The Great Dolomites Road

A Historic Road Through the Western Dolomites

The Strada delle Dolomiti — the Great Dolomites Road — was carved through these mountains between 1895 and 1909, back when this stretch of the Alps still belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Over roughly 90 kilometres it climbs from the city of Bolzano to the resort town of Cortina d'Ampezzo, and it remains one of the most scenic drives in the Alps. On this private day tour, your driver-guide takes you along its western half, with stops built in at every viewpoint worth stopping for.

The route follows the Ega Valley out of Bolzano, a gorge cut by the Ega river between the Rosengarten and Latemar massifs, before opening up onto the Costalunga Pass and the string of passes, lakes and valleys that made this road famous a century ago.

Route Highlights

• Bolzano. Departure from the capital of South Tyrol, known as the traditional "Gateway to the Dolomites".
• Ega Valley. A scenic gorge road dating to 1895, running between the Rosengarten and Latemar mountain groups.
• Lake Carezza. Often called the most beautiful lake in the Dolomites; time to walk its shoreline.
• Costalunga Pass & Grand Hotel Carezza. Near the pass stands the Grand Hotel Carezza, opened in 1893 as the first luxury hotel in the Dolomites, once host to guests such as Empress Sissi, Winston Churchill and Agatha Christie.
• Fassa Valley. Through the villages of Vigo di Fassa and Canazei, beneath the towering Sella massif.
• 27 Hairpin Bends & the Pordoi Pass. A dramatic switchback climb to 2,239 metres above sea level; an optional cable car continues up to Sass Pordoi at 2,950 metres (seasonal, late May–mid October and Christmas–Easter).
• Sella Pass. Sweeping views of the Marmolada glacier (3,343 m) and the Sassolungo massif (3,181 m).
• Gardena Valley & Ortisei. A lunch stop in the valley's largest town before the drive back to Bolzano.