Where to Stay in the Dolomites: 5 Best Areas & Hotels

The Dolomites are one of the most beautiful mountain regions in Italy, known for their dramatic peaks, alpine lakes, and wide open meadows. It’s a year-round destination, with hiking, cycling, and paragliding in summer, and skiing and snow activities taking over in winter.

One of the trickiest parts of planning a trip is deciding where to stay in the Dolomites. The region is huge, distances can be longer than they look on a map, and not every valley works well as a base, even if it looks amazing in photos.

In this guide, I’m focusing on the best areas to stay in the Dolomites based on multiple trips, easy access to top sights, and how people actually travel the region.

You’ll find a small selection of well-located bases, along with hotel recommendations for different travel styles and budgets, so you can choose the one that makes the most sense for your Dolomites itinerary.

Disclosure: This post contains a few affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through my link.

Overview of Where to Stay in the Dolomites

The Dolomites cover a large area, with mountain passes and winding roads connecting the main sights. Even though many places look close on a map, driving times can add up quickly, especially with the heavy traffic in summer.

For this reason, I usually recommend choosing more than one base in the Dolomites. Splitting your stay makes it much easier to explore different parts of the region without spending hours in the car each day.

As a general rule, Val Gardena or Alta Badia work best as a first base, while Cortina d’Ampezzo or Alta Pusteria are ideal for the eastern Dolomites. Alpe di Siusi can be a great third stop if you have more time, but it’s more of a nice addition rather than a must.

Below you’ll find a quick overview of the best areas to stay in the Dolomites, followed by a table comparing each location and hotel recommendations to help you choose the right base for your trip.

Area	Recommended Hotel
Val Gardena (first timers, hiking, easy cable car access)	Hotel Garni Walter
Alta Badia (quiet base, excellent food, hiking)	Hotel La Majun
Cortina d’Ampezzo (town atmosphere, Tre Cime access, dining and shopping)	Hotel Aquila
Alta Pusteria (family-friendly, alpine lakes, eastern Dolomites)	Guesthouse Rosengarten
Alpe di Siusi (mountain scenery, hiking, special stay)	ICARO Hotel

Map of the Best Areas to Stay in the Dolomites

Below you can find a customized map that includes the best places to stay in the Dolomites, including my recommended hotels for each area and for every budget.

How to use this map: This map is fully interactive, so you can move around, zoom in/zoom out, and click on the icons. If you want to see a larger map, click on the bracket in the upper right corner. To see more details and the different layers, click on the tab in the upper left corner. If you want to save it for later, click on the star icon next to the name of the map. Then simply open Google Maps either on your desktop or phone, go to ‘Saved’/’Maps’, and open the map whenever you need it.

Where to Stay in the Dolomites: Best Areas & Hotels

1. Val Gardena

Val Gardena is one of the best places to stay in the Dolomites, especially if it’s your first trip. The valley is well-connected, easy to get around, and gives you quick access to some of the most famous spots in the region without long daily drives.

I’ve been to the Dolomites three times, and every time I chose to stay in Ortisei for the first part of my trip. It’s an excellent base and makes exploring the area incredibly easy.

All the main cable cars start directly from town, including Seceda, Alpe di Siusi, and Resciesa, so you can reach high alpine views without needing to drive anywhere.

Val Gardena is also a great choice if you don’t want to rely on a car every day. Many accommodations provide the Val Gardena Mobil Card, which gives you free access to public transport in the valley and to nearby areas.

That said, having a car still makes day trips much easier, especially if you want to visit places like Santa Maddalena or Lago di Carezza, both of which are a short drive away.

When it comes to choosing where to stay within Val Gardena, Ortisei is the most convenient option if you like being able to walk to restaurants, shops, and cable cars.

We stayed at Hotel Angelo Engel right in the town center and loved how easy it was to get around. On another trip, we stayed at La Cort My Dollhouse, which is adults-only and very quiet, but it’s a bit outside the center, so it’s less practical if you want to walk everywhere.

Santa Cristina and Selva di Val Gardena are also solid alternatives if you prefer a quieter base or want to be closer to the mountain passes, but for a first stay in the Dolomites, Ortisei is hard to beat.

2. Alta Badia

Alta Badia is a great option if you’re deciding where to stay in the Dolomites and want a quieter, more relaxed base with incredible scenery. The valley sits between several major mountain groups, which makes it an excellent area for hiking in summer and skiing in winter.

If hiking is a priority, Alta Badia is hard to beat. From easy valley walks to panoramic high altitude routes through areas like Puez Odle and Fanes Senes Braies, you’ll find some of the best hikes in the Dolomites right on your doorstep.

Gondolas make it easy to reach higher elevations, and there are plenty of well-marked trails that don’t require long drives.

One thing that really sets Alta Badia apart is the food scene. This area has one of the highest concentrations of excellent restaurants in the Dolomites, with a strong focus on Ladin cuisine mixed with Italian and Austrian influences. Even casual mountain huts here tend to serve surprisingly good food!

We stayed at Hotel La Majun and absolutely loved it. The area has a calm, polished feel without being boring, which made it a really nice contrast to busier bases like Ortisei or Cortina.

Alta Badia is also almost exactly between Val Gardena and Cortina d’Ampezzo, with both around an hour away by car. Because of this, it can work as a single base if you really want to stay in one place, although I’d still recommend splitting your stay if you have the time.

When choosing a town, Corvara in Badia and La Villa are the most practical options. Corvara is centrally located with easy access to lifts and trails, while La Villa is slightly quieter and works well if you want to be closer to nature without feeling isolated.

3. Cortina d’Ampezzo

Cortina d’Ampezzo is one of the most popular places to stay in the Dolomites, and for good reason! If you’re looking for a base that combines incredible scenery, easy access to famous hikes, and an actual town atmosphere, Cortina is hard to beat.

One of the biggest advantages of staying in Cortina is how easy it is to get into the mountains. Several cable cars start right from town, including the lifts to Tofana di Mezzo and Faloria, so you can reach high alpine views without needing to drive anywhere.

At the same time, many of the best hikes in the Dolomites are just a short drive away. Trailheads for Lago di Sorapis and Lago di Federa are close by, and scenic lakes like Lago di Misurina and Lago di Landro are easy to reach by car.

Cortina also works extremely well as a base for exploring the eastern Dolomites. Tre Cime di Lavaredo is only about a 45-minute drive, which makes Cortina one of the most convenient places to stay if Tre Cime is high on your list.

This central location is one of the main reasons Cortina often comes up when people are deciding where to stay in the Dolomites.

Beyond hiking, Cortina feels like a real mountain town rather than a small village. There are plenty of restaurants, cafes, bars, and boutique shops, and it stays lively well into the evening. If you enjoy having things to do after a long day in the mountains, Cortina offers far more options than most other bases.

We stayed at Nord Hotel, which was comfortable and worked well overall, but it’s a bit outside the town center. One thing to keep in mind is that parking in Cortina can be surprisingly difficult, especially during peak season.

Because of that, I’d strongly recommend staying directly in town or very close to the center, so you can walk to dinner and cable cars without constantly worrying about parking.

4. Alta Pusteria

Alta Pusteria is a great base if your trip focuses on the eastern Dolomites and some of the region’s most famous natural sights. This area is especially popular for its proximity to Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Cadini di Misurina, and some of the most beautiful lakes in the Dolomites, like Lago di Braies.

If you enjoy spending most of your time outdoors, Alta Pusteria makes a lot of sense. In summer, it’s ideal for hiking, cycling, and mountain walks, and in winter it’s well set up for skiing and other snow activities.

The pace here is noticeably quieter than places like Cortina or Val Gardena, which many people see as a plus.

We stayed in Dobbiaco and found it to be the most practical base in the area. Dobbiaco is well located, easy to reach, and a great starting point for early mornings.

Staying here made it very easy to reach Lago di Braies for sunrise, and it’s also close to places like Lago di Landro, Lago di Misurina, Tre Cime, and Cadini di Misurina. We stayed at Hotel Patris and loved it, especially the pool and the mountain views from our room.

Dobbiaco is also only about a 40-minute drive from Cortina d’Ampezzo, which makes it possible to explore that area as well.

San Candido is another good option if you prefer a slightly busier town with more restaurants and cafes. Sesto can also work, especially if Tre Cime and Val Fiscalina are your top priorities, but it’s a bit more remote and requires more driving overall.

One thing to keep in mind is that Alta Pusteria works best as part of a multi-base itinerary. While it’s excellent for nearby highlights, it’s farther from places like Val Gardena or Alta Badia.

There are also fewer accommodation options compared to some other valleys, so it’s best to book early.

5. Alpe di Siusi

Alpe di Siusi, also known as Seiser Alm, is one of the most beautiful places in the Dolomites, but it’s important to understand what people usually mean when they talk about staying here.

Alpe di Siusi is a very large area geographically, but most travelers refer to the high alpine plateau reached by the cable car from Ortisei. This is the area I recommend if you’re considering staying on Alpe di Siusi.

This part of the Alpe di Siusi is ideal if you want to slow things down and really enjoy the surroundings. Early mornings and evenings are especially great here, once the cable car stops running and day visitors leave.

If you enjoy quiet walks, sunset views, and being surrounded by open meadows, staying here even for one night can be a great experience.

We stayed at Sporthotel Sonne and absolutely loved the experience. The hotel offers half board with excellent food, a great pool area, and unforgettable views of Sassolungo, which made staying on the plateau feel truly special!

Access is more limited than in other areas, which is part of the appeal but also something to plan for. Alpe di Siusi is totally car-free during the day (there’s a ban on cars from 9 am to 5 pm), and driving up is only allowed if you have a hotel reservation.

Otherwise, the easiest way to reach this area is by cable car from Ortisei. Because of these restrictions, it’s not a practical base for exploring the wider Dolomites, but it works very well as a short add-on to another stay.

In winter, Alpe di Siusi is also an excellent choice for skiing and snow activities. Staying directly on the plateau gives you immediate access to the slopes, which is a big advantage compared to commuting up each day.

Since this is a small and very specific area, there are only a handful of hotels located directly on the plateau. When searching for accommodation, it’s important to look specifically for hotels in this area, not in nearby towns like Siusi or Castelrotto, which offer a very different experience.