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Highlights
Explore Italy’s rustic wilderness on foot in the Italian Dolomites
Discover the valleys, karsts, woodlands, and unbeatable views covering Italy’s Fanes-Sennes Nature Reserve.
Look out for the woodland creatures dotting the landscapes: the ever-so adorable marmots and the majestic chamois.
Spend your evenings in cozy huts and hotels that provide relaxing refuge without taking away from the outdoorsy vibes.
Enjoy delicious Italian cuisine, from wine to cheese to speck (a local delight), throughout your trek.
Discover Italy’s hushed, quiet corner, sketched with the ever-so demanding Dolomites, where alpine valleys, woodlands, jetting karsts, and sparkling lakes add layers of natural beauty, on this eight-day self-guided walking tour.
The masterpiece-like views you’ll stumble upon will enchant you just like the Colosseum in Rome or the canals snaking through Venice, but with an unbeatable outdoorsy twist.
This trek will carry you through one of the most stunning areas within the South Tyrol—the province in which the Dolomites stand: Fanes-Sennes Nature Reserve. Expect to weave through a myriad of memorable views, encountering the occasional marmot or chamois en route. End each day of trekking with mouth-watering local cuisine and relaxing stays in cozy huts and hotels nestled in the mountains.
Discover Italy’s hushed, quiet corner, sketched with the ever-so demanding Dolomites, where alpine valleys, woodlands, jetting karsts, and sparkling lakes add layers of natural beauty, on this eight-day self-guided walking tour.
The masterpiece-like views you’ll stumble upon will enchant you just like the Colosseum in Rome or the canals snaking through Venice, but with an unbeatable outdoorsy twist.
This trek will carry you through one of the most stunning areas within the South Tyrol—the province in which the Dolomites stand: Fanes-Sennes Nature Reserve. Expect to weave through a myriad of memorable views, encountering the occasional marmot or chamois en route. End each day of trekking with mouth-watering local cuisine and relaxing stays in cozy huts and hotels nestled in the mountains.
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Alta Via highlights in Rifugios
Day 1 Arrive in Plätzwiese
Let the quiet vibes blanketing Plätzwiese envelop you as you ease from the stress of travelling to a more relaxed mode. Right away, Plätzwiese immerses you into the sweeping natural views spanning the Dolomites.
Overnight Location: Hut in Prato Piazza
Distance: None
Meals: Dinner
Day 2 Round trip hike from Plätzwiese
After a tasty breakfast, decide which trek you’d rather embark on: a 6 km climb atop Strudelkopf for magnificent views or an 8 km hike along Stollaplatz. If you have the energy, you’re more than welcome to do both walks since they aren’t too long. End the day in Plätzwiese.
Overnight Location: Hut in Prato Piazza
Distance: 2-2.5 hours, 5-8 km, 314-336 m ascent, 284-336 m descent
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3 Hike to Sennes
Enjoy a fulfilling breakfast before embarking on a journey through the vast Val dei Canope to Cimabanche, where only whispers of nature can be heard as you hike through the grassy lands, backed by snow-capped peaks. Continue your journey across more unspoiled scenery and landscapes: Val de Gotres and Forcella Lerosa. Eventually, you’ll trek downhill through a hushed forest before climbing uphill until you reach your destination for the night: Sennes Hut.
Overnight Location: Hut in Sennes
Distance: 7 hours, 19.5 km, 970 m elevation
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4 Hike the Munt de Sennes loop
After a relaxing night tucked into the mountains in a cozy bed, prepare to go on another adventure traversing a collection of magnificent vistas. Today’s loop will take you above the treeline, granting exceptional views of the mountains and land below. If you have the energy, opt to trek to the top of Muntejela de Senes peak, where more views await.
Overnight Location: Hut in Sennes
Distance: 2.5 hours, 7.2 km, 345 m ascent, 330 m descent
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 5 Hike to Fanes
Enjoy breakfast before beginning a 19.7 km trek from Sennes to Fanes via Lago de Foses, where you’ll spend the night in a rustic, luxurious hut. Wind through the valley on the Dolomite Höhenweg trail. Meander through the woods, climb up until you’re above the treeline, and then follow a path downhill until you arrive in Pederü, a quiet area with a hut. After, begin hiking upwards towards Rifugio Fanes.
Overnight Location: Hut in Fanes
Distance: 6-7 hours, 19.7 km, 1160 m ascent, 900 m descent
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 Hike Fanes Loop
Today’s expedition grants you two options! 1. Hike the L’Ciaval loop via de Ju de la Crusc, a steep route with sweeping views. 2. Fanes loop via Bivacco alla Pace, a pleasant meander with elevated intensity at the end for a view of Monte Castello. Enjoy another night basking in nature in Fanes.
Overnight Location: Hut in Fanes
Distance: Option A—6.5 hours, 17.3 km, 1069 m ascent, 1.076 m descent
Option B—6 hours, 14 km, 920m elevation
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7 Hike to San Vigilio di Marebbe
Enjoy a yummy breakfast before tying up your laces for another day of exploring South Tyrol’s Dolomites. Encounter an array of ascents and descents as well as valleys, meadows, and lovely views en route. Walk through the quaint, mountain-backed village of La Valle (Wengen in German) en route to the jaw-dropping Crusc de Rit. Reach San Vigilio di Marebbe, where you’ll enjoy the last night of this tour.
Overnight Location: Hotel in San Vigilio di Marebbe
Distance: 7 hours, 17 km, 885 m ascent
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 8 Depart San Vigilio di Marebbe
Sadly, your self-guided tour comes to an end with departing San Vigilio di Marebbe.
Overnight Location: None
Distance: None
Meals: Breakfast
2026 Pricing for Alta Via highlights in Rifugios
The departures are available from June 1 to September 15, 2026.
Accommodation on Alta Via highlights in Rifugios
Expect to stay in cozy hotels and huts on this tour. Please note, that when staying in mountain huts in Sennes and Fanes, the bathrooms will be shared. It is also possible to book rooms in these huts with private bathrooms, but the number of such rooms are very limited and require an extra supplement, as well as booking a long time in advance. Please note that the accommodation listed below may be swapped for other similar places.
Single Rooms and Solo Travelers
Solo travellers joining this tour will stay in dormitory accommodations (shared spaces).
What’s included in the Alta Via highlights in Rifugios?
Meals
7 breakfasts, 6 picnic lunches and 4 dinners are included. You are responsible for providing your own lunches and dinners on the days where these meals are not specifically mentioned.
Accommodations
Accommodations for 7 nights along the tour are included. Accommodations before the tour starts in Plätzwiese and after the tour ends in San Vigilio di Marebbe are not included.
Transportation during the Tour
Luggage transfer on this tour is optional (you can book it as an optional extra, 1 piece per person, up to 20kg). Any personal transfers are not included.
Also Included
- Digital information kit and app
- 24/7 phone support
Not included
- Transportation throughout the tour
- Drinks and snacks
- Touristic city taxes (€1,35 EUR – €1,80 EUR per person daily)
- Travel insurance
- Personal equipment
- Guide services
Optional Extras
- Transfer to Plätzwiese from the airport and from San Vigilio di Marebbe to the airport
- Additional nights during, before, or after the tour
- How hard is the Alta Via highlights in Rifugios?
- Do I need a Visa to travel to Italy?
- Are meals included on the Alta Via highlights in Rifugios?
- Do I need insurance?
- How do I get to Plätzwiese to start this tour?
- Is the Alta Via highlights in Rifugios in English?
- Where does the Alta Via highlights in Rifugios end?
- I’ve never been on a self-guided trip! How does it work?
- Do I need special vaccines to travel to Italy?
- Are there any travel restrictions for Italy?
This tour is rated as a 4 / 5. This tour has some longer days of over 20km of walking, with some steep sections! You should have experience walking similar distances.
Check with your local country about visa requirements. You could also try this website, though you should verify with your government.
7 breakfasts, 6 picnic lunches and 4 dinners are included. You are responsible for providing your own lunches and dinners on the days where these meals are not specifically mentioned.
Yes, it is mandatory to have Health and Medical insurance to join this trip. Get your Travel Insurance.
It’s suggested to fly into either of these airports: Innsbruck (INN) in Austria and Verona (VRN) in Italy. From there, take a train to Dobbiaco (Tobalch) or Villabassa Braies (Niederdorf Prags). Then take two buses to Plätzwiese—you’ll have to change buses in Segheria.
This is a self-guided tour and guide services are not included. However, you will be provided with detailed tour notes in English.
The tour ends in San Vigilio di Marebbe.
Self-guided travelling is not difficult! For many, it is a preferred type of travel as you are in charge of your own time and pace. You are provided all the information on which direction you need to go daily. You don’t need to carry lots of things with you and can only carry your daypack, as your luggage will be picked up from your hotel daily in the morning and delivered to your destination hotel.
Check with your family doctor.
Please check with your local government about travel restrictions before you book your tour. This map from the US Department of State provides an overview of the current status in countries around the globe. The UK‘s Foreign Office and Government of Canada also provide advice on foreign travel. Note that the travel advice may change depending on your nationality.
Customer Ratings
S-Cape Travel is a boutique tour operator focused on sharing the best walking, cycling, cultural and food & wine tours in Europe. Book one of their self-guided tours to live La Dolce Vita for a week or two, as you walk or cycle around Europe, enjoying incredible views and amazing food and wine.
