Cortina: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Cortina d'Ampezzo was a farming valley of the Austrian Tyrol until 1918, and a resort for Austrian and English climbers before that. In 1956 it hosted the Winter Olympics, the first to be broadcast on television across Europe, and seventy years later, in February 2026, it shared the Games again with Milan. This walk runs from the main street to the Olympic venues. About two hours on foot, with a short taxi to the ski jump.

A short history of Cortina

For centuries Cortina d'Ampezzo was part of the Habsburg lands, and it passed to Italy only after the First World War, when the front line ran through the mountains around it. At the end of the 19th century British climbers and tourists began to arrive, and in 1956 it hosted the Winter Olympics, the first to be broadcast on television. In February 2026 the Olympic Games returned, together with Milan. The town is surrounded by the cliffs of the Dolomites, declared a World Heritage Site in 2009.

The ten best sights in Cortina

1
Basilica of Saints Philip and James
The parish church on Corso Italia; its bell tower is the town's landmark
2
Museo Etnografico Regole d'Ampezzo
Old Ampezzo life: tools, dress and crafts
3
Museo Rimoldi
A small, fine collection of 20th-century Italian art
4
Olympic Ice Stadium
Built for 1956 and used again in 2026; public skating sessions
5
Trampolino Italia
The old Olympic ski jump south of town, now silent
6
Faloria cable car
From the town centre up to the Faloria terraces
7
Tofana di Mezzo
Cable car to over 3,200 m; take a jacket even in August
8
Cinque Torri
Five rock towers and a First World War open-air museum
9
Lagazuoi
Cable car from Falzarego to the summit and the wartime tunnels
10
Passo Falzarego
The pass west of town at 2,105 m

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Cortina →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Cortina:

Free walking tours in Cortina

The Olympic town

Corso Italia · Corso Italia was the road through the village; in the 1950s, after the Olympics, it became the shop window of Italian winter chic, and luxury brands still line it. Cars are kept out, so in the early evening the whole town walks it.
Basilica of Saints Philip and James · The church was rebuilt in the 1770s, and its frescoes and altars are largely the work of Tyrolean artists. The free-standing bell tower beside it, added in the 19th century, is the tallest structure in town and can be seen from every slope.
Museo Rimoldi · Mario Rimoldi, a Cortina hotelier, collected the work of the Italian painters who came to stay — Filippo de Pisis and Massimo Campigli among them — and left the collection to the Regole, the town's ancient community of families.
Museo Etnografico Regole d'Ampezzo · The Regole are the old families of Ampezzo, who have owned and managed the valley's forests and pastures in common since the Middle Ages. They still hold most of the land around Cortina, and they run this museum and the town's nature park.
Olympic Ice Stadium · The opening ceremony of the 1956 Games took place in this stadium, when it was still open to the sky. It was roofed later, and in 2026 it hosted the Olympic curling tournament.
Trampolino Italia · The ski jump was built for the 1956 Olympics and used for competitions for more than thirty years before it closed around 1990. Its concrete tower still stands in the woods, a monument to the first Cortina Games.

The front line of 1915

When Italy entered the First World War in 1915, the front between Italy and Austria ran straight across the mountains west of Cortina. For two years soldiers lived in tunnels and huts at 2,500 metres and tried to blow each other off the peaks with mines. This car-and-cable-car route visits the open-air war museums and the passes they fought over, and ends with a legend older than any war. A full day; take warm layers and a headlamp for the tunnels.

Tofana di Mezzo · The cable car called Freccia nel Cielo, 'arrow in the sky', climbs to 3,244 metres. Below, on the Tofana's Castelletto, Italian engineers dug a tunnel under the Austrian position and blew it up with 35 tonnes of explosive in July 1916.
Cinque Torri · The Italian army held the Five Towers as an artillery base behind its lines, and its trenches, gun positions and huts have been rebuilt as an open-air museum. The towers are also a classic climbing ground, used to train soldiers then and climbers now.
Passo Giau · At 2,236 metres the Giau is one of the hardest climbs of the Giro d'Italia, with long steep ramps from the south. The pass marked the old border between the Republic of Venice and the Habsburg lands of Ampezzo.
Passo Falzarego · The front line crossed the Falzarego pass itself, with Austrian forts on one side and Italian positions on the other. The old Austrian Tre Sassi fort, at the nearby Valparola pass, is now a war museum.
Lagazuoi · Italian and Austrian soldiers dug tunnels through the Lagazuoi to place mines under each other, and blew several between 1916 and 1917. The Italian tunnel has been restored, and you can walk down through it from the summit in about an hour and a half.
Cascate di Fanes · The falls are on the way into the Fanes plateau, home of the Ladin epic of the Kingdom of Fanes, a peaceful people of the mountains who were betrayed and vanished. The legend says they sleep under the rocks and will return when the silver trumpets sound.

Lakes and the Three Peaks

East and north of Cortina are the views that sell the Dolomites: a turquoise lake under the Sorapis, the lake of Misurina and the three walls of the Tre Cime. This route can be driven in a day, but the Sorapis lake needs a two-hour walk each way from the road. The toll road to the Auronzo hut is expensive and crowded in August; go early or come by bus. Allow about 80 km of driving.

Lago di Sorapis · The lake's milky turquoise comes from glacial flour, rock ground fine by the small glacier above it and carried down in meltwater. It lies at about 1,925 metres, and swimming is not allowed.
Lago di Misurina · The clean, dry air of Misurina was thought good for the lungs, and a large institute for children with asthma was built on the lake shore. Ladin legend says the lake was formed by the tears of the giant Sorapis for his daughter Misurina.
Rifugio Auronzo · The hut at about 2,320 metres is the start of the easy loop around the Tre Cime. The path to the north side follows the old front line; Austrian and Italian positions faced each other across these slopes in 1915–17.
Tre Cime di Lavaredo · The north faces of the three peaks are among the great walls of climbing history: the Cima Grande was first climbed by its north face in 1933 by Emilio Comici and the Dimai brothers of Cortina. The summit of the Cima Grande stands at 2,999 metres.
Drei Zinnen Blick · On the road north to Dobbiaco there is one short gap in the Rienza valley where the Tre Cime suddenly appear at the end of a side valley. The lay-by here exists for that one view.
Lago Ghedina · Back near Cortina, this small lake in the larch woods lies under the Tofane, in the Ampezzo Dolomites nature park that the Regole have managed since 1990. Larches are the only European conifers that turn gold and drop their needles in autumn.

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Getting to Cortina and getting around

Cortina bus station · Buses to Calalzo station, Dobbiaco, the passes and Venice in summer
Calalzo–Pieve di Cadore–Cortina Station · The nearest train station, 40 minutes south by bus; trains to Venice

Cheap eats in Cortina

Cortina is one of the most expensive towns in the Alps, but eating cheaply is possible: coffee at the counter, a filled roll from a bakery, a slice of strudel. The local dishes are Ampezzan: casunziei, red-beet ravioli with poppy seeds, polenta with cheese and game in autumn. Mountain huts above town serve generous plates at fairer prices than the Corso.

Lovat · Pastry shop on Corso Italia; coffee and a cake about 5-7 €
Panificio Alverà · Bread and filled rolls, about 3-6 €
Proscutterie DOK Dall'ava · Ham and cheese boards or panini, about 8-15 €
Caffè Royal · Espresso at the counter about 1.50-2 €
Baita del Gelato · Ice cream, about 3-5 €
Bar Gelateria Da Po' · Gelato and coffee near the bus station, about 3-5 €

Museums in Cortina

Museo Etnografico Regole d'Ampezzo · Old Ampezzo, its tools and crafts; 45 minutes
Museo Rimoldi · De Pisis, Campigli and their circle
Lagazuoi open-air museum · Wartime tunnels; helmet and headlamp needed
Cinque Torri open-air museum · Rebuilt trenches among the towers
Olympic Ice Stadium · Skating and hockey; check the schedule

Nature and day trips near Cortina

Lago di Sorapis · Two hours each way from Passo Tre Croci; go early
Tre Cime di Lavaredo · The loop around the peaks takes about three hours
Cascate di Fanes · Easy path to the lower falls
Lago Ghedina · Short walk around a woodland lake
Lago di Misurina · Flat lakeside walk

Things to do in Cortina with kids

Lago di Misurina · Pedal boats, a flat path and the legend
Olympic Ice Stadium · Public skating with skate hire
Faloria cable car · Straight up from town to a sunny terrace
Lago Ghedina · Ducks, a small path and a café

Where to eat in Cortina

Ra Stua · Ampezzan dishes in a wood-panelled room
El Bronsin · Local cooking on Via Roma
Ristorante de LEN · Modern alpine dinner in the centre
Birreria Vienna · Beer, sausages and goulash
Il Vizietto · On Corso Italia, for people-watching

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Frequently asked questions about Cortina

What is there to see in Cortina?

The top sights in Cortina are Basilica of Saints Philip and James, Museo Etnografico Regole d'Ampezzo and Museo Rimoldi. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Cortina?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Cortina without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Cortina?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Cortina, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The Olympic town.

How do you get to Cortina and get around?

The main ways are Cortina bus station and Calalzo–Pieve di Cadore–Cortina Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Cortina, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Cortina that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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