Why Choose Arabba as a Hiking Base?
Arabba suits you if you like to walk up to a pass in the morning and change valleys from one day to the next without changing hotels. The village, at 1,602 m5,256 ft (Rèba in Ladin), is the main one in the Fodom valley, in the province of Belluno, below the Sella and the Col di Lana, between four passes: the Passo Pordoi, the Passo Campolongo, the Passo Falzarego and the Passo Valparola.
If your plans fit in a single valley, sleep there instead: our guide to Canazei and the Val di Fassa covers the side of the Marmolada and the Val Contrin, and the one to Alta Badia and Corvara the other side of the Campolongo.
How Do You Get There and Get Around Without a Car?
The nearest railway stations are Brunico (50 km31 mi), Belluno (70 km43 mi) and Bolzano (75 km47 mi), which also has the nearest airport. Our guide to getting to the Dolomites compares the airports and the car-free routes to the valleys.
Two bus lines serve Arabba:
- 472 from Südtirol Mobil, from the Val Gardena to the Val Badia via the Passo Sella, the Passo Pordoi, Arabba and the Passo Campolongo, from 7 June to 11 October in 2026: enough to walk up to a pass and come back by bus, or to spend the day on the other side of the Sella. Times: line 472, Südtirol Mobil.
- Line 3 from Dolomiti Bus, from Arabba to Caprile and Agordo, in summer; the same line also serves the Passo Falzarego. Times and disruptions are on the Dolomiti Bus website.
The Sella and the Falzarego, further away, can also be done in a day by bus: the Sella on the 472, the Falzarego on line 3.
Passo Sella (Sellajoch)
Passo Sella links Val Gardena and Val di Fassa, at the foot of the Sassolungo. You can reach it by bus, on foot or by lift, and it is the start of the Sassolungo circuit and of the Forcella gondola.
Passo Falzarego
Passo Falzarego, on the Great Dolomites Road above Cortina, is the gateway to the Lagazuoi. How to get there by bus or car, what you can do on foot or by cable car, and what remains of the 1915-1917 front.
How Do You Walk Up to the Passo Campolongo?
You can reach the Campolongo entirely on foot from the village. On trail 638, allow 1 hour 30 minutes of walking, 2 km1.2 mi and 275 m902 ft of climbing. At the pass, the 472 takes you back down to the village or on to Corvara.
How Do You Get to the Passo Pordoi From Arabba?
The Passo Pordoi along the Cordevole and the Fodom. The path starts near the Porta Vescovo lift and follows the stream to Pont de Vauz, then the Fodom gondola climbs to the pass: allow 1 hour 30 minutes in all, for 3 km1.9 mi and 248 m814 ft of climbing, and 15 EUR$17 for the gondola ride up (2026 fare); dates, times and other fares are on the Val di Fassa tourist board’s summer lifts page.
From Porta Vescovo to the Pordoi. From the top station of Porta Vescovo, which the cable car reaches from the village, two trails reach the Passo Pordoi: trail 601 in 2 hours 30 minutes, 6 km3.7 mi and 260 m853 ft of descent, or trail 680 in 3 hours, 5.5 km3.4 mi and 153 m502 ft of climbing. At the pass, the Fodom gondola goes back down to Pont de Vauz.
The Arabba - Porta Vescovo cable car ran from 13 June to 4 October in 2026, from 8:30 am to 5 pm: 17.80 EUR$21 one way for an adult, 23 EUR$27 return (Funivie Arabba 2026 summer price list, in Italian).
At the pass, the Sass Pordoi cable car climbs to a terrace with a view of the Marmolada and the Sella; from the top station, the loop to the Piz Boè (3,152 m10,341 ft) is 7.8 km4.8 mi and takes about 3 hours 15 minutes, but it goes above 3,000 m9,843 ft: go properly equipped and in good weather.
If you use the lifts for several days, the Arabba Marmolada Summer Pass covers them 3 days out of 4 or 5 days out of 7. If you stay in the Val di Fassa, its Guest Card and the Trentino Guest Card do not cover the Arabba lifts.
How Do You Hike the Viel del Pan From Arabba?
From the Passo Pordoi starts the Viel del Pan (Bindelweg), a path facing the Marmolada glacier that leads to the Padon, then descends to Lake Fedaia and the Castiglioni hut, at the Passo Fedaia. To reach the Pordoi, take the Fodom gondola or bus 472.
The return by bus is long: there is no direct bus between the Fedaia and Arabba, and in summer 2026 you had to go down to Caprile on line 54 (2:59 pm, or 3:54 pm every day), then wait for the 5:55 pm bus to Arabba, on weekdays only (Dolomiti Bus timetable for lines 2, 3 and 54). At weekends, do the Viel del Pan as a round trip from the Pordoi.
Where Should You Stay in Arabba?
The village offers hotels, garnì, apartments and residences. Without a car, pick accommodation within walking distance of the bus stop and of the lifts.
To compare Arabba with the other bases in the range, our comparison of the best towns for hiking sets the main ones side by side.
When Is the Best Time to Hike From Arabba?
Aim for mid-June to mid-September: in 2026, that is the window when the Fodom gondola and bus 472 both ran. The 2027 dates are not yet published: check them in spring on the Val di Fassa tourist board and Südtirol Mobil pages linked above. For month-by-month weather and crowds, see our guide to the best time to hike in the Dolomites.
Hikes around Arabba
Lagazuoi - Loop from Armentarola & Great War Tunnel
The walking loop from Armentarola via the Forcella Lagazuoi, the lake and Rifugio Scotoni, or the Passo Falzarego cable car and the descent through the Great War tunnel.
Alta Via 1
The definitive multi-day journey across the heart of the Dolomites. Spanning 118 km73.3 mi of rugged limestone terrain, this classic trek takes you from the emerald waters of Lago di Braies to the historic streets of Belluno, staying in world-class mountain huts along the way.
Cinque Torri Loop & WWI Open Air Museum
Explore one of the most famous rock formations in the Dolomites. This guide covers the WWI trenches, the loop around the five towers, and the climb to the historic Rifugio Nuvolau.
Seceda Ridgeline
Walk the most iconic ridgeline in the Dolomites, along the spine of the Odle above Val Gardena. Choose a short loop from the gondola (4 km2.5 mi) or a full-day circuit via Monte Pic da Cristauta (12.8 km8 mi), facing the Geisler spires.
Huts around Arabba
Rifugio Contrin
Set in a broad alpine valley beneath the south face of the Marmolada, this historic refuge is a gateway to the highest peak in the Dolomites and the surrounding Fassa Valley trails.
Rifugio Lagazuoi
Perched on the summit of Lagazuoi at nearly 2,800 m9,186 ft, this refuge rewards visitors with one of the most celebrated panoramic sunsets in the Dolomites and access to restored World War I tunnels.
Rifugio Col Gallina
A welcoming mountain refuge perched just above the Falzarego Pass, offering panoramic views toward Lagazuoi and easy access to World War I tunnel routes.
Rifugio Scotoni
A small and scenic refuge on the slopes below Lagazuoi, offering panoramic views of the Fanes group and a quiet alternative to the busier huts of Alta Badia.
Passes around Arabba
Passo Campolongo (Ju de Ćiaulunch)
Passo Campolongo links Corvara, in Val Badia, to Arabba, between the Sella and the Fanes group. You can reach it by bus 472, on foot from Arabba or Planac, or on the way down from the Boè gondola.
Passo Fedaia
Passo Fedaia links the Val di Fassa to the province of Belluno, at the foot of the Marmolada and its glacier. Two summer bus lines serve it, a road climbs from Canazei and the Bindelweg arrives from Passo Pordoi.
Passo Pordoi (Pordoi Pass)
Passo Pordoi links the Val di Fassa and Arabba, at the foot of the Sella. Reach it by bus or gondola, then ride the Sass Pordoi cable car, climb Piz Boè, walk the Bindelweg to the Fedaia or visit the German war cemetery.
Passo Gardena (Grödner Joch)
Passo Gardena links Val Gardena and Val Badia, between the Sella and the Cirspitzen. You can reach it by bus in summer, on foot or by lift, and trail 2 leads from the pass to the Puez hut.
