The Best Towns in the Dolomites: Five Bases That Work in Summer and Winter

When you plan a week in the Dolomites, the first decision is not about what to see but about where to put your bags. You pick a base once and sleep in it for seven nights, and the gap between a good choice and a bad one is an hour of driving in the morning and another one in the evening.

Lists of beautiful places do not help much, because they mix things you look at for an hour with villages you live in for a week, and because almost all of them work for one season only. The filter here is different: five bases that work in two seasons, with lifts that open in summer as well, a village that stays alive between seasons and a stated way of getting there. Each comes with one place to stay, chosen by the same rule: it has to open in summer and in winter.

If what you want is the method, meaning what altitude to stop at, what the difference is between a garni and a mountain farm, why half board is almost compulsory in South Tyrol and when it pays to book, that is a different page, where to stay in the Dolomites. This one names names.

How we chose them

There is one rule, and you can see it working straight away: two seasons. It throws out the places that switch everything off in summer and the ones that live on a single lift in winter, and leaves standing the places where the mountain is used from June to September and from December to April, with a shoulder season in which the village stays open.

Each destination comes with a single house, picked by the same measure. It has to open in summer and in winter, to stand in the village or on the slopes, and to say on its own site where it is, how many rooms it has, what is inside and when it opens. Those are the facts we report, as read on 8 October 2026.

Prices are deliberately absent. They change week by week and season by season, and a page that listed them would be out of date within a month: for those there is the property's own site, which is also the only place where they are actually current.

Lifts that also run in summer, with dates published by the operator
A real village, with shops and services that do not close in May and October
A stated way of getting there, preferably without a car
A place to stay that opens in both seasons, not in one

1. Madonna di Campiglio, the basin with two full seasons

Campiglio sits at 1,550 metres in a wooded basin between the Brenta Dolomites and the glaciers of Adamello and Presanella, inside the Adamello Brenta Nature Park. It is a village that was born to put people up: the twelfth-century hospice became an alpine hotel in the nineteenth century, and that is where the Habsburg holiday season began, as the facades still show. Which explains the thing that matters when you are picking a base: here hospitality has been the trade of the place for two centuries.

In winter the village sits inside the Skiarea Campiglio Dolomiti di Brenta, which the operator gives as 155 kilometres of pistes, 104 runs and 58 lifts across Campiglio, Pinzolo and Folgarida-Marilleva. On 23 December 2026 the Canalone Miramonti hosts the 73rd 3Tre, the World Cup night slalom: it is the slope that ends inside the village, and it is why in Campiglio the lifts and the houses are on the same level.

In summer the lifts open again and carry you to Spinale and Grostè, at the foot of the Brenta walls, where the group's trails and via ferratas start. In 2026 they ran from 18 June to 20 September at Campiglio and from 20 June to 13 September at Pinzolo. A few minutes from the centre, the Vallesinella basin opens onto the waterfalls and the historic huts: it is the walk you can do even with little breath and little time.

Where to stay: Chalet del Sogno. Five stars at via Spinale 37b, with 18 suites in seven types, from 32 to 52 square metres, for two to five people. It stands next to the Spinale Express gondola, on the slopes: in winter that means you step into your skis outside the door, in summer that the ride up starts where breakfast ends. Inside there is the Due Pini restaurant and the Oasi del Sogno spa with an indoor pool; the house is built to bioarchitecture principles and heated geothermally. The Schiavon family arrived in the basin in the 1970s. Two seasons are published, which is the reason it is on this list: 28 November to 12 April in winter and 16 June to 27 September in summer; next winter's dates are not on the site yet.

Altitude: 1,550 m. The village itself, not a hamlet above or below it
In winter: 155 km of pistes and 58 lifts declared by the operator; the 3Tre on 23 December 2026
In summer: lifts from 18 June to 20 September 2026, the Vallesinella waterfalls, Brenta trails and via ferratas
Where to stay: Chalet del Sogno, five stars next to the Spinale Express gondola, open in both seasons
Without a car: the Trento-Malè railway reaches Val di Sole, then a scheduled bus up to the village

2. Ortisei, between two plateaus

Ortisei is the big village of Val Gardena, with a car-free centre and two lifts leaving from inside the built-up area, one on each side. North they go to Seceda, south to the Alpe di Siusi: two different plateaus, both reachable without touching the car. That is why it works as well in summer as in winter.

In winter the valley is part of a ski area of 181 kilometres of pistes and 79 lifts between 1,236 and 2,518 metres, with the season opening on 4 December 2026, and it is one of the four sides of the Sellaronda. In summer the same lifts run for a long stretch: in 2026 Seceda from 22 May to 2 November and the Ortisei-Alpe di Siusi gondola from 1 May to 2 November. Cars do not enter the Alpe during the day, and that changes the character of the whole outing.

Where to stay: ADLER Spa Resort DOLOMITI. It stands at Strada Rezia 7, which is inside the pedestrian zone, not out of the village. The guided-excursion programme is stated as running «in every season», with equipment hire included at the Outdoor Point; you choose between bed and breakfast and half board, guest parking is free, the spa is open from 8.30 to 20.00 and pets are not accepted. Exact opening dates are not published on the pages we read.

Altitude: 1,236 m, with two plateaus overhead
In winter: 181 km of pistes, 79 lifts, season from 4 December 2026, Sellaronda
In summer: Seceda 22 May - 2 November 2026, Ortisei-Alpe di Siusi 1 May - 2 November 2026
Where to stay: ADLER Spa Resort DOLOMITI, in the pedestrian zone, guided walks in every season
Without a car: train to Bolzano or Chiusa, then bus line 350; the connection ticket costs €5.00

3. Corvara, the hub of the wheel

Corvara sits where the pass roads cross, and it is the place from which the Sella circuit closes in both directions. In Alta Badia the ski area declares 130 kilometres of pistes and 54 lifts between 1,300 and 2,800 metres, with the 2026/27 season running from 4 December 2026 to 4 April 2027.

In summer the same geography is used for something else. The pastures of Pralongià are wide walks with no exposure, and the passes around are why cyclists come here: on 19 June 2027 the Dolomites Bike Day closes Campolongo, Falzarego and Valparola to motor traffic from 9.00 to 15.00, and on 4 July 2027 the Maratona dles Dolomites starts at La Villa and finishes in Corvara itself.

Where to stay: La Perla. Str. Col Alt 105, five stars, in the same family since 1956; inside is La Stüa de Michil, which holds a Michelin star, and the house keeps a page dedicated to summer, with via ferratas, bikes, guided walks and the golf course at 1,700 metres. The site announces the winter reopening on 4 December; closing dates are not published.

Altitude: 1,568 m, at the junction of four passes
In winter: 130 km of pistes, 54 lifts, 4 December 2026 - 4 April 2027, Sellaronda both ways
In summer: the Pralongià plateau, passes for cycling, Bike Day on 19 June and Maratona on 4 July 2027
Where to stay: La Perla, five stars in the centre, family-run since 1956
Without a car: train to Brunico, 30 km away, then a scheduled bus up the valley

4. Cortina d'Ampezzo, the only one that is a town

Cortina is the only destination on this list that is not a mountain village but a small town: shops open all year, buses leaving from the centre, services that do not close in the dead weeks. That is why it holds up in the shoulder seasons too, when elsewhere you find the shutters down.

In winter the ski area adds up to 120 kilometres of pistes and 35 lifts between 900 and 2,752 metres. In summer the mountain around it is an open-air museum: the Freccia nel Cielo climbs the Tofane and in 2026 ran from 13 June to 27 September, the Lagazuoi takes you to the Great War tunnels, and the Cinque Torri are the short loop almost anyone can manage. Much of this lies in the Ampezzo Dolomites, which are a regional park.

Where to stay: Hotel de Len. Via Cesare Battisti 66, 22 rooms between Superior and Suite, built with local materials and with a stated line on sustainability. It is in the village, not along the main road, and in Cortina that counts more than elsewhere, because here the day often starts on foot. The star rating is not given on the site, and neither are the opening dates.

Altitude: 1,224 m, a town with services open all year
In winter: 120 km of pistes, 35 lifts; the 2026/27 ski pass prices are not out yet
In summer: Freccia nel Cielo (13 June - 27 September 2026), Lagazuoi, Cinque Torri, Great War museums up high
Where to stay: Hotel de Len, 22 rooms in the village, local materials
Without a car: train to Calalzo (35 km) or Dobbiaco (31 km) then bus; from Mestre the direct coach states 2 hours 30 with no changes

5. Dobbiaco, the one you reach by train

Dobbiaco has something the other four do not: a railway station in the village, on the Val Pusteria line. You step off the train and you have arrived, and from there buses leave for Lake Braies and the Tre Cime, which in summer have access rules you want to read before you set off.

In winter the village belongs to the 3 Cime Dolomiti ski area, 115 kilometres of pistes and 30 lifts between 1,154 and 2,200 metres, with the season from 28 November 2026 to 4 April 2027; but the local speciality is cross-country, and the stadium is on the edge of the village. In summer the cycle path to Lienz starts at the station and drops into Austria: 49 kilometres with more than five hundred metres of descent in your favour, and a train to come back on.

Where to stay: Romantik Hotel Santer. Via Alemagna 4, four-star superior, in the same family for five generations, since 1860. It states 3,000 square metres of wellness area, eight saunas and two heated outdoor pools, half board with the kitchen run by the owner, and the cross-country stadium in front of the hotel. It presents itself as open in all four seasons; the dates are not published.

Altitude: 1,256 m, with the railway station in the village
In winter: 115 km of pistes and 30 lifts, 28 November 2026 - 4 April 2027, plus cross-country
In summer: Lake Braies and the Tre Cime by public transport, the Dobbiaco-Lienz cycle path from the station
Where to stay: Romantik Hotel Santer, in the family since 1860, facing the cross-country stadium
Without a car: it is the only one of the five where you never need one

The five side by side

Lined up, the differences show better than any ranking. Campiglio and Corvara are the two where you ski and walk starting from your own door; Ortisei is the one with the most mountain reachable without a car; Cortina is the only one that holds up in November and May as well, because it is a town; Dobbiaco is the one where you can leave the car at home altogether.

If you have to choose quickly: first time in the Dolomites and only one week, Ortisei or Corvara. Family with small children and a lot of appetite for water and meadows, Dobbiaco. Skiing and an evening out, Campiglio. A shoulder season or a short trip outside the full months, Cortina.

Madonna di Campiglio, 1,550 m: 155 km of pistes, summer lifts from 18 June to 20 September
Ortisei, 1,236 m: 181 km of pistes, two plateaus with lifts running from May to November
Corvara, 1,568 m: 130 km of pistes, Sellaronda in winter and car-free passes in summer
Cortina d'Ampezzo, 1,224 m: 120 km of pistes, services open all year
Dobbiaco, 1,256 m: 115 km of pistes and cross-country, railway station in the village

When to book, and how much the season weighs

The weeks in which these five fill up are always the same: mid-August, Christmas and New Year, the February ski weeks. For those it pays to move months ahead, while June, September and January outside the holidays stay available even close to the date. The week counts for more than the resort: the same room, in the same house, doubles in price between two weeks a fortnight apart.

The tourist tax is almost never included in the price you see online: it is paid on the spot, per person per night, and in many places it comes with a guest card that includes public transport. It is worth asking for, because not every property hands it over by itself. The rest of the method, from altitude to types of accommodation to half board, is in the guide on where to stay; for skiing there is the ski pass and for the right month when to go.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best town to stay in the Dolomites?

There is no single best one: there is the right one for the season you are travelling in and for how you move around. If you want a place that works in both seasons, the five on this page are Madonna di Campiglio, Ortisei, Corvara, Cortina d'Ampezzo and Dobbiaco. If you are going once and in summer, Ortisei puts the most mountain within reach of a lift; if you do not want to drive, Dobbiaco has the station in the village.

Is Madonna di Campiglio in the Dolomites?

Yes. Campiglio lies at the foot of the Brenta Dolomites, the only Dolomite group west of the Adige and one of the nine systems of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are Dolomites in full, not «mountains near the Dolomites»: same rock, same recognition.

Can you visit the Dolomites without a car?

Yes, and it varies a lot from base to base. Dobbiaco has a station in the village on the Val Pusteria line and is the only one of the five where you never need a car. Ortisei is reached by train to Bolzano or Chiusa and then bus line 350, with a connection ticket at €5.00. Cortina is reached by coach, with the Mestre service stating 2 hours 30 without changes. Campiglio and Corvara are reached by scheduled buses from the nearest station, but once you are there the lifts start in the village.

Which base is better with children?

Dobbiaco, if summer is to be made of water, meadows and little climbing: the lake, the downhill cycle path to Lienz and the buses to the famous spots cut car time to a minimum. In winter Madonna di Campiglio and Corvara have pistes that end in the village, which means fewer transfers with skis in your hands.

Why these five and not Canazei, Selva or San Martino?

Because the rule on this page is a tight one: two full seasons and a property that opens in both. Canazei, Selva di Val Gardena, San Martino di Castrozza and others stand up perfectly well and each has its own page on this site; here we wanted a short list of bases far apart from each other, so as to cover the Dolomites from west to east rather than offer five villages in the same valley.

How much does it cost to stay in these places?

We do not publish prices, because they change week by week and season by season, and a page listing them would be wrong within a month. What is worth knowing beforehand: the tourist tax is almost always paid separately, on the spot, and on the South Tyrolean side many hotels in high season only sell half board. The gap between high and low season, on the same room, is worth more than the gap between one resort and another.