What you see in a single day
The grand loop joins the western and eastern Dolomites in one sweep. In the west, the Latemar mirrored in Lago di Carezza, the Marmolada seen from Passo Pordoi, the Sassolungo and the Sella group. In the east, the Tofane and the Cinque Torri above Passo Falzarego, the Cristallo and the Sorapiss around Cortina, the Tre Cime from Misurina, the Croda del Becco above Lake Braies and, to finish, the Nuvolau and Ra Gusela at Passo Giau.
In one day you cross South Tyrol, Trentino and the Veneto, and several Ladin valleys where a third language is spoken alongside Italian and German. It is the most complete way to understand why the Dolomites are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, even if you only have one free day.
Suggested itinerary, hour by hour
- Pick-up in BolzanoCoffee on board. A full day begins.
- Lago di CarezzaThe lake at its calmest.
- Passo Pordoi & Passo SellaThe western giants, one after the other.
- Passo Gardena, Valparola & FalzaregoDown into Alta Badia and up again.
- Cortina d’AmpezzoA walk on Corso Italia.
- Lago di MisurinaLunch facing the Tre Cime.
- Lago di BraiesThe boathouse, the shore, the photograph.
- Passo Giau, 2,236 mSunset light on the Nuvolau. The finest pass of them all.
- Return to BolzanoArrival around 18:30 – 19:00.
A long, spectacular day. We recommend it for guests with one day only; with two days we split it into tours 01 and 02 at a gentler pace.
Six passes above 2,000 metres
Pordoi, Sella, Gardena, Valparola, Falzarego and Giau: six passes, all above 2,000 metres and all with long runs of hairpin bends. Between them the road drops into the valleys and climbs again, and every side has its own light and its own mountain. Passo Pordoi (2,239 m) in the morning and Passo Giau (2,236 m) towards evening are, for many guests, the most memorable moments.
On roads like these, how you drive matters. Ferjy keeps a smooth, steady pace, stops where the view deserves it and picks lay-bys where a pause does not hold anyone up. In summer the passes are busy with cyclists and motorcyclists, so we take our time and never force an overtake.
If you are prone to car sickness, tell us when you book: the front seat, slightly more frequent stops and an open window make a real difference.
Is the Dolomites in one day tour right for you?
It is the right choice if you have a single free day, if this is your first time in the Dolomites, or if you want all the classic views together. It is a day of driving and short stops: more than half of the eleven hours is spent in the van, looking out of the window.
We do not recommend it with small children, for anyone who suffers badly from car sickness, or for guests who want to hike properly. With two days available we are happy to split it into two gentler tours: the Great Dolomites Road in the west and Cortina and the lakes in the east. If the Tre Cime up close are your priority, choose the Lake Braies and Tre Cime private tour.
How the day works
The hour-by-hour plan below is our starting point. Stops are short, with a longer break for lunch at Misurina. If a car park is full or a valley is lost in cloud, Ferjy changes the order of the stops and, when the weather suggests it, drives the loop the other way round.
We start from Bolzano or any hotel in South Tyrol. If you are staying in Val Gardena, Alta Badia or Cortina, we redraw the loop from your door, and the day can be shorter.
Would you like to ride the cable car up to Sass Pordoi, the terrace of the Dolomites? You can: allow about an extra hour, which we make up by shortening or dropping another stop.
Season, weather and the pass roads
We run the grand loop from June to October. In early June there can still be snow up high and some huts and lifts have not opened yet; September and October often bring clear light, but even in autumn a snowfall can close a pass for a few hours.
On a few summer days some passes close to cars for several hours for major cycling events, and new access rules are being studied for certain passes, starting with Passo Gardena. We check the calendar and the rules in force before confirming your date, and the road conditions on the morning itself.
In winter, snow and short days would make the loop too long and too uncertain, so we do not offer it then. In those months we suggest more compact days, such as the Alpe di Siusi and Val Gardena in the snow, or Cortina and the lakes.
What to bring
Only a few things, but the right ones: the climate on the passes is not the climate of Bolzano.
- Layers: on the passes it is often around ten degrees cooler than in town, and you feel the wind.
- Comfortable shoes with some grip: stops are short, but at Braies and Giau you walk on gravel and grass.
- Sunglasses and sun cream: above 2,000 metres the sun is strong even when the air is cool.
- A charged camera and a spare battery.
- Your usual travel-sickness remedy, if you need one.
