Dolomites National Park Trek — Self-Launched Hiking Week

Fly into Venice Treviso or Verona, then take the Cortina Express or Flixbus-style shuttle up into the Dolomites (£20–30). Easier and cheaper if flying to Innsbruck: the train runs to Fortezza and then the Pustertal railway straight into Niederdorf (£18–22, about 2.5 hrs). Check into a family-run Gasthof or the village hostel-style guesthouses (book direct on Booking.com or via the Villabassa tourist office, ~£30–40/night double). Spend the afternoon acclimatising with an easy walk along the Rienza river and a supermarket run in Toblach (5 min by train) for hike snacks. Note from past travellers: Niederdorf is quiet in the evenings — that's fine for a hiking week, but plan your dinners at the guesthouse rather than expecting a bar scene. Download the Südtirol Trekking app and the offline Kompass/Outdooractive Dolomites maps tonight.

🚌Train/shuttle from Venice, Verona or Innsbruck to Niederdorf; local Pustertal train to Toblach for supplies

🛏Family-run Gasthof or guesthouse in Niederdorf, ~£32/night double

• →Rienza riverside warm-up walk
• →Supermarket supplies in Toblach
• →Download offline trail maps and check the SAD/Dolomiti Bus timetables

The signature day. Take the SAD bus 442 from Niederdorf to Lago di Braies (£2–3, 20 min) — go early, the lakeshore gets crowded by 10am and the access road can close to private cars. Walk the trail around the lake's north shore, then climb steadily through the Rossalm alpine pasture (a proper stop for Speckknödel and a radler, ~£12) up onto the Prato Piazza plateau, with the Hohe Gaisl and Cristallo walls looming overhead. About 4.5–5 hours, 700m ascent. A short-taxis alternative for tired legs: bus to Brückele and the plateau shuttle. Check into one of the two simple hotels/guesthouses on the plateau (book well ahead in July–September, ~£45–55/night half-board). This is rifugio-style pricing — the plateau is remote and there's no budget alternative right here.

🚌SAD bus 442 Niederdorf–Lago di Braies (~£2.50); hike up; luggage carried in a daypack or sent ahead with the plateau hotel shuttle

🛏Hotel/Gasthof on the Prato Piazza plateau, half-board, ~£50/night

• →Lago di Braies lakeshore trail
• →Ascent via Rossalm alpine pasture
• →Prato Piazza plateau sunset viewpoint

Two great options today, pick by how the legs feel. Shorter: Strudelkopf (2,307m), 3 hrs return, with one of the best panorama-to-effort ratios in the Dolomites — Tre Cime, Cristallo, Tofana and the Hohe Gaisl all in one sweep. Longer and quieter: Dürrenstein (2,594m), 5–6 hrs, following the old WWI mule tracks and trenches across the plateau's southern edge. Both start from the hotel door, so no transport needed. Second night on the plateau (or, if you'd rather cut costs, descend via Brückele and take the evening bus back to a cheaper Niederdorf/Dobbiaco guesthouse and return up in the morning).

🚌No transport needed — trails start from the accommodation

🛏Second night on the Prato Piazza plateau, ~£50/night half-board

• →Strudelkopf summit (2,307m) or Dürrenstein summit (2,594m)
• →WWI emplacement tracks on the plateau
• →Pack a rifugio lunch

Hike down off the plateau to Cimabanche on the old road pass (about 3 hrs, easy descent), then choose your finish. Purists continue on trail 6 through the Ra Stua hut and over the Col Rosa pass into Cortina — spectacular, wild, and 5–6 hrs total with a lunch stop at Rifugio Ra Stua (~£10). Shorter option: catch the Dolomiti Bus from Cimabanche to Cortina (£3–4, roughly hourly in summer). Book a hostel or budget hotel in Cortina for three nights — try the Cortina hostel-style guesthouses or a room in a family B&B in Verve or Zuel a short bus ride out, ~£40–50/night double (Cortina is pricey; book early). Stock up at the Cortina supermarket for the next days' lunches.

🚌On foot to Cimabanche; Dolomiti Bus Cimabanche–Cortina (~£3.50) if you skip the Ra Stua variant

🛏Budget guesthouse/B&B in Cortina d'Ampezzo or nearby Zuel, ~£45/night double

• →Descent to Cimabanche
• →Optional Ra Stua hut and Col Rosa pass route
• →Evening in Cortina's Corso Italia

A flexible day with several route options from town. Long option: bus to the Faloria cable car (return ~£20) and hike to Forcella Faloria and over to Passo Tre Croci, then bus back to Cortina (£2). Mid option: the Dolomieu Panoramic Trail from Passo Tre Croci to Lake Sorapis side, well signed and busy but gorgeous. Easy option: the circular trail around Cortina through the Pomagagnon foothills, 3 hrs, no transport needed. Treat yourself to a rifugio lunch at Rifugio Faloria or Croda da Lago (~£14). This doubles as your weather-flex day — if it rains, swap in the Trenino delle Dolomiti circuit or a bus to Misurina.

🚌Local Dolomiti Bus to Faloria/Passo Tre Croci (~£2–3 per ride); optional Faloria cable car ~£20

🛏Budget guesthouse/B&B in Cortina d'Ampezzo, ~£45/night double

• →Forcella Faloria and Passo Tre Croci route
• →Dolomieu Panoramic Trail
• →Circular trail around Cortina

The one everybody comes for. Take the early Dolomiti Bus from Cortina to Rifugio Auronzo (£4–6, 45 min, road toll included in the fare; the road can close when the car park fills in summer, so go first thing). Walk the classic 9–10 km circuit around the Three Peaks on trail 101/105 — about 3.5–4 hrs of easy-to-moderate walking with the north faces in front of you the whole way, a coffee stop at Rifugio Lavaredo and a proper lunch at Rifugio Locatelli. Alternative from the South Tyrol side: bus from Toblach to the Rienz valley and hike up to Rifugio Auronzo for a quieter approach. Bus back to Cortina in the afternoon. Last dinner in Cortina — pizza and an Aperol in the piazza, ~£18.

🚌Dolomiti Bus Cortina–Rifugio Auronzo (~£5 each way)

🛏Budget guesthouse/B&B in Cortina d'Ampezzo, ~£45/night double

• →Tre Cime di Lavaredo circuit (trail 101/105)
• →Rifugio Locatelli lunch stop
• →Rienz valley approach alternative

Breakfast, then the Cortina Express bus to Venice Mestre (about 2 hrs, £20–25) or the bus to Dobbiaco and the Pustertal train onward to Innsbruck or Munich. If you've got a late flight, squeeze in a morning walk up to the Cortina viewpoint at Gilardon, or extend with a night in Dobbiaco for the Rienza gorge. Book airport buses in advance online in August, they do sell out.

🚌Cortina Express bus to Venice Mestre (~£22) or Pustertal train via Dobbiaco toward Innsbruck

🛏None — departure day

• →Morning Cortina viewpoint walk
• →Optional Rienza gorge stop in Dobbiaco