For many travelers, being able to ski in one of the most scenic mountain ranges in Italy is a dream. For others, taking the cable cars during a summer getaway while enjoying the famous landscapes of this region while enjoying average high temperatures of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, is a summer well spent.

And then there are travelers like me. To be honest, going to The Dolomites in November was just a happy coincidence at first. My boyfriend happened to have a week off that time, so we really wanted to use this time to get out of town for a bit. We live in northern Italy now, but we don’t know if we will live here next year, so we figured we’d better take the opportunity to go to this bucket list destination of mine now while it’s only a 3 1/2 hour drive away.

I want to end this blog post on a high note, so let’s start with some potential cons of visiting The Dolomites this time of year. I say ‘potential’ cons because some of these things can be pros depending on your preferences.

1. Many accommodations are closed for this season, making it difficult to find a place to stay. These places are often open during peak season, like summer and winter.
2. This seasonal shop opening applies to many restaurants and shops, too, leaving you out of luck if you’re not into cooking.
3. There isn’t enough snow on the ground to ski.
4. The cable cars going up the mountain are closed, turning a 2 hour long roundtrip hike into a 3-6 hour long hike, depending on where you’re hiking.

None of these things were deal breakers for us. We were on a tight budget, so cooking at our Airbnb and packing lunch for the day wasn’t a problem. Many bars were open, so we still got to enjoy the ambiance of being in a cafe in a charming mountain town. Skiing also wasn’t on our radar. We came for the beautiful towns, hiking, and mountain views.

Here’s what we got up to during our stay.

Day 1

We arrived in Laoin (aka Lajen) at around 4 in the afternoon. Keep in mind that The Dolomites used to be part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, so you will find many towns and roads with names in both German and Italian. We didn’t get up to much this day as we had a long drive, but we were pleasantly surprised about how scenic our views from the Airbnb were. The Dolomites are huge and composed of several cities. The fact that so many hotels were closed made our decision a bit less overwhelming, and we were still no more than an hour away from places we really wanted to see. We paid 315 USD for 4 nights, which is really reasonable for a place like The Dolomites. If we had stayed longer, I would have loved to explore more hikes that Laoin has to offer.

A bonus was the neighborhood cat we named Stella!

Day 2

Day 2 was dedicated to seeing the Seceda Ridgeline. This is one of the hikes that would have been way quicker had the cable cars been open, but the views along the way were well worth it. The cozy cafes along the route were closed, but this wasn’t a deal breaker for us. We just made sure to pack some sandwiches and drinks. The unobstructed mountain views we got the entire hike were well worth not having somewhere to grab a hot coffee.

As you get closer to the ridgeline the steps become quite narrow, and it was a relief not to feel rushed and have hoards of tourists behind me. I acknowledge that feeling rushed is a me issue as no hiker has ever actually said anything to rush me, but it was still nice to truly be able to unwind and take my time. I want to make it clear that the hike wasn’t completely void of people. There were about a dozen friendly faces along the way. But I imagine this time of year is a lot more peaceful than it is in peak season.

My boyfriend called it a day about 2 hours into the hike, and this is where the slope increased consistently and dramatically. He was kind enough to wait for me at the closed cafe (which still has accessible benches to eat at), and he had our new cat friend keep him company.

In total the hike took about 3 hours each way. The whole hike was stunning but if you have the stamina to reach the top, the view of both sides of the ridge along with the valley below is unbeatable. There are signs that point you to the direction of Seceda Ridgeway, but sometimes along the way the signs didn’t read ‘Seceda Ridgeway’ and had arrows pointing to other destinations in other directions. I assumed this meant to continue straight along the path I was already on. I also used Google Maps to help guide me. I am sure there are multiple ways to get to and from the ridgeline, and I have no idea if my way was the shortest, but I can’t imagine it taking less than 2 hours each way.

I consider myself a fairly active person, but steep hikes aren’t a regular practice for me. Despite being very sore for the next couple of days, this hike is definitely doable for an active person, and I think it’s a must do if you are in this part of The Dolomites.

Day 3

We definitely didn’t have the strength to do a hike as challenging as Seceda Ridgeline was, so we took it a bit easier today. We saw a waterfall way out in the distance from one of the windows of our AirBnb. After seeing if we could find it on Google Maps we discovered it was only a 20 minute drive away and decided to go to Cascate Barbiano. Parking was a breeze because it was empty and cost nothing. We discovered that you could hike through the woods to get closer to the top of the waterfall, but that was too much for our sore legs. Instead we took a 20 minute walk down a windy road and enjoyed the view from the bridge. Our trip to The Dolomites was a quick one, so we didn’t want to waste the day by staying in all day, but we also didn’t want to over exert ourselves. Our trip to the waterfall was the perfect choice.

Day 4

This was our last full day, so we wanted to make sure we saw another bucket list thing in The Dolomites, Alpe di Suisi. It’s a vast meadowland overlooking jagged mountains. Although there are roads that pass by the scenic spot in the photo, there is no parking near the meadow, so we opted to park in the closest lot we found that was about an hour walk away. It is called Compatsch Parcheggio in Google Maps. This walk was done on entirely paved road, and it was significantly easier than the Seceda Ridgeline hike.

Day 5

It was time to head back home to Como. Another great thing about booking during off season is that there may not be another guest staying right after you. Our host was nice enough to let us check out as late as we wanted to. If you’re heading in the direction of Como, it is worth stopping by Lago di Garda on the way there. Just like The Dolomites, it is quieter this time of year, but there are still some bars and restaurants open. It seems to be a bit calmer and less congested than the center of Como is.

We barely scraped the surface of the vast area of The Dolomiti, but we are full of gratitude for the magnificent days we spent there. In the future, I would love to visit other scenic spots, Tre Cime being at the top of my list.

I’d love to hear if you’ve been to The Dolomites and how you liked it!

Stay curious and keep wandering!

Lots of love,

Dani

Read more: Why autumn is the best time to visit The Dolomites