sharp alpine Malga cheeses, and fresh butter made from pasture-grazed cow milk in high summer dairies.
Drive the twisting switchbacks of Passo Giau and Passo Falzarego for broad panoramic views across the pale limestone peaks.
View 20th-century Italian paintings by De Pisis, Sironi, and Guttuso inside the quiet galleries of the Mario Rimoldi Modern Art Museum.