🇮🇹Italy · Places to discover
What to see in Cortina d'Ampezzo?
18 places selected by the community - landmarks, nature, hidden restaurants and activities.
Cortina d'Ampezzo sits in a bowl of the Dolomites ringed by vertical rockfaces that shift colour with each passing hour. Once a haunt of European aristocracy, it has retained a dense pedestrian centre around the Corso Italia where luxury boutiques rub shoulders with mountain grocers. Its identity lies in the tension between Ladin village and international showcase, neither quite erasing the other.
The ideal window falls in July-August for hiking or January-February for skiing; the shoulder seasons are slack and few services open. Three days suffice to explore the refuges of the Cinque Torri and the panoramas from Falzarego pass. You travel by car or Dolomiti Bus shuttle from Dobbiaco-the train no longer serves the town. Avoid Ferragosto weekend: prices double and the trails nearest the centre become impassable.
Landmarks & heritage
5 places
1Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Landmark
Corso Italia
Cortina's main pedestrian street, lined with local shops and nineteenth-century palazzi. The place where residents gather for the evening passeggiata, far removed from mere shopping.
2Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Stadio Olimpico del Ghiaccio
The ice palace constructed for the 1956 Olympics, still in active use today. The striking brutalist architecture of the 1950s creates a magnificent contrast with the surrounding Dolomites.
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Landmark
Landmark
War Memorial to the Fallen of Ampezzo
A solemn First World War memorial, a poignant reminder of when Cortina lay within Austro-Hungarian territory. It underscores that this city's identity is far more layered and complex than meets the eye.
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Landmark
Landmark
Villa Lacedel
A grand early 20th-century aristocratic villa, quintessential Alpine Art Nouveau architecture that established Cortina's fashionable reputation. The Lacedel district ranks among the finest examples of Belle Époque mountain urbanism in Europe.
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Landmark
Landmark
Eugenio Monti Olympic Bobsleigh Track
The bobsleigh run built for the 1956 Olympics, one of Europe's rare surviving historic tracks. Named in honour of local champion Eugenio Monti, it stands as a testament to the city's Olympic heritage.
Museums
2 places
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Museum
Museum
Museo delle Regole d'Ampezzo
Museum dedicated to the history and ethnography of Ampezzo, featuring a remarkable paleontological section on Dolomite fossils. Understanding the 'Regole'—this medieval institution of collective land management—is to understand the very soul of Cortina.
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Museum
Museum
Museo Civico Rimoldi
A little-known museum housing a surprising modern art collection—De Chirico, Morandi, Guttuso—bequeathed by local collector Mario Rimoldi. A hidden treasure in the town centre.
Religious sites
1 place
8Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Religious site
Basilica of Santi Filippo e Giacomo
The eighteenth-century Baroque church at the heart of Corso Italia, its bell tower dominating the valley. The interior frescoes and ochre façade are Cortina's visual emblem.
Nature
2 places
9Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0Nature
Cinque Torri
Cluster of five Dolomitic rock towers at 2361m, reached by cable car from Bai di Dones. Legendary climbing site and open-air First World War museum featuring restored trenches and military artefacts.
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Nature
Nature
Lake Ghedina
A wild glacial lake at 1,536m, just a 20-minute walk from the town centre. Relatively unknown to passing tourists, locals favour this emerald-watered spot surrounded by forest for summer swimming.
Viewpoints
4 places
11Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0Viewpoint
Ra Valles - Tofana di Mezzo
Intermediate station at 2,470m on the Tofana, reached by two successive cable cars. A playground for expert skiers in winter, it becomes a vertiginous balcony over the western Dolomites in summer—almost entirely deserted.
12Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0Viewpoint
Cima Faloria
Summit at 2,123m accessible by cable car from Cortina. The refuge terrace offers a 360° panorama of the Ampezzo Dolomites without requiring mountaineering equipment. At sunset, the enrosadira phenomenon bathes the rock faces in rose-orange hues.
13Wikimedia CommonsViewpoint
Pocol Viewpoint
A viewpoint at 1,828m offering the classic, unobstructed vista of Cortina encircled by the Cristallo, Tofana and Faloria. Reachable by car, it's the favoured dawn vantage point for photographers.
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Viewpoint
Viewpoint
Prato di Castelbottazzo
An expansive alpine meadow perched above Cortina, accessible in 45 minutes on foot from the centre. Panoramic views of the Conca Ampezzana and Cristallo without the crowds that gather around the cable car refuges.
Activities
3 places
15Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Activity
Fiames Cross-Country Ski Trail
Fiames's cross-country skiing network, 5km from Cortina, winds through a forest of century-old larch trees. In summer, the trails transform into trail-running and mountain-biking routes favoured by local athletes.
16Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Activity
Ski Mountaineering on Monte Cristallo
Cristallo (3,221m) is the massif dominating Cortina to the north, a legendary ski-mountaineering terrain. In summer, the Ivano Dibona via ferrata routes traverse its ridges with stunning views over the Conca Ampezzana.
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Activity
Activity
Cortina d'Ampezzo Ski School
Italy's oldest ski school, founded in 1927. Its instructors in distinctive red suits are an institution. In summer, it offers rock climbing and guided hiking courses in the Dolomites led by experienced local mountain guides.
More to discover
1 place
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Place
Place
Cortina Weekly Market
Wednesday-morning market in the Olympic Ice Stadium car park brings together valley producers, local cheesemakers and Ampezzo craftspeople. Where locals shop and genuine local specialities are found at fair prices.
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