A few years ago, planning a day in the Dolomites meant choosing a trail and a start time. Today four of the busiest sites require a paid online booking, each with its own portal, its own hours and its own exemptions. Turning up without one means being turned back at the valley entrance.
Every figure below comes from the operators and authorities that publish it, and reflects the most recent documented season. Each site republishes its terms before opening: check them before you travel in 2027.
Which accesses have to be booked?
| Site | What is restricted | Window | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lago di Braies | Prags valley road | 1 July to 15 September, 09:00 to 16:00 | 44 EUR$51 combined ticket |
| Tre Cime di Lavaredo | Rifugio Auronzo road and car park | Whole open season | 40 EUR$46 for 12 hours |
| Seceda | Cable car from Ortisei | Whole summer season | 74 EUR$86 return |
| Alpe di Siusi | Plateau road and car parks | 09:00 to 17:00 in cable-car season | 15-30 EUR$17 to $35 per day |
How do you reach Lago di Braies?
According to the official Prags valley portal, the road up the valley to the lake was regulated in 2026 from 1 July to 15 September, 09:00 to 16:00: during those hours private vehicles get through only with an online reservation or a valid transit permit. Before 09:00 you can arrive without booking, but a parking space is not guaranteed; after 16:00 and outside those dates, access is free.
During the restricted window the official Prags valley portal sells a combined ticket at 44 EUR$51 bundling the transit permit, a guaranteed parking space, and a 22 EUR$26 voucher to spend in the valley’s restaurants and shops. The voucher only comes with an advance booking, not a same-day one. Without a reservation, only a valid transit permit lets you through.
The portal is explicit on one point: during the regulated hours the valley is still reachable on foot, by bike and by public transport. Access on foot and by bike stays free. Bus line 442 from Dobbiaco and Villabassa and line 439 from Monguelfo station serve the lake; during the regulated period those buses must be reserved and paid for online in advance. Until 30 June and from 16 September, line 442 runs without a reservation and tickets can also be bought from the driver in cash.
The lake is the starting point of the Alta Via 1, which makes this constraint particularly awkward: a trek starting at 10:00 on 20 July means the car question has to be settled the day before. Our Lago di Braies page covers the shoreline loop and the walk up to Malga Foresta.
How much does the Tre Cime road cost?
The panoramic road climbing from Misurina to Rifugio Auronzo is a toll road, and cars can only drive up with an advance online booking. The Auronzo di Cadore municipal portal publishes the full scale (2026 prices).
- Car: 40 EUR$46
- Motorcycle: 26 EUR$30
- Campervan: 60 EUR$70
- Coach up to 30 seats: 80 EUR$93, above that: 160 EUR$186
- Auronzo residents: 5 EUR$6
- Mountain guides and hiking leaders: 150 EUR$174 for the whole season
- Visitors with disabilities: free, with prior registration and booking, subject to the spaces reserved near Rifugio Auronzo
The ticket is valid for 12 hours from the time you choose when booking, and the registration plate is recorded and can be changed once. The road is usually open from late May to late October.
The official alternative is the shuttle. The Autonomous Province of Bolzano publishes the mobility measures for the Tre Cime area: a bus links Dobbiaco to Rifugio Auronzo from 31 May to 11 October 2026, with online booking compulsory in both directions. On the Val Fiscalina side, public transport is recommended from 14 June to 11 October 2026, with no reservation needed. Then there is walking up, which remains the finest way to arrive beneath the three towers; the Tre Cime page describes the full loop and the possible starting points.
Why does Seceda now need a booked slot?
The Seceda cable car opened on 22 May 2026; for summer 2026, the ascent from Ortisei is booked online in fixed thirty-minute time slots. The Seceda lift company lists, for summer 2026, the combined Ortisei - Furnes - Seceda return at 74 EUR$86 for an adult and 37 EUR$43 for a junior, with children under 8 travelling free when accompanied by an adult. The Ortisei - Furnes section alone is 33 EUR$38. The lifts run from 08:30 to 17:00, from 22 May to 2 November 2026, and Dolomiti Super Summer tickets are not accepted.
The Val Gardena tourist board lists two discounts: 5% for Val Gardena Guest Pass holders who buy online at least seven days ahead, and 35% on presentation of the südtirolmobil pass, currently at the ticket desk only.
The Seceda ridgeline is still reachable on foot from the valley floor or from Val di Funes: the restriction applies to the cable car, not to the trails. It takes longer, it is considerably better, and it sidesteps the question entirely. Our Seceda ridgeline page describes the loop from the valley car park.
How do you get up to Alpe di Siusi?
Europe’s largest high alpine meadow applies two separate rules, and it is the combination that catches visitors out.
First, the Alpe di Siusi tourist board states that the road from Siusi up to Compatsch is closed to private vehicles from 09:00 to 17:00 during the cable-car season; in the intermediate seasons it is open to traffic all day.
Second, since summer 2026 the Alpe di Siusi tourist board requires an online parking reservation, with bookings opening six days before the visit date. P1 Spitzbühl costs 15 EUR$17 a day for a car, P2 Compatsch 30 EUR$35. Parking is banned between 23:00 and 05:00.
Guests staying on the plateau receive a special permit: on arrival day they can drive up at any time as far as their accommodation, and on departure day they can leave at any time; during the stay they can drive to Compatsch only before 10:00 and after 17:00. Holders of the European Disability Card may drive up to Compatsch at any time and have free reserved spaces there, with prior registration.
During the closed hours you go up by cable car from Siusi or by the Mont Sëuc cable railway from Ortisei, which runs in 2026 from 08:30 to 17:00 from 1 May to 5 June, 08:30 to 18:00 from 6 June to 16 October, then 08:30 to 17:00 from 17 October to 2 November. Our Ortisei hiking guide covers the valley’s three lift systems and their operating hours.
Will these rules be the same in 2027?
Nobody can say so today, and you should be wary of anything that claims otherwise. Each site republishes its terms before its season opens, and the Prags valley portal states that the road regulation will return in summer 2027, with more details in spring 2027.
What is documented, though, is the direction of travel. Two schemes were created in 2026: slot booking at Seceda and parking reservation at Alpe di Siusi. A fifth is under study on the Passo Gardena road, which we cover in our article on what changes on the passes in 2027.
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