Self-Launched: Hike the Italian Dolomites (Sesto & Tre Cime)

Land at Venice Marco Polo, then make your own way north. Fastest budget route: shuttle bus from the airport to Venezia Mestre station (~£5-8), then a high-speed train to Fortezza or Dobbiaco (book in advance on Trenitalia/ÖBB, roughly £25-45), then the local 443/444 bus up to Sesto (~£4-7). Total door-to-door is 4-5 hours and costs under £60 versus the operator's private minibus. Alternative: a direct Cortina Express/FlixBus-style coach from Venice Mestre to the Dolomites, usually cheaper if booked ahead. Check into a family-run guesthouse or Gasthof in Sesto (twin/double from £55-90 a night room, or a dorm/hostel bed from £25-35). Take a short orientation wander through the Tyrolean village, stock up at the local supermarket, and have dinner at a Gasthof — try schlutzkrapfen and local speck.

🚌Venice Marco Polo → Mestre shuttle (~£6); train Mestre → Fortezza/Dobbiaco (~£30-45); local bus 443/444 to Sesto (~£5)

🛏Guesthouse/Gasthof in Sesto (double twin share £55-90/room, dorm £25-35)

• →Airport shuttle to Mestre (~£6)
• →Train + bus to Sesto (~£30-50)
• →Village orientation walk

Walk from Sesto to Bad Moos (~20-30 min) and ride the Croda Rossa cable car up to Prati di Croda Rossa (~£16-20 return, buy at the station; open roughly June-early October). From the top, follow the well-marked trails through alpine meadows and larch forest beneath the Croda Rossa and Pala di Popera massifs, passing WWI military positions, tunnels and trenches en route. Roughly 9 miles / 4-5 hours with very little ascent — a gentle introduction with huge views toward the Carnic Ridge. Stop for lunch at a mountain hut (e.g. a hütte along the ridge) for goulash soup or a cheese plate (£10-16). Return on foot to the hotel/guesthouse and enjoy the valley evening.

🚌On foot from Sesto to Bad Moos + cable car

🛏Guesthouse/Gasthof in Sesto

• →Croda Rossa cable car (~£16-20 return)
• →9-mile WWI heritage hike
• →Mountain hut lunch
• →Self-guided with Komoot/Tabacco map

Take the local bus or Dolomiti Bus service toward Prato Piazza/Carbonin (roughly £5-8; check seasonal timetable, some services run only in summer). From the Prato Piazza plateau (6,529ft), hike the short, well-known loop up Monte Specie / Strudelkopf (7,569ft) — 5 miles, 3-4 hours, ~1,250ft of up and down — for one of the classic panoramas over Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Monte Piana and Monte Cristallo. Descend and hop a short public bus south to Dobbiaco (£3-5), then walk the flat lakeside circuit around Lake Dobbiaco (Lago di Dobbiaco) or just relax at the cafe. Bus back to Sesto in the late afternoon (£5-8).

🚌Dolomiti Bus Sesto ↔ Prato Piazza (~£5-8) + bus to Dobbiaco (~£3-5)

🛏Guesthouse/Gasthof in Sesto

• →Bus to Prato Piazza
• →Monte Specie summit loop (5 miles)
• →Lake Dobbiaco circuit
• →Public bus transfers

A no-transport day: walk straight out of Sesto into the Via delle Malghe, a peaceful loop through high pastureland beneath the Sesto Meridians. 9 miles / ~5 hours with ~1,650ft of climb, passing working malghe (mountain dairies that operate June-September) where you can buy butter, ricotta and mountain cheese straight from the herders and pick up a coffee or a plate of local cheese (£6-12). Pack your own picnic lunch (buy bread, speck and cheese in the village the day before, ~£6) and eat it with the high pastures as your backdrop. The trail loops back past the Patzenfeld campsite to the village. Extend the loop by a few miles if you're feeling strong. Evening free in Sesto — self-cater or eat at a pizzeria (£12-18).

🚌None — hike from the village

🛏Guesthouse/Gasthof in Sesto

• →Doorstep hike into Via delle Malghe
• →Malga dairy visits and cheese tasting
• →Self-packed picnic lunch
• →Optional route extension

A deliberately easy half-day after yesterday. Walk or take the short local bus to the Monte Elmo (Helm) cable car station near Sesto and ride up to the Helm mountain station (~6,700ft, ~£16-22 return). Follow the marked scenic path across meadows to the Hahnspielhütte/Rifugio Gallo Cedrone, then on to the summit of Monte Elmo/Helm at 7,985ft — 4 miles, 3 hours, ~1,450ft of up and down. On a clear day the 360-degree panorama takes in the central Alps to the north and Dolomite peaks to the south along the old Italy-Austria border ridge. Cable car back down; afternoon free for a wander around Sesto, a coffee, or just rest — tomorrow is the big one.

🚌Walk/short local bus + Monte Elmo cable car

🛏Guesthouse/Gasthof in Sesto

• →Monte Elmo cable car (~£16-22)
• →Helm summit hike (4 miles)
• →Rifugio Gallo Cedrone stop
• →Afternoon in Sesto

Start early from Sesto and either walk or take the local bus to the Val Fiscalina car park (~£3-5, or a shared taxi if you're with other hikers). Follow the quieter northern approach to Tre Cime di Lavaredo — roughly 10 miles, 6-7 hours, ~3,100ft ascent and ~3,280ft descent — climbing through forest and meadows before traversing below the north face by Rifugio Locatelli, with Croda dei Toni, Cima Undici and Monte Popera forming an amphitheatre around you. Pack a picnic lunch to eat with the Tre Cime in view (or buy at the rifugio, pricier at ~£12-18). Descend to Val di Landro/Lake Landro at the end. Arrange your return in advance: the nearest bus stop is on the Dobbiaco-Cortina line (bus to Dobbiaco ~£4-6), then a local bus or taxi back to Sesto (taxi ~£35-50 split between passengers). Note: since 2023 access to the Tre Cime toll road has vehicle restrictions and some summer shuttle systems — walking in from Val Fiscalina (as here) avoids the €30 toll road entirely. Celebrate with a last dinner in the village.

🚌Local bus to Val Fiscalina (~£4) + return bus Dobbiaco/Landtro line (~£5) + shared taxi (~£10-15 pp)

🛏Guesthouse/Gasthof in Sesto

• →Val Fiscalina → Tre Cime quieter route (10 miles)
• →Rifugio Locatelli below the north faces
• →Descent to Lake Landro
• →Bus/taxi logistics back to Sesto

Breakfast, check out, and reverse the journey south: local bus Sesto → Dobbiaco (~£3-5), train or bus Dobbiaco → Fortezza → Venezia Mestre (~£30-45 booked ahead), then the airport shuttle (~£6). If your schedule allows, build in a few hours in Venice itself — there's luggage storage at Mestre and Piazzale Roma, and a vaporetto or a walk along the canals is a great way to round off the week. Aim to arrive at Marco Polo 2-3 hours before your flight; if you're using budget rail tickets, allow generous buffer time for connections.

🚌Bus Sesto → Dobbiaco (~£4); train Dobbiaco/Fortezza → Venezia Mestre (~£30-45); Mestre → airport shuttle (~£6)

🛏N/A

• →Local bus to Dobbiaco
• →Train south to Mestre
• →Optional Venice city stop
• →Airport shuttle