Grande Strada delle Dolomiti

TomassoRizzi's picture

Location

Dolomites
Italy
46° 29' 14.6184" N, 11° 48' 48.078" E
IT
General info: 

Want to see some spectacular views… by car? The Great Dolomite Road runs 65 miles through some of the finest alpine scenery in Europe: Belluno–Cortina d'Ampezzo–Pordoi Pass–Sella Pass–Val di Fassa–Bolzano. For even more gorgeous views, you can take a cable car up from the pass to the summit of Sass Pordoi. And, of course, there are plenty of hiking trails!

At 7,346 feet it is the highest surfaced road traversing a pass in the Dolomites. In the spring and early summer, passes labeled private://closedprivate:// are often bare, dry, and, as far as local drivers are concerned, wide open. Conveniently for Italian tour operators, no direct public transportation route covers the Great Dolomite Road.

The Sass Pordoi cable car takes you in few minutes from the Pordoi Pass to the summit of Sass Pordoi, where a beautiful view of all the Dolomites is available all around you.
You can get to the summit, perhaps eating at the restaurant, and descend again with the cable car, or you can descend by foot along one of the three following itineraries.

The Sass Pordoi is an ideal starting point for hikes to Piz Boe, to the mountain passes Gardena and Campolongo and to Colfosco through the Val Mezdi.

Getting there: 

No public transport through the entire route.

Costs: 

Cable car Sass Pordoi
Opening dates: 18.05 - 20.10
Opening times: 09.00 - 17.00
One way 8,5€, Return ticket 15€.

Interesting places nearby

The Lieser – Maltal with the ski area Innerkrems, which is located in Carynthia embedded in the two national parks Hohe Tauern and Nockberge, has numerous pistes to offer. The slopes are mostly suitable for intermediate skiers.

The ski resort Innsbrucker Nordkettenbahnen used to be a secret tip for insiders, today it's the place where the best snowboarders of the world meet. It takes just a few minutes to get from the town to the high Alpine area.

You can have both worlds - rest and recreation in the winter sunshine, and the fun of doing active sports.

The Silvretta - Arena in Tyrol lies in between the two mountain ranges Silvretta and the Verwall Alps. Their peaks reach up to over 3000 m altitude.

With less than 600 year round residents, the resort of Isola 2000 is nestled at the gateway to the Mercantour National Park; only 4km from the Franco-Italian boarder (not open through the winter).

BASE: 1853ft
SUMMIT: 2329ft
VERTICAL DROP: 475ft

NO. OF. LIFTS: 3
Gondolas: 0
Chairs: 1
Surface: 2