A clockwise loop out of Venice: east to the Tre Cime and the pale lakes, then west to Val Gardena, with two nights spent high on the mountain, for the alpenglow at dusk and the quiet at dawn.
In & out
Venice (VCE), by car
Nights
2 hotels · Berti + Gardenacia
Driving
Short hops, 2–3 hrs
Thu23Jul
Arrival · Tre Cime
Arrival & the full Tre Cime loop
08:30
Land at Venice (AF1126), collect the car, and you're on the road by ~09:30 with the whole day ahead.
AF1126
09:30
Drive up the Cadore valley, with a supermarket stop in Auronzo di Cadore for two days of picnic supplies and water.
~2h15
12:00
Picnic by Lago di Misurina or Lago d'Antorno, the Cadini spires above.
lakeside
12:45
Up the Auronzo toll road (ticket valid 10:00–21:59) to Rifugio Auronzo, 2,320 m.
toll ~€30–45
13:00
Walk the full Tre Cime loop: Rif. Auronzo → Rif. Lavaredo → Forcella Lavaredo → Rif. Locatelli for the head-on view of the three north faces → back via Malga Langalm. Gentle ups and downs, no rush.
~10 km · 3.5–4 hrs
17:45
Back to the car, drive down to Lozzo Cadore.
~45 min
18:30
Check in to La Favorita (17:30–22:00, cash only), dinner in the village.
cash only
▲ Sleep · La Favorita, Lozzo Cadore · breakfast included
Fri24Jul
Vallon Popera · Sexten
Rifugio Berti & the Vallon Popera
08:30
Breakfast at La Favorita, then drive to the Rifugio Lunelli car park in Val Grande. The big bag stays in the car; take one pack each with the day's hike gear and the overnight kit, and it stays on your back all day.
~45 min
10:00
Walk up to Rifugio Berti, 1,950 m.
~1 hr up
11:15
The core Vallon Popera loop: up to Lago di Popera and into the cirque basin beneath Croda Rossa di Sesto. The climb to the forcella stays optional, a weather- and energy-dependent add-on rather than part of the plan. Picnic in the cirque.
~3–3.5 hrs core loop · forcella optional
18:00
Back to Berti, take the room, half-board dinner, sunset on Croda Rossa.
Pace: carrying the full pack, so a steady pace, with time to relax by the lake or at the hut before the 18:00 check-in.
Look, don't climb: the Sentiero degli Alpini above the cirque is a serious via ferrata. Admire it from below, don't take it on.
Alt approach in from Passo Monte Croce it's a steeper 2.5 hr / 900 m climb. The Lunelli walk is the gentle way with a pack.
▲ Sleep · Rifugio Berti · half-board · liner needed on the mountain
Sat25Jul
East → West
Lago di Braies & the Great Dolomites Road
08:00
Sunrise and breakfast at Rifugio Berti, then the ~1 hr walk back down to the car.
~1 hr down
09:30
Drive north into the Puster valley to Lago di Braies.
~1 hr
10:30
Lago di Braies: walk the flat ~3.5 km loop around the turquoise lake, with a coffee by the old boathouse.
~1.5–2 hrs
12:30
Drive south to Selva the scenic way: through Cortina d'Ampezzo, over the Falzarego & Gardena passes, the Great Dolomites Road. Picnic with a pass view en route.
~2–2.5 hrs
15:00
Check in to Hotel Euròpa Dolomites, Selva (15:00–20:00). Quick shower, real bed.
Late aft
Optional easy Vallunga valley stroll from the edge of Selva, if there's energy left.
optional
Eve
Dinner at the hotel.
Braies access: in summer the valley road is closed to cars 9:00–16:00, so we drive in on a pre-booked P4 parking slot.
▲ Sleep · Hotel Euròpa Dolomites, Selva · breakfast included
Sun26Jul
Seceda · Puez
Seceda ridge & Rifugio Gardenacia
08:30
Breakfast, grab picnic supplies in Selva/Ortisei, drive to Ortisei and ride the Seceda gondola up to ~2,500 m (book online the night before).
~€50 pp
09:30
The tilted Seceda ridge to the Odle/Geisler viewpoint, then drop toward Rifugio Firenze and a stretch of the Adolf Munkel trail beneath the spires before looping back to the gondola. Picnic on the ridge.
~3–3.5 hrs
13:30
Gondola down, drive Val Gardena → La Villa, Alta Badia.
~45 min
14:45
Up the Gardenacia chairlift (last lift ~17:30), then a ~40 min walk to Rifugio Gardenacia on the Puez-Odle plateau. Check in from 15:00, drop the bags.
lift + ~40 min
15:45
Afternoon plateau hike from the hut: out across the high Gardenacia tableland toward the Puez viewpoints, a wide quiet world above the valleys. Back for golden hour.
~2.5 hrs
Eve
Half-board dinner and alpenglow on the Puez walls.
▲ Sleep · Rifugio Gardenacia, Alta Badia · half-board · private room on the mountain
Mon27Jul
Depart
Val di Funes, then home
07:30
Sunrise and breakfast, with an optional short plateau loop before leaving.
09:00
Walk down and ride the Gardenacia chairlift back to the car at La Villa.
~40 min + lift
10:30
Drive to Val di Funes, park near Santa Maddalena.
~1 hr
11:00
Santa Maddalena Panoramaweg: the storybook church framed by the Odle, on to the San Giovanni in Ranui chapel and the meadow viewpoints.
~2–2.5 hrs
13:30
Picnic lunch in Funes, then the drive back to Venice, dropping the car at VCE by ~18:00.
~3 hrs
21:10
Fly home (AF1527 → Paris 23:00). The late flight leaves the whole day for Funes.