A few years ago you could turn up in the Dolomites and work things out on the day. That is no longer true for the most famous spots. Toll roads, lakes and car parks now run on online bookings, and the best mountain huts fill months ahead. Here is what to book in advance, what it costs, and what you can still leave to the day.
1. Mountain huts (rifugi): book first
If your trip includes a night in a mountain hut, book that before anything else. Most huts open their bookings in January, some as early as October of the year before, and the popular ones on routes like the Alta Via 1 or near the Tre Cime fill fast for July and August.
Most huts take bookings directly by email, phone or a form on their own website. The Dreizinnenhütte (Rifugio Locatelli) below the Tre Cime, for example, books by email form or phone and has around 140 places, most of them in a large dormitory. If a hut is full, ask to go on the waiting list: cancellations often free up beds a month or two before.
What to expect
- Price: half board (bed, dinner and breakfast) costs roughly €60 to €110 per person, depending on dorm or private room.
- Deposit: many huts ask for one and set their own cancellation rules, so read them before you pay.
- Sleeping-bag liner: bring one. It is compulsory in many huts, and a sleeping bag is not needed because blankets are provided.
- Cash: carry enough. Many huts cannot take cards, and there are no cash machines on the mountain.
- Club discounts: members of the Italian Alpine Club (CAI) and other alpine clubs get discounts in club huts, but many Dolomites huts are privately run and do not offer them.
2. The Tre Cime di Lavaredo toll road
The toll road from Misurina up to Rifugio Auronzo, the starting point of the Tre Cime loop, now requires a mandatory online booking. You cannot drive up without one. You book a time slot at pass.auronzo.info, add your number plate (until 23:59 the day before), and the booking is valid for 12 hours from your chosen arrival time.
In 2026 the toll was €40 for a car, €26 for a motorbike and €60 for a camper. The road usually opens in late May and closes in late October, depending on snow.
Bus 444 runs from Dobbiaco up to Rifugio Auronzo from late May to October, and the return trip must be booked and paid online. Dolomiti Bus also runs services from Cortina and Auronzo.
3. Lago di Braies
From 1 July to 15 September, cars can only drive to Lago di Braies between 9:00 and 16:00 with an online parking reservation or a transit permit. Outside those hours, and outside those dates, the road is open as normal.
If you go by bus in summer, lines 442 (from Dobbiaco and Villabassa) and 439 (from Monguelfo) must also be booked and paid online, and regional guest cards are not valid on them during the restriction period. The easiest option is to arrive before 9:00, when the lake is calm, the light is soft, and the crowds have not arrived.
4. Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm)
The road up to Alpe di Siusi, Europe's largest high alpine pasture, is closed to private cars during the day in season, roughly 9:00 to 17:00. From 29 June 2026 the Compatsch car park (P2) at the top must be booked online in advance: €30 per car per day, bookable up to six days ahead, non-refundable, and you must drive in before 9:00.
The simpler option is the Seiser Alm cable car from Siusi, which in summer 2026 cost €30 return or €21 one way for adults. Outside the main seasons the road is open to all cars all day.
5. Seceda
Seceda's ridge is one of the most photographed views in the Dolomites, and you reach it by cable car from Ortisei via Furnes. In summer 2026 the Furnes to Seceda section cost €44 return, and the full Ortisei to Seceda trip €74 return, for adults. The lift company recommends buying tickets online in advance.
Be aware that in 2025 and 2026 local landowners charged a small fee (€5) at a turnstile on the path to the famous viewpoint. The provincial government has questioned it and the dispute is unresolved, so check the situation before you go. A daily visitor limit with timed booking has also been discussed but is not in force.
6. Ski passes
For winter 2026/27, a Dolomiti Superski day pass costs €89 in high season and €80 on other days, and a 6-day pass costs €453 in high season or €407 at other times. High season runs from 20 December to 9 January and from 31 January to 20 March. The full Dolomiti Superski pass covers twelve ski areas, including the Sella Ronda circuit.
You do not have to buy your pass months ahead, but it pays to buy online. Multi-day passes bought online at least two days before your first ski day are discounted by a few per cent, and you skip the ticket-office queue on your first morning. Passes are not refundable, so check the conditions.
7. Pass roads: what is actually restricted
There has been plenty of news about closing the famous pass roads to cars. As of autumn 2026, here is the real situation:
- Passo Gardena: a ban on private cars planned from 1 September 2026 was put on hold, and there were no restrictions in 2026. A paid, bookable traffic zone for summer 2027 has been proposed but not approved.
- Sella, Pordoi and Campolongo: possible future limits are still under discussion. These passes do close to cars for a day during the Sellaronda Bike Day each June and September.
- Passo Giau: no toll or access limit in force.
Rules are changing year by year, so check the regional news before you set off.
8. What you can leave to the day
Most other things do not need advance booking. Valley walks, most cable cars outside the headline ones, ski hire and lunch at a mountain hut can usually be sorted on arrival. Dinner in popular restaurants in Cortina, Val Gardena and Alta Badia is worth reserving a day or two ahead in August and over Christmas, and ski school places fill up in the holiday weeks.
A simple booking timeline
- January to March: book mountain huts for a summer hut-to-hut route.
- Two to three months ahead: book accommodation in the valley you have chosen.
- A week to a few days ahead: book the Tre Cime toll road, Alpe di Siusi parking or Lago di Braies access for your chosen day.
- A few days before: buy ski passes or Seceda lift tickets online.
Still choosing your dates? Read our month-by-month guide to the best time to visit, or find the right base in which Dolomites valley to stay in.
Prices, opening dates and access rules change every year. We checked them in October 2026 against official sources; always confirm with the operator before you travel.
