The Dolomites

Guesthouse Cultural Center Gustav Mahler, Via Dolomiti, 43, 39034 Dobbiaco BZ, Italy

5 nights’ accommodation
Your first night near the start of the trail, three nights in mountain rifugios and your final night in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

4 days of guided trekking
A professional mountain guide leads the group from Lago di Braies all the way to Cortina.

Every meal
Welcome dinner on arrival, breakfast each morning, lunch every trekking day and dinner every evening, including our final gala dinner in Cortina (no posh frocks required).

The whole adventure, from start to finish
Meet the group at 6pm on arrival day and everything begins there. We say goodbye after breakfast on the final morning.

You just carry your backpack
There are deliberately no luggage transfers on this adventure. Pack light: everything you bring travels over the mountains with you.

Alcoholic drinks are not included.

Not included. We meet at the destination. See meeting point for details.

Although the journey is straightforward, you should allow the best part of a day to travel from Venice to Dobbiaco. Please choose a flight that gives you plenty of time to reach Dobbiaco by late afternoon, ready to meet the team and join our pre-adventure briefing.

We’ll spend the night in Dobbiaco before travelling together to Lago di Braies, the starting point of our Alta Via 1 adventure, the following morning.

Getting to Dobbiaco

The easiest gateway to the Dolomites is Venice Marco Polo Airport. From the airport, regular coach services run directly to Cortina d’Ampezzo, taking approximately 2–2½ hours. This costs around €15-25 for a single and during the summer reservations must be made in advance. 

• Bus options:
  • Cortina Express
  • FlixBus
  • ATVO buses (Price €20.00 one way adult ticket – Linea 29 – Leaves from Place le Roma then stops at Mestre train station then stops at Marco Polo Airport)

From Cortina, take the public bus to Dobbiaco (Toblach), which takes around 40 minutes. This will cost about €6-€8 and can be paid by cash or card. 

• Bus option:
  • Bus 445 to Dobbiaco (Toblach) - Timetable: See more info here (pre-booking is not necessary). Cortina stop is at Via dei Campi, 2, 32043 Cortina d’Ampezzo BL, Italy (across from the school). Make sure the bus displays “Dobbiaco” on the front.

Take a Taxi

You can take a taxi from the airport or pre book one but expect to pay anywhere from €300-500 for a journey to Cortina or Dobiacco. 

Getting home

Our trek finishes with us walking into Cortina d’Ampezzo, where we’ll spend our final night together and celebrate with our gala dinner. The following morning, you’ll depart from Cortina, with one of the coach services we’ve mentioned above.

Once you’ve booked, we’ll send you more detailed travel information, including recommended connections and up-to-date transport information to help you plan your journey.

Your accommodation, guiding, gratuities and meals are included from our welcome dinner on the first evening through to breakfast on departure morning.

Bring some spending money if you’d like alcoholic drinks along the way.

Otherwise, put your wallet away and concentrate on the mountains.

This one's for you if...

You want to actually cross the Dolomites, rather than admire them from a hotel.

You don’t mind sharing a mountain dormitory for a few nights.

You’re happy carrying your own kit.

You’d choose hiking boots over dressing up.

And you’d rather finish an adventure thinking “I actually did that” than wondering whether you packed enough outfits.

This isn’t luxury travel.

It’s a brilliantly organised proper adventure.
 

Our adventures take us far and wide; we see the world with new friends and take on challenges that take us out of our comfort zones. Part of the experience comes from living simply, honouring local culture, and embracing new environments. This can mean sleeping in (very) close quarters, from a tent under the stars, a boat cabin on the water, a hammock in the trees, or occasionally a very nice hotel. Shared spaces help foster connections; through shared laughs and whispered secrets, we form incredible friendships.

• Flights, travel insurance, Visa requirements
• Personal trekking equipment
• Additional personal expenses
• Alcoholic drinks

No technical skills required, just a good general fitness required, hiking 5–12 km per day on uneven terrain.

Travel essentials are not included in your package, please make sure you check local requirements before travelling. 

• Travel insurance covering adventure activities
• Any required vaccinations
• Valid passport
• Visa
• Entry fees

• You must be 18 years or older at the time of the adventure.
• You should be medically fit and able to hike long distances over consecutive days.

Our adventures vary in group size, but no matter the number, we pride ourselves on helping to build connections, and creating shared meaningful experiences. 

This adventure is more intimate than others, expect it to run with a small group of 19 adventurers + guides. This number may grow with popularity.

The good news: you don’t have to carry everything over the mountains.

Bring your usual suitcase or travel bag to the Dolomites and leave it with our guides in Dobbiaco. For the trek itself, you’ll just carry a backpack with what you need for the days on the trail and the nights in the rifugios.

Pack a change of underwear and socks, a lightweight top for the evening, basic toiletries, any medication, a warm layer, waterproof jacket and trousers, sun protection and your personal essentials. You’ll also need space for water and anything you want to keep handy during the day.

Keep it light. You won’t need multiple outfits, smart clothes or anything you can happily live without for a few days. Rifugio evenings are very relaxed — nobody is dressing for dinner.

When we reach Cortina at the end of the trek, your main luggage will be waiting for you at the hotel, along with all the clean clothes you’ll suddenly be very pleased to see.

So pack what you like. You just don’t have to carry it up a mountain.