The Italian Dolomites and the viewpoint at Cadini De Misurina – an absolutely epic place and this must be one of the finest mountain views anywhere in Europe? Or even the world!

THE ITALIAN DOLOMITES – A HIKERS PARADISE

The Italian Dolomites are like a little slice of mountain paradise tucked away in northeastern Italy. Picture jagged peaks piercing the sky, rolling green meadows dotted with wildflowers, and charming alpine villages that look straight out of a postcard. Whether you’re a hardcore hiker, photographer or a casual wanderer, the Dolomites must surely be one of the most beautiful places on earth!

2025 TRAVEL GOALS

This post is a little different to my others, as I haven’t actually visited the Dolomites…yet! – but I plan to very soon. But I’ve been doing my research, the internet is great for that, I’ve read blog posts, saved some social media photos, watched YouTube vids and it’s helped me pick out some of the places that look incredible to me.

I have an ever growing list of travel places I want to visit around the world – and my plan now is to try and go on one foreign hiking adventure every year, just for me, even if it’s just a long weekend – on the thinking – why wait! Life is for living – do it now!

As far as the Dolomites are concerned – I’ve whitled down my must-visit places to the below, that are in a similar-ish area – and if I can add a few more places – then great. I guess this blog post also shows my thought process of planning trips – which migh be insightful for some of you. Generally if I see a photo or a view I like – I save it on a google map, ready for a future trip. If it’s a far flung destination – when enough saved places accumulate in a certain area – I’ll plan an adventure!

DOLOMITES PLAN OF PLACES TO VISIT

My plan would be to fly into Verona, and probably rent a car here, and drive the 3 hours or so to Cortina d’Ampezzo where I would base myself for a few days (this seems like one of the best places to stay). I would then plan to see the places shown down the page, some of which are shorter walks than others. The Google map screen shot shows the location of my 5 must-visit places.

On the google map above – I have starred the 5 places to visit. On the right is Cadini Di Misurina viewpoint (top right), with Lago (Lake) di Sorapis bottom right. Federa Lake is right near Cortina d’Ampezzo. I may well be able to do 2 of these places in 1 day. I believe the Cadini Di Misurina viewpoint can get rather popular – so it’s best to visit early morning (also when the light hits it the best). On the left is Secede Ridge (bottom left) an epic walk (and another iconic place) – and top left is the Santa Maddalena viewpoint – I seen this photo/view donkeys years ago and it stuck in my mind. it’s what made me want to visit the Dolomites in the first place – so it’s must visit for me (apparently sundown is the best light for this one). I believe most of these places are quite well-known to those familiar with the dolomites and popular places, so getting the timing right to avoid the crowds will be key (both month of visit and time of day). I’m thinking late Sept (for possibly autumn colour) rather than peak summer. Anyhow – they seem to be good places to visit for a first-time visitor to the Dolomites area, and who knows – it could be the first of many trips! As I haven’t yet been to the Dolomites- the photos shown below are stock images. Hopefully I can see the views for myself shortly!

Cadini di Misurina

Epic view point with Cadini di Misurina mountain range in the morning – it doesn’t get much more dramatic or better than this!

Lake Sorapis (LAGO DE Sorapis)

This lake looks epic – look at the colour of the water. The hike is supposed to be pretty good too.

Federa Lake (LAGO)

Federa Lake and Croda da Lago mountains in Autumn time. Federa lake is a short distance from Cortina d’Ampezzo. From what I can gather it looks at it’s finest in Autumn when the Larch trees turn burnt orange. What a stunning place.

SECEDA RIDGE

Secede Ridge, Italian Dolomites – wow!

Santa Maddalena VIEW POINT

Santa Maddalena (St Magdalena) village with magical Italian Dolomites mountains in background

CORTINA d’AMPEZZO

A shot of the town of Cortina d’Ampezzo – a well know ski resort in winter – but a good base to explore all the sights I’d like to see in the Dolomites!

So there you go – a rather brief post really with not much finer detail on each place . Hopefully in time I will add my own photos and trip reports to help you plan your adventures even more! But that might be enough to help you get planning your own Dolomites trip