Alta Via 1, hut to hut
The classic first high route: from the green water of Lago di Braies to the north face of the Civetta, sleeping in seven mountain huts. You carry a day pack; we carry the logistics.
Day by day, meter by meter
Each point is where you sleep. Pick a day to see the walking time, the climb and the hut at the end of it.
Arrive at Lago di Braies
Transfer from Venice, a walk round the lake before the day visitors leave, dinner at the lakeside hotel.
- Walking
- 1 h
- Distance
- 4 km
- Up
- 50 m
- Down
- 50 m
Up to Rifugio Biella
Straight into it: a steady climb past the Croda del Becco to a stone hut on a bare plateau.
- Walking
- 4½ h
- Distance
- 9 km
- Up
- 1,050 m
- Down
- 220 m
Across Senes to Rifugio Fanes
Rolling high pasture and the Fanes plateau, the gentlest day of the week. Marmots likely.
- Walking
- 5 h
- Distance
- 15 km
- Up
- 600 m
- Down
- 870 m
Over the pass to Rifugio Lagazuoi
The big climb, past First World War tunnels, to the highest night and the best sunset terrace on the route.
- Walking
- 6½ h
- Distance
- 14 km
- Up
- 1,100 m
- Down
- 400 m
Cinque Torri to Rifugio Nuvolau
Down through the open-air war museum at the Cinque Torri, then up to a tiny hut on a summit.
- Walking
- 5 h
- Distance
- 11 km
- Up
- 700 m
- Down
- 880 m
Passo Giau to Città di Fiume
A long traverse under the Pelmo, the mountain locals call the throne of the gods.
- Walking
- 5½ h
- Distance
- 13 km
- Up
- 450 m
- Down
- 1,100 m
Rifugio Tissi under the Civetta
Climb to the hut facing the 1,200 m north wall of the Civetta. Stay up for the enrosadira.
- Walking
- 6 h
- Distance
- 14 km
- Up
- 900 m
- Down
- 570 m
Down to Rifugio Vazzoler
A short day through the Civetta’s southern towers to a hut with a garden of alpine flowers.
- Walking
- 4 h
- Distance
- 9 km
- Up
- 250 m
- Down
- 780 m
Listolade and home
Down through forest to the valley road, where your transfer waits for the drive back to Venice.
- Walking
- 2½ h
- Distance
- 7 km
- Up
- 0 m
- Down
- 1,010 m
Why this route, and why with us
The Alta Via 1 crosses the heart of the Dolomites north to south without a single glacier or rope. It's long days rather than hard moves: if you've walked in the Lakes or the Pyrenees, the terrain will feel familiar, only higher and wider.
The hard part is the beds. Lagazuoi and Nuvolau have small dormitories and open their bookings on the same winter morning. We've slept in every hut on this list and book them the day they open, so your nights are fixed before you've bought boots.
When the weather turns
July afternoons bring thunderstorms. Each day has a lower variant we've walked ourselves, and our planner checks the forecast with you every evening by message.
Included
- 7 nights in huts with dinner and breakfast
- First and last night in valley hotels
- Transfers from Venice and back
- Route notes, offline maps, GPX files
- Daily forecast check with a planner
Not included
Flights, lunches and drinks at huts (budget €30 a day), travel insurance with mountain rescue cover, tourist tax paid locally.
Where you sleep
Huts are warm, simple and loud at breakfast. Expect bunk rooms of four to twelve, hot showers on tokens at most, and dinner at long tables at seven.
2027 dates and prices
Prices are per person, two sharing. Private dates for your own group cost the same; pick any start between 26 June and 4 September.
| Starts | Ends | Hut dormitories | Private hut rooms | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 26 June | Sun 4 July | €2,950 | €3,380 | Beds held |
| Sat 10 July | Sun 18 July | €3,150 | €3,590 | 4 places left |
| Sat 7 August | Sun 15 August | €3,150 | €3,590 | Waiting list |
| Sat 4 September | Sun 12 September | €2,950 | €3,380 | Beds held |
A 20% deposit holds your place; the rest is due eight weeks before you start. Cancellation terms
What to bring
Everything fits in a 30 to 35 liter pack, under 8 kg with water. We send the full list and a loan liner if you need one.
- Broken-in boots with ankle support
- Sleeping-bag liner (required in huts)
- Waterproof jacket and warm layer
- Cash: some huts take cards, some don't
- Head torch and hut slippers or sliders
Questions about this route
Yes. Most of our Alta Via walkers haven’t. We send a short guide to hut life and book private rooms where they exist if dormitories worry you.
Every stage has a road or lift within reach. Call our planner and we’ll arrange a taxi or a lift down and back up the next morning.
Not between huts, as there are no roads. We store your main bag in Braies and deliver it to your final hotel.
At most huts, yes, though often only on the terrace. We give you the hut landline numbers too.
Still deciding?
Book a 20-minute call. We'll ask about your walking and tell you straight if this route is right.
Book a call
