Hut-to-Hut Hike · Dolomites, Italy

Alta Via 1 — 6-Day Hike

The classic Dolomites high route — Lago di Braies to Belluno in 6 days / 5 nights of pale limestone towers, WWI history, and legendary rifugio hospitality.

~117 km
Distance
~6,800 m
Elevation Gain
6 Days
Hiking
2,575 m
High Point

Route Map

North → south, Lago di Braies to La Pissa (Belluno). Numbered markers = overnight rifugi · triangles = passes & summits.

Start (Lago di Braies)
Overnight rifugio
Finish (La Pissa → Belluno)
▲ Pass / summit

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Click any day to expand full details · Pick a start date above

Day0
Arrival — Venice → Cortina → Lago di Braies
Travel Day 🇮🇹 Italy Rest · Gear check · Early dinner
▾

✈️ Getting There

Fly into Venice (VCE or Treviso TSF). Then:

Option A: Cortina Express bus Venice → Cortina d'Ampezzo (~2 hr), then local bus/taxi toward Dobbiaco with stop at Lago di Braies (summer service) — or taxi direct (~45 min).
Option B: Train Venice → Fortezza → Villabassa/Niederdorf, then bus 442 to Lago di Braies (~15 min, frequent in summer).

Note: In peak summer (mid-July–early Sept) the Braies valley road has timed access restrictions ~9:30 AM–4 PM — arriving in the evening avoids all of it.

🏠 Night 0 Lodging

Hotel Lago di Braies Website →
Historic hotel right on the lakeshore — step out the door onto the trail at dawn. Books out far ahead; worth it for the start-line convenience.
Villabassa / Braies valley guesthouses Booking.com →
Cheaper beds 15 min down-valley; catch the first 442 bus up to the lake (~7 AM).
💡 Notes: Withdraw EUR cash — rifugi prefer cash (some take cards, don't count on it). Buy trail snacks in Cortina or Villabassa. Sunset photo lap of Lago di Braies (~3.5 km) is the perfect leg-stretcher.
TypeArrival day
HikingOptional lake lap
Transfer time~3–4 hr
Cash neededEUR
Overnight
Lago di Braies (1,496 m)
Booking.com →
Day1
Lago di Braies → Rifugio Biella → Pederü → Rifugio Fanes
Hard Croda del Becco 🇮🇹 South Tyrol ~20 km · 7–8 hr
▾

Highlights

Lago di Braies at dawn Forcella Sora Forno (2,388 m) Rifugio Biella Sennes & Fodara Vedla plateaus Fanes plateau
⚠ Notes: Start on the lakeshore before the day-trip crowds. The climb out of the Braies cirque to Forcella Sora Forno is the steepest of the day (some cable-protected steps — fine without gear). Then rolling high plateaus: Sennes → Fodara Vedla → descend to Pederü, and a gentle jeep-track climb to the Fanes plateau.

🍽 Lunch: Rifugio Pederü (~14 km in) — full kitchen, strudel.

Optional: Croda del Becco summit (2,810 m) from Biella, +1.5 hr round trip — huge view back over the lake.
Distance~20 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,800 m
Elev Loss↓ ~1,250 m
Hiking Time7–8 hr
DifficultyHard
Overnight
Rifugio Fanes (2,060 m)
Website / Book →
Alternative
Rifugio Lavarella
Website →
Day2
Rifugio Fanes → Lagazuoi → Cinque Torri → Rifugio Nuvolau
Hard WWI tunnels 🇮🇹 Veneto ~20 km · 7–8 hr
▾

Highlights

Forcella Lagazuoi (2,573 m) Lagazuoi WWI tunnels Cinque Torri Nuvolau summit sunset Tofane & Marmolada views
⚠ Notes: Climb over Passo di Limo and up the long valley to Forcella Lagazuoi. Descend to Passo Falzarego via the WWI tunnel system bored inside the mountain — headlamp required, helmet available at the rifugio (or take the open trail 402 around). Cross to Cinque Torri and its open-air war museum, then the final short climb to Nuvolau — the oldest rifugio in the Dolomites (1883), perched on a 2,575 m summit block.

🍽 Lunch: Rifugio Lagazuoi at the pass — arguably the best terrace view in the Dolomites.

🌄 Payoff: Sunset and sunrise from the Nuvolau summit deck — Tofane, Pelmo, Civetta, Marmolada in one 360° sweep.
Distance~20 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,450 m
Elev Loss↓ ~950 m
Hiking Time7–8 hr
DifficultyHard
Overnight
Rifugio Nuvolau (2,575 m)
Website / Book →
Alternative
Rifugio Averau
Website →
Day3
Nuvolau → Passo Giau → Mondeval → Rifugio Città di Fiume
Moderate Mondeval plateau 🇮🇹 Veneto ~14 km · 5–6 hr
▾

Highlights

Ra Gusela cabled descent Passo Giau Mondeval plateau Croda da Lago Monte Pelmo up close
⭐ Notes: Recovery-pace day with huge scenery. Descend off Nuvolau via the short cabled steps on Ra Gusela (easy scramble; bypass via Averau if wet), cross Passo Giau, then the rolling Mondeval plateau under Croda da Lago — a Mesolithic hunter was buried here 7,500 years ago. Over Forcella Ambrizzola and gently down to Città di Fiume at the foot of Monte Pelmo.

🍽 Lunch: Packed lunch from Nuvolau, eaten on the Mondeval meadows — or push to the rifugio kitchen by early afternoon.

🌄 Evening: Pelmo's north face turns pink at sunset right above the terrace.
Distance~14 km
Elev Gain↑ ~650 m
Elev Loss↓ ~1,300 m
Hiking Time5–6 hr
DifficultyModerate
Overnight
Rifugio Città di Fiume (1,917 m)
Website / Book →
Day4
Città di Fiume → Coldai → Civetta traverse → Rifugio Vazzoler
Hard Civetta NW wall 🇮🇹 Veneto ~17 km · 7–8 hr
▾

Highlights

Forcella Staulanza Lago Coldai Civetta NW wall (1,200 m face) Rifugio Tissi ledge Vazzoler larch gardens
⚠ Notes: The signature day. Contour around Monte Pelmo, over Forcella Staulanza, then climb to Rifugio Coldai and Lago Coldai. The afternoon is the long balcony traverse under the Civetta north-west wall — 4 km wide, 1,200 m of vertical limestone, the "wall of walls." Detour 10 min up to Rifugio Tissi's cliff-edge ledge for the full-frontal view, then descend among larches to Vazzoler.

🍽 Lunch: Rifugio Coldai (~9 km in), last kitchen before Vazzoler.

💧 Water: Dry traverse after Coldai — fill both bottles.
Distance~17 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,300 m
Elev Loss↓ ~1,500 m
Hiking Time7–8 hr
DifficultyHard
Overnight
Rifugio Vazzoler (1,714 m)
Book online → CAI →
Day5
Vazzoler → Passo Duran → Rifugio Pramperet
Hard Moiazza traverse 🇮🇹 Veneto ~16 km · 6–7 hr
▾

Highlights

Moiazza south walls Passo Duran Rifugio Carestiato Forcella Moschesin
💡 Notes: Quieter country begins — the crowds thin dramatically past Duran. Contour under the Moiazza walls to Rifugio Carestiato, drop to the Passo Duran road pass (last road access — bail point if needed), then climb through forest and over Forcella Moschesin into the wild Bellunese Dolomites. Pramperet sits in a high grassy basin — the most remote-feeling night of the trip.

🍽 Lunch: Rifugio Carestiato (~6 km in) or at Passo Duran.
Distance~16 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,300 m
Elev Loss↓ ~1,150 m
Hiking Time6–7 hr
DifficultyHard
Overnight
Rifugio Pramperet (1,857 m)
Website → CAI Book →
Day6
Pramperet → Forcella de Zita → Pian de Fontana → La Pissa — Finish!
Hard Schiara wilderness 🇮🇹 Veneto ~17 km · 6–7 hr
▾

Highlights

Forcella de Zita Sud (2,395 m) Schiara group Rifugio Pian de Fontana Belluno old town
🎉 Notes: The wild finale. Climb to Forcella de Zita Sud — last big pass, chamois country, huge Schiara views — then the steep, loose descent to Rifugio Pian de Fontana (last strudel of the trip). Down the long Val Vescovà through forest to the La Pissa bus stop on the valley road.

🚌 Finish logistics: Dolomitibus from La Pissa → Belluno (~30 min — sparse schedule, screenshot it; hitching is common backup). Train Belluno → Venice (~2 hr). Celebration dinner in Belluno's Renaissance old town.
Distance~17 km
Elev Gain↑ ~700 m
Elev Loss↓ ~2,200 m
Hiking Time6–7 hr
DifficultyHard
Overnight
Belluno (celebration!)
Booking.com →

Route Highlights

Why AV1 is the queen of Dolomites traverses.

Day 1
Lago di Braies at dawn
The Instagram lake, empty. Mirror-still water and boathouse to yourself before the first climb.
Day 1
Sennes–Fodara plateaus
Rolling karst grasslands at 2,000 m+ — easy walking with Dolomiti summits on every horizon.
Day 2
Lagazuoi WWI tunnels
Descend inside the mountain through galleries dug by Alpini troops in 1915–17. Headlamp on, history everywhere.
Day 2
Cinque Torri
Five limestone towers ringed by restored WWI trenches — an open-air museum at 2,100 m.
Day 2
Night on Nuvolau summit
The oldest rifugio in the Dolomites (1883) sits on its own 2,575 m perch. Sunset and sunrise from the front step.
Day 3
Mondeval plateau
High meadows below Croda da Lago where a Mesolithic hunter was buried 7,500 years ago.
Day 3
Pelmo sunset at Città di Fiume
Monte Pelmo's north face fills the sky above the rifugio terrace and goes pink at dusk.
Day 4
Civetta NW wall
A 4 km-wide, 1,200 m-tall sheet of vertical limestone — the "wall of walls." The balcony trail runs right beneath it.
Day 4
Rifugio Tissi ledge
10-minute detour to a cliff-edge rifugio staring straight at the Civetta face. Best espresso backdrop of the trip.
Day 5
Beyond Passo Duran
The crowds vanish and the Bellunese wilderness begins — the quietest, wildest stretch of the route.
Day 6
Forcella de Zita Sud
Final 2,395 m pass into the empty Schiara group — chamois, silence, and the last long look back.
Day 6
Belluno finish
Renaissance old town, spritz in Piazza dei Martiri, train home. The full Dolomites arc complete.

Trip Planning

Everything needed to make it happen.

Total Distance

~117 km
~73 mi · Braies → La Pissa

Total Elevation Gain

~6,800 m
~22,300 ft cumulative

Daily Average

~19 km / day
5–8 hr hiking per day · TMB pace

High Point

2,575 m
Nuvolau summit (sleeping on it!)

Best Season

Late Jun–Sep
Rifugi open ~Jun 20 – Sep 20

Lodging Style

Rifugi
Half-board ~€70–90/night · legendary food

Permits

None
Just book the rifugi — early!

Point-to-Point

N → S
Return via Belluno → Venice train

Paced to match the TMB 10-day itinerary (~18–19 km/day of comfortable hiking with time for long lunches and summit detours). AV1 terrain is friendlier than AV2 — no via ferrata kit needed on the standard line; only short cabled steps at Sora Forno (Day 1) and Ra Gusela (Day 3).

✈️ Access

In: Venice (VCE/TSF) → Cortina Express to Cortina (~2 hr) → bus/taxi to Lago di Braies. Or train to Villabassa + bus 442.

Out: La Pissa bus stop → Dolomitibus → Belluno (~30 min, sparse schedule — screenshot it) → train to Venice (~2 hr).

Braies road restriction: mid-July–early Sept the lake road is closed to cars ~9:30–16:00 — bus 442, or arrive in the evening.

⚠️ Route notes

🪜 Cabled sections: Forcella Sora Forno (Day 1) and Ra Gusela below Nuvolau (Day 3) have short protected steps — no via ferrata kit needed in dry conditions.

🔦 Lagazuoi tunnels (Day 2): headlamp mandatory, slippery steps — or take open trail 402 around.

⛈ Storms: Classic Dolomites pattern — clear mornings, thunderstorms from ~2 PM in July–Aug. Cross the big passes before lunch.

💧 Water: Karst terrain = dry stretches. Fill at every rifugio; 1.5 L minimum for the Civetta traverse (Day 4) and the Day 6 finale.

🧭 Navigation: Superbly marked (triangle "1" blazes). GPX on GAIA still worth having for fog on Mondeval and the Bellunese section.

💶 Money

Rifugi half-board €70–90/night. Bring cash for all rifugio nights — cards accepted at some (Fanes, Lagazuoi) but never guaranteed. Budget ~€100/day cash. CAI/Alpine-club membership (or reciprocal, e.g. AAC) discounts CAI huts (Vazzoler, Pramperet, Città di Fiume) ~30–50%.
📅 Booking Timeline
AV1 rifugi are the most contested in the Dolomites. Bookings open Dec–Feb for the following summer; Nuvolau routinely sells out entire seasons (summer 2026 already full — waitlist on cancellations). Book the chain January–February for July–August. Averau is the fallback for Night 2.

Book these first (fill fastest):
  1. Night 2 · Rifugio Nuvolau — 24 beds on a summit, sells out first
  2. Night 1 · Rifugio Fanes / Lavarella — everyone's first night
  3. Night 4 · Rifugio Vazzoler — small CAI hut, non-refundable deposit
  4. Night 3 · Città di Fiume — small, check booking status (was suspended)
  5. Night 5 · Pramperet — remote, phone/CAI portal
Day0
Lago di Braies / Villabassa
Braies, South Tyrol 🇮🇹
Hotel Lago di Braies → Booking.com →
Lakeshore hotel books out early
Day1
Rifugio Fanes or Lavarella
Fanes plateau, 2,060 m 🇮🇹
Fanes → Lavarella →
Half-board ~€80 Hot showers · sauna at Lavarella
Day2
Rifugio Nuvolau or Averau
Nuvolau summit, 2,575 m 🇮🇹
Nuvolau Book → Averau →
Sells out seasons ahead No showers · 40% deposit
Day3
Rifugio Città di Fiume (CAI)
Below Monte Pelmo, 1,917 m 🇮🇹
Website / Book →
Online booking was suspended — email/call €30/pp deposit
Day4
Rifugio Vazzoler (CAI)
Col Negro di Pelsa, 1,714 m 🇮🇹
Book online → CAI portal →
CAI member discount Deposit non-refundable
Day5
Rifugio Sommariva al Pramperet (CAI)
Val Pramper, 1,857 m 🇮🇹
Website → CAI Book →
Remote · confirm by phone
Day6
Belluno hotel (finish night)
Belluno, Veneto 🇮🇹
Booking.com →
Easy — book anytime
Also✈
Flights + buses
Venice round trip
Cortina Express → Dolomitibus →
Screenshot La Pissa bus times
Hut-to-hut hiking — rifugi every night, half-board, blankets provided (liner required). Target pack: 30–40 L, 7–9 kg including water. Full gear reference: Travel Packing List.
👟 Footwear & Poles
🧥 Clothing
🛏 Rifugio Kit
🗺 Navigation & Safety
📄 Documents & Money
🍫 Food & Water