Tre Cime di Lavaredo is one of the most famous hikes in the Dolomites and there is no question why. These three stunning peaks are incredibly unique and offer a 10-KILOMETRE loop trail surrounding them. In this blog post, I am going to go over everything you need to know about this hike and why I highly recommend combining it with the Cadini di Misurina Viewpoint.
Known for its unique geography, fantastic mountain huts, and jaw-dropping scenery, Tre Cime di Lavaredo is one of the most famous areas in northern Italy. Hiking around the three pronounced peaks is a quintessential experience to have in the Dolomites.
While Tre Cime is stunning, there is another viewpoint in the area that is, in our opinion, even more impressive. Many people arrive here and don’t even realize that Cadini di Misurina is accessible from the same parking lot.
Because of the toll road and the long drive, we highly recommend doing both hikes on the same day to save time and money.
Below, I am going to detail how to get there, what time you should start, which viewpoint to visit first, and how to avoid the crowds.
How to Get to Tre Cime di Lavaredo
Tre Cime di Lavaredo is located in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy. The trailhead begins at the Rifugio Auronzo parking lot. It will likely be at least 1 hours drive from your hotel unless you decide to stay overnight at the Rifugio.
In order to enter Parco Naturale Tre Cime, you will need to pay a 30 Euro entrance fee (2023) per vehicle. This happens at a toll booth situated 5 kilometres before the parking area.
To be completely honest with you, this toll road was the bain of our existence when we visited.
It is extremely difficult to find any information online and the hours can vary each day depending on weather conditions. There is no website, so your only option is to contact the Auronzo Tourism Museum Office via email at: iat@comune.auronzo.bl.it.
The toll road is open from the beginning of June to sometime in October, weather permitting. If there is no snow on the road and everything is running smoothly, the gates are said to be open from 7 AM to 7 PM.
We arrived at 6:45 AM at the end of September and were the first people in line. Pleased to see staff turning on lights and no snow on the ground, we thought we would be let up at 7. We could not have been more wrong.
Apparently, there was snow on the road near the parking lot. We were told that we had to wait for the snow to be cleared before they would let us through. At this point, we assumed that they had people clearing the road. It must be a ton of snow for them to be holding traffic, right?
Well, we waited until 7:30, and then 8, and then 8:30. At this point we were feeling a bit frustrated, our 5:30 AM wake-up getting the best of us. I walked up to the booth and asked if they knew when they would be finished clearing the snow.
The man’s response genuinely baffled me. He told me that there was no one clearing the road, we were waiting for the sun to come out and melt the snow.
I couldn’t help it, I burst out laughing.
Perhaps this struck me as funny because I was tired. Or maybe it was because I grew up in Canada where we frequently drive through several inches of snow without batting an eye. But I could not believe they made us wait for hours so that the sun could melt the snow.
Apparently, at 9 AM each day, they open the road regardless. FINALLY, we were on our way to the trailhead. We tried not to scoff at the centimetre of snow that lightly covered the parking lot when we arrived, but it was hard not to.
*If you do not have a vehicle, there is also a bus that runs between Cortina and Tre Cime di Lavaredo. It is difficult to find information about it online, so I would recommend asking your hotel or going to the Tourist Office for more information.*
Begin With Cadini di Misurina
3.2 kilometres & 235 m elevation gain
Once you have parked, our recommendation is to b-line it for the Cadini di Misurina viewpoint. The reason for this has to do with the type of viewpoint and its popularity.
The unique thing about Cadini di Misurina is the trail that leads out onto a narrow strip of rocks. Once you arrive, you are rewarded with one of the most exquisite mountain views of all time. Seriously.
While this is insanely magical when you have it all to yourself, that is not typically the case. Hundreds of people visit this viewpoint each day. There is often a long line of hikers eager for their turn to walk out onto the ledge and snap a few photos. Because of that, the earlier you can get there, the better!
The trail is 3.2 kilometres with 235 m of elevation gain round trip.
It begins and ends at the Rifugio Auronzo parking lot. This trail is not well signed, so we used the maps.me app to ensure we were on the correct path.
If you are walking towards the Rifugio from the parking lot, go right in the direction of the road. There is a small footpath here that leads you to Cadini di Misurina.
If you are lucky enough to be the first ones here, as we were, take advantage of it! I promise it will not last long. We had about 15 minutes of pure bliss before a line began behind us.
On the bright side, everyone was very respectful. The line seemed to form patiently and everyone tried to limit their time accordingly. Tip for photographers: bring a zoom lens and your drone if you’ve got one!
After hiking back to Rifugio Auronzo, we began the loop around Tre Cime di Lavaredo.
Hiking Tre Cime di Lavaredo
10 kilometres & 500 m elevation gain
The beauty of this hiking trail is that there is tons of space to spread out and enjoy. The 10-kilometre trail does a complete 360-degree loop around the three striking mountains. This allows hikers to admire Tre Cime from a variety of different angles.
We hiked the trail counterclockwise which seemed to be the typical flow of traffic. The first few kilometres were the busiest and while the views were nice, they got much better around the backside.
Before circling to the other side of Tre Cime di Lavaredo, there are two mountain huts that you can stop at for lunch. The first is Rifugio Lavaredo and the second is Rifugio A. Locatelli.
The second half of the hike was our favourite part, offering quieter trails and better views of Tre Cime. Near the end of the loop, there are a few small lakes that offer great photo ops on a calm day. They are known as the Sorgenti Fiume Rienza AKA the springs of the Rienza River.
If you are lucky enough to be here at sunset, the entire south side of Tre Cime di Lavaredo lights up in mesmerizing shades of orange and crimson red. Once you complete the loop, you can choose to grab a drink or a snack at Rifugio Auronzo before making the drive back to your hotel.
We hope you enjoy your time in Italy! Please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have or comment below with your experience at Tre Cime di Lavaredo. We would love to hear from you.
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