Best Towns for Hiking in the Dolomites

How should you pick your hiking base in the Dolomites?

The Dolomites are not a single mountain - they are an arc of limestone massifs, and the main hiking towns sit along that arc. Choosing the wrong base means spending hours driving to trailheads when you could be walking.

Three factors drive the decision. Geography comes first: the trails you want to walk should be close to your accommodation. If Tre Cime is your priority, San Candido and Dobbiaco are the logical bases. If the Alta Via 1 stages through the Fanes plateau matter most, Corvara in Alta Badia starts you at 1,568 m5,144 ft, well above Ortisei and Dobbiaco. Transport matters if you have no car: only San Candido and Dobbiaco have a train station; every other base in the table is reached by bus. Elevation changes what you can do without a cable car: at 1,568 m5,144 ft, Corvara is well above Ortisei (1,234 m4,049 ft) and Dobbiaco (1,256 m4,121 ft).

At-a-glance comparison

Each town serves a different hiking style. The table below distils the key variables so you can match base to objective before you book accommodation.

Town	Elevation	Main range	Best for	Train access?
Cortina d’Ampezzo	-	Eastern Dolomites	Cinque Torri & Tofane	No (bus from Venice)
Ortisei	1,234 m4,049 ft	Val Gardena	Seceda & Alpe di Siusi	No (bus from Bolzano)
San Candido	1,175 m3,855 ft	Puster Valley	Tre Cime di Lavaredo	Yes (Puster Valley line)
Dobbiaco	1,256 m4,121 ft	Puster Valley	Lago di Braies	Yes (Puster Valley line)
Corvara / Alta Badia	1,568 m5,144 ft	Ladin Dolomites	Alta Via 1 & Sella	No (bus from Bruneck)
Arabba	1,602 m5,256 ft	Fodom Valley	Pordoi & Campolongo passes	No (bus from Brunico)
Canazei	1,465 m4,806 ft	Val di Fassa	Val Contrin & Pordoi	No (bus from Trento)
Misurina / Auronzo	1,756 m5,761 ft	Cadore	Tre Cime & Cadini	No (bus from Calalzo or Dobbiaco)
Alleghe	979 m3,212 ft	Civetta	Civetta huts	No (buses from Belluno)

Note that San Candido and Dobbiaco are neighbours - both work as bases for the same area. The choice between them is mainly about price and preference: Dobbiaco is quieter and a little cheaper, while San Candido has more accommodation variety.

Which town fits which traveler?

Most visitors have one or two primary objectives. Here is how to match objective to base:

• First trip, one classic base - choose Cortina d’Ampezzo. The Cinque Torri loop, the Rifugio Lagazuoi cable car, and the Lago di Sorapis trail are all accessible from the town. It is a classic base for first-time visitors to the Dolomites.

• Cable cars and variety - choose Ortisei in Val Gardena. Two cable cars start from Ortisei (Seceda, and Mont Sëuc onto Alpe di Siusi), so you can change terrain every day without driving. The best multi-day hub for hikers who want to cover maximum ground.

• Tre Cime without a car - choose San Candido or Dobbiaco. Arrive by train in Dobbiaco, then catch bus line 444 from the station to Rifugio Auronzo. This is a seasonal shuttle: the ticket must be booked and paid online. From San Candido, take the short train hop one stop west to Dobbiaco to connect to the 444. No car needed at any stage.

• Tre Cime on a budget - choose Dobbiaco. Line 444 originates from Dobbiaco station, so you skip the San Candido connection. Accommodation is cheaper than in San Candido, and the Lago di Braies loop is also accessible from Dobbiaco bus station, on bus line 442: a seasonal service, by reservation while the road is regulated (1 July to 15 September).

• High start, Alta Via 1 staging - choose Corvara. At 1,568 m5,144 ft, you start from well above Ortisei and Dobbiaco. The Fanes plateau, Piz Boè, and the Alta Via 1 stages between Rifugio Biella and Rifugio Fanes are all within reach.

• Passes without a car - choose Arabba or Canazei. From Arabba you walk to the Passo Campolongo, and the Pordoi is a walk and a gondola away; from Canazei, summer buses climb to the Pordoi, Sella and Fedaia passes.

• Tre Cime from the other side - choose Misurina: the Rifugio Auronzo shuttle leaves from Misurina.

• Lake and Civetta huts - choose Alleghe: two gondolas take you up to the Col dei Baldi, from where the Coldai hut is about an hour’s walk.

Should you stay in a town or in a rifugio?

The honest answer for most hikers is: both. Town accommodation gives you a hot shower, a private bathroom, and the flexibility to change plans without forfeiting a deposit. Rifugio nights give you the experience - waking at 2,500 m8,202 ft before the day-trippers arrive, walking the first hour in empty mountain light, hearing the exact moment the alpine silence breaks when the cable cars start.

A practical split that works well: two or three nights in a base town, then one or two nights in a rifugio mid-route. This structure keeps luggage light (you leave what you do not need at the hotel), reduces booking risk (one rifugio night is easier to secure than four), and gives you the best of both environments. For the practical mechanics of booking rifugi - including deposits and walk-ins - the mountain hut guide covers the full process, and the mountain huts hub lists all 49 rifugi along the main routes. If you are trying to decide how many days to allocate, the Dolomites itinerary planning guide lays out realistic day counts for each combination of objectives.