Mistakes I Made on My First Dolomites Trip (And How to Avoid Them)

I have now helped hundreds of people plan trips to the Dolomites. I know the mistakes first-time visitors make because I made most of them myself.

Our first trip was in 2010. Daragh and I arrived in Val Gardena enthusiastic, reasonably well-researched by the standards of the time, and completely unprepared for several things that turned out to matter enormously. What follows is the honest version of how that went.

We Underestimated How Physically Demanding It Would Be

This is the one I see most often and the one I wish someone had told me plainly before we left.

The Dolomites is not a theme park with mountain views. It is a serious mountain environment, and even the trails that are classified as easy involve sustained climbing, uneven terrain, and altitude that your body is not used to if you live at sea level. We arrived having done very little to prepare physically and felt it within the first two days.

I am not suggesting you need to be an athlete to enjoy the Dolomites. You do not. But a few weeks of regular walking before you go, with some hills involved, will change your experience considerably. Your legs will thank you. So will the rest of your trip.

If hiking is part of your trip, a little preparation beforehand makes a huge difference. Even regular walks with a few hills can leave you enjoying the scenery instead of just concentrating on getting to the next viewpoint.

We Didn't Train Before We Went

Related to the above, but worth saying separately. We did nothing to get ready. No long walks, no stair climbing, no particular attention to fitness in the weeks before we flew. We assumed that because we were reasonably active people, the hiking would take care of itself.

It did not.

By the third day we were tired in a way that surprised us. By the fifth day we were making decisions about what to do based on how our legs felt rather than what we actually wanted to see. A bit of preparation would have given us the trip we had imagined rather than a slightly reduced version of it.

We Didn't Plan Our Hikes Properly

We arrived with a general sense of what we wanted to do and assumed we would figure out the details on the ground. This did not work well.

The Dolomites trails are not self-explanatory when you are standing at a junction with tired legs and three different paths in front of you. We found ourselves making decisions mid-trail that we were not equipped to make, choosing routes without knowing how long they were, where they came out, or how much climbing was still ahead. On one occasion we ended up on a trail that was more demanding than we had bargained for simply because we had not looked at it properly beforehand.

Planning your hikes before you go does not take the spontaneity out of your trip. It simply gives you the confidence to make informed decisions once you're on the mountain.

If you're looking for walks with incredible scenery that don't require long or difficult hikes, you might enjoy my Easy Dolomites Guide.

We Didn't Download Offline Maps

In 2010 this was less of an issue because everyone was navigating by paper map anyway. But it is a significant mistake by today's standards. Mobile coverage in the Dolomites is inconsistent, particularly on the higher trails, and relying on a data connection that may or may not exist is not a strategy.

I now recommend downloading your maps before leaving your accommodation each morning. Whether you use Komoot, AllTrails or another mapping app, having an offline map gives you peace of mind if your phone loses signal.

It takes just a couple of minutes and removes one of the most common sources of stress on a mountain trail.

We Didn't Pack for Mountain Weather

We were going to the mountains in summer. We packed for warm weather. This was a mistake.

The temperature at altitude in the Dolomites bears no reliable relationship to the temperature in the valley below. We arrived in warm sunshine and found ourselves genuinely cold the moment we got above 2,000 metres. We ended up buying fleeces in Ortisei, which solved the immediate problem but was an entirely avoidable situation.

Always bring a warm layer, a waterproof jacket and an extra pair of socks regardless of what the forecast says when you leave home. Mountain weather changes quickly, and the difference between comfortable and miserable can be one extra layer.

I've put together a free Dolomites Packing Checklist that covers everything I now bring on every trip.

We Tried to Do Too Much

We had one week and wanted to make every minute count. Looking back, we tried to fit too much into too little time.

We packed every day with plans because we were worried we'd miss something.

In practice it meant that by day five we were exhausted and day six was a write-off.

Hiking in the Dolomites is more tiring than most people expect, particularly in the first few days before your body adjusts to the altitude and the terrain. Building a slower day into the middle of your trip is not wasting time. It is often what allows the second half of your trip to be just as enjoyable as the first.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned over the past sixteen years is that you don't see more by moving every day—you usually see less. Spending longer in one base and slowing the pace almost always leads to a better trip.

That's exactly why I created my guide on How to Experience the Dolomites Without Rushing.

Every One of These Mistakes Is Avoidable

If any of this sounds familiar, you're in good company. Almost every first-time visitor makes at least a few of these mistakes, and every one of them can be avoided with a little planning.

If you'd like a personalized itinerary built around your fitness level, interests and travel style, you can learn more about my Dolomites Trip Planning Service.