Alta Via 1 with Via Ferratas VF4










Highlights
- GO hike hut to hut across the Italian Dolomites, which are cherished for their unique beauty and war history
- GO challenge yourself mentally and physically on the via ferrata aided climbing routes of the Dolomites
- GO eat heaps and heaps of delicious Italian food
The Italian Dolomites are famous for via ferratas. The Alta Via 1 trek is Italy's highlight long-distance hiking trail and leads awe-struck hikers through the Dolomites from north to south. This route is famous, and for very good reason. Accommodation is in a multitude of comfortable mountain huts. Along the way are several of the most famous via ferratas in the Dolomites. The via ferratas are a great way to spice up the hike and most are optional. What makes this tour truly stand out is the World War I history, as it passes by former battlefields, fortification remnants, and other clues that this serene environment was not always so peaceful. We recommend doing some reading on World War I history in the Dolomites before the tour, to make it that much more interesting. Although this tour is feasible from mid-June to mid-September, it is likely to encounter problematic snowfields in late-June, and snowstorms in early September.
Length 11 days
Season July to early-September
Airport Venice, Italy
Physical Condition
Technical Difficulty
Read more about difficulty ratings
Responsible Travel Score:
12/15 Responsible Travel Leader
(detailed summary available in Tour Documents)
When assessing if the difficulty level of this itinerary falls within your capability, look closely at the Distance, Elevation Gain and Elevation Loss for each individual day on the itinerary. We recommend you pay the most attention to Elevation Gain, as this is usually the most extreme factor in the Alps. Compare this to other hikes you have done.
The Estimated Time is calculated using a formula provided by the Deutscher Alpenverein (German Alpine Club). This means it is designed by people who regularly hike in the Alps for people who regularly hike in the Alps. If you are not used to hiking in this type of terrain, your hiking time will likely be much slower.
Day | Distance km. | Distance mi. | Est. Time* | Elevation Gain m. | Elevation Gain ft. | Elevation Loss m. | Elevation Loss ft. | Hiking Difficulty | Comments |
1 | 20,2 | 12,6 | 07:33 | 1.513 | 4.964 | 957 | 3.140 | T3 |
|
2 | 19,2 | 11,9 | 09:29 | 1.369 | 4.491 | 1.421 | 4.662 | T3 | B/C difficulty - optional |
3 | 8,8 | 5,5 | 03:29 | 1.400 | 4.593 | 712 | 2.339 | T3 | A difficulty - optional |
4 | 14,4 | 8,9 | 04:10 | 1890 | 6.201 | 1.890 | 6.201 | T5 | Choice of C/D-rated via ferratas |
5 | 8,0 | 5,0 | 05:57 | 482 | 1.581 | 749 | 2.457 | T3 | A/B difficulty - optional |
6 | 10,7 | 6,6 | 07:34 | 471 | 1.545 | 827 | 2.713 | T3 |
|
7 | 17,2 | 10,7 | 05:57 | 950 | 3.117 | 867 | 2.844 | T2 |
|
8 | 19,4 | 12,1 | 07:34 | 1313 | 4.308 | 1.827 | 5.994 | T3 | Alternate route with C/D via ferrata available. This is an optional Add-on, visible under the Add-ons tab: Alternate Route Monte Civetta 3,220 m. Summit |
9 | 15,8 | 9,8 | 06:20 | 1.079 | 3.540 | 1.037 | 3.402 | T3 |
|
10 | 6,6 | 4,1 | 04:57 | 1031 | 3.383 | 1.175 | 3.855 | T3 | B/C difficulty - required |
11 | 12,7 | 7,9 | 05:00 | 407 | 1.335 | 1.503 | 4.931 | T3 |
|
Totals | 153 | 95 | 22:00 | 11.905 | 39.058 | 12.965 | 42.538 | T5 |
|
*Estimated time is based on a pace of 4.2 km. per hour and 400 m. elevation gain per hour. | |||||||||
Time for stops is not included. Actual time will vary. |


-General hiking and navigation skills
-Ability to read and interpret a topographic map
-Alpine hiking experience
-Via Ferrata difficulty up to C (Schall Scale)
-Comfort with exposure
Packages and Pricing
Included in all packages
- Exclusive access to tours in a navigation app, even when offline
- Custom eGuidebook containing maps, daily itinerary, accommodation information and more
- GPX File
- Carbon offsetting for your tour (1 metric ton per customer)
- Optional Airport to Airport full service booking
- Booking and logistics assistance during your tour
- Unlimited time spent answering your questions
- Peace of mind by leaving the planning and booking to local experts
- More time for the important things in life
Comfort Package
Almost Luxury
Not Available
11 days
All Prices are Per Person
No Fees Apply
Classic Package
BEST DEAL
2,330€ tax included*
Double/Triple Occupancy
11 days
What's Included:
-5 nights in private rooms** at mountain huts
-5 nights in dormitories at mountain huts
-10 breakfasts
-10 dinners
All Prices are Per Person
Ultralight Package
Best for Budget Adventurers
1,950€ tax included*
Single Occupancy Included
11 days
What's Included:
-10 nights accommodation in dormitories in mountain huts
-10 breakfasts
-10 dinners
All Prices are Per Person
*Last-minute booking fees apply when booked less than two months in advance: **Private rooms are in
high demand at mountain huts and they do book out quickly. When there is no
availability for a private room, you may end up in the dormitory. Should this
happen, we will adjust pricing accordingly. We can book the best itineraries for
customers who provide us a flexible date range to work with.
Within 2 months of tour start date: 50€ per person
Within 1 month of tour start date: 100€ per person
Not included
-Paper map
-Emergency response and rescue
-Flights
-Beverages
-Any meals not specified
-Sheets at mountain huts (a sleeping bag liner or travel sheet is normally required)
-Fees for any additional transportation used during the hiking tour, such as lifts, gondolas, and buses
-Some accommodations charge tourist or city taxes that must be paid on site. These rarely exceed 2€ per person per night
Add-ons
Airport to Airport Package from Venice Public
+1 day
640€
1 night in a simple hotel near Lago di Braies
Transportation between Venice and Cortina d'Ampezzo, as well as Belluno and Venice (public transportation)
Note: there are 3 required bus transfers that must be paid in cash on site. We will provide timetables for these
The Airport to Airport Package is not customizable
Airport to Airport Package from Venice Private
+1 day
1210€*
1 night in a 4-star hotel at Lago di Braies (based on availability)
Transportation between Venice and Lago di Braies; and Belluno and Venice (private transportation)
The Airport to Airport Package is not customizable
Alternate Route Monte Civetta 3,220 m. Summit
+ 0 days
0€
This is a committing route to one of the classic via ferrata summits in the Dolomites, Monte Civetta on Via Ferrata Alleghesi (C/D difficulty rating). It is an alternate route for Day 8. The summit can be avoided in bad weather, but even the detour to the hut is exposed and secured with cables (A difficulty rating) and can be very slippery in wet conditions.
Alternate Route Via Ferrata Constantini (D/E)
+1 day
160€
Rest Day
+1 day
150€
Luggage Transportation from
Cortina d'Ampezzo to Belluno
(up to 3 25kg bags)
220€
- This requires a stay at hotels in Cortina d'Ampezzo (city) the night before the tour, and a hotel in Belluno (city) the night after the tour. Hotels must have a staffed front desk to give out and receive luggage. No AirBnbs
This add-on lowers the Responsible Travel Score from 12 to 10 points
Luggage Transportation from
Lago di Braies to 2 refuges and Belluno
(up to 3 25kg bags)
- This requires a stay at hotels in Cortina d'Ampezzo (city) the night before the tour, and a hotel in Belluno (city) the night after the tour. Hotels must have a staffed front desk to give out and receive luggage. No AirBn
This add-on lowers the Responsible Travel Score from 12 to 9 points
All prices are per person
*Private transportation packages require a minimum of double occupancy
Accommodation
The Alta Via 1 does not run through any towns, and accommodation is 100% in rifugios, or mountain huts. These huts range from very comfortable (by hut standards) to rustic. Most of them are privately owned, usually by families, and they all operate in their own independent way. While there’s a lot of variation from hut to hut, you can read our Staying in Mountain Huts Webpage for information about the hut experience.
Generally speaking, the huts toward the beginning of the route are more fancy (by hut standards, of course) and the huts toward the end of the route are more basic. This is generally due to the fact that the Alta Via 1 becomes more remote, the further south you go. Many of the huts do have private rooms available, but these book out very quickly. At the end of the route, none of the huts have private rooms, so it is impossible to do the route 100% in private rooms without exiting early. Hikers who insist on private rooms should book early, have a flexible date range, and/or be willing to use off-route accommodation that is convenient to reach.
While not all huts on the route are equal, we hear great feedback about every hut on the route. Of course, there’s variation amongst our customers regarding the most, and least, favorite huts on the route. It’s really a matter of personal preference. If there are specific huts that you would like to stay in, you can share that with us in your booking, and we’ll do our best to honor your request.
Meals
Breakfast and dinner will always be available at, or near, your accommodation. It is not necessary to carry your own food for these meals. In most cases, the huts allow us (and often require us) to book half-pension for our customers, which includes a multi-course set menu for dinner (usually with a vegetarian and non-vegetarian option) and breakfast. Drinks are never included. In our experience, the dinners serve up heaps and heaps of delicious Italian food, and the breakfasts are less impressive with bread as the centerpiece. Some huts do not have set menus that they offer, and instead expect guests to order dinner a la carte at the hut. At these huts, we are unable to book and pay for dinner in advance, so dinner is not included in the package, but it is available for purchase on site.
Read about dietary restrictions at the huts
- There are so many huts along the way, that depending on your itinerary, you’ll likely have options to sit down for a warm lunch on each day. While this sounds appealing, it is also very expensive and time-consuming. This is not a great option on long hiking days or for slower hikers who are already concerned about covering the planned route.
- Most huts offer sack lunches that you can bring with you on the trail. We find these to be overpriced and repetitive to breakfast, and this option generates a lot of trash. Most huts do not include picnic lunches in their reservation process, which is why we are unable to book these in advance for you. Sack lunches should be requested immediately upon arrival at the hut for the next day. Huts are generally not very flexible in honoring dietary restrictions with their sack lunches.
- The third option, and our favorite option, is to bring your own food. Since there aren’t any grocery stores along the way, it’s necessary to purchase food before starting on the trail.
The Alta Via 1 is likely to have the best conditions between mid-July and the end of the August. Huts are generally open from mid-June until mid-September, which defines the hiking season for the Alta Via 1. The specific dates for each of our Alta Via 1 itineraries are defined by the opening season of the huts. Keep in mind that via ferratas can be exceptionally dangerous in late spring/early summer, when cables may remain buried under treacherously steep snowfields.
Here's what conditions to expect at different times of year:
Late June: Huts are open and routes from the valleys to the huts are clear. Problematic snow may still remain on the passes and at high elevations, and in some years, it may be necessary to bypass certain sections of trail using transportation (which is not convenient and is usually expensive). It is highly likely that some of the via ferratas may not be doable. Even if the passes are clear in time for your hike, they usually clear at the very last minute, and June hikers always have a couple of stressful weeks leading up to their hike as they check webcams and eagerly wait for the snow to melt in time for their hike. In almost every year, it is not possible to predict what trails are going to be like in June until one or two weeks before. This is true even after a winter with low snowfall. Some of the Dolomiti Bus lines don’t start running until late June or early July, and timetables are not available in advance, which makes planning difficult. Buses for Lago di Braies and the La Pissa Bus Stop are running, but it may be difficult to access Malga Ra Stua, Passo Falzarego, Palafavera/Passo Staulanza and other stops along the way.
July and August: Problematic snow can remain on the route through the first week of July and can remain on the via ferratas through mid-July. Some via ferratas may not be doable until mid-July. Summer settles in and days are usually mostly sunny with an afternoon thunderstorm or two. It is necessary to avoid passes and being clipped in to via ferrata cable during these storms. Considering that the electrical storms rarely last more than 30 minutes to an hour, these thunderstorms rarely interfere with hiking itineraries, and it is often possible to work around them for the via ferratas. Of course, thunderstorm safety should be practiced. The wildflowers at the higher elevations should be all out by mid-July. Hiking conditions during this time are often favorable, and it’s a great time to be on the trail.
Early September: The first snow of the winter usually falls in the first week of September. The snow rarely sticks around for more than a day, but the visibility can be very low, making navigation problematic on this one day. Most days in early September are beautiful and perfect, and the thunderstorms are less, but there is a higher risk of snowstorms and conditions that may prevent you from completing your hike during this time. Many hikers have incredible weather in September, but some do not. It’s simply a matter of luck. The later you push into September, the higher the risk that unfavorable conditions (usually snow, but sometimes extremely cold temperatures) can interfere with your hiking itinerary. We notice that customers who are on the trail beyond September 15th are much more likely to quit their hike early due to conditions. In early September, the wildflower season is mostly over, with the exception of brilliant bursts of fireweed that mark the end of summer. The Malga Ra Stua shuttle is not running, and many of the Dolomiti Bus lines (Passo Falzarego, Palafavera/Passo Staulanza, etc.) could stop running as early as September 8th. The timetable for the La Pissa Bus Stop changes sometime around or after September 8th, and the new timetable will not be posted until the first day it is valid. This means that the timetable will change during the hike for many September hikers, and they may not know the pick-up times until arriving at the last hut on the route, Rifugio Furio Bianchet, where the times are usually posted.
In all months, it’s reasonable to expect 1 to 2 rainy days on the trail.
To research more detailed information about average temperatures, precipitation, etc., we recommend checking Meteoblue (go to “History & Climate” and then “Climate (modelled)”) for Passo di Falzarego and Forcella Staulanza.
Important note about availability on the Alta Via 1: Many authors and bloggers have published information that June and September are the shoulder season and are less crowded on the Alta Via 1 than other times of the summer. The word is out and now huts tend to fill up faster in June and September than they do in late July and August. In fact, for the past couple of years, August has had the most availability for last-minute bookings. With that said, August is a busy time of year for tourists in the area, so hotels in Cortina can be more expensive at that time, and sometimes difficult to get.
We accept bookings up to 21 days prior to the start date of the tour
Only 20% payment due at the time of booking!
Current Availability
Updated September 9th, 2025
We are currently accepting bookings for 2026 itineraries, currently available at 2025 pricing. Some of the huts on the route are already accepting reservations for 2026, and spaces are going fast. This is especially true for private rooms, so we recommend booking as soon as you are ready. Prices will be updated in October for 2026. Until that point, it is possible to book 2026 tours at 2025 prices.
You can book the tour online by following the green button, “GO Book the Tour.”
Useful Links
Booking Process
- Initiate the booking process by selecting the green button labeled, GO Book the Tour
- Complete the fields in the booking process and continue on to process the deposit (usually 20%, sometimes 30%) via Paypal (Paypal account not needed)
- We'll start checking availability and working on your bookings. As long as there is availability, we will book the accommodations and send you your eGuidebook within 21 days of the booking (this may take longer for custom tours and last-minute tours). This will include GPS waypoints of the accommodations and will be in a format that can be saved on your smartphone for convenient use on the tour. If any changes need to be made during the tour, there will be a phone number available to you during the tour, although additional charges may apply
If there are any issues with availability, we will contact you and work with you to find an alternative solution. If we are unable to find one, we will refund the deposit in full.
The remaining balance for the tour is due 30 days prior to the first date of the tour.
Group Discount
Only one discount will be applied per tour participant. Discounts are only applicable to tours. Discounts are not applicable to fees or additional services, such as Airport to Airport Packages or bicycle rentals.
Groups of 6 or more: 15% discount for all participants & customize an existing tour without Customization Fees