Hiking Tre Cime di Lavaredo: The Most Famous Hike in the Dolomites

If you're looking to experience the most famous hike in the Dolomites, then you've come to the right place. 

Tre Cime di Laveredo has become increasingly popular from its iconic triple peak, and hiking around it is seriously a must for your visit to the stunning Italian mountain range. 

In this guide we're going to go over everything you need to know to visit this famous hike in the Dolomites- from how to get there, to everything you'll experience throughout the trek.

📍 Where is The Most Famous Hike in the Dolomites?

Tre Cime di Lavaredo is located in the southern part of the Dolomites, which are in the north of Italy, in the province of Berullo.

The hiking trails starts from Refugio Auronzo, which is located in Auronzo di Cadori. It lies about 20 minutes from the town of Misurina, and is about 35-40 minutes from Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Tre Cime di Lavaredo Price & Timetable

The trailhead for Tre Cime di Lavaredo is open 24/7, and is free of charge to enter. However, in order to get to the parking lot, you will have to pass the toll road, which costs 30 euros. Since both

Cadini di Misurina and Tre Cime di Lavaredo start from the same parking lot, we suggest doing both of these hikes together so you won't need to spend the 30 euros twice.

The Most Famous Hike in the Dolomites: Conquering Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Now you know the basics for getting to Tre Cime di Lavaredo. So are you ready to learn how to conquer the most famous hike in the Dolomites? Let's check out the journey!

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👀 Can You See Tre Cime Without Hiking?

You won't be able to see Tre Cime just by driving straight up. However, you can actually see the three peaks after just a short walk from the parking lot!

One of the reasons that the Tre Cime di Lavaredo is the most famous hike in the Dolomites is because the trail is simply so dynamic. The cool thing about the trail is it is a loop, so there are two different ways to experience it, with several other paths that branch off of it.

You can see Tre Cime from various viewpoints, and a few of them are just after walking 15-20 minutes, making it suitable for families who don't want to do the entire loop.

You can start to see Tre Cime di Lavaredo after 15-20 minutes walking from each side.

⬆ How Long is the Tre Cime Trail?

The whole loop of the Tre Cime trail is 10.4 km.

⏳ How Long Does It Take to Hike the Tre Cime di Lavaredo?

If you don't really stop, and go at a fast pace, you can finish the loop in a little over 2 hours. However, there are a ton of things to enjoy that fork off the main trail, so we would suggest leaving at least 5 hours to experience all that Tre Cime di Lavaredo has to offer.

🥾 The Hike of Tre Cime di Lavaredo Step-by-Step

There are two different points that you can start hiking Tre Cime. You can either do the loop clockwise (to the left of the refuge) or you can do it counter-clockwise (to the right of the refuge). We chose to do it counter clock-wise, as this is how you get the best views.

The most popular way is to start counter-clockwise (with the valley on your right).

Now we're going to share our journey, step-by-step, so you know exactly what to expect.

Step 1: Walk to the Church/ First Viewpoint

After just 10 minutes walking along a flat path, you'll arrive at a small church. Just ahead of it on the right you can take a small detour (5-10 minutes), where there is a monument, and some pretty views of the valley and river below.

Step 2: Walk to Refugio Lavaredo

After another 10 minutes you'll make it to the next refuge. Here is where you can start to see views of the Tre Cime. We stopped just a few minutes for pictures, but you can also stop here for a drink, bite to eat, or simply to use the bathroom.

Step 3: Walk to the Side of Tre Cime

The next part is where you'll start walking uphill. Be careful, because this part is full of loose gravel, and can be a bit trickier to walk up. In just 10 minutes you'll arrive at a flat area with a map, and you'll be right next to Tre Cime. We stopped at this part for 15 minutes to take pictures, check the map, and rehydrate.

Step 4: Walk to a Photo Area of Tre Cime

Once you get to the sign you'll start walking to the right. The further you walk, the more and more the views of Tre Cime start to get better!

After 10 minutes we decided to walk in towards Tre Cime, and this is where we flew our drone. This is a cool area to stop and rest, get pictures, or have a small picnic.

Step 5: Head to Refugio Locatelli

Head back on the trail and you'll have just another 15 minutes to make it to Refugio Locatelli, which is pretty much the halfway point of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop. (It was a little under an hour of hiking time to make it there for us).

Refugio Locatelli faces Tre Cime di Lavaredo, so has stunning views, and has a complete menu, large seating area, and even picnic tables if you have your own food. This is the perfect place to take a break, before exploring the other fun things in the area.

Step 6: Explore Nearby Attractions

One of our favorite parts of this famous hike in the Dolomites is the small gems that are scattered along it. Rather than just hopping back on the trail, we suggest checking out some of these cool things:

⛪️ The Church

Right behind the refuge is a small church, with another cool find right behind it.

🪟 The Window Caves

Just a couple of minute walk right behind the refuge are a few small caves that face Tre Cime. They are super easy to spot, and are just up the hill. We spent about a half hour of our time going up there and taking pictures in the different windows.

💣 The WWI Tunnel

This was definitely one of the most unique parts of the hike, and one that we had no idea existed until we got there.

We were actually looking for a special window cave (a different one than the ones behind the refuge), and found out that there are tunnels that still exist from WWI! Through the tunnels you'll find window caves and cool views, making it definitely worth the detour.

You can go on a tour here, or you can go on your own. We went on our own, and while it is definitely doable, we can understand why others opt for the tour (it is very dark and steep inside).

The tunnels start from behind the refuge to the right. They start with small ones and some cool views, and then go into long dark tunnels with stairs and windows with different viewpoints.

This took us 20 minutes of walking each way, and another 20 minutes of taking pictures and looking around.

💧 The Lakes

Right behind Refugio Locatelli there are two big lakes. If you have time, you can also continue to walk to get up close to them. We didn't have too much time after the caves and tunnel, so just admired it from the refuge before continuing to finish the trail.

Step 7: Continue the Trail Around Tre Cime

From right below Refugio Locatelli you can get back onto the trail to make your way around the other end of Tre Cime.

The first 20 minutes you'll be going downhill, zigzagging towards the right of Tre Cime. After 20 minutes you'll find a sign, and a hill. It took us about 10 minutes to get up, where we stopped for a moment to enjoy the gorgeous views around us. 

In another 20 minutes of walking on a bit of a flatter area, we came across another small refuge.

The rest of the path was flat, going around the side of Tre Cime di Lavaredo, and circling back to the back of the parking lot.

We stopped for a few pictures along the way, and admired the massive collection of rock towers created by visitors, before making it back to parking lot exactly 5 hours after we had started (of which a little over 2 of them were the trail itself.)

Other Things to Keep in Mind For the Most Famous Hike in the Dolomites

Now you know almost everything you need to know for conquering the most famous hike in the Dolomites! But don't go anywhere. We have just a few more details to share with you.

☀️ Weather Conditions at Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Being located in the mountains, you'll find that it can get pretty chilly in this area, especially when the sun starts to go down.

When we arrived it was sunny so we were fine with pants and a t-shirt. But after the sun  started to go behind the mountains, it definitely started to cool off. We definitely suggest bringing a light jacket, or layers if you plan on staying in the late afternoon, or if you go early in the morning.

📆 The Best Time to Hike Tre Cime di Lavaredo

The best time to hike Tre Cime di Lavaredo is first thing in the morning, or late in the afternoon.

This way you can get beautiful lighting, and avoid the crowds. You could easily spend half a day in the area, as there are several trails, and also a few refuges where you can hang out and have something to eat or drink.

The best lighting is early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

We didn't get to make it there until the middle of the day, and the lighting was really bad for our photos. We definitely would have preferred either doing that very early, and spending more time before doing sunset at Cadini di Misurina, or doing Cadini di Misurina in the morning and staying at Tre Cime di Lavaredo until the sun went down.

🎒 How to Prepare for the Most Famous Hike in the Dolomites

Here are some of the things we suggest bringing on your hike to Tre Cime di Lavaredo:

• A good pair of sneakers or hiking shoes
• Light jacket for the wind
• Poncho in case it rains
• Tripod to take pictures on your own
• Water Bottle (we use this water bottle from Cafago because it is insulated)
• Camera (we use the Sony A7Riii)
• Standard Lens for more dynamic shots (we use the Sony GM 24-70)
• Wide Lens to for the window caves and tunnels (we use the Sony GM 14 F1.8)
• Telephoto Lens to make the mountains bigger in the frame (we use the Sony GM 70-200)
• Tripod to get pictures while no one is around or for multiple shots from far away (We use the Rangepod Tripod)
• Drone (We use the Mavic Mini 4 Pro because it's super light with incredible image quality)
• Insta 360 X3 with the extra long selfie stick for drone-looking shots
• Sandwich or snacks

Tips for the Most Famous Hike in the Dolomites

• Go early to beat the crowds.
• Plan for extra time to visit the tunnels, caves, and other small points of interest
• Bring snacks to save money.
• Bring layers in case it gets cold.
• There is no camping allowed, so plan to stay at the refuge, or another place nearby.
• Save time to hike Cadini di Misurina in the same day (if you are not staying in the refuge).

So are you ready to experience the most famous hike in the Dolomites? We definitely suggest giving yourself plenty of time to explore all that the area has to offer, and also to check out Cadini di Misurina while you're there.

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