We were spending our summer holidays (teacher’s perk) in Ireland and the Czech Republic, but wanted to do a bit of exploring as well. Italy has been on our minds for some time, mostly for its historical sights. Still, we didn’t want to spend the hot summer days wandering around towns, so we chose an active holiday in the northern part of the country – the Dolomites.

I have been there myself on skiing trips, but never in the summer. The great benefit was also that the Dolomites are just by the border with Austria and only about a seven-hour drive away from where my family lives.

The Dolomites are a stunning mountain range in northern Italy, part of the Southern Limestone Alps and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Day 1: Let’s get a bit closer to the mountains

Since it is supposed to take anywhere between 7 and 9 hours to reach the Dolomites, we decided to leave a day early and get a bit closer to our destination, so we wouldn’t have to drive all the way there in one go and then be super-tired and not even able to go for a hike.

This arrangement also worked well for us because we needed to rent a car and the best deal we could find was all the way in Prague (about an hour away in the opposite direction). This way, we had enough time to get the car, come back to pick up our stuff, our dog Yoda, and still make it about halfway there.

We picked up the car around 12:30 pm by the airport in Prague and were on our way back. As always, we booked the cheapest car but got upgraded to a Volkswagen Tiguan. We were thrilled about that until we had several issues with the car later, but we will get to that…

When we got back, we already had our bags packed and just needed to get it all inside the car. We left around 4 pm, with our next stop being Munich. Another reason why we chose to do it this way was the high prices for hotels in the Dolomites. We found a place to stay in Munich just by the motorway for less than 50 euros. This way, we were already about 3 hours into our journey and could easily wake up early to finish the drive and still be fresh and have plenty of time for a hike.

We drove all the way to Munich without stopping, with only a wee delay due to some checks at the German border. We didn’t get stopped, which was good since we weren’t sure if Yoda was actually allowed to travel across the border (he had all his vaccines, tests, and papers, but they were technically only for the Czech Republic). We reached our hotel, called McDreams Hotel München-Messe, around 6:30 pm and just went for a quick walk with Yoyo. We then got some food from the bakery next door and went to sleep early since we had an alarm set for 3:30 am.

Day 2: The top of Seekofel and beer!

The night wasn’t great because we weren’t really that tired, plus the cars made a lot of noise around the hotel. But I was excited to go so Clare could sleep for a bit longer in the car. Luckily, the way was pretty straightforward after we left Munich.

We already noticed some strange “jerking” that the car was doing in Munich, but right when we were exiting the highway (it actually finished there) in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the dashboard lit up like Christmas with several errors. Apparently, a sensor was malfunctioning, so the car’s computer shut down all the line assists and cruise control and started limiting the engine revs to 3,000 rpm. Luckily, when we stopped at the nearest parking lot, we were able to bypass the engine limiter by simply turning the car off and on again.

We finished the drive without cruise control, but that was fine because we hadn’t paid for motorways in Austria anyway. The only motorway on our way was the Brenner Pass (A13), which was paid separately from the vignette and costs 12 euros for a single trip (has to be paid ahead of time online or at petrol stations). We wanted to get to Italy early, but that seemed like a lot of money. We took the parallel free road that followed the valley, which added about 20-30 more minutes. We used the motorway on the Italian side (A22). Here we collected a ticket at the start and paid 2.90 euros when we exited. We just made a quick stop in Bruneck to buy water and coffee, and went to the restrooms.

We planned to see the famous Lago di Braies, but we don’t like crowds, so we decided to check it out from the top of the mountain that is directly behind it and reflects in the lake, the Seekofel. Since we also dislike overpriced parking, we headed to Parkplatz Pederü and hiked to Seekofel from the southern side. We paid 13 euros at the start of the road to Pederü. It was technically an entrance fee for the Nature Reserve, but it included parking.

We got quickly ready and had a small snack before we set off on the trail. There were loads of people, but the majority of them seemed to take the valley path following the river (to Refugio Lavarella). We went left from the Refugio Pederü, straight up a windy, steep road towards the Refugio Sennes. It was tough, but it only took us a wee bit over an hour to reach the hut. We didn’t stop for long – just to refill water and mainly to get some for Yoda. We also let him run into a nearby pond, where he got all covered in black mud, and then he was chased back to the hut by cows that wanted to play with him.

We then continued on the hiking path north from the hut towards another refugio, Rifugio Biella, that was located right under the Seekofel peak. We again stopped for water for Yoda before the final push to the summit. The peak was “only” 1.5 km away, but even on the trail post, they mentioned to expect about an hour and a half to get up there. And they were right, especially the initial part, which was really steep. It was about 500 meters of elevation to the peak, with half of it in the first half a kilometer. It was also very narrow with some small rock climbing parts that were a bit awkward with Yoyo, but we managed (it’s definitely fine to do this hike with a dog).

In the end, it took us 59 minutes to get to the peak. I was dead after driving and the long night, and Clare made me run the last ∼200 meters because we didn’t want to get overtaken by the fella catching up with us (a Czech guy). We had a small break at the top, took some photos, and had a snack. The way down was difficult because we didn’t want to have Yoda on the lead, but luckily, since it was already afternoon, there weren’t that many people on the trail going up. Our plan was to stop for a beer on the way down in the Refugio Sennes, but after the climb, we were ready for one already. We got a pint – 0.4l 😦 – of Forst beer for 6.5 euros each, and Yoda got loads of water (free but not potable).

We used the dirt road instead of the path on the way back (longer but flatter), and just took a small detour to the Sennes Hut for a beer #2. This time we got a full pint of Weiss beer for 5.5 euros. Just before we finished at the car, we stopped at the river next to the Pederu to dip our feet in the nice, icy mountain water. The whole hike took us just over 6 hours, not including the beer stops and the break at the top of Seekofel. We did almost 22 km with 1400 meters of elevation gain.

We also refilled our hydration packs since they had drinking water for free. Not always the case, and bottled water can get pricey in the mountains!

Since the accommodations in the summer were pretty expensive in the area, we booked a place for 3 nights just across the border in Austria. It took us about an hour and 20 minutes to get to the guesthouse, and we couldn’t see ourselves cooking anything, so we just stopped at a pizza place along the way and got two large pizzas and fries to go.

We were also racing to the guesthouse because we wanted to see the second half of the Champions League qualification that Viktoria Plzeň played against Rangers. We got to see Plzeň score while we were waiting for the pizzas and then again when we got to the guesthouse. Unfortunately, even though they won, they didn’t make it to the next round.

Day 3: Our first Via Ferrata ever

We woke up early because we wanted to reach the parking lot around the same time as the chairlift started running. We were heading to the parking lot Rio Gere with a chairlift to Son Forca. The parking lot is massive and free, and the lift runs from 8:30 am to 5 pm and costs 17 euros one-way or 22 euros return.

We thought about camping or sleeping in the car, but didn't do it because we didn't have our camping gear with us in the Czech Republic, and we were traveling with Yoda. But mostly because we were taught it would be really difficult to find a spot for wild camping and that the campgrounds would cost a fortune and possibly be even full. We were so wrong! Everyone in the Dolomites just camps at parking lots, and no one cares. I really thought it was forbidden to do that. Next time we must camp on the side of a road!

We were on the chairlift around 9 am and on our way to our first Via Ferrata ever. The reason we wanted to be early there was that we read it would take several hours to complete the whole hike, and we had never done anything like it, so we assumed we would be slow. For our first experience with Via Ferrata, we chose the Ivano Dibona Via Ferrata. This is a very famous trail in the Dolomites and used to be very busy. However, that’s not true in recent years because the old chairlift from Son Forca was closed a few years ago. Therefore, to get to the start of the Via Ferrata, one has to climb a scree following the old chairlift towers all the way to Rifugio Guido Lorenzi (closed). This was a pretty tough 700 meters of elevation on loose scree. Looking back, this was more dangerous than the actual climbing, especially the last bit of the ascent when we were on all fours and rocks were coming down from hikers above us.

It took us about one and a half hours to get to the closed hut. Here we got a wee break and got our Via Ferrata gear on – harness, via ferrata lanyard, gloves, and helmet. There are two Via Ferratas that start at the Rifugio Guido Lorenzi. To the West goes the Ivano Dibona, and to the East, you can head to the Marino Bianchi, which would take you to the top of Cristallo di Mezzo (3150 m). We were thinking about doing both, but after seeing the time required to complete each of them and considering the fact that this was the first time for us doing anything like this, we chose to do only Ivano Dibona.

The start of the via ferrata was class! We went up the old stairs at the refugio and began by getting up a ladder. Just a few more meters, we were inside World War 1 caves and at the famous bridge. It was hard to take photos as I wasn’t carrying my camera, and we had put our phones away so they wouldn’t fall out of our pockets. So we had to always stop and get them out, so our start was really slow. But we were enjoying it. After the bridge, we took a detour to the highest point of the ferrata – Cristallino d’Ampezzo (3,008 m).

After the peak, the ferrata mostly went down, with a few steeper sections, but in many places, we didn’t even feel the need to be attached to the safety wire, and so we simply walked it down. We had a brief break when we arrived at the Bivacco Ricovero Buffa di Perrero. By this time, we were on the ferrata for about two hours and exposed to the sun for most of the time, and it was great to have a place to hide and get some snacks. It took about another hour to get to the end of the Ivano Dibona Via Ferrata (it actually continued further, but it would take us too far from the car).

The exit from the ferrata was pretty steep, so it took us some time to get down. The beginning was slippery (scree), but it got nicer with even a bit of climbing. When we reached the bottom, we followed a path along the side of the mountain that brought us back to the Refugio Son Forca. After the long ferrata, the way down and the path felt never-ending. It finished by a stream and then with a steep hill (part of the ski slope) to the Refugio. There, we had a nice, ice-cold beer.

I was happy that we completed our first-ever Via Ferrata route because we had been talking about it for a long time. In general, I liked the ferrata because it offered amazing views, and it felt physically challenging. However, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that we shouldn’t have followed the direction we found online. When I saw the path for the first time, I thought we had to go from west to east because it made sense to me to climb up. But on the majority of the websites, other people suggested going in the direction from the Rifugio Guido Lorenzi. It felt strange that we were essentially climbing down the whole way. We could clearly see that going down the scree below the old cable car was dangerous and possibly not enjoyable, but the way we went down wasn’t much better. I think, if we could do it again, I’d go in the opposite direction.

Once our pints were empty, we had to finish the last 4 km on the ski slope back to the car. I hated myself for the decision not to buy a return ticket for the cable car! We ran a bit of the way down, but I stopped us after a few minutes because I wanted to save my knee for the other days.

We reached the car just when the rain started falling and headed back towards Austria. We stopped at the same pizza place as the day before, but this time went to the next-door Spar. It was still open because we were coming back earlier to walk Yoyo. We bought some meat and snacks for dinner.

This day was devoted to the Ferrata, so Yoda didn’t get to walk too much. At least he got a good rest. We took him to a nearby river before we made dinner and ate it on the balcony.

Day 4: Waterfall via ferrata and self-serve beer in the Tyrol Alps

Since we were staying in Austria, we decided that it would be a shame if we didn’t spend a day exploring nearby. Clare found a cool-looking via ferrata in a valley about an hour away, so we decided to give it a try in the morning and then take Yoda hiking in the nearby mountains (literally right in front of our window). We were also planning to be up early the next morning, so it was nice to have at least one easy morning.

The Via Ferrata was called Pirknerklamm and was located near the town of Oberdrauburg. It wasn’t high in the mountains, but instead it followed a river and waterfalls in a small, narrow valley. The parking was just about a 500-meter walk from the start of the climb.

There were some people behind us, so we wanted to start quickly to avoid making the route congested. Right from the start, we had to climb on a side of a rocky slope, and it just got more and more interesting. After about 100 meters, we reached the first waterfall with two bridges. The first one was easy, but to get to the second one, we had to climb vertically up and do the same when we were exiting the bridge. When we finished this section, we were dripping with sweat and let two other climbers overtake us. We then continued with two more (easier) climbs up to finish with scaling the dam at the end of the Via Ferrata route. I was taking a video of Clare going up, and when I went myself, I got stuck halfway up when I realized I needed to make a big leap to the side. I wasn’t sure if that was the right way, so I just looked up and saw Clare smiling with the facial expression of “I know, right!”.

After the dam, we could finish there, but we saw on a map that there should be a bit more. We had to cross the river over some boulders, and there was a short 20-30-meter ferrata on the side of a valley, just before another dam. There, we then just walked on the side of the dam and found a path that led us back to the bottom.

The Pirknerklamm Via Ferrata was short but really fun! It took us about an hour to finish it and a few minutes to get back down. It was really hot, so we stopped at the river near our car and dipped our feet in.

On the way back, we made a quick stop in Kötschach-Mauthen to check out a nice church we passed by, and to try to visit a bank to break our 500 Euro bill (a big problem anywhere in Europe). However, all the banks were closed for lunch. But we got lucky at the local petrol station. We then drove straight back to our guesthouse to see Yoyo and have a nice breakfast/lunch.

We rested a bit and in the afternoon, took Yoda to the nearby valley for a walk. We walked towards the Brugg Waterfall and further in the valley until we reached the intersection to either Hundstrichsee or Enderberghutte. We said that we wouldn’t do both and chose to go to the Hut. The lake was nearby, but we saw some cows roaming around and Yoda is not always friends with them. We didn’t know what to expect because the valley wasn’t that busy to have an open hut there with beer, but what we found was perfect. They had cans of beer sitting in a bucket with mountain water running through it to keep them cold and a box for money on the wall. Luckily, we had the exact change that we needed for two beers. The view was amazing, and we were happy to just enjoy a nice beer alone in nature.

On the way back, we saw a couple of people herding the cows along the way, and also some hikers who were crossing from one valley to another (all the valleys on this side of the mountain seemed to be connected by paths following the north side of the mountain range).

Until now, we have eaten what we cooked or had a takeaway pizza, so we decided that it was time to have something local. We stopped at a place right by the parking lot and entrance into the valley, where we had earlier paid for parking. We got a seat outside, got more beer, ordered meals, and for the love of god, I can’t remember what we got! I guess it wasn’t that good – or I just had too much to drink by then…

Day 5: Tre Cime di Lavaredo the long way

We were up early for the last day, walked Yoda to the nearby river, paid for the room, and were on our way back to the Dolomites. We wanted to do Tre Cime di Lavaredo, but as with the Lago di Braies, we didn’t want to spend 40 Euros for getting up by car, so we instead headed to the Fiscalina Valley north of Tre Cime. There, we parked at the Fischleinbodenhütte parking lot for 15 euros per day.

We set off just after 8 am and followed the riverbed. It took about 2 km to the Talschlusshütte. We only passed by and continued through the valley in the direction of the Rifugio Zsigmondy-Comici. This part got steeper, and at one point, we reached a group of 15+ people and couldn’t get past them on the narrow trail. Once we got out of the forest section, the path got bigger, and we got around when the group stopped for a break. From there, we flew without stopping until we reached the Rifugio. We got there in 1:40 hours, 6 km, and about 750 meters of elevation.

We had a quick stop, luckily got fresh water for Yoyo, and carried on up. The next part was probably the steepest of the entire trip (except for some short bursts later). But the break and early morning start helped us to get up quite quickly. In about half an hour, we were at 2,515 meters, at Passo Fiscalino, which was the highest point of our hike. From there, we descended to Lago di Cengia and continued to Lago di Lavaredo. It was another warm day, so Yoda loved the lakes.

Lago di Lavaredo is at the eastern side of the Tre Cime peaks. It took 3:20 hours to get there, and it was exactly 12 km. Since we had to come back up from the lakes, it put us at around 1,200 meters in elevation gain.

Until now, we loved every bit of this hike. The Fiscina Valley was beautiful, and we could watch the various colors with the rising sun and all the different views as we hiked around the Cima Una (Einserkofel). But now we were at Tre Cime, the highlight of the hike, and felt like we had just arrived in a city center. We knew it would be busy, but it surprised us how busy it got! Especially since we followed the path on the southern side of the peak, which is definitely the busier one, and many people just walk there and back to the parking lot. Looking back, we would probably choose a different finish to the hike and should have climbed one of the peaks around, or just done a loop around the Fiscina Valley.

Nevertheless, we had a set goal, which was the Langalm mountain hut and beer on the other side of the Tre Cime. We navigated through the people – which Yoda and Clare hated – and got there in another hour and 5 km. The other side of the peaks was a bit quieter, and we made it to the hut just in time before a large group, so we had no waiting time for a nice ice-cold beer (of course, I got a cake as well).

The next bit was only 3 kilometers long and included the last steep incline of the hike. The last 1 km has about 250 meters of elevation gain and finishes right under the Antonio Locatelli Hut. Since this was our last chance to get some Italian mountain snacks (and the rest of the hike was down), we bought a plate of Spaghetti Carbonara. It would definitely be enough, but when I went to pick it up, I saw this delicious-looking dessert that we just had to try. It was called Kaiserschmarren – light, eggy pulled pancakes topped with sugar and butter. No need to mention, but we also got beers (and water for Yoyo).

After our hefty snack, the rest of the hike was easy enough. We followed the trail #102 along the Lago dei Piani back to the Val Fiscalina. The path went down as we needed to lose some 900 meters of elevation to get back to the valley. We were afraid how our knees would cope after the long hike, but we were completely fine and Clare didn’t even have to use her trekking poles. The trail finished just by the Talschlusshütte (Rifugio Fondovalle Val Fiscalina) that we passed on the way up, and from there it was just an easy 2 km back to the car. The whole hike, including the breaks at the refugios, took us 8 hours (my watch said 6 hours of moving time). Total distance was 27.7 km with 1,650 meters climbed.

We got a quick stretch at the car, changed out of the sweaty clothes, Yoda got nice and comfortable in his bed, and we were on our way back to Czech. We had about 8 hours of driving ahead of us and just hoped that nothing would happen with the rental car, as it still had its issues with the sensors and was limiting the engine revolutions from time to time. We got stuck in some traffic on the roads out of the Dolomites, but couldn’t figure out why because there was no accident, lights, awkward intersections, or anything, and the traffic would just start flowing again to come to a halt a few kilometers later.

We had a quick stop, bought some energy drinks, and swapped in Innsbruck, and continued. From there, it was only about an hour to get on a motorway to Munich. Our plan was that if we felt too tired, we would stop at a gas station and get an hour or so of sleep. But we felt surprisingly fine, and Clare decided to drive all the way to the Czech border, where I would take over to cross and take us home. I was asking Clare if she wanted to swap earlier because she looked dead-tired, but she managed to get us all the way to the last rest stop just before the borders. I took over, and I don’t know why I was even suggesting to drive earlier, because the last hour of the drive home felt like a blur, how tired my eyes were. Luckily, we got home safe and went straight to bed. Unluckily, we had to set an alarm because we had to return the car to Prague by noon!