Have you started planning your Alta Via 1 Dolomites hike in the usual 11 stages and finding fully booked locations for the dates you want?
You’re not alone!
Accommodation booking anxiety is experienced by most self-guided hikers that book their own accommodation…and a popular conversation topic on the trail :)
INTRODUCING THE “AV1 6 DAY ANYTIME” Itinerary
When accommodation availability becomes scarce, this 6-day itinerary can keep your Alta Via 1 dreams alive! Staying at villages and using transport provides you a much needed bed and allows you to hike 100km / 62mi along the Alta Via 1 route. You can opt to use just one, a few or all days to make your hike happen.
Average daily stats:
Distance: 17km / 11mi
Elevation gain: 950m / 3,100ft
Time (steady pace): 6 hours, not including breaks
Accommodation: Staying in villages that have the most accommodation options
This 6-day itinerary for the Alta Via 1 Dolomites gets around all of the Northern locations that are typically booked out…without needing to do any camping!
The Hiking Club has always championed self-guided hikers who want to stay in control of their itinerary and costs, by planning and booking their own trips. We have over 5 years of experience creating itineraries that are available to book at any time of the year. Our new trip planning app is the 3rd generation of our self-planning product that gives hikers the power to easily create an achievable, inspiring, and available-to-book itinerary in one session.
If you want some assistance in designing an itinerary that is ready for you to book based on your specific dates and requirements, we can do this via our Expert Access package.
day 1: lago di braies to san vigilio
The first stage travels through the Fanes, Sennes, Braies Natural Park, with 4 rifugios to choose from (Biella, Sennes, Fodara Vedla and Pederu). Once these are booked up, hikers have two options to overcome fully booked locations here:
Continue hiking into Fanes section of Natural Park (Total 22km / 14mi) to reach 3 more accommodation options (Ucia dles Muntagnoles, Fanes, Lavarella)
Catch the bus to stay in San Vigilio for the night. It takes 20 minutes and has 20+ hotels, b&bs, holiday rentals and campgrounds for hikers to choose from. In the morning, catch the same bus back to the trailhead to continue your hike.
Click to expand. The trip planning app is included in all self-guided packages.
day 2: san vigilio to san cassiano
One of the most popular rifugios on the AV1 is Rifugio Lagazuoi. It (and surrounding rifugios) often book out quickly for peak dates and therefore forces hikers to either hike a longer day to find accommodation or use public transport to reach a nearby village.
For those that can’t find accommodation along the trail at popular rifugios (including Lagazuoi, Scotoni, Valparola, Passo Giau), the best option is:
Catch the bus from either Sciare or Passo Falzarego to San Cassiano for the night. There are 15+ hotels, b&bs and holiday rentals to choose from. In the morning, catch the same bus back to the trailhead to continue your hike.
Click to expand. The trip planning app is included in all self-guided packages.
day 3: san cassiano to cortina
There are 6 rifugios in and around the Cinque Torri and Nuvolau area [Cinque Torri, Scoiattoli, Averau, Nuvolau, Fedare and Berghotel Passo Giau]. If these are all booked out on your dates, it is too far to continue on to Citta di Fiume, the next rifugio along the trail.
Therefore, the best options are:
Finish your hike at Cianzope bus stop and catch the 20 minute bus into Cortina, where there is lots of accommodation to choose from.
Finish you hike at Cianzope bus stop and catch 2 buses to San Cassiano, if you plan to stay there the previous night. Therefore you can hike today with just a daypack (luxury!).
Click to expand. The trip planning app is included in all self-guided packages.
day 4: cortina to pescul
If you are unable to secure accommodation at Rifugio Citta di Fiume, Aquileia or Passo Staulanza, your options are:
Continue hiking to Rifugio Palafavera (Total 27km / 17mi)
Finish your day by taking an alternative trail to Pescul, a small town with 10+ hotel, b&b and holiday rentals to choose from.
Click to expand. The trip planning app is included in all self-guided packages.
Day 5: Pescul to alleghe
If you are unable to secure accommodation to Rifugio Coldai, Tissi or Vazzoler, then you’ll need to find accommodation in Alleghe for the night:
Catch the gondolas down to Alleghe, a small town with 10+ hotel, b&b and holiday rentals to choose from. In the morning, catch the gondolas back to the trailhead to continue your hike. If you are feeling energetic, you could walk this section, rather than take the gondola.
Click to expand. The trip planning app is included in all self-guided packages.
day 6: alleghe to listolade
If you are unable to secure accommodation at Rifugio Carestiato, San Sebastiano or Passo Duran, then there are two options:
Continue hiking to Rifugio Pramperet (Total 35km / 22mi)
Finish you day (and your hike!) by taking an alternative route down to Listolade, a small village on the main road between Alleghe and Belluno. From here you can choose to catch a bus back to Alleghe, to Agordo for the closest accommodation, or all the way to Belluno, where you can stay or catch bus/train on to Venice or Cortina.
Click to expand. The trip planning app is included in all self-guided packages.
optional day 7: passo duran to forno di zoldo
If you have been able to secure accommodation at one of the 3 rifugios near Passo Duran, including Rifugio Passo Duran, San Sebastiano, Carestiato, then you can continue your hike south. The next difficult spot to secure accommodation is Rifugio Pramperet, Malga di Pramperet and Rifugio Pian de Fontana. If you are unable to get a bed in one of these locations, you will need to:
Finish your day by hiking an alternative route to Forno di Zoldo, a small town with 10+ hotels, b&bs, holiday rentals and campground to choose from. There is a shuttle bus to reduce the last stretch of this section
Many people that stay in Forno di Zoldo, choose to finish their hike here. Otherwise it is necessary to retrace all the way back to Rifugio Pramperet to continue on the main trail to the official finish point, La Pissa Bus Stop, or via Soffranco/Longarone on the alternative route.
Click to expand. The trip planning app is included in all self-guided packages.
So there you have it. The “AV1 6 Day Anytime” itinerary for those booking in October, January, March or July. This itinerary can provide you accommodation options to make you Alta Via 1 journey a reality!
Oh and if you want the “AV1 6 Day Anytime” itinerary, it’s available in our itinerary library so all you need to do is buy a self-guided AV1 package and this itinerary can be loaded straight into your app for planning, booking, and navigating!