The best time to visit the Dolomites for hiking is mid-June to late September, when the lifts, mountain huts and summer buses all run. September is the sweet spot: everything is still open and August crowds have gone. For skiing, go between December and March. Avoid November and May, when most things are shut.
The Dolomites have two seasons and two gaps. Summer runs roughly from mid-June to late September, when the lifts, mountain huts and seasonal buses work. Winter runs from about early December to late March or April, when the ski lifts turn again. In between, in May and November, a lot simply closes.
So the best time to visit the Dolomites depends on what you want to do. For hiking and seeing the most with the least planning, aim for late June to late September, and September if you can. For skiing, December to March.
Temperatures and rain are 1991-2020 averages for Cortina d’Ampezzo at about 1,216 m (ISPRA climate normals). Lake Misurina sits over 500 m higher, so expect it to be a few degrees colder. Opening dates are from operators’ 2026 seasons and change each year.
| Month | High / low | Rain | What is open | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4°C / -5°C | 48 mm | Ski lifts; most passes; Tre Cime road closed | Busy at New Year, then calmer |
| February | 5°C / -5°C | 41 mm | Ski season; driest month | Busy over Carnival |
| March | 8°C / -2°C | 54 mm | Skiing continues; lakes still frozen | Moderate |
| April | 11°C / 1°C | 74 mm | Most ski areas close in early April; Cortina’s Faloria ran to 3 May 2026 | Quiet |
| May | 16°C / 5°C | 113 mm | Few lifts; Tre Cime toll road opened 23 May 2026; Seceda lifts from 22 May | Very quiet |
| June | 20°C / 9°C | 115 mm | Cortina lifts open 6 to 13 June; huts from about 20 June; Tre Cime shuttle from 30 May | Building |
| July | 22°C / 10°C | 127 mm | Everything; Lago di Braies needs a booking from 1 July | Busy |
| August | 22°C / 10°C | 143 mm | Everything; wettest month, afternoon storms | Peak, especially mid-August |
| September | 17°C / 7°C | 107 mm | Most lifts and huts to about 20 to 27 September; summer buses cut back from 10 September | Falling |
| October | 12°C / 3°C | 121 mm | A few lifts (Lagazuoi to 18 October 2026); Tre Cime road usually to late October | Quiet |
| November | 7°C / -1°C | 132 mm | Very little; skiing starts at the end of the month | Very quiet |
| December | 4°C / -4°C | 62 mm | Ski lifts open early December | Busy from 8 December and over Christmas |
Two things the table hides. Much of the summer rain comes from afternoon thunderstorms, which the Veneto weather agency ARPAV regularly reports building over the Dolomites in July and August, so start hikes early and aim to be off exposed ridges by early afternoon. And mountain huts set their own dates: Visit Trentino says its 140-plus huts reopen by 20 June, while a few huts near Cortina, such as Rifugio Averau, also open for skiers in winter.
Late June is excellent. Early June is a gamble.
The lifts around Cortina opened between 6 June (Lagazuoi, Cinque Torri) and 13 June (Tofana) in 2026, and most huts reopen around 20 June. Before that, high trails can still carry old snow, and in June you may meet it beside the path to Rifugio Locatelli on the Tre Cime loop from Rifugio Auronzo. In return you get long days and fewer people than in high summer.
Everything is open and the weather is at its warmest, around 22°C by day in Cortina. It is also the busiest stretch by far. Cortina’s hotels were over 90 percent full at Ferragosto (15 August) in 2024, according to hotel data compiled for the local hoteliers’ association, and August guests are mostly Italian.
At Misurina, July 2026 brought long queues for the Tre Cime shuttle. If you come now, book the Tre Cime toll road slot or take the first bus, which leaves Misurina at 7:30. In 2026, driving to Lago di Braies between 9:00 and 16:00 needed an online booking from 1 July to 15 September.
This is the month we would pick. Most lifts run until the last week (Tofana to 27 September in 2026), huts stay open until about 20 September or later, and the August holiday crowds have gone. Rain days drop too, from about 13 in August to 9 in September in Cortina, and the average high is a comfortable 17°C.
The catch is transport. Summer bus timetables were cut back from 10 September in 2026, and the direct Cortina to Misurina bus ran only five times a day until 4 October. A car makes September easier.
October is for driving the passes, walking around lakes and watching the larches turn. Dolomiti.it, a regional tourism portal, puts the best colour at the end of September to mid-October, varying with altitude. The Lagazuoi cable car ran until 18 October in 2026 and the Seceda lifts in Val Gardena until 2 November, but most Cortina lifts and huts had closed by then.
Around Lake Misurina, October can be very good: the shore walk is quiet and the Tre Cime toll road usually stays open until late October (in 2025 it ran into early November). As of October 2026 there was no scheduled bus from Cortina to Misurina, so you need a car.
Winter is ski season. Dolomiti Superski, the shared lift pass that includes Cortina, opened on 29 November 2025, and Cortina’s lifts ran until 3 May 2026. A one-day adult pass costs €89 in high season for 2026/27, per Dolomiti Superski’s September 2026 price list.
Most passes stay open in winter with winter tyres or chains. Giau and Fedaia are the ones most often closed after heavy snow. The Tre Cime toll road shuts completely.
Lake Misurina usually freezes from late November or December into March or April. The frozen lake under snow is a lovely sight, but signs around the shore ban walking on the ice, so stay off unless the town has opened it for an event. Busy dates are the 8 December holiday, Christmas to New Year and Carnival.
If May is your only option, stay low. Lake walks, the Cortina to Dobbiaco cycle path and the drive to Misurina all work, and the Tre Cime road opened in late May in 2026.
For the lake on its own, any month works: the road from Cortina is open all year. For Misurina plus the Tre Cime and Cadini di Misurina, come between late June and September, ideally early in the morning when the water is calm and the car parks are empty. Planning a full trip? Our Dolomites itinerary adapts to the season, and if you are coming up for the day, see Venice to the Dolomites.
9 hours
The most-reviewed Misurina day trip from Venice: a small-group minivan run via Pieve di Cadore and the Auronzo dam to a lunch stop of over two hours at the lake, then an hour in Cortina.
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Meets at Misurina and drives you up the toll road (fee included) for the classic 10 km loop around the Tre Cime from Rifugio Auronzo, with a guide who covers the geology and First World War history.
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Gives the lake the longest slot of any Venice day trip, about three hours, in a Mercedes van capped at eight guests, with Cortina before and Lake Auronzo after.
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A winter day from Venice: snowmobile up to Rifugio Auronzo under the Tre Cime, sled about 5 km back down, walk on the frozen Lake Misurina and finish in Cortina.
from$202
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September, for most people. The lifts, mountain huts and Tre Cime toll road are still open for most of the month, the summer storms ease, and the August crowds have left. In 2026 the Tofana cable car ran until 27 September. June and July also work, but trails above about 2,000 m can still hold snow into late June.
It can be, if you mainly want to drive, walk at lower levels and see autumn colour, which one regional tourism portal puts at the end of September to mid-October. Many lifts and huts close by late September or early October. In 2026 the Lagazuoi cable car ran to 18 October and the Seceda lifts to 2 November.
Avoid November and May unless you want quiet over convenience. Both fall between seasons, so most lifts, huts and summer buses are shut and high trails may be snowy. For crowds, avoid the week around Ferragosto on 15 August, when Cortina's hotels ran over 90 percent full in 2024, and the Christmas to New Year holidays.
Yes, if you ski or like snow. The Dolomiti Superski area normally opens in late November or early December and runs into April, with Cortina's Faloria open until 3 May in 2026. Lake Misurina usually freezes, which makes a fine winter view, though signs ban walking on the ice. The Tre Cime toll road is closed in winter.
Late June is good, early June less so. Most Cortina lifts opened between 6 and 13 June in 2026, and many mountain huts reopen around 20 June. Before then, high paths can still be snowy and some huts are closed. Days are long and crowds are lighter than in July and August.
For 3 days in the Dolomites, base yourself in Cortina d'Ampezzo or at Lake Misurina: day one for Cortina's cable cars, day two for the Tre Cime loop and the lake, day three for Lake Sorapis or Lago di Braies.
The top things to do in the Dolomites are hiking the Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop from Lake Misurina, walking around lakes such as Braies, Sorapis and Carezza, riding lifts to Seceda or Lagazuoi, driving the high passes and trying a via ferrata.
The Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop is a walk of about 9.5 km and 400 m of climbing around three peaks, taking most people 3 to 4 hours.
The easiest way from Venice to the Dolomites is the Cortina Express bus, which runs five times a day all year and takes 2 hours 10 minutes to 3 hours 10 minutes from Venice to Cortina d'Ampezzo.