Cortina d'Ampezzo

Cortina d'Ampezzo is a ski resort in the province of Belluno in northeastern Italy, near the Austrian border. It hosted the Winter Olympics in 1956, and will team with Milan to host the 2026 Winter Games.

Understand
The most famous, fashionable and expensive Italian ski resort, Cortina is nicknamed la Regina delle Dolomiti - the Queen of the Dolomites. It's in the middle of the Conca d'Ampezzo, a glacial trough in the high Boite Valley. Cortina is visited by all types of travellers from the jet set to normal families both during the winter and the summer, and even in summer, you may well find all camp sites full.

History
The town was part of the Venetian Republic, administratively part of Cadore, from 1420 until 1511 when the Austrians invaded the region during the War of the League of Cambrai. With a few breaks, the region remained part of Tyrol County until WWI, though the majority wasn't German speaking but spoke Ladin.

In the late 19th century, Cortina first became a center for mountaineering for the wealthy, with the first luxurious hotels being built, and in 1903 a ski school opened making it a winter resort also. The First World War halted the development; the region became a battle ground between Austria-Hungary and Italy and at the end of the war it became part of Italy. International skiing competitions were held here in 1932 and 1941, and after the Second World War Cortina recovered rapidly to become the big international ski resort it's today. In 1956 the town hosted the Winter Olympics, and is scheduled to do so again in 2026 (together with Milan).

Climate
Cortina's climate is something between the oceanic, subalpine climate typical to the Alps near the Adriatic Sea and the continental climate in the inner Alps. Yearly precipitation is about 1100 mm measured in water. The rainiest months are June and July and the driest is February. In late December and early January the region (especially at the Cimabanche pass between the Belluno and Bolzano provinces) often experiences the coldest temperatures in Italy. Shoulder seasons are usually wet and rainy, cold and very windy.

By plane
Cortina has a heliport and nearby Bolzano has flights from a couple of German destinations. Flying in from further afield, you'd want to fly to the Venice Area, either Venice Marco Polo Airport 160 km away, Treviso 130 km, or Innsbruck (Austria) 170 km away.

Unless you prefer to take your own personal taxi to Cortina from Innsbruck/Treviso (which is fairly expensive), flying to Venice is the cheapest option, since the Cortina Express coach can be taken from the airport all the way to Cortina.

The Cortina Express coach will take you the whole way to Cortina from Venice airport, a journey of roughly 2.5-3 hours. It's best to book tickets in advance, either on the website or via the app. Two pieces of luggage are included in the ticket price, as are skis/a snowboard if you have one.

Although the Cortina Express can also be caught from Treviso, the bus does not run from the airport, but from a shopping centre half an hour/two local bus journeys away from the airport, so this is not a good option unless you are already in Treviso.

Innsbruck does not have any coach/bus services to Cortina, and so unless transport is covered in a package holiday, a taxi must be taken.

By car
Driving in is the most obvious option, if you are coming from northern Italy or Austria. Cortina is not too far from the Autobahn from the Brenner Pass; exit the autostrada A22 at Bressanone/Brixen and take the SS49 to Dobbiaco/Toblach and SS51 to Cortina. From Verona you can do the same, as the smaller roads going to Cortina as the crow flies don't seem to be accessible from the autostrada north of Bolzano and they're mostly made up of hairpin curves anyways. From the southeast comes the autostrada A27 that goes from Venice to Cadore some 40 km away from Cortina, from there, follow SS51.

Thankfully the valley does not have a very high elevation so it is clear of treacherous road conditions for much of the year, be sure to check road conditions before driving and be aware that conditions tend to be far worse through the mountain passes, be sure you are driving on the most traveled passes as they get cleared first.

By train
Once there was a train service to Cortina, though it was shut down in 1964. The closest train stations nowadays are in Calalzo 35 km to the south and in Toblach 31 km to the north. Calalzo has train services from Venice, which in turn can be reached from Milan, Rome and other major Italian cities. Local trains between Lienz in Austria (trains from for example Vienna, Klagenfurt and Villach) and Franzensfeste (on the line between Innsbruck and Bolzano) stop at Toblach.





By bus
Buses and coaches run from Venice and Treviso, operated by ATVO and Cortina Express, the latter also has services from as far as Bologna and several places in the Dolomites. Dolomiti bus also has local services. You'll have to check the timetable as the frequency and schedule changes frequently.

Note that although the Cortina Express bus runs from Venice Airport, its Treviso bus stop is half an hour away from Treviso Airport by a shopping centre on the outskirts of town.

Get around


Based on convenience and the cost of a taxi, you are best advised to bring a car. However, for many that will not be possible so buses are the next best option.

By foot
Walking within the town is the obvious option, as it is relatively compact.

There are many and varied hiking routes, reached by buses, cable cars, gondolas or chair lifts, or on foot. Good maps are available, especially one at 1:25000, which have all the routes marked complete with their relevant numbering (which corresponds to the numbering on the actual paths themselves. The Tourist Office has also a rather basic map which is also useful for orientation purposes. For the most part the routes are well marked in the usual red-white-red flashes common in many parts of the Alps.

One local bus goes up to the Auronzo hutte/rifugio/mountain inn, which sits directly beside the Tre Cime de Lavaredo, one of the finest mountain blocks in the Dolomites. From the refugio you can walk on a fairly level path anti-clockwise around the mountain, to get the very best views from the far side.

By public transportation
There are local public buses, operated by Se.Am., the small orange ones which will take you in the very immediate vicinity. Connections with Dolomitibus at the bus station will take you to the surrounding towns and outlying areas, as well as to the ski areas, but do so rather infrequently. Skibuses do not run from 10am to 2pm, and stop at 5pm. The Dolomiti buses are very useful for hikers as they mostly go west and east to the mountain passes, from which cable cars or chair lifts ascend, and bus stops are often positioned at the starting points for hikes. Timetables for all these services are available in the bus station. Combination tickets are available for both buses and lifts and represent a good saving if you plan to be around for several days.

By taxi
Taxis are generally available and can be called, some areas have a taxi stand like the bus station, or Passo di Falzarego. Taxis are very expensive in Cortina, expect to pay €3 per kilometer and they typically charge from Cortina to where they are picking you up and then to your destination. I.e a trip from Pocol ski lifts to Cortina an 8 km trip will cost €30.

By car
During the winter a lot of visitors not only arrive by car but use them get around in town meaning congestion is frequent. In the summer on the other hand a lot of people get in and around by bike meaning there may be a lot of bikers moving slowly uphill the roads.

Car rentals are available in Cortina, also with driver.

Outside town










Do
During the summer the main draw is hiking in the surrounding mountains. There are many different trails, easier and more demanding ones. In the winter Cortina offers all kinds of winter sports from skiing and snowboarding to curling and ice hockey - both as activities and spectator sports. The town isn't all about sports; there are also different cultural festivals and markets.

Winter


You have a choice of 2 cable cars from the town, and the bus to the other areas in the Cortina Ski Region:



Alpine skiing
There are three skiing areas around town: Ski Area Faloria Cristallo Mietres, Ski Area Tofana and Ski Area Lagazuoi 5 Torri. These have 66 pistes of different difficulty levels with a total length of about 120 km. You can use the Dolomiti Superski pass here, a pass allowing access to 12 ski resorts around the Dolomites with a total of 450 pistes and a length of over 1200 km.







Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is also possible. There are many skiing tracks in the Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti d'Ampezzo. Enthusiastic skiers can purchase the Dolomiti NordicSki pass to access about 1300 km of tracks.

Skiing school




Other winter sports
There are places for skating, curling, go kart on snow, snowmobiling and sledding.



Summer


Like the winter, the summer season is also about the outdoors and sports. Hikers can choose between flat paths and climbing vie ferrate to heights. While Cortina is a very popular hiking destination, other options include tennis, golf, sport fishing and biking.



Events
Upcoming events are listed here.



Buy
Local specialties include majolica stoves, iron, copper and glass objects, mosaics, wooden sculptures and professional photographs.





Eat
The local cuisine is not too different from the one in Tyrol and Western Austria, and many dishes are known by the German names. Italians describe it as "poor in appearance but rich in taste and tradition".

A signature appetizer is chenedi, bread dumplings filled with meat, spinach or cheese, not unlike German knödels, that are served in a hot broth or with butter. Others include casunziei, ravioli or potatoes filled with beetroots and spiced with butter and poppy seeds, and perstarei, dough pieces boiled in salty milk (traditionally eaten for breakfast). Dishes from the Venetian times include cortina polenta, rise e bise (rice and peas) and faariesa (bean soup). Austrian rule brought in the Hungarian goulash soup.

Main dishes include roast meat with mushrooms, gröstl (meat with spätzle noodles, with Austrian origins), different game stews and a range of sausages mostly served with potatoes. There are also a range of dairy products.

Common desserts are apple cake (in practice the German apfelstrudel), ricotta cake, krapfen (fried sweed buns), nighele (small donuts without filling) and the Austrian sachertorte. There are also many variants locally produced berry jams and honey, that could also make for nice souvenirs.

Drink
In high season (August, December and January) there's a wide selection of nightlife for different audiences. The main nightclub is the VIP club with a restaurant and a discotheque, though younger people prefer smaller clubs.

For a glass before of after dinner, people mostly head to LP26 (also known as La Prosciutteria in Largo Poste) and Bar Sport, both on Corso Italia.





Sleep
Cortina d'Ampezzo is a popular destination, despite being expensive especially when it comes to lodging.

Budget




Mid-range




Splurge




Stay safe
There aren't any bigger safety issues.



Contact


There's a free Wi-Fi area (connessione free) in town.

Go next

 * Tofane
 * Alleghe
 * Corvara
 * Val di Zoldo
 * Lago di Misurina
 * Auronzo di Cadore and Tre Cime di Lavaredo
 * Tre Sassi military forts (Forte militare Tre Sassi) - An Austro-Hungarian fort built in 1897 in the Valparola pass.
 * Castello di Botestagno - The ruins of a medieval castle in the hamlet of Prà de Castel.
 * Belluno Dolomites National Park (Parco nazionale delle Dolomiti Bellunesi)
 * Ampezzo Dolomites Regional Nature Park (Parco naturale regionale delle Dolomiti d'Ampezzo)