Things to do in Cortina d'Ampezzo

Cortina d’Ampezzo sits at about 1,224 m below the Tofane, Cristallo and Sorapiss. Most of the best things to do here are up, not in: cable cars, First World War trenches, lakes and trails. And one of the best days out is a 14 km drive away at Lake Misurina.

Lift seasons below are from the 2026 summer (checked in October 2026). They shift a little every year.

1. Drive to Lake Misurina and the Tre Cime

Cross Passo Tre Croci east of town and you reach Lake Misurina in about 15 to 25 minutes. The lake is the start of the toll road to Rifugio Auronzo, the trailhead for the loop around the Tre Cime di Lavaredo. In 2026 the toll cost €40 per car and had to be booked online; the Dolomitibus shuttle from Misurina cost €10 for the day. The loop itself is about 10 km and takes three to four hours.

If you only have half a day, walk the flat path around Lake Misurina (about 2.6 km) and add Cadini di Misurina if you have the energy. In summer 2026, bus line 51 ran from Cortina to Misurina in about 35 minutes. From September the service thinned, and the winter timetable had no Cortina to Misurina line.

2. Ride the Tofana cable car to 3,244 m

The Freccia nel Cielo (“arrow in the sky”) climbs from the edge of town to Col Drusciè (1,778 m), then Ra Valles (2,475 m), then Cima Tofana at 3,244 m. In summer 2026 it ran from 13 June to 27 September, with adult returns of €25 to Col Drusciè, €35 to Ra Valles and €45 to the top.

Go on a clear morning. Summer afternoons often bring storms, and the view is the whole point.

3. Faloria, straight from the centre

The Faloria cable car leaves from the town centre and rises to about 2,120 m. Because it starts in the centre, you can reach it on foot. In summer it runs a shorter season than Tofana (from July in 2026), and in winter it is the heart of the Faloria and Cristallo ski area, which stayed open until 3 May in 2026.

4. Cinque Torri and the open-air war museum

The Cinque Torri (“five towers”) are a group of rock towers above the valley. A four-seat chairlift run by Averau Lifts goes from the Bai de Dones car park to Rifugio Scoiattoli, and restored trenches and gun positions from the First World War start beside the top station. The chairlift opened on 6 June in 2026.

5. Lagazuoi and the war tunnels

From Passo Falzarego, about 16 km west of Cortina, a cable car rises in under three minutes to 2,732 m, just below the 2,778 m summit. The operator calls the site “the largest open-air museum of the First World War”: tunnels, trenches and machine-gun posts, free to visit. The Anticima tunnel, almost 1 km long, was blown on 20 June 1917. Bring a helmet, harness and torch if you walk the tunnels down. The cable car ran from 6 June to 18 October in 2026, later than most lifts.

6. Walk Corso Italia and the town centre

Corso Italia is the main street, and the bell tower of the Basilica of Saints Philip and James rises above it. The church was built between 1769 and 1775; the tower replaced an older one and was finished in 1858.

The Regole d’Ampezzo run three museums in town. The Mario Rimoldi modern art museum is at Corso Italia 69 (€8, or €12 for all three; it was closed in October 2026 and due to reopen in December). The Rinaldo Zardini palaeontology museum and the ethnographic museum share a site at Pontechiesa, in the old Regole sawmill and the Alexander Girardi Hall.

7. See the 2026 Olympic venues

Cortina co-hosted the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics from 6 to 22 February 2026, then the Paralympics in March. The venues are:

Venue	2026 events
Olimpia delle Tofane	Women’s alpine skiing
Cortina Sliding Centre (Eugenio Monti)	Bobsleigh, luge, skeleton
Olympic Ice Stadium	Curling

The ice stadium opened in 1952 and hosted the opening ceremony of the 1956 Games. Those were the Games when the speed skating was held on frozen Lake Misurina, a story told in our page on the Misurina legend and history. We found no official public tours of the 2026 venues as of October 2026; the Olimpia delle Tofane run is open to skiers in winter.

8. Hike to Lake Sorapis

The turquoise Lago di Sorapis is a two-hour walk each way from Passo Tre Croci, between Cortina and Misurina. Trail 215 has short exposed stretches with cables and ladders, and parking at the pass is limited, so start early.

9. Cycle the old railway

The Dolomites railway that once ran through Cortina closed in the mid-1960s, and its route is now a cycle and walking path: 26.5 km from Cortina up to Cimabanche, then about 15 km downhill to Dobbiaco.

10. Try a via ferrata

A via ferrata is a climbing route fitted with fixed cables and ladders that you clip into. Cortina’s tourist board grades its routes: Ra Gusela and Averau are easy, Col dei Bos is intermediate and passes First World War field hospitals, and Ivano Dibona, with its 30 m suspension bridge, is for experts. The Veneto alpine club (CAI) advises a certified helmet, harness and via ferrata set, and a course or a mountain guide if you are new to it.

11. Drive Passo Giau

Passo Giau, at about 2,236 m and 17 km south-west of town, is a short drive up a high road. The easy Ra Gusela via ferrata starts here and climbs to Rifugio Nuvolau (2,575 m), the area’s first mountain hut, built in 1883.

12. Eat casunziei

Order casunziei all’ampezzana, Cortina’s half-moon ravioli served with melted butter and poppy seeds. Recipes differ on the filling, usually beetroot.

Where to stay

Stay in the centre if you want to walk to the Faloria cable car and the long-distance buses, which stop at Piazzale Revis from October 2026. For quieter nights and the Tre Cime on your doorstep, consider Misurina itself: about ten hotels sit around the lake, and our guide to Lake Misurina hotels covers them. Either way, our Dolomites itinerary shows how to split a few days between the two, and the Venice to Dolomites guide covers getting here. Guided hikes and day trips are on the tours page.