Date
Sat, August 16, 2025 - Sun, August 31, 2025
I flew out of SFO to Munich, had a 4-hour layover, then caught the Lufthansa shuttle to Innsbruck. Did a quick walk around the city before checking into my hotel for the night.
The next morning, I went for a run around town and explored some of the touristy spots while most people were still asleep.
Later, I took a FlixBus from Innsbruck to Brixen. We got pulled over by border patrol for an inspection, and afterward, the driver dropped us off at a tollbooth stop along the freeway. A few of us ended up sharing a taxi to the Brixen bus station.
When I got to the hotel to check in, they told me I had reserved a room but hadn’t confirmed it, so they gave it away. Luckily, my friend Greg was able to find a nearby hotel for me since my internet connection was really slow.
Map
Alta Via 2
Day 1
I took the bus #321 from the Brixen central bus station to the Plose gondola station. From there you just start going up hill toward Plose.
-
RUN
- Start to Rifugio Puez
- 19.53mi/+7.9k/-3.5k
-
LODGING
- ✅ Rifugio Puez
- 💶 87 - half board
- 🚿 no/coin-operated
- 🚰 no
- 📶 no
- 📔 this place is nice, wish they had shower. after a long hot day and sleeping in your own sweat is not the best way to start your journey.
Day 2
-
RUN
- Rifugio Puez to Rifugio Marmolada Castiglioni
- 15.35mi/+3.9k/-5.3k
-
LODGING
- ✅ Rifugio Marmolada Castiglioni
- 💶 65 - half board
- 🚿 yes
- 🚰 filter
- 📶 yes
- 📔 i like this place. main course was ok.
Day 3
-
RUN
- Rifugio Marmolada Castiglioni to Rifugio Capana Passo Valles
- 15.95mi/+6.1k/-6.4k
-
LODGING
- ✅ Rifugio Capana Passo Valles
- 💶 - half board
- 🚿 yes
- 🚰 filter
- 📶 yes
- 📔 it was just me, an american couple, and 4 german girls. 4-course amazing meal! dessert was sooo good!
Day 4
-
RUN
- Rifugio Capana Passo Valles to Rifugio Treviso
- 15.96mi/+5.7k/-7.3k
-
LODGING
- ✅ Rifugio Treviso
- 💶 - half board
- 🚿 coin-operated
- 🚰 filter
- 📶 yes
- 📔 i was late for dinner due to the technicality of this section, i was late for dinner by 15min, but they were very nice. great people there AND i got my own dorm room.
Day 5
-
RUN
- Rifugio Treviso to Rifugio Boz
- 12.69mi/+5.6k/-4.7k
-
LODGING
- ✅ Rifugio Boz
- 💶 75 - half board
- 🚿 coin-poerated
- 🚰 yes
- 📶 yes
- 📔 squatting toilet if you’re not comfortable with it. overall was good.
Day 6
-
RUN
- Rifugio Boz to Feltre
- 16.30mi/+1.9k/-6.6k
-
LODGING
- ✅ Bed & Breakfast in Feltre
Alta Via 1
Day 1
From the Belluno train station, I hopped on Dolomiti Bus (Line 1) to the La Pissa stop at the end of the Alta Via 1. Make sure to ask the driver to let you know when you get there—or keep an eye out, just in case they forget.
-
RUN
- Start to Rifugio San Sebastiano
- 19.20mi/+8.8k/-5.1k
-
LODGING
- ✅ Rifugio San Sebastiano/Passo Duran
- 💶 50 + dinner
- 🚿 yes
- 🚰 yes
- 📶 yes
- 📔 dinner was not included so you can select from the menu. 2 options (=
Day 2
-
RUN
- Rifugio San Sebastiano to Rifugio Passo Staulanza
- 19.01mi/+6.4k/-5.9k
-
LODGING
- ✅ Rifugio Passo Staulanza
- 💶 99 - half board
- 🚿 yes
- 🚰 no
- 📶 yes
- 📔 nice place, but dormitory room was very snug, and food was aight. one hiker’s daugter was not feeling well so i ate her meal as well. LOL
Day 3
-
RUN
- Rifugio Passo Staulanza to Rifugio Fanes
- 22.51mi/+7.6k/-6.6k
-
LODGING
- ✅ Rifugio Fanes
- 💶 91.5 - half board
- 🚿 yes
- 🚰 filter
- 📶 yes
- 📔 this place is AMAZING! food was very good, wish the portions were bigger :P, shower/toilet are very clean. very spacious lobby/dining area.
Day 4
To get from Lago di Braies back to Innsbruck, start by taking Bus 442 from Lago di Braies (Pragser Wildsee) to Niederdorf (Villabassa). From there, catch a train to Bruneck, then hop on Bus B401 to Brixen. You’ll want to get off at the stop just after the tollbooth—same place where the FlixBus drops off—because that’s where you’ll catch the FlixBus back to Innsbruck.
Be careful, though: Bus B401 (or B400, depending on the day) can be tricky. The B400 might be an express and skip your stop entirely. I actually got stuck in a loop that took me all the way back to Bruneck! Luckily, my FlixBus was delayed, and I made it with one minute to spare—after sprinting back up the hill to the tollbooth stop on the side of the highway… with no shoulder!
-
RUN
- Rifugio Fanes to Lago di Braies
- 13.17mi/+3.3k/-5.2k
-
LODGING
- ✅ Innsbruck
Required Gears
I have everything listed on my Travel Packing List page under “Multi-Day Adventure Packing”.
Resources
- Alta Via 1
- Alta Via 2
- Alta Via 1 Route Map
- Alta Via 2 Route Map
- Hiking Along Italy’s Most Famous Backpacking Trail – Alta Via 1 in the Italian Dolomites (Part 2)
- A Day By Day Guide To Hiking Alta Via 2 In The Italian Dolomites: Part 1
- A Day By Day Guide To Hiking Alta Via 2 In The Italian Dolomites: Part 2
- Essentials for Alta Via 2: A 9-Day Hike Guide In Italian Dolomites
- Things you need for Dolomites Alta Via 2
- ABOUT THE TRAIL (ALTA VIA 2)