Dolomites Gateways and Getting Around

No airport sits among the Dolomite peaks, so the first decision for any August trip is which gateway airport offers the most direct access. From the south, Venice and Verona are the usual choices, each roughly two to three hours’ drive to Cortina or the southern valleys. To the north, Innsbruck in Austria is closer to the South Tyrolean valleys via the Brenner pass. Munich is a larger hub, though a longer journey. This initial choice sets the tone for your travel, especially considering the region’s geography. The Dolomites are a scatter of rock groups across north-east Italy, not a single range, with valleys separated by rock walls and mountain passes. A drive that looks short on a flat map can easily take ninety minutes, making base location critical.

Whether to hire a car is the next significant calculation. In the northern valleys, a car is not strictly necessary. South Tyrol’s public transport network is reliable and dense, with regional buses and trains serving Bolzano, Bressanone, Fortezza, Dobbiaco, and San Candido. Many hotels offer a regional mobility pass, which makes car-free travel practical for a week. Cortina d’Ampezzo, however, lost its railway decades ago and relies on road access, with frequent direct coaches from Venice and Treviso airports. A car does offer flexibility for early starts and crossing passes on a whim, but it comes with real costs, particularly in August.

August, the peak of the mountain summer, brings specific challenges for drivers. The most popular sites actively manage traffic during high season. Access to Lago di Braies is restricted by car for much of the day, and the road up the Alpe di Siusi is closed to non-resident cars during daytime hours. The toll road to the foot of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo fills its car parks early. For those who drive, the solution is consistent: arrive before the restrictions begin, or use the dedicated buses provided. This means early mornings, or accepting the public transport schedule. The northern Ladin valleys of Val Gardena and Alta Badia, with their extensive cable car networks and good bus links, allow easy access to high ground from village centres like Ortisei, Santa Cristina, Selva, Corvara, La Villa, San Cassiano, and Colfosco without needing a car for every outing.

My own preference for a first week in August leans towards Alta Badia or the Alpe di Siusi villages. They are high enough to walk from the door, well served by lifts for days when legs are tired, and a little removed from the busiest honeypots. A modest room in the right village, allowing you to walk or ride to high ground before breakfast, will offer more of the Dolomites than a plush suite an hour’s drive from where you actually want to be at eight in the morning. Plan around timing, and consider a single night in a rifugio, a mountain hut. Booking one months ahead for July or August is essential, and it changes the trip completely. You will have the mountain in the hours the day-trippers do not: the long slow colour on the rock at dusk, the quiet after the last lift down, the stars, and a dawn start onto ground that is briefly yours alone.