I spent two weeks exploring the trails, via ferratas, and backcountry huts in the Rosengarten Nature Park in the Italian Dolomites. The Rosengarten Traverse I’ve outlined below is the result of my research. It spans over 3-5 days and includes some of my favourite beginner and intermediate via ferratas.
Everything to know about the Rosengarten Traverse in the Italian Dolomites
Known for its jagged peaks, typical for the Italian Dolomites, the Rosengarten Nature Park is a great adventure location for keen hikers. The famous Vajolet Towers is a bucket list location for climbers and photographers.
Where is the Rosengarten Group?
The Schlern-Rosengarten Nature Park (Gruppo di Catinaccio in Italian) is located between three valleys: Eggen, Tierser, and Fassa. It is one of my favourite areas in the Dolomites.
The nearest city is Bolzano, which is very well connected to other cities in Italy. Below are some approximate travel times by train or car from:
- Venice – 3 hours
- Verona – 1.5 hours
- Milan – 3 hours
You can also travel to Bolzano by train from other European cities, for example:
- Innsbruck in Austria – 2 hours
- Munich in Germany – 4 hours
Where to stay the night before the Rosengarten Traverse?
Option 1: Bolzano
Bolzano is an excellent place to stay if you need to store some of your luggage. Returning to Bolzano from Siusi, Ortisei, or Campitello di Fassa (depending on your chosen exit route) will be easy.
As mentioned, Bolzano is well-connected by public transport with other European cities. It also has plenty of rental places where you can rent via ferrata gear. Below are a couple of places I recommend for your stay.
Option 2: Carezza or any town in the Fassa Valley
Suppose Rosengarten Traverse isn’t the only adventure you have planned for your trip around the Dolomites. In that case, I recommend staying in one of the towns in the Fassa Valley, such as Canazei, Campitello, Vigo di Fassa, or Pozza di Fassa.
They all lie very close to one another and are at the foot of the Rosengarten Nature Park. Gear can also be rented in these towns. Below are a couple of accommodation options I recommend for your stay.
How to get to the trailhead
By bus
The bus stop for the Paolina chairlift, where the Rosengarten Traverse begins, is aptly named Paolina. Bus numbers 180, 184, and N180 operate on this route.
Zoom in on Google Maps to find the nearest bus stop to your accommodation. Then, type in your point of departure and destination on the Sued Tirol Mobil website. If you are travelling from Bolzano, the journey takes approximately 1 hour.
By car
It takes 40 minutes by car from Bolzano to reach the Paolina parking lot at the bottom of the chairlift. That’s where you can leave your vehicle for the traverse.
From Vigo Di Fassa, it takes approx. 15 minutes to drive and 26 minutes by bus. In both cases, you will be driving along route no. SS241.
When is it possible to do the Rosengarten traverse?
If you plan on following the Rosengarten Traverse to a T, including all via ferratas, then I recommend planning your trip between July and September. That’s when the peaks’ south and north faces are finally clear of snow.
If you won’t be doing any via ferratas, go from early June until mid-October. That’s when (most of) the huts are open to hikers, and you can book your accommodation.
I think September is best for this traverse. The thunderstorms, which are very common during the summer, subside, and there are plenty of bluebird days. The heat is also not as relentless.
I did this traverse in the first week of October, and as you can see in some of the pictures, we already had some snow. Luckily, it didn’t stick around for long and melted quite quickly.
The backstory of the Rosengarten Nature Park
A mythical King in South Tyrol named Laurin, a rather keen horticulturalist, admired and loved roses to death. He had an expansive rose garden that stretched out almost 17,000 acres.
Unfortunately, it was the king’s rose garden that caused his demise. After kidnapping another king’s daughter (as one does), he put on his invisibility belt (as one does) and ran away through his rose garden. The soldiers, hot on his tail, managed to track him by the footprints he left on the way.
When caught and banished from the realm, he cursed the rose garden, making it disappear day and night. Luckily for us, this curse does not apply to the transition periods of sunrise and sunset, and when the sky lights up, red, orange, and pink, it’s the roses trying to come back down to where they once nestled.
After a long time, the mythical king’s rose garden became known in German as the Rosengarten, even though the roses no longer grow there.
Interactive map of the Rosengarten Traverse
This map will help you visualize my plan and follow along with the daily descriptions below. Click on the top left corner button to unveil the map’s legend.
Disclaimer: This map is reasonably accurate and lets you visualize the route correctly. However, it should not be used for navigating in the mountains. To do this, you should buy the Tabacco map number 029.
TIP: Click on individual trail, and a window will pop up with all important information about each trail
Rosengarten Traverse: Day-By-Day Breakdown
Day 1: Rifugio Paolina to Rifugio Roda De Vaél
- Distance: 1.95 km / 1.2 mi
- Walking time: 30-40 mins
- Elevation gain: 189 m / 620 ft
- Path numbers: 539, 549
Rosengarten traverse starts at the top of the Paolina Chairlift in Karersee (or Carezza al Lago in Italian). It’s a cute town that has plenty of accommodation options.
The chairlift runs from the end of May to the middle of October. It starts at either 08:00 or 08:30 each day and costs 18 Euros one way. You can check the lift information here under the Carezza tab.
Alternatively, there is a hiking route that begins near Carezza Lake. It’s on path number 6a, then 552, includes 400m of elevation gain and should take around 60 – 90 minutes.
Once you reach the top of the chairlift, follow path 539, then 549 eastward toward Rifugio Roda da Vaél. It’s a flat jaunt and a great warm-up. It takes around 30-40 minutes to reach the hut.
Day 1 (extension): Via Ferrata Roda di Vaél and Via Ferrata Masaré
- Distance: 5.2 km / 3.23 mi
- Time required: 3-4 hours
- Elevation gain: 405 m / 1329 ft
Via Ferrata Roda di Vaél and Via Ferrata Masaré can be done as a loop from the Roda di Vaél hut, where you’ll spend the first night. Once you get to the hut, it will probably be too early to check in, but you can store some of your stuff there, leaving only enough supplies in your backpack for a day excursion.
Head out to complete the ferratas before returning to the hut in the afternoon. Individually, they are marked as 2B (lower – intermediate) and 1A (Beginner) routes, so as long as you’re sure-footed and have the right equipment, you should try them.
From Rifugio Roda Di Vaél, look at the ridgeline to the West. This is where the via ferratas run, first to the unnamed peak on the left and then to the summit of Roda da Vaél.
At the highest point, you’ll be able to see far northward into the Rosengarten Nature Park, where you’ll be spending the next five days. Exciting huh?
In a separate article, I’ve written a more in-depth breakdown of the combination of both via ferrata routes. The loop takes around 3-4 hours, so providing an early lift, once you’re back at the Roda Di Vaél hut, you’ll have plenty of time to relax and regain your strength for the following day.
TIP: You can also stay the first night at the Paolina hut on the top of the chairlift.
Night 1: Rifugio Roda Di Vaél (Rotwandhütte)
This 116-year-old refuge is located on the Ciampáz saddle and at the foot of Masaré peak in the Southern part of the Rosengarten group.
Rifugio Roda Di Vaél is usually open from June until mid-October. You can make a booking by sending a request via the website. Remember that online requests must be sent at least one week before your planned stay.
| Club Alpino Italiano member (CAI) | Price/night (half board) | Price/night for bed and breakfast | Summer season 2025 opening times |
| YES | € 58*/ € 80 | € 34*/ €56.5 | June -October |
Day 2: Rifugio Roda Di Vaél to Rifugio Alberto Primero
Stage 1: Rifugio Roda De Vaél to Rifugio Rosengarten (Kölner Huette)
- Distance: 5 km / 3.1 mi
- Time required: 2-3 hours
- Elevation gain: 159 m / 521 ft
- Elevation loss: 112 m / 367 ft
- Path numbers: 549
This is an exciting day, so pray for good weather conditions! Generally, the Dolomites’ mornings are sunny with blue skies, so leave straight after breakfast and pack everything up the night before.
At first, you will have to retrace a part of the trail you took the day before to reach the Roda Di Vaèl hut. You will then traverse along the Western slopes of Mount Roda De Vaèl, which you summited yesterday. This is an easy trail with little elevation gain.
TIP: If you stayed at Rifugio Paolina the night before, walk on path no. 552 and 549 to Rosengarten hut and follow stage 2 as per the information below.
Stage 2: Rifugio Rosengarten to Rifugio Re Alberto Primero along Via Ferrata Passo Santner
- Distance: 2.7 km / 1.68 mi
- Time required: 2-3 hours
- Elevation gain: 430 m / 1410 ft
- Elevation loss: 158 m / 518 ft
- Path numbers: 542
The next stage of day two will take you along the Passo Santner Ferrata. The spires and rock formations on the western slopes of the Rosengarten group pose enough of a challenge to be demanding, but ladders and pegs make sure it’s never too strenuous. The endpoint of the via ferrata is Rifugio Passo Santner.
Although the picturesque hut is incredible, it does come second to the view into the Gartl Valley and of the prominent Vajolet Towers seen directly from the Santner Pass. On days with good visibility, try to find climbers making their way up the towers.
Below the towers, you’ll also be able to spot Gártlhuette (Rifugio Re Alberto), which is roughly 20 minutes away. This is where you will spend the next night.
Night 2: Rifugio Re Alberto Primero (Gartlhütte)
Rifugio Alberto Di Primero is one of the most photogenic huts in the Dolomites. You can admire the reflections of the Vajolet Towers in the small seasonal pond next to the hut(the pond slowly disappears as the season progresses) or walk up to Passo Laurin. Both are less than five minutes away from the Re Alberto hut.
Check the availability and make a booking directly on their website.
| Club Alpino Italiano member (CAI) | Price/night (half board) | Price/night for bed and breakfast | Summer season 2025 opening times |
| NO | from € 85 | from € 70 | June 19 – October 5 |
TIP: If Rifugio Re Alberto is fully booked, the alternatives are Rifugio Passo Santner, Vajolet, or Preuss. All are marked on the map.
Day 3: Rifugio Re Alberto Primero to Rifugio Passo Principe
- Distance: 2.85 km / 1.8 mi
- Time required: 2 hours
- Elevation gain: 369 m / 1210 ft
- Elevation loss: 343 m / 1125 ft
- Path numbers: 542, 584
Day 3 will start with a sharp descent from Rifugio Re Alberto to Rifugio Vajolet along a scree and rocky slopes. Steel cables have been installed to help with the steepest sections. This part takes approximately 45-60 minutes.
From rifugio Vajolet follow the signs for rifugio Passo Principe (path no. 584). Another 60-90 minutes later, you will be at my favourite hut in the park.
Day 3 (extension): Via Ferrata Catinaccio D’Antermoia
- Distance: 3 km / 1.8 mi
- Time required: 3-4 hours
- Elevation gain: 448 m / 1469 ft
- Path numbers: 585, 584
After a hearty lunch at Rifugio Passo Principe and a good, strong Italian coffee, one more thing will keep you on your toes for the rest of the day—a good via ferrata! Luckily, you will have immediate access right at the hut’s doorstep.
Today’s via ferrata is Catinaccio D’Antermoia. Since it’s a loop, carrying all your equipment with you is unnecessary. If you ask nicely, you should be allowed to leave some of your stuff at the Principe hut for a few hours and then do a proper check-in once you get back.
I did this climb a couple of times to get the right photography conditions, even missing my goulash and dumpling dinner! Thankfully, my friend saved it for me when I arrived back.
The Via Ferrata d’Antermoia is a beginner route that should take 3 – 4 hours to complete. Its highest point is the summit of Monte Catinaccio, the tallest peak in the Rosengarten Group.
From here, everything in the immediate vicinity is below you. It’s almost weird looking down on the Vajolet Towers after straining your neck and looking up at them from Rifugio Re Alberto.
Night 3: Rifugio Passo Principe (Grassleitenpasshütte)
Because the hut is small, it’s generally considered the toughest to get reservations at. Book this one first and fit the rest of the trip around it.
To make a reservation, you must send your inquiry to Sergio and Daniele Rosi (The Hut Owners), who can be reached at principe.rosi@gmail.com. They both speak English.
In your inquiry, include your name, the dates you’d like to stay, and the number of people in your group.
| Club Alpino Italiano member (CAI) | Price/night (half board) | Price/night for bed and breakfast | Summer season 2025 opening times |
| NO | End of May to mid-October |
TIP: If Rifugio Passo Principe is full, the alternatives are Rifugio Antermoia or Bergamo. They are marked on the map.
Day 4: Rifugio Passo Principe to Rifugio Alpe Di Tires
- Distance: 3.6 km / 2.24 mi
- Walking time: 2-2.5 hours
- Elevation gain: 226 m / 741 ft
- Elevation loss: 384 m / 1260 ft
- Path numbers: 11, 11A, 3A
On Day 4, you will be heading to Rifugio Alpe di Tires. From Passo Principe, continue northward on path no. 11A following the signs for Passo Molignon.
Initially, the path drops into a wide bowl only to regain all that lost elevation on the other side, where path 11A turns into 3A. This part of the route should take no longer than 2 hours.
Once you’ve reached the top of Passo Molignon, you’ve done the vast majority of the effort for the day. The last final push is a little traverse, then a short downhill spurt, where a few protective cables have been installed (rather unnecessarily) before arriving at the most luxurious refuge in the Rosengarten group – Rifugio Alpe di Tires.
Day 4 (extension): Via Ferrata Sentiero Massimiliano
- Distance: 4.4 km / 2.7 mi
- Time required: 3-4 hours
- Elevation gain: 389 m / 1276 ft
- Elevation loss: 394 m / 1293 ft
- Path numbers: 4
The via ferrata Sentiero Massimiliano starts next to the Alpe di Tires refuge. Although I do classify it as an intermediate-level ferrata, it’s only because of a concise section that may be challenging to a total beginner. If you have no problems with balance and heights, give it a go.
The route heads up a narrow gully and traverses the Terrarossa ridgeline between the Dente Grande di Terrarossa and Terrarossa Peak.
It’s a rewarding ferrata that’s easy to follow and a great way to spend the afternoon of day 4. The whole route, which returns to the hut, takes around 3 – 4 hours. Again, take only what’s necessary for the ferrata because you will return to the hut.
Night 4: Rifugio Alpe Di Tires (Tierseralphütte)
Since being renovated in 2016, this hut has become one of my favourites. It has a Scandinavian interior feel, an expansive open-space café, and lots of light-coloured wood.
The food is to die for, and the beds are very comfortable—something I have learned not to take for granted now.
Rifugio Alpe Di Tires costs slightly more than the others, but it’s worth it. You can browse the menu on its website and read about the hut’s history.
| Club Alpino Italiano member (CAI) | Price/night (half board) | Price/night for bed and breakfast | Summer season 2025 opening times |
| NO | from € 95 | from € 62 | 29/05 – 19/10 |
Day 5: Exit Possibilities
There are four possibilities to end this traverse. The first two heading north onto the Alpi di Suisi, Europe’s highest alpine meadow and one of the most iconic photography locations in the Dolomites, are the best choice.
Especially if you plan on exploring other parks, such as the famous Puez Ödle Nature Park.
Option 1 – Siusi (Seis Am Schlern)
- Distance: ca. 8 km
- Walking time: 2.5-3 hours
- Path numbers: 2, 7
Once you’ve done the via ferrata, head eastward from the hut on path number 2, after hopping over the Forcella Denti di Terrarossa, you’ll drop into the meadows. It takes around 2 hours to get to Compatsch, where you can take the Seiser Alm Gondola down to Siusi.
Option 1A – Ortisei
- Distance: ca. 13.5 km
- Walking time: 4-5 hours
- Path numbers: 2, 7, 6,
Carry on across the Alpi Di Siusi meadows and past the Siusi gondola. You can get the Ortisei-Alpi Di Siusi gondola down to Ortisei (The upper terminal is roughly 4-5 hours of hiking from Rifugio Alpe di Tires).
For most summer and autumn, the gondola runs daily until 5:30 p.m. This route is completed by following exit strategy one and continuing over the meadows. Ortisei is a great town to stop in if you plan to hike to the Seceda Ridgeline or complete Via Ferrata Sass Rigais.
Option 2 – Col Rodella Cable Car
- Distance: ca. 12 km
- Walking time: 4 hours
- Path numbers: 4
Another potential end to this traverse is heading east on path no. 4 to Col Rodella Cable Car via Rifugio Sassopiatto. The cable car will take you down to Campitello di Fassa, one of my favourite little mountain towns in the Dolomites. This exit should take around 4 hours.
Campitello Di Fassa is the closest town to Karersee, where you started this traverse. They are connected by a local public bus. If you left your car parked at the Paolina chairlift on day one and need to get back to it, go for this exit option.
Option 3 – Via Ferrata Laurenzi and exit through Val Dona
- Distance: 16.5 km
- Total time: 8-9 hours
- Path numbers: 3A, 584, 580, 577
Suppose you haven’t had enough of the Rosengarten Park and are confident you can tackle an advanced via ferrata. In that case, you can turn around, head back toward Passo Molignon, and then complete the Via Ferrata Laurenzi.
This follows the Molignon ridgeline up to the summit of Molignon di Dentro before dropping into Valon Antermoia.
TIP: Spend one extra night in Rifugio Antermoia before descending to Campitello di Fassa.
How can the Rosengarten traverse be shortened to 3 or 4 days?
You don’t have five days to complete the whole Rosengarten traverse? Don’t fret. There are plenty of ways to shorten it by 1 or 2 days. Here is how:
- Option 1 (map below): Skip the first night at Rifugio Roda Di Vaél. Instead, walk from the top of the Paolina chairlift along path no. 552, 549 to Rifugio Rosengarten, then along the Via Ferrata Passo Santner to Rifugio Re Alberto Primero.
- Option 2: Skip the last night at Rifugio Alpe Di Tires and Via Ferrata Sentiero Massimiliano.
- Option 3: After Via Ferrata Catinaccio D’Antermoia, instead of returning to Rifugio Passo Principe for the night, stay the night at Rifugio Antermoia, then exit the next day to the Fassa Valley.
TIP: If you would like to adjust this itinerary to your personal needs then use my trip planning services. We can schedule an online meeting and talk about personalizing the trip.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Rosengarten Traverse
Over the years, my guide to the Rosengarten Traverse has gathered quite a few of your questions. I picked the ones that appear most often and compiled them into a list.
1. How should I pack?
It would be best if you went as light as possible. A 30-40 litre backpack is more than enough, even with ferrata gear and photography. Packing food or camping equipment is unnecessary as everything is provided in the huts. Here is my complete packing list for hut-to-hut hikes in the Dolomites.
2. What can I expect when staying at the huts?
The huts in the Alps are like high alpine hostels. They provide bedding, food, and, in some cases, entertainment to hikers. You can expect electricity, running water, and sometimes even the possibility of having a hot shower after a long day of hiking. Before staying in the Italian Dolomites mountain huts, here is everything to know.
3. Where to rent via ferrata gear?
Plenty of places in the Fassa Valley which rent ski equipment during the winter season turn into summer rental places with bikes and via ferrata gear at your disposal. Search for places called nollegio (Italian for rental).
The rent for the whole set costs around 30-35 euros/day. If you are going for five days, consider buying your equipment. The entire set will set you back by around 250 Euros, but it will last a long time.
In my beginner’s guide to via ferrata climbing in the Italian Dolomites, I linked to all the gear I use personally.
4. Is it possible to do this route in reverse?
This route is better south to north because some parts involve scrambling along via ferratas, which sometimes go in only one direction, like the via ferrata Passo Santner.
If you go from north to south, you must omit Via Ferrata Passo Santner and instead hike to Rifugio Roda Di Vaél from Rifugio Vajolet over Passo Da Le Zigolade.
5. Is there a place to store my luggage for the trip?
Thanks to one of my readers who left excellent feedback after completing this traverse, I know that storing your luggage at a train station in Bolzano for a few days is possible.
If you are staying in the Fassa Valley before the trek, contact your hotel before your trip and ask if you can leave your excess luggage with them.
6. Is there a way to omit via ferratas on this traverse?
Whilst I think via ferratas make this traverse so exciting, I can understand that it is not everyone’s cup of tea. In that case, you can traverse the heart of Rosengarten whilst staying on the ground the whole time. Here is how:
Day 1: Rifugio Paolina -> Rifugio Roda Di Vael -> Passo Da Le Zigolade -> Rifugio Vajolet – Rifugio Re Alberto
- Path numbers: 549, 541, 542
- Distance: ca. 10 km
- Walking time: 4-5 hours
Day 2: Rifugio Re Alberto -> Rifugio Passo Principe -> Passo Molignon -> Rifugio Alpi Di Tires -> Rifugio Schlernhaus
- Path numbers: 542, 11, 11A, 3A, 4
- Distance: ca. 15 km
- Walking time: 5-6 hours
Day 3: Exit to Siusi
- Path number: 1
- Distance: ca 8 km
- Walking time: 3 hours
7. Is it possible to pay with a card for hut stays in the Rosengarten group?
Yes, it is. Thanks to one of my readers, I can confirm that the following huts accept cards: Paolina, Fronza, Re Alberto, Passo Santner and Alpe Di Tires. You can only pay cash in Rifugio Antermoia. If you stayed in other huts and paid with a card, I would appreciate it if you shared that information in the comments so it can help others.
Shop my hut-to-hut backpacking gear
Osprey 30+ Litre Backpack
30-40 litre backpack should be more than enough to pack everything you need for a hut-to-hut trip in the Dolomites with plenty of room for water and snacks. If you can’t fit in, it means you are overpacking. I am a huge fan of Osprey backpacks and currently own the Eja 38-litre. Osprey has plenty of options in this storage volume range to choose from.
Shop on Osprey Amazon Store (Worldwide) / Backcountry (US)
Sleeping Bag Liner
Sleeping bag liners are required for hut stays. Duvets and blankets aren’t washed after each guest who stays at the hut. Liners ensure that you don’t come in direct contact with the sheets and subsequently, it is more hygienic. Some huts rent or sell them, but it’s better to bring your own.
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Patagonia Insulated Jacket
Even in the middle of the summer season evenings can be quite cold. If you don’t plan on venturing out of the hut in the evenings, you can skip this layer. I personally always bring one with me as I like to take sunset photos outside.
Shop on Backcountry (US)
Merino Wool T-Shirts
Having a couple of Merino Wool T-shirts which you can alternate and then wash at the hut each day will be more than enough to keep body odors at bay. I am personally a big fan of the Icebreaker brand, however these days plenty of other brands have Merino products in their inventory.
Merino Wool Socks
I always carry 2 pairs of socks in my backpack and one on me during multiday backpacking trails. Merino wool fibers and their unique properties are resistant to odors. Merino wool socks also prevent getting blisters as opposed to cotton socks.
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Peak Design Camera Clip
A must-have for any mountain photography enthusiast who is tired of carrying a camera around their neck. The peak design capture clip allows you to attach your camera to a backpack strap. That way you don’t have to take your backpack off and take your camera out every time you want to take a photo. You will always have it handy.
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Other backpacking trip ideas in the Italian Dolomites
- 3-4- day Tre Cime National Park Traverse
- 2-4-day Pale Di San Martino Traverse
- 3-5-day Dolomiti Brenta Traverse
- 3-4-day Monte Popera Circuit
- Alta Via 1 (11 days)
- Alta Via 2 (14 days)
- Alta Via 4 (6 days)
More travel and hiking resources in the Dolomites
- Photography spots in the Italian Dolomites
- Via ferratas in the Italian Dolomites
- Day hikes in the Italian Dolomites
- Hut-to-hut treks in the Italian Dolomites
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If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below!
HI Marta
Jane again.
I should have mentioned: One reason to do Refugio Firenze is to also do the 3 hr Sassolunga hike on the way to the chairlift for the Kolner Hutte. Would this be too much/too difficult to coordinate by buses? If ok, which 3 hr loop do you recommend?
Also I just realised that Col Rodella chairlift will be closed so will take Pradel-Rodella chairlift from just north of Col Rodella near Rif. Salei down, then walk to Canazei then bus to Pozza di Fassa.
Thanks Heaps!
Jane
Hi Jane. Thanks for stopping by. That`s a long comment 🙂 FYI I do offer consultations if you want to adjust the trip. You can find it under the tab trip planning advice on the top of the page. If you are staying in rifugio Firenze first, then I would have done the Rosengartentrip in reverse and started with the Alpe Di Tires hut on day 1, which you can reach from Passo Sella (part of the Sassolungo Circuit). If you would like to schedule a call with me, please reach out.
Hi Marta
Thanks for such a wonderful series of articles!
We are mother and daughter from Australia, experienced hikers but beginners at VF. Because we haven’t been to the Dolomites before or done via ferrata, are you perhaps able to give us some feedback on our planned route? It was planned this way because of many hut closures.
We aren’t sure which option to start with:
1. Stay 5 Oct in Refugio Firenze then get the bus to the chairlift to Kolner Hutte and skip Roda de Vael and the Masare and/or Roda di Vaèl VF, or
2. Stay 5 Oct in Roda de Vael and do the Masare and/or Roda di Vaèl VF.
Do you have any comments on this?
Possible route:
5 Oct (Sun)
• Day 1
Paolina chairlift to Roda de Vael Hut and do the Masare and/or Roda di Vaèl via ferrata
6 Oct
Roda de Vael (Masare and/or Roda di Vaèl via ferrata if no time the previous day) to Rifgio Fronzo.
• Night 1: Rifugio Fronzo
7 Oct
• Day 2: Rifugio Fronzo → Rifugio Santnerpass via Santner Pass (VF)
• Night 2: Santner Pass refuge•
8 Oct
• Day 3: Rifugio Santnerpass → Rifugio Antemoia
Night 3: Rifugio Antemoia
• Extension: VF Catinaccio D’Antermoia (maybe)
9 Oct
• Day 4: Refugio Antemoia → Rifugio Alpe Di Tires
• Night 4: Rifugio Alpe Di Tires
10 Oct
• Day 5: Rifugio Alpe de Tires (Tierseralphütte)→ Col Rodella → Campitello di Fassa
• Night 5: Stay Pozza di Fassa
Thanks very much! Your feedback is much appreciated!
Jane
Hi! Thank you for this amazing write up! It is been instrumental in our planning.
We are planning to go this weekend on the following route and realized that the Col Rodella Cable Car is closed this year. Would the best exit be to take a series of buses (179 to 170 to 186 over 2 hours) to get back to our car at the Paolina Chairlift? Or is there a better place to leave our car? We need to get back to Lausanne by 7pm on the last day so trying to find the fastest route to exit and get back to our car. Thank you!
Plan:
1. Drive to Paolina chairlift and park car
Day 1: Paolina Chairlift to Rifugio Re Alberto Primero
Day 2: Re Aleberto Primero to Bergamo
Day 3: Bergamo to Rifugio Alpe di Tires
Day 4: Exit and get back to car
Hi Meg. I am sorry I guess I am late with my reply. I hope you managed to find a spot. I still would have left my car in Campitello and taken the bus on the first day. Then hiked from ALpe Di Tires down to Campitello over Rifugio Micheluzzi.
Marta,
We did Masare and Roda di vael this summer and want to do more.
How can we return to our car at paolina if we do the full traverse? Any transportation available? If not possible, we would need to travel back south (as a hike) as a loop back to our car.
What would you recommend?
Hi Joelle. I am so glad to hear you had a great time on Masare ferrata. As for your question I talk about it in the post. It’s best to leave the car in Campitello di fassa at the parking lot near the Col Rodella gondola (it was closed this summer for maintanance but will reopen next year). Then from Campitello take the bus to Paolina and start the hike there. Then at the end take the exit from Alpe Di Tires hut to the top of Col Rodella gondola.
I hope that helps!
Hi Marta!
This is all super helpful and informative; thank you!!
My friend and I will be staying at Tires Hut at the end of September, and want to hike from there to another hut that doesn’t require via ferrata. We had Kolner in mind by way of Lake Antermoia, as well as some others, but are struggling to figure out the terrain. We are totally capable hikers (would be happy anywhere from 5-15mi), but won’t have the gear for climbing nor do we want to embark on that haha. Open to any and all suggestions 🙂
Thanks so much for your help!
Hi Jonathan. Thanks for visiting. You can do a nice loop hike from Alpe Di Tires to Rifugio Passo Principe, then Passo Principe to Antermoia and then back to Rifugio Tires. That will form a loop around Monte Catinaccio and Molignon Ridgeline. It should take around 5-6 hours in total. I hope that helps!
Hi Marta,
your articles have been amazing and very helpful! I will be going on a short trip to Dolomites with my boyfriend this September and Rosengarten is definitely our favourite spot to check out. We have booked a room in Rifugio Passo Santner for one night and basically have two days around it. So we will go from Pozza Di Fassa, where we are sleeping the night before and start our hike from there. We would skip via ferrata and use the regular way up to Rifugio. Basically we are not sure what can we squeeze in one day and how strenuous those 3 hours up to Santner are, as we would like to maybe extend it to lake Antermoia and than come back for a night and use the same route back… but we would prefer if there is a route where we can start our descend next day towards the lake and somehow get down close to Mazzin or Fassa, as our car will be parked there… As I mentioned we would skip via ferratas, as we have never tried it before and we planned to try only the Kaiserjeger as it should be easy enough, but having said that if there are some short secured sections that’s fine, since we would have via ferrata gear with us on this trip…. Thank you soo much in advance and if you have any recommendation or advice on this, we would greatly appreciate it.
Hi Iva. THanks for your feedback. There are two route that lead to Passo Santner, One is a via ferrata, the second is the one way in and the same way out hiking route (with some cables along the way). What you could do is hike to Passo Santner from Mazzin via Val Dona – Rifugio Antermoia, Lake Antermoia, Rif. Vajolet and up to Passo Santner. The next day back to Vajolet, then towards Passo Zigolade – Rif. Roda De Vael and down to POzza di Fassa. I hope that helps!
Hi Marta,
Thank you so much for writing this helpful article! We’re traveling to the Dolomites in September with another couple, and I had a question about the hiking in this area. We are staying in Carezza the first night, Rifugio Vajolet the second night, then returning to Carezza for the 3rd night before heading out to another region.
Is the hike from Rifugio Paolina to Rifugio Vajolet via route 541 easy enough for a moderately capable hiking group? We’d like to avoid via ferrata if possible. Additionally, would there be an alternative route to return on if we wanted to avoid walking the same route on the second day?
Thank you for the help!
Josh
Hi Josh. From Paolina to Vajolet the easiest route is over ZIgolade pass. If you want to see Vajolet towers from the famous angle you will still have to hike up to Rifugio ALberto, but the stretch between rif. Vajolet and ALberto is tough with some chains. Not for beginners.
I recommend that you get the map of the area to familiarize yourself with the routes a little better. Apps are not great for that.
Hi Marta! My fiance and I are very excited to do this loop in September as part of our honeymoon! We just have a couple questions as well!
Where would you recommend getting gear from if we’re planning on driving to Paolina Chairlift? Also, do you know where the closest luggage locker would be?
Also, how fast does the parking lot fill? Should we plan to get there very early?
We’re coming in from Verona, backpacking four days, and then heading to Venice. Would you recommend training over driving for this journey?
Cheers!
Hi Kaity. You could train from Verona to Bolzano, leave your luggage at the station there (one of my readers left in the comment that the luggage storage also rents VF gear), then from Bolzano follow the bus directions in the post. The parking lot fills pretty quickly during the height of summer, but in September things slow down.
If you decide on a car you can leave the rest of the luggage in the car.
Thanks for this info!
Do you know if there’s any luggage storage around Paolina Chairlift specifically? Or gear rental places?
Can you recommend the luggage storage that also rents gear in Bolzano? I had a hard time finding that below.
Since we have also discovered that our exit plan is closed, do you have a recommendation for the fastest exit out from Alpe di Tires?
Thank you so much Marta!
Hi Kaity. The luggage storage that my readers recommend in Bolzano is called BAse Camp Dolomites. It’s at the train station. As for the Exit. you can hike from Alpe Di Tires to Passo Sella (passing the closed Col Rodella) then catch a bus from Sella to whenever you need to go next. Or use the other two exit routes that I am talking about in the article.
Hi Marta,
Thank you so much for all the brilliant information, it has been so incredibly helpful!
My current plan is to spend day 1 going from Paolina Chairlift to Rif. Re Alberto via the Via Ferrata Passo Santner, then the next day with no via ferratas from Rifugio Re Alberto to Rifugio Alpe Di Tires/Rifugio Schlernhaus, then exit on day 3.
I just wanted to ask a few questions, since this will be my first time trying a via ferrata (and hiking at such altitudes). I am in my early 20s and in good shape, but a little nervous about heights (especially when exposed). I will also be going alone. Therefore:
1) I saw on an earlier comment you mentioned that via ferratas in the Rosengarten are beginner level if you don’t have a fear of heights, but also elsewhere that via ferrata passo santner is not as exposed as other routes. Can you clarify the extent to which this via ferrata might have a big drop below, or is it more just iron to help with technical ascending scrambles while still being somewhat protected with rocks on either side/below? Do you know if there is any place online I can see more pictures of the route here to gauge comfortability?
2) For early-ish September do you expect that I will be rather frequently encountering other people on the route, or do you think there will be periods of 1+ hours where I might not see anyone at all?
3) You mention day 3 (leaving Rif. Re Alberto) begins with a descent along a scree and rocky slopes – would you recommend hiring hiking poles?
4) Have you ever heard of altitude sickness being a problem here, or not at all?
Thank you so very much, I really appreciate all your support! Your website is truly incredible!
Hi AJ. Thanks for your great feedback.
As for your questions. 1) Yes they are beginner levels, but like with any outing in the mountains, there is always risk involved. If you have fear of heights then even VF Passo Santner which traverses in a gully will make your head spin. I am sure there are videos on youtube of the via ferrata. 2) You will definitely meet many other people if you hike during the gondola operating hours. 3) I use hiking poles religiously and always bring them. 4) No Altitude sickness is not a problem at these elevations. You might feel slight lightheadedness, but if you don’t have any heart and lung problems, altitude shouldn’t be a problem. I hope that helps! If you have any more questions you are welcome to schedule a call.
Great site and sounds like a great trip, many thanks for sharing! Would it also be possible to go directly from Alberto to Tierser Alp? How long would that take?
Hi Stijn. Yes, It is possible to hike from Alberto to Tierser Alp (over Passo Principe) in one day. All you have to do is add the times I enlisted on my site.
Thanks to your excellent suggestions, our family of four is doing a 3-night trek beginning Aug. 8, 2025: Paolina Chairlift > Refugio Re Alberto 1 > Refugio Passo Principe > Tierser Alpl.
For the exit, we just learned that the Col Rodella cable car into Campitello is closed for the summer (see: https://www.fassa.com/en/ski-lifts-slopes/summer-lifts)!
Can you suggest an alternate route from Tierser Alpl that would get us back to Paolina at a reasonable hour (we need to arrive in Venice the next night). We’re considering paragliding into Campitello! But that’s a hard sell for some.
Hi Branto! Haha paragliding would be epic, but I think it would have been tough with the backpacks. You can hike from Tierser ALp to Rifugio Micheluzzi. They have a taxi service from Micheluzzi down to Campitello di Fassa. It would be even faster than hiking to Col Rodella. Check with the Rif. Micheluzzi directly if you need any bookings for the taxi.
We’re actually now in touch with pilots at FassaFly.com and thinking we’ll actually do the paragliding into Campitello di Fassa! But we’ll need a backup in case the weather doesn’t cooperate so Rif. Micheluzzi sounds like a great option, thank you.
From the map, It also looks like we could take the Pradel-Rodella chairlift from just north of Col Rodella near Rif. Salei down into , then walk the south ~2.5km into Canazei (or taxi). This looks to be a nice stroll along a stream with waterfalls. Does that sound reasonable.
Hi Branto. Yes, there are more than one way to get back down. But if you want to be the quickest then walking to Rif. Micheluzzi will be the fastest.
Hi Marta,
Thanks so much for an incredible post! I am hoping to do this route in September this year, shortening it to 3-4 days. I am new to Via Ferrata’s and so wondering what you would suggest to include 1-2 easy ferratas rather than completing them all?
Thanks so much!
Hi Jasmine. I would recommend that you include VF Passo Santner, Catinaccio and Sentiero Massimiliano. Those three are on the easier side. If you want to have a whole itinerary designed I do offer trip planning calls.
Hello Marta – As others have said thank you for the excellent information. I am curious as to your thoughts about shortening the itinerary to two nights and three days? Unfortunately due to other commitments we have a very small window of availability in the area sometime between 29-AUG and 02-SEP but really only have availability for two nights & three days in that range. Our group of four are strong backpackers and accustomed to full day backpacking at steady pace in challenging terrain.
My thoughts are to hit Rif. Alberto Primero on night one, then head to Rif. Alpe di Tires for the second night then exit via your Option 2 to the Col Rodella cable car on day three. I hate to cut the trip short but that is really my only option.
Also are the via ferattas we would traverse on this route safe to navigate with backpacking gear? I think they would be but just wanted to verify that. Or are there alternate trails between these rifugios that avoid the via ferattas? We are not opposed to the via ferratas but I have not purchased maps yet to check. Thank you so much!
Hi Jeremy. Thanks for your great feedback. Whether you need a via ferrata gear or not depends on which route you will choose to take. If you want to reach Re Alberto (or Santner Pass hut – a new one which I would also recommend) through Via Ferrata Passo Santner and then also tackle the Via Ferrata Sentiero Massimiliano near Rifugio Alpe Di Tires you will need to bring the gear.
I have a section in this article how to tackle this route without via ferratas too.
However, Re ALberto and ALpe Di Tires are approx. 3-4 hours walk distance from one another so you should consider doing the via ferrata in the afternoon, otherwise it might not be a challenging enough day for you.
On the last day you should just hike down to Campitello di Fassa via Rifugio Micheluzzi because Col Rodella Cable Car is closed for maintanance this summer.
Excellent! Thank you Marta especially for the tip on the Col Rodella closure. If we end up doing this route I’ll check in afterwards and let you know how it goes.
Have a fantastic time!
Thanks for the information, this is so helpful!
I was wondering if it is recommendable to do the traverse already in early june (8/6-13/6)? Will the via ferratas be already safe to do or should I opt for another plan?
Kind regards!
Hi Jorit. South and East facing slopes should be fine but you can still expect quite a bit of snow on the North and Western slopes. If you want to have a guarantee that every single via ferrata will be passable I would recommend waiting until later in the season. Otherwise bring crampons with you. Snow fields are no joke.
Thanks so much for this guide, it is awesome! Just wondering if you are doing the traverse the best way to get back to your car if you have left it at the start of the traverse? Thanks!
Hi Jasmine. You can use Sued Tirol Mobil info website to check for bus connections. It really depends where you plan to exit etc.
Hi Marta,
This is such a great blog and tool to use. Thank you so much. My family of four with 2 fit teenagers have booked the following in late June.
Day 1: Carezza Roda Di Vael
Day 2: Roda Di Vael Santner Pass Hut
Day 3: Santner Pass Passo Principe
Day 4: Passo Principe Alpe di Tires
Day 5: Alpe di Tires ???
We plan to do all the optional via ferrata loops each day (Mom or Mom+a kid may take a day off here and there on the via ferratas). I have a question for you – we have two extra days unplanned beginning on my Day 5. Our car will be in Carezza. Any recommendations for additional adventures? Mom loves to mountain bike, and I read aobut the valley to the north that sounds beautiful, but looks like oging that way puts us a long ways away from our car. Any recommendations for logistics or areas to explore for another day or two before we head to Venice to fly home?
Thanks so much again, we will use your links to buy some gear and support the site!
Andrew
Hi Andrew. Sounds like you are putting together an exciting trip. I would be happy to talk to you and help you out extending your trip by a couple of days. Alpe Di Siusi is a good mountain bike place, which is just around the corner from Alpe Di Tires.
I offer one-on-one calls for the exact purpose so if you are interested please reach out and I will be happy to schedule one.
Hello Marta, Thank you for a wonderful, information-packed website. We are an older experienced (Tour du Mont Blanc 1971!) couple planning a walking trip in the Italian Dolomites. Can you recommend a 4-day loop hike with no via ferrata staying in three huts? Refugio Bergamo was highly recommended to us so we’d like one night to be there. Many thanks in advance.
Hi Dorsey. I offer one on one calls during which I can help you creating your own itinerary that doesn’t include any via ferratas. If you are interested reaach out to me please. Here are the details.
Hello Marta,
Thank again for all of your helpful information! My friend and I are planning a 3 day trip with reservations already for Night 1 Rifugio Alberto, night 2 Rifugio Passo Principe. And we were planning on night 3 at Rifugio Alpe di tires but there was some miscommunication when I thought I had reserved Alpe di Tires and now there are no room available for my night. We are ok with easy ferratas or love hiking and can hike long days. Any other ideas for a 3rd night in the Dolomites on this route to continue the journey. We will have a car parked at the start and have no problems getting transportation back to the vehicle. thanks again!
Hi Amanda. Thanks for visiting my site. The two best alternatives to Alpe Di Tires would be Rif. Molignon or Schlernhaus (Rif. Bolzano).
I hope that helps!
Hello Marta,
Thank you so much for this blog, it is super helpful to plan our hike!
We want to do the hiking route in 3 days, without via ferrata. So we were thinking to do this route as you proposed it:
Day 1: Rifugio Paolina > Rifugio Re Alberto
Day 2: Rifugio Re Alberto > Rifugio Schlernhaus
Day 3: Rifugio Schlernhaus > Sciusi
However, the second accommodation (Schlernhaus) is fully booked already. What would you suggest to change our route and still keep it feasible per day? Thanks a lot for making time to reply 🙂
Milan
Hi Milan. THanks for stopping by. You could stay at Alpe Di Tires instead.
Hi Marta,
Thank you so much for this amazing post! We are hoping to do this route over three days. So far we are thinking of the following route and we would love to hear if you think this route works 🙂
Day 1: Paolina Chairlift to Rifugio Re Alberto Primero
Day 2: Re Aleberto Primero to Passo Principe
Day 3: Passo Principe to Rifugio Alpe di Tires to then exit to Siusi via the Seiser Alm Gondola
It would be great to hear your thoughts and thank you again for this amazing and super helpful post!
Hi Cal. I am glad to hear you like my post. Yes, that is a good and feasible plan. Also check out the newly built Santner Pass Hut close to Re Alberto. Maybe you will like staying there more. I belongs to the son of the owners of Alpe Di Tires and they are two fanciest huts in the Rosengarten group. Have a fantastic time in the Dolomites!
Hi! I’m looking to do this without via ferrata and planned the route below. Please let me know if this looks okay!
Chairlift to Rif Paolina
Rif Paolina to Rif. de Alberto
Rif. de Alberto to Rif. Passo Principe
Rif. Passo Principe to Rif. Alpi di Tires
Rif. Alpi di Tires to Rif. Sasso Piatto
Col Rodella Cable car to Campitello di Fassa
Hi Cara. Thanks for visiting my site. There is no need to stay overnight at Rifugio Paolina. It is right at the top of the Paolina chairlift. You can take the first chairlift up and start hiking directly to Re Alberto (Also check out the newly built Santner Pass hut which was built close by).
Re Alberto to Passo Principe will take max 3 hours, then Passo Principe to Alpe Di Tires ca. 2 hours. If you are not doing any via ferratas then you can hike from Re Alberto to Alpe Di Tires in one day. Alpe Di Tires to SassoPiatto is around 3 hours. You can extend it by hiking to the Sassopiatto Summit near the hut.
I hope that helps!
Hi Marta!
im planning on doing this rosengarten traverse without the via ferratas, cutting it down to 3 days. i see that you’ve created your own map using google maps, however I was wondering if there is a more detailed map containing that route that I could purchase online?
many thanks! could not have planned my trip without your page 🙂
Hi Chloe! I am stoked to hear you are following my itinerary. Sure in the text right under the map I linked to the proper paper Tabacco map of the Rosengarten group that you can get (tip if you can’t find it press ctrl+f and type in Tabacco). If number 29 isn’t available you can also get number 06 for Val Di Fassa. It also covers this area. I hope that helps!
Thank you Marta, i have now purchased the 029 map!!
Fantastic! Have a great time in Rosengarten!
Hey Marta! Echoing many comments above, your blog has been so incredibly helpful when it comes to planning our first ever trip to the Dolomites. I didn’t realize it would be so overwhelming! After doing some research, I think we are currently leaning towards doing Val Gardena/Seiser Alm to Rosengarten (ending in Val di Fassa). I love the meadow trails and diverse terrain. It also seems like it might be a little more quiet than other routes in the Dolomites ie. AV1.
I found an itinerary through a Mont Trekking for 960 euro for 3 days/4 nights and I’m wondering if you feel like these travel companies end up being way overpriced. I’m willing to pay a little for the convenience of booking the Refugios in advance, but I also don’t want to be scammed.
Any advice or thoughts would be so helpful and thank you in advance!
Hi Becca. Thanks for your great feedback. If you book everything alone and buy a map you will pay approximately 400-500 euros for 4 nights (everything included, drinks and lunches etc). I presume the company books the huts for you and half-board at the huts, but you need to pay everything else on top of that. You will spend approximately 100-120 percent more. Booking huts really isn’t complicated. each hut has a website where they either have a contact form or booking system. I hope that helps!
Hi Marta. Like many others appreciate your blog and insight.
Late season arrival on what sounds like a rather cool & snowy fall 2024.
Received notice from Santner pass they are closing early this year due to snow/cooler temps.
Curious whether I should abort altogether or modify my plans. I’ve of course also contacted the huts on a route change and curious on your thoughts too.
Was hoping to originally have a 4 night 5 day route of: Roda di vael, Santner pass, passo principe, & alpe di tires.
Curious on your thoughts of just pushing from Roda di vael to passo. Also considering adding Antermoia after passo principe, acknowledging they are close in proximity – curious what the best route would be. The huts above I believe are the sole remaining options available at this time of year for the week of October 10th. Thanks so much for the last minute help.
Hi Cory. Thanks for visiting and sorry to hear about the Santner Pass hut closing. I saw on the rif. Passo Principe page that they too decided to close down earlier. Alpe Di Tires seems to be the one that will remain open the longest. I think you will have to reorganize and maybe cut the trip shorter. This week brings a lot warmer weather with it, so some of that snow will definitely melt, but not all of it. Staying in the valley and doing day trips connected with a couple of nights at Alpe Di Tires might be a better idea.
Hi Marta!
Just finished our 5 day/4 night adventure in the Rosengarten Group and it was all made possible thanks to your amazing breakdown here. We even ran into TWO other groups that were doing the exact itinerary as us and we all used your blog to plan our trips. We can’t thank you enough for sharing in such detail. Here’s what we opted to do:
Night 1 – Rifugio Roda di Vael
Night 2 – Rifugio Alberto Primero (we loved the Santnerpass via! Also the Santnerpass Hut just above Rif Alberto Primero is one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture I have ever seen).
Night 3 – Rifugio Passo Principe (currently under construction! Seems that it will be done with renovation by the start of next hiking season)
Night 4 – Rifugio Alpl De Tires
We did all of the VF extensions you listed above and had a blast. Just wanted to drop by and say thank you. Your blog is reaching people around the world!
-Aubrey, Colorado USA
Hi Aubrey! Thank you so much for your amazing feedback and for your generous support. I am so glad to hear you had a great time. Yes, Passo Santner refuge is very new and makes a huge impression. I am yet to stay there myself. I am really looking forward to it though. I hope you revisit the Dolomites again one day and try one of the other routes I wrote articles about. Happy hiking! Marta
Hi Marta! We spoke to you back in February and I just had an additional couple of questions!
We are doing the itinerary as you laid out for Rosengarten. I’m a little worried about the Passo Santner Via Ferrata due to some recent injuries. Is there a service that will take my pack from hut to hut? How long do you think it’ll take total on Day 2 with stops for beginners?
Should we get map 06 or 029? We’re parking at the Paolina chairlift.
How long is the bus from exit #2 to Paolina chairlift?
Thanks!
Hi Pam. I am sorry to hear about your injuries. I am afraid I don’t know of any service (nor have I ever heard of one) That will carry your packs. It takes between 4-6 hours. If you are very slow you should make it in 7. The Passo Santner via ferrata is a beginner route. I also find via ferratas (particularly the beginner routes) less strenuous than hikes, because one moves slower on them. As for the map either one will work. They both cover the Rosengarten area.
Last but not least. The bus from Ortisei (Antoniusplatz) back to Paolina takes exactly 2 hours and it requires one change. I hope that helps!
Amazing blog: Is this route is still ok to do as I can;t get a space from refugee Bergamo and 2 others substitides: “Start with the via ferrata Passo Santner (top of the Koenig Laurin chairlift), get to Vajolet Towers, see the view and then hike down and stay the first night at either rifugio Vajolet or Passo Principe. This would take ca. 4-5 hours. Day two Via ferrata Catinaccio (3 h) and hike to rifugio Alpi Di Tires (2h) Day 3 Via Ferrata Sentiero Massimiliano (3h) and hike out to Compatsch and gondola down to Siusi or hike across Alpi di Siusi and tahe the gondola to Val Gardena (ca.2 h) Let me know if that helps!”
Will I miss anything by doing it from your main itinerary? Thank you for your help!
Hi Sylwia. Thanks for visiting. You posted your comment 3 times so I deleted the other two (comments need to be approved first before they appear here).
Yes, that’s fine to do. You are basically just cutting out the first day and jumping straight into the second one which is fine. A strong hiker can reach rif. Passo Principe on the first day. The times you enlisted are walking time and don’t include breaks.
I hope that helps!
We just finished a version of this route and we loved it! We stayed at Paolina Hut, Santnerpass Hütte, Passo Principe, and Alpe di Tires. Since Santnerpass Hütte was renovated in 2023, it is incredibly modern and beautiful inside, at about the same level as Alpe di Tires (which makes sense, since the owner of Santnerpass is the son of the owner of Alpe di Tires). We found the Passo Principe Hut a little disappointing because the inside (especially the shared dorm rooms) are very tight and small. They are currently doing some renovations so hopefully this will improve. Due to our timing and the weather, we were not able to do the optional Via Ferrata Catinaccio D’Antermoia, but we did do a walk to Cima Scaliaret (from Passo Principe Hut) which was amazing. One small comment would be that we were a group of 7 people, most of whom had never done a Via Ferrata, and we found that it took quite a bit longer than the estimated times posted on this blog (we did Via Ferrata Masaré, Via Ferrata Passo Santner, and Via Ferrata Sentiero Massimilano). Still very much worth it – just factor in the extra time depending on your group! Overall it was an incredible experience and itinerary. Thanks a lot!!
Hi Colin. Thanks so much for providing feedback. I am so glad to hear you loved the route and the huts. I haven’t stayed in Rif. Passo Santner yet (it didn’t exist yet when I did the traverse it used to be just a tiny little hut). Yes it does belong to the son of the owner of Alpe Di Tires. The times I am posting here don’t include breaks so one still has to account for that, but hopefully your feedback will help others.
Sorry to hear you didn’t love Passo Principe as much. I do hope that they still bake fresh bread like they did when I stayed there. I guess everyone makes their own experiences and forms their own opinions. In the end the most important is that you had a good time. I hope you return to the Dolomites and try other routes.
Hi Marta,
I am doing a similar loop. Starting at Kolner Hutte from the cable car > Night one at Rifugio Alberto > Night two at Rifugio Schlernhaus > finishing the loop back at Kolner Hutte. I am not interested in the via ferrata aspects of the route. I am an experienced hiker and able bodied but worried I might run into a via ferrata on this route but cant seem to find any exact information on this. Do you know if this is a regular hiking route that I will not need equipment for?
Thank you, your posts have helped me very much.
Linsey
Hi Linsey. You can do this loop without via ferratas. I suggest that you get the map of the Rosengarten group or Val Di Fassa (the ones I suggest in the text).
There will be a short scrambling section between rifugio Vajolet and rif. Re Alberto going up a steep gully, but it is not classed as via ferrata. The next day when hiking from Passo Santner to Schlernhaus you can hike via Passo Principe and Passo Molignon, you can stop at rif. Alpe Di Tires for lunch then keep hiking to Schlernhaus.
Have lots of fun!
Hi Marta,
Thank you so much for writing this post! We have booked a 3-day trek starting with Rifugio Antermoia (night 1), to Rifugio Passo Santner, to Rifugio Paolina (night 3). We will do this trek without via ferrata.
I haven’t seen any mention of doing this route in the backwards order that we have planned. Is there a reason why the route is normally listed as starting at rif. Paolina? Is the order in which we plan to do this route possible?
Thank you!
Hi Levi. Yes I list it this way because of the VF Passo Santner which can only be done in one direction. Since you won’t be doing any via ferratas you can do it in the order you have booked the huts. I hope that helps!
Hey Marta,
I just wanted to thank you so so much for sharing your experience in the Dolomites, especially the Rosengaarten Traverse. My two friends and I just got back a couple weeks ago from hiking the Rosengaarten Traverse and it was such a blast. What a picturesque place and the wildflowers were crazy this time of year.
I just wanted to thank you for sharing so much helpful information, without you, this trip wouldn’t have happened 🙂
Hi Kelsey. Thanks so much for your feedback. I am so happy to hear you had a great time. I hope you can back one day to try another traverse. Happy hiking!
Hi Marta,
Thank you so much for writing this blog! Helped so much in our trip planning! I’m just wondering if you have any advice on insurance? My partner and I are travelling from Australia to do the Rosengarten traverse in September this year, but having a very hard time finding a company who will provide insurance for via ferratas above 2000m 🙁
Hi Tasha. So Sorry to hear that. You might want to look into becoming members of Italian or Austrian Alpine Club which includes mountain search and rescue. However I am afraid I won’t be able to help you further with a specific insurance from Australia. I am not a fan of insurance companies to be honest. I see them as necessary evil 🙂
Hi Marta, thank you for your very helpful and inspiring post!
I’m looking forward to my trip this mid September and would like your advise on the following:
1) We have planned and booked the huts in the following order, may we get your thoughts on it and also confirm that this is a hike-only route as we do not plan to rent at via ferreta equipments.
Day 1: Compatsh > Rifugio Bolzano / Schlernhaus
Day 2: Rifugio Bolzano / Schlernhaus > Rifugio Antermoia
Day 3: Rifugio Antermoia > Rifugio Passo Santner
Day 4: Rifugio Passo Santner > Tierser-Alpl-Hütte / Alpe di Tires
Day 5: Tierser-Alpl-Hütte / Alpe di Tires > Compatsh
2) Regarding water, is it safe for drinking if I filter the tap water at the rifuigios?
3) Which map would be suitable for my hike, Tabacco 29, 06 or 05?
Thank you!
Hi Samantha. No, there will be no via ferratas along this route, but you will be repeating some trails going that way. Map no. 06 is the best one for the area. As for water i just drink straight from the tap. Never bring filter with me. You might want to check this post.
Hi Marta!
First, thank you so much for your amazing blog. It has made planning our trip to the Dolomites a reality as it is hard to find such detail online. My friend and I are trekking essentially this route during our upcoming trip but, of course, I am getting nervous about if I planned the route well. The route is as follows:
Day 1: Travel from Bolzano to Carezza to Paolina chairlift and begin trek. Staying at Rifugio Re Alberto for the night.
Day 2: Rifugio Re Alberto > Rifugio Passo Principe for lunch > Grasleitenhütte (for this day, we could not get a spot in Rifugio Passo Principe but were able to at Graslenitenhutte for the night)
Day 3: Graslenitenhutte > Alpe di Tires
Day 4: Alpe di Tires > Oritsei
Days 2 and 3 will be lighter through hiking days but we assume we will do via ferratas and other paths from the huts once we arrive, does this sound right?
Day 4 – this is where I am most concerned, is it possible to go from Alpe di Tires to Ortisei?
I have ordered two maps (06 & 029) but am waiting for them to get in, and naturally, am worried about the route so wanted to confirm!
Thank you again!!
Hi Meghan. I am glad you find my site useful. Grasleitenhuette is a good alternative to Passo Principe, but if you are still plannng on doing VF Catinaccio then it is better to do it from Passo Principe. Once completed continue the hike to Grasleitenhuette (ca. 1 hour but downhill).
Day 4. Yes it is absolutely possible to exit to Ortisei and I cover it in the article including distances and the times (exit 1A).
Have a fantastic time and let me know how your trek goes!
Hi Marta, thank you so much for your website. It is beautiful and very informative. I read a comment and response exchange with Heather about taking the train from Milan to Bolzano and making it to the first hut in one day. I think your response said that time would be tight. When I went to book huts back in February Rifugio Roda De Vaél was already full. Realizing how short the first day hike is, I booked at Rifugio Alberto. We will not likely be able to start hiking until 1 PM. Is it reasonable to make it to Rifugio Alberto if we start at Paolina chairlift at 1 PM? Our crew is in good cardiovascular shape but the elevation is high, temperature hot, etc… I could still make alternate plans to stay in Bolzano the night before but I would lose funding on the place I booked in Milan. Still, if we can’t make it to Alberto in one day, then I should fix it now. Thank you for any input you can provide.
Hi Erin I presume you would be going over VF Passo Santner. Yes you can make it to Alberto Primero in one day however you need to take under consideration the afternoon storms. You did not mention when you are going. In late August/September or October the storms aren’t an issue but during July they are almost daily occurence and as you can imagine being stuck on a via ferrata in the later afternoon is not something I would recommend.
Thank you for all your fantastic information. We are a family of 4 where 2 will be keen to do via ferrata and 2 prefer to just walk. We are planning to start at Carezza staying at Rifugio Alberto first night then Bergamo on second night, walking out to fassa valley somewhere on third day. If we all walk together on the first day as far as Rifugio Fronza is the path over to Rifugio Vajolet (550?) suitable for walkers while the keen duo do the Via ferrata passo santner? We think the walkers should be fine with the steep section up from Vajolet to Alberto but don’t want anything much more technical than that.
On our second day half of us will probably do the via ferrata Catinaccio on the way while the others just walk to Bergamo. Will this be a really short day for the walkers and if so are there any good side trips on the way or extras from the Bergamo refuge.
Thanks for all your help
Hi Meirion. Yes you can split a little bit up from Rif. Fronza and one group goes up the longer route over the pass and via rif. Vajolet, the other group takes the VF Passo Santner. On the second day if the walkers want a longer day, they can hike from Alberto to rif. Antermoia, then Antermoia Alpe Di Tires and then Alpe di Tires to Bergamo (around 7 hours of walking in total).
Thank you that sounds great
Hi Marta!
Firstly, thank you so much for the information you’ve shared in your blog. I’ve planned a nine day traverse almost entirely using your website alone. It is amazing the level of detail you have included! We leave today and are doing Rosengarten, some huts east of Cortina and lastly Tre Cime.
My question is this. I know it’s early in the season (couldn’t come any later this year), and we are wondering how to navigate the snow and ice up high. How will we know if the ferratas are open and safe to do? Do you have any advice about this and tips for climbing via ferrata in colder conditions?
Thank you,
George
Hi George. Thanks for visiting. I usually use webcams in the areas to see how much snow there still is at higher elevations. I check on the map if the ferrata is South or North Exposed. On the North sides the snow melts a lot slower. It is also worth speaking to hut wardens as they have up to date info on the conditions. I hope that helps!
Hi Marta,
Amazing guide! And wonderful photography.
I’m planning my trip at the moment – I have around 5-6 days of hiking I can do in September and I’m considering doing the first half of AV2 or the Rosengarten Traverse. I’ve done some of AV1 and loved it. We have no via ferrata experience but are fit and keen to try. What would you recommend out of the two? It seems like the RT is more heavy on the via ferratas but you could omit some from the trail and still complete it if it’s too challenging?
Thanks!
Hi Ed. Rosengarten traverse is one of my favorite routes and yes the via ferratas are done mostly as extension (apart from day 2). If you don’t have fear of heights via ferratas in the Rosengarten are beginner level (apart from Laurenzi) and should cause no trouble. Properly equipped person can tackle them without a problem.
Marta–thank you for this wonderfully informative website! Very appreciated; it’s what convinced us to do this trek!
We were thinking of the following itinerary and wondering whether you have any comments or suggestions for modifications.
One goal was to do only the easiest via ferrata, which seemed to be Psso Santner; *QUESTION: are we correct that it would be the easiest*?
Plan:
Drive to Paolina parking lot; leave car there.
Day 1. Paolina Chairlift in Karersee to Rifugio Paolina for a short rest and the on to Rif. Rosegarten.
2. Hike to Rif. Alberto Primero along via ferrata Passo Santner.
3. Hike to Rif. Passo Principe.
4. Hike to Rif. Alpe Di Tires.
5. Exit option 2 (Col Rodella Cable Car) and take bus to Paolina parking lot.
*QUESTIONS: Which maps would be best to have and where would you get them? Will this be a reasonable plan or would you suggest modifications using some other rifugios? Is there an easy way to shorten this by one day that doesn’t involve having 800m or more up in one day (which is why we split days 2 and 3)?
THANK YOU!
Hi Eddie.
Thanks for stopping by. Those are really short days. Paolina to Rosengarten is 1.5-2 hour of gentle walk. Via ferrata Passo Santner to Rif. Re Alberto will take around 2-3 hours (btw. consider Rifugio passo Santner over Re Alberto). Alberto Primero to Passo Principe ca. 2.5 hours same for Passo Principe to Alpe Di Tires. There is nothing wrong with that, maybe that’s precisely why you chose to break down the days.
I would recommend that you get the Tabacco Map no. 06 Val Di Fassa. It will cover the rosengarten group and the Exit strategy to the Col Rodella Cable car. If you want to shorten this trip then I would start by taking the gondola to the Rosengarten hut and doing just the Via Ferrata Passo Santner on day 1. You can read about this option in my article about VF Passo Santner.
Let me know if that helps! If you have any more questions you can book a direct call with me. Here are the details.
Thank you for your reply.
We are considering adding the via f extensions of days 3 and 4, so they won’t be so short. We just want to see how my partner does on the via f on the second day as via f’s are new for her.
however if you don’t mind i do have two follow-up questions that are hopefully small enough to ask here and don’t require a zoom call. (i) most importantly: is there any extension, ideally a loop from the hut (so we can decide when we get there if we want to, and we can leave our bags there too) – not necessarily a via f extension – that you would suggest for day 1 and or day 2? (ii) why do you recommend the rifugio passo santner instead of alberto? i thought from the main article you were recommending alberto.
thanks again!
Hi Eddie. Which hut? All via ferratas apart from the Passo Santner can be done as loop extensions (refer to the maps)
As for rif. Passo Santner. I will just say visit its website. It’s a brand new hut. consider it an insider tip 🙂 Alberto hut is also amazing so if you already have your reservartion then just stick with it.
Hi! This has been SO helpful, thank you! We are going in the first week of June, and only a few huts were open, so we were a bit limited in where we could stay. I would love to get your feedback on our current plan, as well as suggestions for any day hikes.
Day 1: Ortesei/Suisu Chairlift > Rifugio Alpe di Tires (evening stay). Maybe a short day hike (perhaps go see the Via Ferrata Sentiero Massimiliano)
Day 2: Alpe di Tires > Day hike south (hike to Passo Principe? Vajolet? Any other suggestions?) return to Alpe de Tires (evening stay)
Day 3: Alpe di Tires > hike east to Rifugio Platkofel Sasso Piato (evening stay). Anything else we should do on this day?
Day 4: Rifugio Platkofel Sasso Piato > Day hike (Maybe the Sassolungo and Sassopiatto loop? Another loop in the area? Any other suggestions?) > return to Rifugio Platkofel Sasso Piato (evening stay)
Day 5: Rifugio Platkofel Sasso Piato > exit (which chairlift / exit point is best?)
Also, how is the snow right now? Do you think we will need spikes?
THANK YOU!
Hi Adam. Thanks for stopping by. The snow is melting very quickly and most hikes up to 2000 meters are already doable (with the exception of the North facing). I reckon the proper season will start early this year, but I cannot give you any guarantee. With the crampons, it’s hard to tell. During daytime the remaining snow is very soft so spikes won’t help with sinking. I always say it is better to be safe than sorry. Since you are staying in Alpe Di Tires two nights and only doing a short move from Alpe Di Tires to Sassopiatto having extra gear won’t be much of a nuisance.
When staying at Alpe Di Tires you can do via ferrata Sentiero Massimiliano or Via Ferrata Laurenzi
You could also hike from Alpe Di Tires – Passo Principe – rif. Antermoia in a circuit back to Alpe Di Tires.
On day 4 when you move to Sassopiatto I wouldn’t recommend the Sassolungo Circuit. It will be too long. Instead you could go up to the summit of Sassopiatto. It’s a hiking route and an exit route for via ferrata Oskar Schuster.
On Day 5 you could exit from sasso piatto to the top of the Col Rodella Cable car and take it down to Campitello in Fassa Valley. I hope that helps!
Thanks so much!! Appreciate the guidance. Do you know around what altitude we will reach in the above itinerary? Trying to understand if we will be above/below 2000m.
Also, I was unclear in my first message actually, we are not doing the Via Ferrattas (no harnesses), I had thought that maybe we could just hike towards them and then turn around when we had to stop.
With that in mind, would you have alternative suggestions for the two day hikes on Day 2 and Day 4 (without Via Ferrattas)?
Yes, you will be hiking at altitudes higher than 2000 meters. Temperatures are warm this and next week so a lot of snow will melt. As for hiking alternatives I already included them in my first answer 😉
Thanks! One last question — what bus(es) do we take to get from Bolzano to the Ortesei/Siusu chairlift on our first day, and then from Campitello back to Bolzano on our last day? I am looking on the Muoversin app but not having much luck.
Hi Adam. Check the Sued Tirol Mobil info website. The one that I link to in the post.
Hi Marta, Thank you for this wonderful resource. I too am a photographer, my friend Michelle and I are starting in mid Sept (I was going to just bring my iphone 15pro max unless you strongly suggest my Canon). We arrive in Verona on the 16th, spending a day in Verona on the 17th, heading to Balzano on the 18th, then planning to RENT GEAR, spend the night and leave for Carezza in the morning of the 19th and begin.
Unless you think we could do all that in one day (Verona/Balzano/rental gear/Carezza) on the 18th? (seems like a lot)
I have Rifugios booked.
1st night – Roda di Vael
2nd night – Alberto Primero
3rd night – Passo Principe
We planned to have lunch at Alpe Di Tires….then keep going and head down option 2 takiing the cable car to Campitello di Fassa.
I have 3 questions.
1. There is mention of buying a map (I missed that), do I buy it from you?
2. I can not find any via ferrata gear rental online except for BASE CAMP DOLOMITES, do you have any suggestions?
3. the BB hotel, is that easy to get to the bus to Carezza from?
Thank you again!
We are so grateful to have found your site!
Hi Lisa. Thanks for your great feedback. You can easily make it from Verona to Bolzano in a day, rent gear and go to Carezza. That way you will be very close to the trailhead and can start very early on day 1 of the trek.
You can get a map in Bolzano or even some huts sell them. You can also order it through my link (the link is in the text under the interactive map) with the exit to the Col Rodella Cable Car I think you would be better getting the Tabacco Map no. 6 for Val Di Fassa (also on Amazon).
There are rental places in Fassa Valley. I answer this question in the FAQ’s about the Rosengarten Traverse.
Public transport is great in the Dolomites during the summer season. Just use the Sued Tirol Mobil website to search for connections. I link to it in the next too.
Thank you so much for such a wonderful website you have here! It has truly inspired me to go on a similar trip. Also, what gorgeous pictures!
I have planned a trip this August with my family – 5 adults of varying ages 60-21. We have some experience hiking in Scotland but nothing that involves climbing equipment, and we would ideally like to avoid any Via Ferratas as this is our first experience of a multi day hiking trip abroad.
We are all relatively fit but don’t want to be hiking on anything that feels too extreme or dangerous for our level of experience. I found your ‘is there a way to omit the via ferratas’ section really helpful and have used it to plan the following route. We have planned the following route:
Day 1: bus bolzano to carezza
carezza: paolina chairlift to rifugio paolina hutte
walking from rifugio paolina hutte to rifugio de alberto
5-6 hours walking
Day 2: rifugio alberto to rifugio passo principe
3 hours walking
Day 3: rifugio passo principe to rifugio alpi di tires
3 hours walking
Day 4: rifugio alpi di tires exit to siusi
2.5 hours walking
bus siusi to bolzano
I have a few questions:
1. Can you confirm that it is possible to do this route along clear paths omitting via ferratas?
2. Do you think the walking times I have predicted appear realistic?
3. Do you recommend any apps/books for planning out the route so that when we are in the mountains we have a resource to follow?
4. Do we need to book the Paolina chairlift in advance?
Thank you so much – all and any advice you have to give is so appreciated!
Best wishes
Madi Oliver
Hi Madi. Thanks for your wonderful feedback.
To answer your questions:
1) Yes if you follow this route you won’t have any via ferratas. Important is that on first day you hike rif. Paolina – Rif. Roda De Vael – Passo Delle Zigolade 0 Rifugio Vajolet – Rifugio Re Alberto. There is a short scrambling section with a cable in the gulley between Rif. Vajolet and Rif. Re Alberto but it’s very very short and not classed as via ferrata. Instead of Re ALberto you can also stand in the brand new rif. Passo Santner.
2) yes. Day 2 from Re ALberto to Passo Principe might take you even less than 3 hours.
3) Just carry the paper map with you. That is your best and most reliable resource. Tabacco Map no. 06 for Val Di Fassa or 29 for the Rosengarten
4) No need to prebook the chairlift or gondola in Siusi.
Have an amazing time!
Thank you so much, so incredibly helpful!
With the short scrambling section with a cable in the gulley between Rif. Vajolet and Rif. Re Alberto, will we need to bring any equipment for that? Or is it simply a case of scrambling, with the cable pre-set to help support you? Is this the path no. 542 that I have read about between the Vajolet and Alberto rifugios?
Hi Madi. It is not classed as via ferrata just a short scramble, but of course it is up to you whether you want to bring gear or not. The section is very short and the cables are there for support. There is always some danger involved even on the easiest of paths. Most people do this without any special gear. Yes it is between the Vajolet hut and Re Alberto hut.
Hi Marta,
Thank you for your post and detailed breakdown of the hike.
I’m planning to walk the Rosengarten Traverse like you proposed on this site. We however did not manage to book a bed in the Rifugio Passo Principe. Which alternative would you propose to book so that we can continue the hike to the Rifugio Alpe Di Tires?
Thanks
Hi Bernard. thanks for visiting. You can stay in rifugio Antermoia instead. This will mean you will have to carry all your stuff with you on via ferrata Catinaccio. Then the next day you can take a different path from Antermoia refuge to Rifugio Alpe Di Tires. You can view this hiking path on my map for via ferrata Laurenzi.
Another alternative is rifugio Bergamo which is a further 1 hour from the Passo Principe refuge. I hope that helps!
Hi Marta!
What a brilliant and well-informed article you have written–many thanks for sharing your experience and suggestions! I have read some of the comments and have a quick question that you might be able to help with, please. Our itinerary for July includes Day 1 at Rifugio alle Cornell/Kolner Hutte, Day 2 at Rifugio Re Alberto, Day 3 at Rifugio Passo Principe, and then we were planning to stay at Alpe di Tires on Day 4 but they have no availability, unfortunately. We would like to stay on the trail somewhere for a 4th night with a nice hike out on Day 5, but we’re not sure where to stay with great scenery within about 6 hours or less walking from Rifugio Passo Principe. We’re thinking Bergamo, Antermoia, or Sasso Piatto. Of these options, which would you most recommend and which corresponding exit trail? Or is there another place you’d recommend? Many, many thanks for all your knowledge and tips on this topic!
Hi Krista. Thanks for stopping by and your lovely comment. Now to your question. If you want to do the via ferrata Sentiero Massimiliano (I presume you are carrying VF gear with you since you are going from Koelner huette to Alberto Primero) then from Alpe di Tires you can hike to Schlernhaus across VF Sentiero Massimiliano. You can then stay the night at Schlernhaus.
If However you don’t want to do the VF then your best bet would be to keep on hiking from Alpe Di Tires to Rif. Sassopiatto. I hope that helps!
Great suggestion that we hadn’t considered! We just booked a night at Schlernhaus and can’t wait for this amazing trek. Thanks again, Marta!
Great! I am glad I was able to help. Have an amazing time and let me know how was it!
Hi Marta,
Your site is so helpful for planning our short 8 day trip in June/July. We were planning a few days around Tre Cime then move across to Rosengarten. We have booked a night in the Paolina hutte for an early start then considering walking to Refugio Bergamo. (R Bergamo chosen for availability of double rooms and a little nearer than R Alpe di Tires) That appears to be about 5-6 hrs. Is that about right and doable in a day? Ruled out Re Alberto due to the cable section to go up and down the scree gully and Passo Principe due to dorm accom only and R Vajolet being not far enough along the route.
Then looking for another day’s walk maybe to Schlernhaus, around 4-5 hrs? Via R Alpe di Tires or is there a more direct route? What would be the best exit walk from Schlernhaus for a bus back to Carezza. Would those 3 days give us a good experience of Rosengarten?
Lots of questions!
Thanks
Duncan
Hi Duncan. Thanks for your great feedback. Yes you can walk from PAolina to Bergamo in a day. 5-6 hours of walking time will be correct. to avoid Via ferrata you will need to walk in the direction of Roda De Vael then Vajolet over Passo delle Zigolade.
After you stay in rifugio Bergamo I would recommend then you walk to Alpe Di Tires and then on to rifugio Sassopiatto. That’s a fancy one and they do have private rooms. On the last day you can walk to the top of Col Rodella Cable car station. and take the cable car down to Campitello di Fassa. You can leave your car parked at the Col Rodella Station and take the bus to Paolina chairlift on the first day. That way your car will be waiting for you at the end. Look for bus connections on the Muoversi app trentino. I hope that helps!
Thank you for the great information within this post and your entire website.
We will be hiking some of the routes described above during the first week of July. Thinking of starting at Carezza and ending at Seiser Alm. Trying to find a home base to park our rental car, and since this isn’t a loop trail, this is requiring a bit more planning.
Can you share more information about the logistics of getting from the start of the trail back to your car after the trail is complete?
Thinking if we make Seiser Alm our base, park hopefully at the base of the chairlift prior to departing (do we know what the fees would be?). How can we get from here to Carezza? Not finding clear information on busses. Is there Uber/ taxi type services available in this area?
Any readers here have experience with these?
Hi Alana. You can park the car at the bottom of the Paolina chairlift. The bottom of the Suisi-Seiser Alm gondola would work too. Unfortunately i don’t know what current fees are. As for getting back to your car you can check the Muoversi app Trentino. If you want to find the bus stop names just zoom on google maps on the area (for example Paolina chairlift) and click on the bus stop icons to see the name of the stop. I hope that helps.
Hi again – I am planning to do your no-via-ferrata version of the rosengarten traverse in early july. looking at the map I was wondering, if I wanted to shorten day 1 and day 2 of your suggested itinerary, would it work to just stay at vajolet on day 1? I figure if it makes day 1 much too short we could leave our stuff at the hut and day hike partway up your proposed itinerary. thanks!
Hi Jeff. Yes, asbolutely. You can stay in Vajolet for the night. I do however think that the view of the Vajolet towers from Santner Pass hut is hard to beat.
Hi!!
I’m a big fan of you, your website and all the work you’ve done. Amazing details and most useful info I’ve found. I did the Alta via 2 last year using your guide, and I’m planning to do Alta via 4 next September also with your info (and the lofoten islands in the future)
But I also have the last week of next June free, and I’m very curious about this option. How well-marked are the trails? And how difficult are the ferratas? My most difficult one has been brigata tridentina. Thank you!!
Hi Emiliano. Thanks for visiting. The difficulty level of via ferratas on AV4 are comparable to VF Brigata Tridentina, so if you managed that one you shouldn’t have any problems with the others. For the most part the trails are well marked but you always have to know where you are heading. The tricky day can be between rif. Vandelli and San Marco, but basic navigational skills should get you to where you need to go.
Thank you!!
And particularly about the trails and ferratas on this rosengarten traverse they are all ok and well-marked?
yes, they are all very well marked. 🙂
Hi there,
Your dolomites blog posts have been extremely helpful to me whilst I plan my trip for this coming July!
I am interested in this hike however would like to cut it at 3 nights/4 days (option 2 on your ‘how to shorten the trip’). Are you able to advise how to avoid night 4? Thank you!
Hi Jacqui. Thanks for stopping by. I do explain in my post how to shorten the trip to 3 nights/4 days. Could you be more specific about what is unclear in the description so I can make it better for others?
Hi Marta,
Thanks for your response. I will try by more specific!
On the morning of the 4th day (after the third night at Refugio Passo Principle), which route do you suggest we take to exit the hike (and where do we end up)? I am sorry if this is covered in your blog, however I cannot see it is.
Or is the only option to walk to Rifugio Alpe Di Tires on the 4th day and then take one of the exit options you have outlined (without overnighting)?
Thanks – Jacqui
Hi Jacqui. I get it now. You can still hike to Alpe Di Tires, have lunch there (it’s ca. 2 hours from passo Principe to Alpe di Tires) then take the exit across Alpi Di Siusi to Compatsch or Ortisei or hike down to Campitello di Fassa passing Rifugio Micheluzzi. I hope that makes sense.
Fantastic website! Thank you for sharing your experiences and opinions.
I have a few questions about food in the huts.
Is there typically a vegetarian option in the huts?
Since the weather tends to be best in the morning how early can one get breakfast and get out onto the trail? Is it possible to a bag breakfast to head out early?
On a Via Ferrata how do you handle people coming the other direction or if a faster party wants to pass you?
Do people only drink the water sold in the huts or do people filter water sources on the trails?
Do you usually pay for the hut in advance w/ a credit card or pay in person w/ cash?
Thank you so much!
Hey Richard. Thanks for stopping by. These questions are answered in my articles which I will send you too. If anything is left unclear after you read them, then please leave another comment and I will be happy to clarify:
Everything you have to know about staying in mountain huts
Beginner’s Guide to Via Ferrata climbing in the Dolomites
Hi Marta! Thanks for all your inspiring and useful information on your site. Would it be possible to make a round trip hike from, e.g. Campitello to Rifugio Alpe Di Tires and Santner Pass Hut and back (overnight stay at both rifugios)? And possibly without including to technical and exposed tracks?
Hi Thomas. Yes, You can take the gondola from Campitello to Col Rodella then hike from there to Alpe Di Tires via rif. Sassopiatto. From Alpe Di Tires you can hike over Passo Molignon and Passo Principe to Rifugio Santner via rifugio Passo Principe and Rifugio Vajolet. Then on the last day hike From Rifugio Santner back to Vajolet and continue down into the pass Rifugio Gardeccia and to the chairlift then chairlift down to Fassa Valley and bus to Campitello.
You can also hike from Santner to Rifugio Antermoia and then Antermoia via Val Dona down to Mazzin and then bus to Campitello.
No technical routes there, but the hike between Vajolet hut and PAsso Santner hut does go up a steep scree gully where some cables were installed for assistance. I hope that helps!
Also there is a short passage with cable protected section when leaving Alpe Di Tires and going direction PAsso Molignon. Neither of those passages are classed as via ferrata
Marta – Thanks for sharing this priceless info in such a user friendly way with maps and alternate routes. I’ve carefully read your notes for the Rosengarten Traverse. We are a family of 5 (our kids are 13, 10, and 8) from the Colorado rockies, we are expert backpackers and my husband and I are former mountain and climbing guides. We are planning a trip for the end of July 2024. We excited to try out a beginer via ferrata or two and like all the extension options you’ve noted in this itinary. I’ve ordered the map but it hasn’t arrived yet. I have two questions for you:
1. On day 2 – Is it possible to get from Rifugio Roda De Vael to Rifugio Re Alberto Primero without doing the Via Ferrata Passo Santner? We’re not sure our crew is ready to do the via ferrata’s with their packs.
2. Do you think it is reasonable to arrive in Bolzano just before noon (from Milan), rent gear, take the bus to the Paolina lift and hike to Rifugio Roda De Vael in the same day? I realize this is weather dependent and a thunderstorm could shut down the lift. But curious if you think this is possible. To me it seems like a busy day but possible.
Thanks so much for your input and the valuble info you share!
Thanks so much for
Hi Heather. Thanks for visiting my site and for your lovely feedback. Yes it is possible to skip via ferrata Passo Santner and take a different route on day two. Check the FAQ’s section (question no. 6) As for the second question. Hmmm it would be possible however it is going to be a tight schedule. Everything always takes longer than anticipated. The train from Milan to Bolzano takes between 3-4 hours. You would have to leave Milan very early though. The hike from Paolina to Roda de Vael is only 30 minutes and super easy too. All in all if you plan well though you can make it to the hut in the afternoon. I hope that helps!
Marta – Thank you for your input! I think we’ll plan to stay in Bolzano for the first night then head off on the traverse. Two more questions.
1. The sheets are not changed regularly. You recommend a sleeping bag liner. Would packing a pillow case also be a good idea?
2. Thanks for your recommendation to check out FAQ #6 for a route without via ferrata to Rifugio Re Alberto Primero. I was also looking around on your site and found the route from Vigo di Fassa via the cable car to Ciampede and then hike to Re Alberto Primero. Since we are staying in Bolzano the first night we will skip night one in Re Roda De Vael and go straight to Re Alberto Primero. Which of these routes would be preferred? It seems the route from Vigo de Fassa is shorter 5k vs 10k but maybe doesn’t take you through the hart of the Rosengarten? What is your advice?
Hi Heather. from my experience pillow cases are changed in the huts, just not the duvets. As for the second question I think the hike from Paolina chairlift to Roda De Vael then Vajolet over Passo delle Zigolade will be more scenic even though longer. I hope that helps! Please consider supporting my site when you book hotels etc.
Hi Marta,
Thank you for all the advice on routes! It’s been massively helpful. One question.. we’re planning to do a 4 day route and miss off the last night on this plan. Please can you advise on the route and length of time it takes to walk from rifugio passo principe to paolina chairlift? I want to make sure we can get the bus to Bolzano on the same day.
Thank you very much!
Bee
Hey Bee. I have a 4-day/3 night version of the traverse and a map for it in the section “how to shorten the rosengarten traverse” have a look at it. If you already booked the huts though, then you can hike from Passo Principe passed rifugio Vajolet and Passo Dele Zigolade to Rifugio Roda De Vael then Paolina chairlift in around 3-4 hours (breaks not included). I hope that helps!
Hey Marta, I had a quick question about my itinerary for a 4 day/3 night Rosengarten traverse in late September.
The hutts I have booked are:
– Night 1 in Rifugio Paolina
– Night 2 in Rifugio Bergamo
– Night 3 in Rifugio Alpe di Tires
I just realized I might have made a mistake. Is it possible to get from Paolina to Bergamo in one day or is that too far? Should I change my refugio for night 1? Thanks for all your help, this blog is great!
Hey Sammy. Thanks for your support on Ko-Fi. Yes I do recommend that you change the second night to either rifugio Santner, Alberto Primero, Vajolet or Preuss. The first two would be ideal, but Vajolet or Preuss are great too!
Hello Marta, thank you very much for your site. We only have 3 days and we are looking for a 3 day route with via ferrata. I consider 2 options but the availability of huts makes it challenging. The first option is in the Brenta group with a night in Tuccket followed by a night in the Maria e Alberto (al Brentei) or Alimonta refuge. I’m having trouble finding reliable information, but getting out to Madonna di Campiglio takes how long? The second option is in the Rosengarten, a Refugio Albert Primero night and a Bergamo night. What would be the fastest but still interesting exit from this last refuge? And if you hava any good 3 days to suggest, I’m all ears 🙂 Many thanks,
Hi Eric. Thanks for stopping by and your support on Ko-Fi. Have you had a look at the section, where I say how to shorten this traverse to 3 days? 1 night at Rifugio Alberto Primero then the second night at rifugio Antermoia would be the best.
As for the Adamello Brenta Traverse. You could do days 1,2 and 5 from my article.
Sorry but I didn’t exactly understand your question “getting out to Madonna di Campiglio takes how long?”
Hi
This is a great guide. The days seem to be short distances each. is this because the via ferratas are time consuming?
Thanks!!
Hi Sarah. That’s exactly right! I just gave the whole post a big update and now you can check how long it takes each day to complete both hut to hut treks and then the via ferrata extensions. You are looking at 6-8 hours of walking each day.
Hi Marta!
My friend and I are heading to the Dolomites this coming August and I was using your webpage to plan our trek. We were able to book our first night at the Paolina hut, night #2 at Rifugio Passo Principe, and night #3 at Rifugio Alpi di Tires. We would love to do some Via Ferratas in there as well! When I first looked at this web link, I remember reading these huts were the suggested huts for 3 nights. However, now that I am checking back, I can’t seem to find this information anymore and now I’m worried I booked the wrong series of huts. But, I did notice that you have a disclaimer above saying that you were updating this page so maybe I shouldn’t panic just yet? I would love your input and if for some reason, what I have booked doesn’t line up, I can try to book something that does. Thanks so much for your help and I look forward to hearing from you!!!
Hi Leigh. Thanks for visiting and your feedback. Yes I did change the traverse a bit to make it better structured. I also added a lot more new information. You booked the right huts don’t worry and I added some tips in the text about rifugio Paolina and how to follow it if you stayed there for the first night.
After receiving some feedback from other readers I decided to make day 2 a little shorter. It’s up to you if you want to change the hut or leave them as is.
If you are leaving your bookings then instead of doing via ferrata Catinaccio as extension on day 3 in the afternoon, you will simply do it as extension on day 3 in the morning then continue to Alpi Di Tires and do Sentiero Massimiliano on day 4 in the morning before exiting the route. Let me know if that helps and definitely get a map to visualize it all or study the maps i provided here (although those are for reference only).
Hi Marta,
I am Leigh’s friend, we are so excited for our trip to Italy in august. I want to express my gratitude to you for all the work you put into your website and replying to all the comments.
All the best,
Malia
Hi Malia. Thank you so much for your great feedback and for your support on Ko-Fi! I really appreciate it. I hope you will have an amazing time in the Rosengarten. I can’t wait to be back there myself soon.
Hi Marta,
I’m super excited to do this hike in late September and your guide has been so helpful!
I have contacted all 3 huts you have suggested for this route. They have all confirmed except Refugio Passo Principe, which replied saying they will be closed for renovations.
What would be the best replacement for this refugio in the context of this hike?
Cheers from Aus,
Sammy
Hi Sammy Thanks for visiting. I am not sure if you have the map of the area already. Rifugio Antermoia would be a good alternative. Another one would be rifugio Bergamo. I hope that helps!
Do you think it is safe for a lone women traveller?
Hi there! Hiking comes with inherent risks and I always encourage people to have companions if something happens, even something small as twisting your ankle. Women or men. With that sad there are plenty of other hikers in the Dolomites. The Alps are pretty busy and you will always meet other people on the routes who would be able to help if something happens. I’ve met plenty of people in the huts and teamed up with them on hikes. I hope that helps.
My partner and I just completed a trip inspired by this post. I’m writing this from the train leaving Bolzano.
A few notes for anyone else considering this route or going there soon:
– We made Bolzano our base camp, since it has great train access. From there we took a bus to Carezza to begin. We exited via Siusi and took a bus back to Bolzano. We found a spot called Base Camp Dolomites in the Bolzano train station that both stores luggage and rents via ferrata sets and trekking poles.
– Due to snow in May, some of the options listed in the post were closed. We were able to detour with the help of info from rifugios along the way. In particular, we took Via de la Feide from Paolina Hut to Vajolet Hut since we were advised to avoid Santner and Zigolade passes. We also detoured around Molignon pass via Barenloch to get from Vajolet to Alp di Tires.
– Most of the trails had snow patches that required some careful navigation. Trekking poles are very helpful for balancing. We also brought microspikes (lightweight crampons) that we used for an extended snowy descent on the north side of Principe Pass. Snowshoes would have been another good option.
– So many afternoon thunderstorms! Rain gear is a must. And hiking early in the day is nice too. We got caught in a hailstorm in the middle of the first via ferrata because we didn’t know better. Would not recommend!
– The huts don’t really sell snacks. We are used to having trail mix, granola bars, etc during hikes. We had planned to go to a store in Carezza to stock up but it was closed. If you want snacks, plan ahead. The huts do sell chocolate bars, so we made do with that.
Thanks for putting together such great information! It’s a breathtaking area and we had an amazing time!
Hi Jonah. Thanks so much for providing the feedback. The fact that you managed to do it in May is already amazing, as mountains are usually accessible from the third week of June. Rosengarten is usually the first to open. No wonder you had to bypass some passes though. It’s absolutely normal. I talk about the afternoon storms relentlessly on my blog, yet some still miss it. I am glad you were safe. Good to know about the luggage storage in Bolzano. I will be updating this post and I will include that info so thanks for that!
Marta – Your blog is great – learned a lot. You sold me on Rosengarten – I’m extremely excited for my upcoming trip in late June. I have never visited the Dolomites. I was hoping you can fill in a few gaps for me. I’ll give you a little background:
I’m planning to leave Venice around 9am and make my way to Compatsch to take a cable car up to the trails. I have 3 consecutive nights confirmed at Rifugio Bolzano, Rifugio Alpe di Tires and then Rifugio Antermoia. I’m a 47 runner in great shape, but no technical climbing experience. I’m not worried about the physical demands, I just don’t know what I don’t know when it comes to some of the challenges you’ve described. I’m sure I could handle an easy via ferratta, but I have no equipment. I had planned to drive a rental up from Venice. Your blog helped me understand I’ll run into road closures mid-day.
First question…..any specific recommendations of where I can set the GPS to park the rental and take the bus?
Second – Thoughts on the route? I have the flexibility to add on several more days. But I’ve already planned a somewhat circular route. I could ask to have some nights moved around.
Third – Thoughts on renting equipment? And where? Or should I just leave that for the more experienced?
Thank you!
Hi Harlan. Thanks for visiting.
You can only drive with your car to Compatsch before 9AM or after 5PM. It will make more sense if you leave your car at the huge parking lot near the gondola terminal in Suisi and take the gondola up to Compatsch.
Equipment on a via ferrata is a must. Especially on the beginner ones, where most accidents happen, because people don’t bring the equipment. Mountain search and rescue will be expensive if they learn someone had an accident on a via ferrata without being properly kitted out.
If you need help designing the route I do offer services for it. You can read all about it here
Last but not least look for rental places in Bolzano or Val Di Fassa. Rental places are called nollegio in Italian.
I hope that helps! It would be fantastic if you considered supporting my site.
Thank you! Super helpful!
Thanks for the support Harlan!
Just returned from my trip – epic! Thanks again!
Woohooo! I am stoked to hear it. Thanks for the feedback!
Hello,
Hiking the Rosengarten has been a dream of ours, as some of our family did this trek 30 years ago. Your site has been a tremendous help in helping us plan, thank you. Since VF Passo Santner will be our first ever VF (4 adults) we decided to give ourselves more time and break the first day up a bit, which changed the order of the next days from your suggestions.
We’ll start from the König Lauren lift, do the VF PS and then spend the night at newly renovated rifugio PS. The next day we’ll head towards R Passo Principe, do the VF d’Antemoia, spend the night at R PP. On day 3 we’ll head to R Alpe di Tires, depending on how we did on the first 2 VF, we might do VF Sentiero Massimiliano. If not, I hope there will some other hikes around there. On day 4 we’ll head out via your option 1 so we can catch the bus and head to Tre Cime.
Do you think this is a reasonable itinerary? Any other suggestions or recommendations?
Hi Simone. Thanks for visiting. This must be very exciting! I actually followed the same itinerary as the one you have outlined but instead of staying in rifugio PS, I stayed in Alberto Primero. It is definitely a doable and good itinerary. Via ferrata Passo Santner is a good beginner route. Let me know if you have more questions!
Thank you for your feedback, we are very excited for this trip.
No worries!
Hi Marta,
Your website has been so helpful! My wife and I are planning a hut to hut trip in early June. I know most refugios open mid June but unfortunately we’re working with what we can do. Our plan is to arrive in Bolzano on an overnight train early on 6/1, check our luggage right at the train station and hike from 6/1 to 6/3. We’d head back to Bolzano on 6/3 in the afternoon sometime to stay the night before we catch a train on 6/4 to Milan.
I have confirmed the following refugios listed below are open during the dates we will be there, but am trying to determine the best way to hike. At a high level I was thinking we’d catch a bus/taxi to Carezza and take the Paolina chair to the trail head and hike to Rifugio Passo Principe to stay the night on 6/1. On 6/2 we’d hike to Rifugio Alpe di Tires (Tierser-Alpl-Hütte) with a stop at Lago di Antermoia (is it possible/realistic to do this). Then on 6/3 hike from Rifugio Alpe di Tires to Compaccio via one of the chair options such as Seis Seiser Alm. We are open to Via Ferrata if we can rent equipment relatively easily in Bolzano before heading to Carezza but for the sake of plan let’s assume we don’t.
1. Rifugio Fronza Alle Coronelle (Kölner Hütte)
2. Rifugio Stella Alpina Spiz Piaz (Edelweiss Hut Spiz Piaz)
3. Rifugio Passo Principe
4. Rifugio Alpe di Tires (Tierser-Alpl-Hütte)
5. Rifugio Sasso Piatto
I would love to get your opinion on this plan! Thank you so much in advance for your time and help 🙂
Lane
Hi Lane. Thanks for visiting and for your great feedback. It’s bold of you to arrive on an overnight train and head straight on a multiday hike.
Hiking from the top of Paolina chairlift to rifugio Passo Principe in a day is very doable. The same goes for Passo Principe to Tierser Alp via Lago Antermoia so sounds like you already have it figured out.
You could also hike from Passo Principe to Sassopiatto via Tierser Alp and then exit the next day on Passo Sella. These two options make the most sense.
I hope that helps!
Thank you Marta! In regards to Via Ferrata vs none, do both routes offer ways to complete them if we don’t have via ferrata equipment? (In all likelihood I think we will Via Ferrata to get the full experience but just want to double check.
Hi Lane. The via ferratas would be extensions so yes you can hike from Paolina to Passo Principe and then Passo Principe to Tierser Alp via Lake Antermoia without via ferrata equipment. If you did have the equipment with you then from Passo Principe you could do via ferrata Catinaccio and aftet the descent continue to rifugio Tierser Alp. You won’t have enough time to do via ferrata Roda De Vael or via ferrata Sentiero Massimiliano. If you wanted to do the later then I would recommend taking the shorter route from Passo Principe to Tierser Alp.
Thank you so much!
Hi Marta, I am already planning to do the AV2 in mid- August and I would like to do this one also. Is there a way I can connect the two, part-way through the AV2? Or would you just recommend coming back to do this? I know some friends of mine want to climb near the VF Roda in Sept. , so maybe that makes sense later?
thank you!
Hi Sue, Thanks for stopping by. Yes, you could veer off from rifugio Boè and hike down through Val Lasties down to restaurant Pian Schiavaneis. Then from here take a bus to Passo Sallo and continue hiking to rifugio Sasso Piatto then from Sasso Piatto to Alpe Di Tires -> rifugio Passo Principe -> Rifugio Alberto Primero – then rifugio Roda De Vael via rifugio Vajolet. You wouldn’t be able to do via ferrata Passo Santner, but everything else. I hope that makes sense. Let me know if I can help further!
HI Marta. Your website has proved invaluable in planning what will be my first trip to the Dolomites. It was recommended by a friend who did exactly this itinerary and loved it. I can see that some of the comments suggest that it can take a long time to complete the via ferratas and treks listed here, and as we haven’t done this type of trekking or via ferratas before (and like taking lots of photos) I wonder if we might find it too much. If we wanted to add an extra day so that we had a bit more time essentially to cover the same distances and via ferratas where would you recommend that we stay? Thank you!
Hi Kelly. Thanks for your great feedback. I did this traverse personally with two other friends, one of whom has never done a via Ferrata before and it was rather relaxed. However, hiking in the mountains does require good fitness. I am not sure what you mean by saying that you haven’t done this type of trekking before. If you just want to do three relaxed days then I recommend you start with Via ferrata Passo Santner and stay the first night at rifugio Santner or Gartlhuette. On the second-day hike to Passo Principe, leave unnecessary stuff in the hut passo Principe hut and venture onto via ferrata Catinaccio, then on the third-day hike from Principe to Alpe Di Tires and in the afternoon do Via Ferrata Sentiero Massimiliano. Those three can’t be missed! I really hope this helps! Let me know if you have more questions.
Thank you so much! If the days are relaxed then it should be ok I think. I have trekked just not do via ferrata so thought I might take a long time. Unfortunately Passo Principe is shut when we will be visiting the dolomites. I see you’ve suggested an alternative below. I’m just a bit confused if this adds an extra day?
Hi Kelly. Yes, that was a mistake which I fixed already. It did indeed add a day. Now it is back to 4 days 🙂 let me know if you have more questions!
Hello Marta,
Your Blog is absolutely amazing, thank you so much for taking the time. We are a couple who would like to do your suggested 4 day traverse in the Rosengarten end of June 2023. Unfortunately I just wrote to Rifugio Passo principe and they are closed until July for renovations. Would you have another rifugio near by (maybe Rifugio Bergamo) that would make sense with this particular itinerary? Thank you for your time
Claudine
Hi Claudine! Thanks for visiting and sorry to hear Passo Principe is closed. What I recommend is after doing the Via ferrata Catinaccio and descending on the other side instead of returning to Passo Principe would be to stay in rifugio Antermoia.
So here would be the plan:
Day 1 rifugio Paolina to rifugio Santner, Alberto Primero or Vajolet. (Skipping via ferrata Roda De Vael and instead doing VF Passo Santner instead)
Day 2. Rifugio Santner, Alberto Primero or Vajolet to Rifugio Antermoia over VF Catinaccio
Day 3. Rifugio Antermoia to Rifugio Alpe Di Tires (You can do that by hiking or by doing the via ferrata Laurenzi which I did not include in my post as I haven’t done it yet. It’s an advanced via ferrata). Via ferrata Sentiero Massimiliano or…
Day 4. if you haven’t done it the previous day then Via ferrata Sentiero Massimiliano + Exit.
I hope that helps! Let me know if you have more questions.
Hi Marta. Can I just check if you mean go from Rifugio Paolina to Rifugio Antermoia in one day (all on day 2?) or over 2 days. You say Day 2 twice in your post. Have you added an extra day? Many thanks!
Hi Kelly. Thanks for catching my mistake. Day 2 was listed twice. I updated that comment and it should be making more sense now.
Hi Claudine. I realized I made a mistake and recommended 5 days instead of 4 so I updated my answer.
I believe that the distances you list for each section refer to the distances for the via ferratas, but could you confirm? Is there a resource you know of to best find the hiking distances directly between huts? We will have a child in our group who may not be interested in doing the via ferratas and from what I see in the comments above, the distances between the huts are short (but with opportunities for possible side hikes/excursions/alternate routes), but I am trying to determine if the km/mileage is within reasonable distance for our group. Thanks!
Hi Kate, thanks for stopping by. The distance is actually a total but don’t look at the kilometers, look at the actual walking time. The reason being is that on via ferratas you can expect to do max 1 km in 1 hour, so that’s a slow going. For example on the day when you stay in rifugio Passo Principe and decide to do via ferrata Catinaccio you will have 3-4 hours via ferrata + 2-3 hours of hiking from rifugio Passo Principe to rifugio Alpi Di Tires. A total circa 6-8 hours. Those are walking times and don’t include breaks. I usually get feedback from my readers that it takes them longer because of all the breaks. The distances between the huts are actually quiet small and most via ferratas optional so the whole route is definitely feasible for a kid, who won’t be joining on ferratas.
Yor question made me realize that I need to update this post to make the walking times clearer. Thank you! let me know if I can help any further.
Thank you so much for the clarification! This has been very helpful in planning our trip!
No worries! I hope you have lots of fun! Let me know if any new questions come up!
Hi Marta,
I can’t thank you enough for your amazing articles and guides about the Dolomites. It really feels like a puzzle that you must solve before you rest easy and you have made this so much easier for us. I’ve read a lot of the comments here already to not duplicate my question. I’ve put together an itinerary and I would love to run it by you for your opinion and its feasibility. We would like to bypass any via ferratas as we don’t have the equipment for it.
We will be staying Bolzano on Sept 30th and looking to take a bus to Carezza in the morning of Oct 1st.
Day 1- Take Paolina Chair lift 13 euros up. Start hiking towards R. Roda di Vael, continuing the trail all the way to Santnerpasshutte Rifugio Passo Santner where we will be spending the night. Is this hike too long/much for a day? How long would you estimate for it to take?
Day 2-Start hiking from Rifugio Passo Santner to R.Alpes di Tires to stay the night. (No Via Ferrata, btw any special way to follow the trails so we don’t have to cross a Via Ferrata to get to our destination?!)
Day 3- Last day- Exit #1 strategy- hiking to Alpes Di Siusi then taking the Gondola down to Siusi or Ortisei.
I will look at the Bus scheduling app that you recommended as well.
If you have any other ideas to make sure we squeeze in everything out of this trip I’m all ears!
Thank you so much again. I can’t wait to explore everything else on your website.
Parisa
Hi Parisa. Thanks for stopping by and for your great feedback. It is totally doable to hike from Paolina chairlift to Passo Santner passed the Vajolet hut. You should estimate around 5-6 hours for it. You can take a rest at the Vajolet hut which you will be passing. The second day will be comparable and doesn’t include any via ferratas. You do have to bear in mind though the section between Vajolet hut and rifugio Alberto Primero does have some chains installed as it is quite steep. You will be going this part both ways. Up on day 1 and down on day 2 as Rifugio Alberto Primero and Rifugio Passo Santner are a side trip. No via ferratas on that day, unless you choose to do them as extensions.
I am sure you will have an amazing time. Let me know how it goes!
Thanks so much Marta for your quick reply. That’s great. I couldn’t find any way to avoid going up Passo Santer both ways up and down.
Is there a way to go from the chair lift the other direction to get to R.Passo Santer? From what I looked at it includes a Ferrata passing which is why I crossed it off. But if there is another way I’d love to hear your thoughts on it and estimate hiking time from the other direction.
Much much thanks again.
Parisa from Vancouver
Hi Parisa. I am afraid there is just either the via ferrata Santner or the route from the Vajolet hut up to rifugio Alberto Primero and then to Passo Santner. Once you are there you will understand why. The sheer walls block access from almost every direction.
Hello
Thank you for all this info it’s so helpful!
My friend and I are going to the dolomites in September and are planning to do either this hut to hut trip or the tri crime one. We are both complete beginners doing via ferratas but are both fit and have got a head for heights. We are planning to rent equipment and try by ourselves. Would you recommend one of them over the other for beginners?
Thanks!
Hi Emma. Both Routes are great for beginners and it’s a tough question. Via ferrata Strada Degli Alpini is amazing views-wise, but I am not a big fan of the crowds around rifugio Locatelli in the Tre Cime NP hence I think Rosengarten would be my preferred choice. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Hi there, Is it recommended to do this in beginning of October?
Hi Louise! Thanks for stopping by. I myself have done this traverse at the start of October so yes. Just make sure that the huts are still open. Some stay open until mid October other close at the start (For example Alberto Primero was already closed) I hope that helps!
Hello Marta-
What a help you have been! Some final questions and we are ready to go. Note that we are 3 fit hiking adults with no special equipment.
Day 1 – Paolina chairlift to Refugio Vajolet (no via ferrata/special equipment other than trekking poles ) – hiking from Paolina lift to R. Roda di Vael and then on to R. Vajolet where we will leave our stuff and then hike to Passo Santer to get incredible views of Vajolet towers.
—how long should we estimate to get to R. Vajolet from the Paolina chairlift with no stops?
—are there any non-ferrata side excursions on way to R.Vajolet we should consider?
Day 2 – R. Vajolet to R.Alpes di Tires for the night (no via ferrata or special equipmest other than trekking poles) –
—this seems like a short hike day without side excursions?Are there any non via ferrata side excursions or routes which may give us more time on the trail before we reach Alpes di Tires? Such as Lake Antormeria? Others?
—alternatively should we head for Alpes di Tire, leave our stuff and do excursions near Alpes di Ttires?
— what is the estimated non via ferrata time to Alpes di Tires from R.Vajolet without stops?
Day 3- descent from Alpes di Tires to return to Bolzano where we have left our luggage.
–You outline 4 exit possibilities from Alpes di Tires in your Rosengarten 4-day traverse. Which non-via ferrata option do you consider the most scenic? If we are pressed for time which non-via ferrata option would you recomment as the quickest descent? We will be taking public transport back to Bolzano.
You are the best! Thank you so much for your suggestions.
Margaret
Hi Margaret. Yey! Your trip is getting closer. How exciting!
As for your questions:
1: Rifugio Paolina to rifugio Vajolet over Roda De Vael should take around 3 hours. Just walking time. Add another 1-2 hours for stops, rest breaks etc.
2. The thing about the Dolomites is that the hiking trail network is so extensive that there are always extensions possible. I would say just stick to hiking to Vajolet as you still will have a tiring ascent ahead of you to Passo Santner.
3. Yes you can hike to Lake Antermoia and then circle around to Alpe Di Tires, but this won’t significantly extend your trip, it will just rerouting. Once at Alpe Di Tires you can hike around. If you will have a map with you, you will see some options.
4. I think hiking across the Alpi Di Siusi will be the scenic one. You can then catch the gondola down to Ortisei. My second favourite would be to go across to rifugio Sassopiato and exit on Passo Sella (part of the Sassolungo Circuit). This however is significantly longer. If pressed for time the fastest is to go to Compatsch and take the gondola down to Siusi.
I hope that helps and you will have plenty of great time. Let me know how it goes. If you would like to support my work please go to about me page and click on the support my work button! Happy hiking!
Great guide! I am just starting to research the Dolomites. We have 2 kids who would be 11 and 15 next summer. Are the via ferratas doable for kids? And it looks like you can opt out of them (they seem to be excursions from the hut sites, for the most part)? We have done hut to hut hiking in Iceland before and really enjoyed it. The via ferratas would be great to try, but am not sure if they would be too challenging for kids that age (one is an experienced rock climber, the other is not).
Hi Kate! Thanks for visiting. I have seen plenty of families doing via ferratas with their kids in the Dolomites. Some looked really young (8-9 years old). Most of the time they were roped up to an adult. Whether your kids will be up for it or not I cannot tell you, because I don’t know them 🙂 Sounds like the one who is a rock climber will have no problem with those though.
Rosengarten is a great pick because as you wrote most of them are hut excursions. If you don’t want to do any via ferratas look into AV1. You can just do a part of it. At the end of the post I have early escape routes. Make sure to check it out and let me know if you have more questions!
Excellent, thank you for the reply! I was interested in this because it seems less well traveled, and the via ferratas being optional and not part of the trail is even better for us (one child is less adventurous than the other!)
No worries. Also, check out my Pale Di San Martino traverse. It is quieter than Rosengarten. Rosengarten is quiet during autumn, but not so much in the summer. Instagram created a bit of a hype around the Vajolet towers nowadays. Let me know if I can help any further!.
Hello – Thank you for your wonderful website. We are 3 fit adults who are looking for a 2 hut night/3 day hiking experience in the Scilian/Schlern and Cantinaccio/Rosengarten area of the Dolomites. We plan to stay in Bolzano and will need public transport from and back to Bolzano for our hike’s start and end point. Our luggage will stay in Bolzano and we must be back there no later than Saturday night. We have reserved a spot at Alpes di Tires refuge for one night on Friday, September 9. We would appreciate any suggestions you might have for an additional night at another hut from which we could hike to Alpe di Tires. Alternatively if we stay at Alpe di Tiers on Thursday night, September the 8 rather than September 9, any suggestion for a hike from Alpe di Tires to a second hut for the night. We need to exit our traverse on Saturday for a return on public transport to Bolzano. We are non climbers and are interested in routes which can bypass via ferratas. Thanks, Margaret
Hi Margaret. Thanks for stopping by. I recommend that you stay the first night at Alpe Di Tires and access it from Siusi or Ortisei. For the second night, you can hike to rifugio Vajolet and stay a night there or rifugio Preuss which is right next to it. Once at Vajolet hut you can leave your bags and hike up to rifugio Alberto Primero and to Passo Santner to get the views of the Vajolet towers.
On Day 3 you can hike to rifugio Roda De Vael from where you go further 30 mins to the top of the Paolina chairlift. Take the chairlift down and exit the route there, then travel back to Bolzano. Let me know if that helps and if you have any more questions!
Thanks so much for your prompt response. Unfortunately we cannot switch our reservation at Alpe di Tires to Thursday so would there be any problems reversing your suggested route? We would start out from Bolzano to get to R. Vajolet or Pruess if availabe for Thursday night and then hike to Alpe di Tires on Friday, stay the night and then back down to get to Bolzano by Saturday evening? Thanks, Margaret
Hi Margaret. No, not at all. I traversed Rosengarten both ways and both ways are totally fine. I hope you can squeeze in the hike to Rifugio Alberto Primero and Santner Pass to get the full view of Vajolet towers. Let me know if I can help any further!
Hi Marta – We are back again and would appreciate some further advice. We have reserved at R. Vajolet on Thursday September 8 and R. Alpes di Tires on Friday September 9. Quick recap – we are leaving luggage in Bolzano and need to use public transport from Bolzano to begin and exit our hike on Saturday back to Bolzano. We are 3 fit adults who are used to hiking but are non-climbers and wish to avoid via ferratas. What starting point/route would you recommend for the first day to R. Vajolet? We have read a lot about the traverse across the Alpe di Siusi meadows up to The R. Bolzano as being especially nice. Is it possible to incoporate this hike on the way to R. Vajolet? Or on the return to Bolzano from R. Alpe di Tires on Saturday. Also open to other suggestions you might have? Is it easy to purchase trail maps in Bolzano before our hike?
Thank you,
Margaret,
Hi Margaret. I would recommend that you start by taking the Paolina chairlift then hiking to rifugio Road De Vael and then follow the path to rifugio Vajolet.
Once you reach rifugio Vajolet you can drop off some of your stuff and continue on a hike up to Rifugio Alberto Primero and then Passo Santner to get the incredible view of the Vajolet Towers.
If you would like to incorporate Alpi Di Siusi you can simply hike from Alpi Di Tires to rifugio Bolzano (5.5 km – 1.5 hours) and from Bolzano to Ortisei through Alpi Di Siusi. Hiking through Alpi Di Siusi isn’t as exciting as many people think though, because you are mostly walking through paved road. The view is great though, because it is one of the classic views of the Dolomites.
As for the maps. Sometimes huts sell them, but when in Bolzano just pop into any sports shop (for example Sportler) and pick one up. Tabacco maps are the most commonly used. Let me know if I can help any further
Hi Marta,
How doable are these routes solo? I am hoping to make a last minute trip mid July but will be alone. Thinking of doing a 3 day. Also what airport is best to fly into for the dolomites? Innsbruck?
Really liking this route so hopefully I can find some hut availability.
Thanks,
Hi Alice! Thanks for visiting. It depends on your own abilities. I don’t have any problem venturing out on my own and have met many people who did it too. Over the years I have gained a lot of experience in the mountains. The routes are always marked very well and there is no necessity to carry too much equipment because of the hut stays. As for your second question it is answered in my FAQ’s on the Italian Dolomite’s guide page. Good luck with your planning! Let me know if you have more questions!.
Hi Marta, I just got back from the Dolomites and wanted to leave my feedback for this amazing traverse thanks to all of your help! First, I’d like to caution everyone who’s new to the Italian Alps/Dolomites that the difficulty of the hikes may be higher than you think, hence you might need more time than the estimate. Plus the scenery is so gorgeous that you’ll stop many times to take pictures and breaks. Our itinerary was the following:
Day 1. King Laurin cable car to VF Santner, sleep at rif. Passo Principe. In reality, it took us almost 6hrs to complete the VF and get down to the other side of the pass. We ended up sleeping at rif. Vajolet.
Day 2. Short trek to Passo Principe, where we did VF Antermoia. Great VF and really fun, but again it took us 5hrs instead of 3. Since we already paid deposit at Alpe di Tires we wanted to go there but got caught in a thunderstorm, made it to the rifugio in 3hrs instead of 2. Arrived at 9pm.
Day 3. Much easier trek through the valley to rif. Sassopiatto then to Passo Sella to exit. Caught the bus to Ortisei.
For the next couple of days we just did day trips to Alpe di Siusi and Seceda from Ortisei.
All in all it was an amazing trip. Still, some of the stress of having to make it to a certain rifugio by nightfall could have been avoided if we had accurately estimated the hike duration. I’d say to any new traveler to the area to keep your plans as flexible as possible (by going earlier in the season so if you have to sleep in an alternative rifugio like we did, they wouldn’t be fully booked), and not to fill your days with just hikes, i.e. if this trail calls for 3hrs, plan additional 2hrs for breaks, photos, etc. Oh and get hiking poles if you don’t want to be sliding down rocky screes on the descent.
I thoroughly enjoyed Rosengarten, it’s definitely much less visited than Alpe di Siusi and Seceda, we mostly ran into locals who lived within driving distance. And rif. Passo Principe is adorable, the owner Sergio was so warm and nice, even phoned Alpe di Tires to tell them to expect our late arrival.
Thank you Marta again for this guide! We couldn’t have had our trip without it. 🙂
Hi Katie. Thanks a lot for your feedback I am sure it will become useful to others. Perhaps I should disclose it more clearly but the times given on my site are always moving times, not the total times one needs to complete these routes. Even for me, there is always a difference between moving time and elapsed time when I look at my watch. It’s usually around 45 mins to an hour difference which is the time I spent taking the photographs. The hiking poles suggestion is definitely a good one. I usually include links in my guides for those. I never leave without my hiking poles.
I am so glad to hear you enjoy Rosengarten. It’s still one of my favourite areas in the Dolomites and I hope to return soon as I still want to do a few more hikes and ferratas there.
Passo Principe is also in the top 5 of the huts I have stayed at and definitely the most memorable. The owner is full of life. He used to have a dog there, a border collie. There is/was a huge picture of him and his dog hanging on one of the walls. The dog was still there but it was already old. I would be surprised if it was still around? I hope you return to the Dolomites again one day and try another hut to hut hike! All the best!
I have never found the need for hiking poles until the Dolomites! I would definitely get them next time. I don’t recall seeing a picture of the border collie in Passo Principe but the owner did have him as the background pic on his phone. 🙂
I’m already missing the region and planning my next trip! I know the Sennes-Braies area on the East is famous for Tre Cime etc, what’s another park you like?
Hi Katie, The picture was huge, it took most of them wall and it used to hang on the opposite wall to the entrance. It would have been impossible to miss, which means it must have been taken down. The doggo was already very old when we were there and that was 2018! I would be surprised if it was still alive. It was definitely the owners loyal friend and he cared for him dearly. Yes I never leave without my hiking poles! As for your last question. Sennes-Braies is known for Lago Di Braies mostly. The first 3 legs of Alta Via 1 also pass through Fannes-Sennes-Braies Park. Tre Cime is its own park. I do have a traverse for the Tre Cime NP which I would highly recommend as it has amazing via ferratas incorporated. If you are after a bigger challenge then take a look at my guide to Alta Via 4. Another place I really love is the Pale di San Martino (I also have a 3-4 day guide for it) and last but not least and probably my favourite traverse which includes lots of via ferratas is Dolomit Brenta, a rather unknown area of the Dolomites amongst the international tourists! You will also find a guide for it in my hut to hut category. I hope that helps!
Hi Marta! I’ve been reading on your website literally all day!! Love everything and the pictures in particular. Would be amazing if there was any way to ‘tip’ you for your tips hehe.
After reading this post https://inafarawayland.com/multiday-hikes-in-italian-dolomites/ my fiancé and I have decided to follow this trek in two weeks for our civil wedding honeymoon, haha. We went to the dolomites three years ago and did 7 hikes of the Alta Via 1 as day hikes and totally fell in love with the place.
I just have one question about this trek- I contacted Rifugio Paolina and they’re fully booked. The owners recommended we stay in either the Rotwand or the Rosengartenhütte. Would you recommend any of those?
Hugs and thanks!!! 🙂
Hi Sofia. Yes I stayed in the Rotwand huette and it’s a nice one. Good alternative to Paolina. Rosengarten is good too if you want to start your crossing with via ferrata Passo Santner, however you can reach it through a gondola so not sure if that would appeal to you.
Hi Marta, its me again. I figured out the way to book a night at Rifugio Paolina- so that’s out of the question. Now, the Rifugio at Passo di Tires is fully booked- would you recomend another Rifugio nearby so that we end up our traverse the next day in Campitello di Fassa?
Thanks so much again <3
Sorry Marta, I just saw your response but it didn’t appear to me just before when I posted my other comment. Haha, thanks for the answer!
Hi Sofia. You could try staying in rifugio Antermoia instead. Especially since you plan to hike to Campitello di Fassa.
Hi Marta,
Thank you for sharing this information! It has been incredibly helpful as my partner and I plan our trip to the Dolomites in early June (this week!). It sounds like most of the rifugios are already open. We are just planning on hiking (we won’t have via ferrata gear) and would like to spend two nights and three days hiking. We won’t have a car. Does the following itinerary sound reasonable?
Day 1: Take a bus or taxi from Bolzano to Carezza and take the chairlift to Paolina Hut; hike to Rifugio Passo Principe and spend the night there
Day 2: Hike from Rifugio Passo Principe to Rifugio Sasso Piatto and spend the night there
Day 3: Continue circling Sassolungo and hike out on Passo Sella; take the bus back to Bolzano
We are also considering hiking from Rifugio Passo Principe to Vigo di Fassa to spend night 2 there, but aren’t sure if that would be doable in one day.
We’d like to have the best views! Would you suggest any changes? Thanks again!
Hi Juliana! Sounds like you have it figured out. Yes, the 3-day hiking itinerary you have outlined is totally feasible. Passo Sella is well connected with both Val Di Fassa and Val Gardena. Sued Tirol Mobil will help you figure out bus connections. Hiking out to Vigo Di Fassa would be feasible to if you want from Passo Principe to Rifugio Antermoia and then down. Both options will be quite scenic. My choice would be option no. 1. Hope that helps! Have lots of fun hiking!
Thank you so much for your amazingly detailed posts. Your site is definitely the most helpful thing we have found in planning a dolomites trip. I have one question I would like to ask.
Due to time constraints of trying to fit a lot of things in 2 weeks, we are planning on doing this traverse in 3 days. We were thinking of still starting with a night at Paolina hut and just cutting out the first day of Via ferratas, so leaving Paolina Hut as our day 1 (your day 2), and keeping the rest the same. Will we get the great views of Vajolet Towers this way keeping your exact itinerary minus day 1? Or was your picture from of them from one of the first VF routes we are skipping? If so, would it make more sense for us to aim for Alberto Primero? We will be there around Sept 5 or 6. Thanks again!
Hi Paula. Thanks for your great feedback. Here is my suggestion if you want to make the traverse shorter.
Start with the via ferrata Passo Santner (top of the Koenig Laurin chairlift), get to Vajolet Towers, see the view and then hike down and stay the first night at either rifugio Vajolet or Passo Principe. This would take ca. 4-5 hours. Day two Via ferrata Catinaccio (3 h) and hike to rifugio Alpi Di Tires (2h) Day 3 Via Ferrata Sentiero Massimiliano (3h) and hike out to Compatsch and gondola down to Siusi or hike across Alpi di Siusi and tahe the gondola to Val Gardena (ca.2 h) Let me know if that helps!
Hi Marta,
(Sorry for not writing beneath my original thread, for some reason the site wouldn’t let me reply to your last comment). Your suggestions for extensions are great around Antermoia, the lake looks lovely!
For our last day ending in Passo Sella, I’d love to continue to see Seceda with the suggested overnight stay in Rif Firenze. But trying to catch the bus to S. Cristina to take the Col Raiser cablecar up before they close seems a bit pressed for time, right? Alternatively, Val di Funes looks like a great area on the other side of Seceda. Is there a way for us to start at Seceda from the Val Gardena side, stay the night at Firenze then hike to the Adolf Munkel trail or Rifugio Genova, and exit somewhere that is accessible by bus? Thank you! <3
Hi Katie. If you leave the refuge by 8 am you should make it to Passo Sella by 2 pm which would give you enough time to catch the shuttle. The last gondola runs at 4:30 PM. When you are at the top of the Col Raiser I would first recommend dropping off your bags in Firenze (30 min walk from the top of gondola) and then hiking up to Seceda either for sunset or early in the morning the next day.
However, If you prefer not to rush then you can just stay the night at rifugio Vicenza or in a hotel on Passo Sella and then catch a ride and the Col Raiser gondola the next day. You can also take the Furnes Seceda cable car from Ortisei which is a bit further from Passo Sella but the cable will take you directly to the Seceda and the ridgeline view, from where you can descend to rifugio Firenze. I actually think this would be a better option.
As for your other question. Yes, You can easily hike from rifugio Firenze to Rifugio Genova then follow the Adolf Munkel Trail the next day and exit in Zanser Alm from where you can catch a bus to Bressanone for example.
From Rifugio Firenze you follow paths 2 and 3 to rifugio Genova over Forcella della Roa. It takes around 4 hours. You can view this trail on Tabacco map 05. I hope that helps! 🙂
Thank you so much Marta! We decided not to rush after Sassolungo, so we are catching the bus from Passo Sella to Selva and spending a night there before doing Seceda the next day. We do want to catch the sunrise at Seceda so we booked Rif. Firenze for the night, probably get up for the sunrise, come back to the rifugio for breakfast, then leave for Zanser Alm. So it’s 4hrs from Rif. Firenze to Genova, then perhaps another 2-3hrs to Zanser Alm, right? We are thinking of going to Bressanone, any recommendations for winery or farm tours? We’d love to try fresh produce in the area. 🙂
Hi Katie. Great news and yes rifugio Firenze is great for catching a sunrise at Seceda. I did the same thing a couple of times. To walk down from rifugio Genova to Zanser Alm takes max 1,5 hour. If you are quick you can do it in one hour. It’s a downhill walk. As for your last question, I am sorry but I am afraid this is beyond my expertise. I did a wine tour near Rovereto and Trento, this is a very famous region for wines. If you are interested in wines I would suggest heading over there. From Bressanone you could catch a train to Rovereto or Trento. Both are actually very beautiful and historic cities.
Hi Marta, thanks for the suggestion! Trento does seem to be a cute town to check out. I’m super excited to have regional cuisine and hope we can easily get fresh milk/cheese without having to do a farm stay. 🙂
Fingers crossed you will get to experience everything! Plenty of local fresh produce in Italy! Enjoy!
Hi,
Your website has been so helpful to me while planning my trip to the Dolomites.
I am really interested in doing this multi day hike through Rosengarten National Park, but I do have some questions for you in terms of logistics.
First, I we are not to do any Via Ferrata, do you think the distance between the huts are too short? Would you suggest any alternatives?
Second, can we only rent via ferrata equipment in towns near the starting point of the hike, or can we rent gear in the rifugio?
Third, if I wish to leave our rental car at our arrrival point (instead of our departure point) what do you suggest? Before starting the hike, we would like to park my car at the hike arrival point and catch a bus to Carezza which would be the starting point of our hike. In the same topic, what is the South Tyrol transport app to plan bus trips and see available routes?
Thank you so much in advance for your help!
Hi Veronique. Thanks for stopping by. I will try to answer your questions as best as I can
1) Yes if you skipped the ferratas the distances would be very short. In that case I would suggest that you do a different route. For example from Paolina hut hike in a day to rifugio Vajolet (plus add an excursion up to rifugio Alberto Primero to see the Vajolet towers) or hike straight to rifugio passo Principe. Then from Passo Principe hike to rifugio Sassopiato and from there continue circling Sassolungo and exit on Passo Sella. That gives you 3 days/2nights. That’s just one of the possibilities, but to be fair they are really endless as there are so many huts in the Dolomites you can plan a lot of different routes!
2) I have not come across a refuge that rents the VF gear. You would need to get it from the rental shops down in the valleys
3) Sorry this was way too confusing for me to understand what you are trying to do. Could you clarify?
4) Sued Tirol Mobil is a website or an app where you can look up bus connections for the local public buses in the region.
I hope that helps!
Thank you so much for your fast response!
In terms of the walking distance/elevation, which map do you suggest using to plan our hike in Rosengarten?
Lastly, if i exit on Passo Sella is it easy to take a bus back to our car that have stayed at the starting point in Karersee?
Again thank you, this is much helpful
Hi Veronique. I recommend that you get the Tabacco map no 029 for Rosengarten and then 05 Val Gardena. From Passo Sella you can easily catch a bus to Canazei or Campitello in Val Di Fassa. I recommend that you leave your car there and take the bus from there to Karersee on day 1, so on the last day after you are tired and just want to rest you don’t have to worry about taking a bus for 2 or more hours. Sued Tirol Mobil is a good site to check for bus connections. I hope that helps!
Hi Marta, fantastic content! I’m going to echo the first poster’s comment on how much of a help your blog has been to my planning. My friend and I are decent hikers but do not have climbing experience. We would love to try the via ferratas in this traverse but don’t really want to buy and carry them in our luggage. Do you think there are rental options from Bolzano or Kararsee?
Also, how about the matter of water in the dolomites? I have filtration units that I can bring to fill from streams, are they readily found?
Thank you! <3
Hi Katie! Thanks so much for your feedback! It always makes my day hearing that my website helped someone with planning their trip. As for your question, yes there are places where you can rent via ferrata gear. I would aim at Canazei or Campitello di Fassa. Look for places that are named Noleggio, those are gear-rental places. I know there is definitely one in Campitello di Fassa. I also have an article about everything to know about via ferrata climbing which you should check out (category: via ferrata in the Italian Dolomites Guide). Regarding the water, you can fill it up in the huts. I never carried any water filtration system with me when in the Dolomites and I have done many multiday hikes. The streams are actually very scarce in the Dolomites and the landscape of the Rosengarten Nature Park is very barren with very little vegetation, but lots of amazing spires and mountains to summit. If you want to know more about the ins and outs of staying in mountain huts in the Dolomites I also have an article about that. You can find it in the hut to hut category in the Italian Dolomites guide. Let me know if you have more questions!
Thanks Marta for the feedback! Glad to know that I don’t have to pack a water filter, making my bag lighter! In terms of logistics, we would like to avoid renting a car unless absolutely necessary. We’ll start in Bolzano and head to Carezza to start the Rosengarten traverse you suggested here. We’re hoping to take exit strategy 1 to also see Alpe di Siusi, which would put us back to Ortisei. Is it overly complicated to get back to Carezza if we need to return rental gear etc? Or perhaps we can do exit strategy 2 that would put us closer to the starting point. We’ve emailed Rifugio Passo Principe for availability and they said the via ferratas are not doable due to lingering snow (the week of June 13th). Is that typical?
Hi Katie, yes hut to hut hiking can be done in mid June at the absolute earliest. I have done Alta Via 1 from mid June until the end of June. You should look at the photos to see how much snow there still was in some places, especially Northern Slopes. Via ferrata Catinnacio goes to 3000-meter summit where snow lingers usually until July. To put it shortly yes it is very typical. Southern slopes are fine at this time of the year but you would really have to study to map to see what via ferrata routes run on the Southern slopes. As for your exit strategy since you are renting the gear somewhere in Campitello Di Fassa then I reckon it would be easier for you to hike out directly to Campitello or you could hike from Rifugio Alpe Di Tires to Rifugio Sassopiato (via Alpi Di Siusi) then from Sassopiato to Passo Sella and then catch transport to Carezza. Sued Tirol transport app should help you with figuring out connections but do expect that even though the distance may seem short because of the super windy roads the buses travel really slowly. Let me know if I can help any further!
Hi Marta, I’ve done a bit more research and I think I’m going to tweak this traverse a little bit, cutting out the first day on your guide and extending it to include the Sassolungo hike. Happy to hear your thoughts on whether you think this is a reasonable plan!
Day 1: Start at Nova Levante to catch the chairlift Laurin to Rifugio Fronza, take the Santner pass to see Vajolet towers, sleep at rif. Passo Principe. Is there a non-via ferrata option to the Santner section? How long do you think this day is if done this way?
Day 2: same as you described, but if we don’t do the VF, the walk to alpe di tires seems rather short (2hrs), are there other walks around, or we could simply relax for the day. 🙂
Day 3: I’m going to take your suggestion to go towards Rif. Sassopiatto, from there taking route 527 to hike around Sassolungo, passing by Rif. Vicenza and Comici, ending in Passo Sella. This might take 5-6hrs or more?
From Passo Sella we’ll catch the bus to Selva/Ortisei. I’m also interested in doing the Seceda hike. Are there other day trips you love in the area? We’re bit pressed for time so don’t think we’ll make the effort to see the 3 cime area (Cortina, Dobbiaco etc) as public transit back and forth is time consuming.
Thank you!!!
Hi Katie. Your plan does sound reasonable. Here are a few suggestions.
1) If you want to reach the Vajolet towers from Rifugio Fronza go to my post about Vajolet towers hike which you can find in the day hike sections of my Italian Dolomites guide. You could also stay the first night in rifugio Alberto Primero right underneath the Vajolet towers. It’s a sight to behold on a sunset/sunrise.
2)If you do stay the first night in Passo Principe then yes the day might seem a bit short, but there are always possibilities for extensions! The paths are endless. For example you could take a longer route from Passo principe to Alpe Di Tires via rifugio Antermoia and check out Lake Antermoia. Path no from Passo Principe is 584, then from Antermoia it would be 580 > 578 > 555 > 532 > 4
3) yes the last day would be around 5-6 hours if you went for the exit on Passo Cella.
as for your last question, Seceda is a really easy day and you can literally just take the cable car to the top and make the day as long or as short as you want. Another really nice hike in the area is Vallunga. You can either just take a walk through the valley and back or make it a long day and hike from Vallunga to rifugio Puez and back to Valluna or exit via Val Chedul making it a loop. I hope that helps!
Hi! If I were to double up on a night at one of the huts your recommended which one would you do that at. I love to hike 🙂
Hi Tatiana! Thanks for stopping by. I could recommend that after rifugio Alpe Di Tires you hike for another day to rifugio Sasso Piatto or rifugio Vicenza, and then exit the next day on Passo Sella, where you can catch the bus to Canazei or Campitello di Fassa. If you stayed the night in rifugio Vicenza then you could exit to Passo Sella by doing the via ferrata Oskar Schuster which is amazing! I have a description of this ferrata on my website! Let me know if that helps and if you have more questions!
Your website has been without a doubt the most helpful resource I have found so far for planning my trip to Italy in June! You replied to my comment on another post, which led me to explore the Rosengarten area. Huge thanks for your help already. If you have any more time, would love further guidance!
My partner and I are hoping to find a way to do a 3/4 day hike/trek/via ferrata traverse June 4-7. As of right now, with the help of this post, we were hoping to do this route (possibly cutting out the first day as you described). Would this be possible in early June from your understanding? Are there other areas/routes we should consider instead? Would also be willing to compensate you for your time and effort if you were interested in answering some more questions and helping with some planning, if that’s something you do!
Thanks!!
Hi Haley! Thank you loads for your great feedback. It always makes my day! June 4-7 is still quite early for multi-day hut to hut hikes, but Rosengarten huts do open the earliest out of all of the regions, so with luck, you might be able to pull this off. As for the snow, it’s difficult to say. This year there has definitely been a lot less snow than in previous ones, so by the start of June, it all might be gone, providing it won’t snow again. I think the best approach is to hope for the best but prepare for the worst, meaning be ready to turn around if something isn’t passable. Another traverse with great via ferratas is Tre Cime Traverse which you can also find on my website, but in the Tre Cime NP the huts don’t open until the third week of June. I am heading to the Dolomites in a month’s time, for the first time during springtime, and if possible I would like to hike to Lake Antermoia in the Rosengarten group, so I will be able to give you a first-hand report on the snow cover. If you want to help me out, then please use the affiliate links provided on my site when booking hotels or your rental car for the trip. Let me know what other questions you have!
Hi Marta, Wow! What a great post about this trek. Your photos are incredible. My husband and I are looking to spend a little time in the Dolomites doing a hut-to-hut adventure later this year. Based on your photos this looks like there is some rock climbing involved. We did the TMB a few years ago. Would you say this trek is a bit more technical than that? Thanks again for such a great breakdown.
Hi Erin. Thanks for stopping by and your lovely comment. I have not personally done TMB, but have friend who did and as far as I am a am aware there is only one via ferrata section which can be bypassed. To do the Rosengarten Traverse the way I am describing in the post you would need a full via ferrata set (helmet, harness and a lanyard). Whilst elevation and distance wise the days are shorter than TMB, they will be more technical. I would highly recommend that you have a look at my Tre Cime Traverse which is slightly easier than Rosengarten but just as amazing in the views department. Pale Di San Martino Traverse will be easier too. You can find both posts under this category on my site: https://inafarawayland.com/category/dolomites-hut-to-hut-treks/
Hi Marta,
Thanks very much for all the detail you’ve already shared on these blog posts, they’ve been extremely useful in my planning! We’re going to Rosengarten for a couple of days at the beggining of September, we deliberately gone for fairly short hikes between the huts and have decided against via ferratas in the end so won’t have the equipment. On the first day we are looking to hike for Paolina chairlift to Rifugio Fronza / Kolner but we’d like to go via Rifugio Roda di Vael and then along the east side of the ridge. The two options we are considering: 1. Passo de la Zigolade + Passo de la Coronelle 541, 550 or 2. 551 + Passo dal Vajolon, then along 549. Looking at the map both options look like they should be doable without via ferrata gear but there are short sections with red dots / red crosses which I understand mean cable aided / difficult sections. Do you have a recommendation re: doing these without via ferrata kit? If both are doable without equipment I’m tempted by option 2 via Passo Vajolon since the day after we would likely be going over the Coronelle Pass from Kolner Hut toward Rifugio Re Alberto. Thanks so much again for sharing all this knowledge!
Hi Oana. I am glad to hear you are visiting Rosengarten. You can head ike from Paolina to Roda De Vael then to Passo Vajolon and Rifugio Fronza. The next day you can hike over Passo delle Coronelle to Rif. Vajolet then up to Rifugio Re Alberto. That way you won’t be repeating any routes. The red crosses are indeed via ferrata sections, but for example the ascent from Vajolet to Re Alberto, even though on the maps you will see crossed the sections are short and (as you said) can be considered as cable aided sections. I did do them without via ferrata gear but in the end it is your personal decision and what you are and aren’t comfortable with. One can never be careful enough in the mountains. I hope that helps!