Rifugio Auronzo is the hut and car park at the end of the Tre Cime toll road, 2,320 m up. In 2026 a car paid €40 and had to book a time slot online in advance. Without a booking, take the €10 Dolomitibus shuttle from Misurina, the SAD 444 from Dobbiaco, or walk up from Lago d'Antorno.
Rifugio Auronzo is where almost every Tre Cime day begins. It is a mountain hut run by the Auronzo section of the Italian Alpine Club (CAI), sitting under the south faces of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo at 2,320 m (SiViaggia and the official tourism site say 2,333 m). Next to it is the big car park at the top of the toll road from Misurina.
From here the Tre Cime loop heads east to Rifugio Lavaredo, 20 to 30 minutes away on an almost flat track, and on round the peaks to Rifugio Locatelli. The Cadini di Misurina viewpoint is the other way, to the south. The hut’s summer phone number is +39 0435 39002. A refuge listing gives its season as roughly 1 June to 15 October; we have not confirmed the dates for next year.
Most people arrive with one question: how do you get up here? The first step for drivers is booking.
You cannot just turn up. Since 2025 the toll road, and the car park at the top, can only be used with an online booking for a set date and time slot. The toll includes parking at the hut. The Comune di Auronzo di Cadore runs the system, and its booking portal is linked from the official parking page.
Checked October 2026, from the official booking pages and two dated 2026 reports:
| Vehicle | Toll, including parking |
|---|---|
| Car (and vans carrying up to 9 people) | €40 |
| Motorbike | €26 |
| Camper or caravan | €60 |
| Bus up to 30 seats | €80 |
| Bus over 30 seats | €160 |
| Cars of Auronzo residents | €5 |
Prices were the same in 2025. Disabled visitors can enter free after registering, subject to the reserved spaces near the hut.
You can sleep inside your vehicle in the car park, but camping is banned: no tables, chairs or awnings outside it, with fines of €100 to €500. You cannot move a booking, only cancel it and book again. Cancellation is free up to 23:59 five days before your date, and refunds go back to your card within 14 days.
Customer service is on +39 345 1607 497, 9:00 to 15:00, closed Thursdays. For written questions, use the contact details on the official parking page.
Only between late spring and autumn. In 2026 the toll road opened on 23 May. It usually closes in late October, and in 2025 it stayed open into early November, 160 days in all. We could not confirm the 2026 closing date, so check the official parking page if you are planning an autumn visit. The road is closed all winter.
Inside the season, the Comune can close the road by municipal order for snow, ice or other hazards. If that hits your booked day, you get an email offering a new date or a refund. The official site recommends winter tyres or snow chains on this road.
The buses keep a shorter season than the road. In 2026 the SAD 444 from Dobbiaco ran from 31 May to 11 October, and the Dolomitibus shuttle from Misurina started on 30 May; we could not confirm its last day.
The road starts near Lago d’Antorno, about 2 km north of Lake Misurina, and climbs about 6 km to the car park. The official Auronzo tourism site says the paid section starts roughly 500 m past Antorno, so you can drive to Antorno itself without a booking.
It depends on how many of you there are. Four adult shuttle tickets cost €40, the same as the car toll, so for a group of four the car costs no more and gives you an early start and a 12-hour window for the loop and the Cadini viewpoint. For a couple the bus is half the price, and travelling alone it is a quarter.
Dolomitibus, the Belluno province bus company, runs a daily summer shuttle from Misurina to the hut. It stops at Misurina Genzianella (the Genzianella restaurant), Lago d’Antorno and Rifugio Auronzo.
The catch is the queue. In July 2026 the Italian travel site SiViaggia reported long lines at Misurina, and the official Auronzo tourism site advises against boarding at Misurina in July and August. Its suggestion is to start from Auronzo di Cadore on an early morning bus instead; in summer some Dolomitibus runs from Auronzo continue through Misurina to the Tre Cime. In high summer Line 51 also links Cortina d’Ampezzo with Misurina. Our page on how to get to Lake Misurina covers those feeder buses, and our Lake Misurina parking guide covers where to leave a car at the lake before you board.
If you are staying in Val Pusteria, the 444 runs from Dobbiaco to Rifugio Auronzo. The 2026 details, from the operator’s ticket page (checked October 2026):
The 444 does not stop at Lake Misurina or at the Genzianella. From the lake, use the Dolomitibus shuttle.
Trail 101 starts near Lago d’Antorno and leaves the road just before the toll booth. It climbs about 470 m to the hut in roughly 1 hour 45 minutes. It costs nothing, and you start beside the small lake known for its Tre Cime reflections.
Parking near Antorno is limited, and the Comune said in 2026 it would put up wooden barriers to stop roadside parking around Misurina. One workable plan is the shuttle bus to the Lago d’Antorno stop, then the trail.
Two small-group tours on GetYourGuide start in Misurina and include the €40 toll in their price, so there is no slot to book: the 5-hour Tour of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, and a 6-hour scenic tour that meets at the Misurina car park. A private tour that meets in Misurina pairs a Tre Cime walk with Lake Braies. Our tours page has the full list, including Venice day trips that stop at the lake.
5 hours
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.
from$146
Check availability6 hours
An early-start Tre Cime loop for up to four people, leaving from the Misurina car park with the toll included and pausing for breakfast at a mountain hut (food paid on the day).
from$146
Check availability8 hours
A private day that starts in Misurina, hikes for about two hours from Rifugio Auronzo for a Tre Cime view, comes back down for lunch in a Misurina hut, then circles Lake Braies.
from$426
Check availabilityPrices and ratings were taken from GetYourGuide and can change. Booking through these links supports this site at no extra cost to you.
Book online through the Comune di Auronzo's portal, linked from the official parking page on auronzo.info. Pick a date and time slot, then enter an email address, phone number and number plate. The plate is your ticket and must be on the booking by 23:59 the day before. In 2026 a car paid €40 for 12 hours (checked October 2026). You cannot pay on arrival.
Only from late spring to autumn. In 2026 the toll road opened on 23 May, and it usually closes in late October; in 2025 it stayed open into early November. It is closed all winter, and the Comune can shut it at short notice for snow or ice. We could not confirm the 2026 closing date, so check the official parking page before you go.
Yes, in summer. The Dolomitibus shuttle runs from Misurina via Lago d'Antorno to Rifugio Auronzo, and a day ticket cost €10 in 2026. There is no cash on board, so pay in the DolomitiBus app, at the machine in Misurina or with a contactless card. The SAD 444 from Dobbiaco has to be booked and paid online in advance, and it does not stop at Lake Misurina.
Most people take 3 to 4 hours for the loop of about 9.5 km and 400 m of climbing from Rifugio Auronzo. dolomiti.it gives about 3 hours, and Wikivoyage's stage times add up to about 3 hours 40 minutes. Add time for lunch at Rifugio Locatelli and for photos. A 12-hour parking ticket leaves room for the Cadini viewpoint as well.
If you can sort out the access, yes. The loop is an ordinary waymarked path (CAI grade E), and at Forcella Lavaredo the north faces of the three peaks appear all at once, the view on most postcards. It is also very busy: about 110,000 vehicles used the toll road in 2025. Wikivoyage suggests June or September to October to avoid the worst of the crowds.
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 Cadini di Misurina viewpoint is a short walk from Rifugio Auronzo, the car park at the end of the Tre Cime toll road.
Most people reach Lake Misurina by car.
Lago di Braies (Pragser Wildsee) is a 1,496 m lake in South Tyrol, about 35 km by road from Lake Misurina.