Alta Via 2: Bressanone to Feltre hut to hut across the Dolomites in 13 stages

Which route should you choose?

The Alta Via 2 is also called the Alta Via delle Leggende, the high route of legends. It starts in Bressanone at 560 m, climbs to the Plose and then heads south across the Puez-Odle plateau and the Sella group to the Marmolada. From there it crosses the Pale di San Martino, the wildest and most technical part, and ends on the Vette Feltrine above Feltre. It crosses several parts of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage site, listed in 2009 as nine mountain systems, among them Puez-Odle, the Marmolada and the Pale di San Martino with the Vette Feltrine.

The grade runs from easy paths to exposed, cabled passages. dolomiti.it asks for trained hikers with no fear of heights, good navigation and basic mountaineering skills on some passages. The Ferrata Brigata Tridentina above Passo Gardena is an optional, harder variant (grade C); the main line climbs Val Setus instead, on a steep path with some cables. Who should not attempt it: anyone without a head for heights, anyone who has never moved on exposed or cabled ground, and first-time hut trekkers looking for an easy start. Without via ferrata experience, skip the Tridentina and think twice about the southern stages from the Pale onwards.

13-day Full traverse, Bressanone to Feltre itinerary at a glance

The itinerary below follows the 13 stages listed by dolomiti.it, with the night's hut and the high point of each day. Day 1 is a big climb of about 1,900 metres from the town, so most people take the Plose cable car to Valcroce and walk about an hour and a half to the hut. Days 2 to 5 cross the Puez plateau and the Sella; on day 5 you pass Rifugio Boè, where the summit of Piz Boè (3,152 m) is an optional side trip, then drop to Passo Pordoi and follow the Viel del Pan balcony path to Passo Fedaia. Day 6 is the longest, by Malga Ciapela and Passo Forca Rossa to Passo San Pellegrino.

Days 7 to 9 are the heart of the Pale di San Martino: Passo delle Farangole on day 8 is equipped, with demanding moves, and should not be tried in poor visibility. Day 9 descends from the Rosetta plateau by Passo di Ball, and many hikers stop at Rifugio Pradidali (2,278 m) instead of going on to Treviso. Days 11 and 12 cross Passo di Comedon and the Vette Feltrine on equipped paths. Day 13 is the easiest, all downhill to Croce d'Aune and Feltre.

The first hut needs checking: Rifugio Città di Bressanone on the Plose was closed from May to November 2025 for a major renovation, and the CAI section was looking for a new manager. Check that it is open for your dates. If it is closed, one option is a night in Bressanone and the cable car up next morning, which makes day 2 much longer.

Marmolada: on 3 July 2022 a serac broke off the Marmolada glacier near Punta Rocca and killed 11 people. Paths on the north side, including the old Alta Via 2 glacier line by Forcella Marmolada, were closed. The red zone was lifted in November 2022, but the north face stays under monitoring and paths can close again in hot spells. The current main line avoids the glacier: it goes from Passo Pordoi along the Viel del Pan to Passo Fedaia, then by Malga Ciapela and Forca Rossa. Ask locally before using any glacier variant.

1. Day 1 Bressanone Rifugio Città di Bressanone (Plose hut) night at 2,447 m
2. Day 2 Rifugio Genova (Schlüterhütte) via Forcella Putia 2,361 mnight at 2,306 m
3. Day 3 Rifugio Puez via Forcella della Roa 2,616 mnight at 2,475 m
4. Day 4 Rifugio Franco Cavazza al Pisciadù via Passo Cir 2,469 mnight at 2,587 m
5. Day 5 Rifugio Castiglioni Marmolada, Passo Fedaia via Rifugio Boè 2,873 mnight at 2,057 m
6. Day 6 Passo San Pellegrino via Passo Forca Rossa 2,490 mnight at 1,907 m
7. Day 7 Rifugio Volpi al Mulaz via Passo Fochet di Focobon 2,291 mnight at 2,571 m
8. Day 8 Rifugio Pedrotti alla Rosetta via Passo delle Farangole 2,932 mnight at 2,581 m
9. Day 9 Rifugio Treviso via Passo delle Lede 2,790 mnight at 1,631 m
10. Day 10 Passo Cereda via Forcella d'Oltro 2,112 mnight at 1,369 m
11. Day 11 Rifugio Bruno Boz via Passo di Comedon 2,067 mnight at 1,718 m
12. Day 12 Rifugio Dal Piaz via Passo di Pietena 2,094 mnight at 1,993 m
13. Day 13 Feltre via Passo Croce d'Aune 1,015 mnight at 324 m

Hut altitudes are from hut, tourism and mountain-portal pages; sources differ by a few metres. Rifugio Genova is 2,306 m on its hut page and 2,297 m on magicoveneto.it; Pisciadù is given as 2,587 m, 2,585 m or 2,583 m; Castiglioni Marmolada is 2,057 m on visittrentino and 2,044 m elsewhere. Nights 6 and 10 are at road passes, San Pellegrino and Cereda; check the places to stay there for your dates. The altitude shown is the pass. Total length is given as 180 km by dolomiti.it and Wikipedia and 174 km by Cicerone, while the stage figures add up to about 205 km. The trail itself ends at Passo Croce d'Aune (1,015 m); the last part to Feltre is a descent by Pedavena, and buses also run to Feltre.

What it really costs

The Alta Via 2 has no permit or trail fee. The main cost is half board in the huts, every night for about two weeks, plus the trains to the start and from the finish. Here is what to plan around.

Fees and estimates checked on 6 November 2026.

Insurance that covers Alta Via 2

Take a travel policy that covers hiking and via ferrata and mountain rescue by helicopter in Italy. Most travellers from outside Europe have no European health card (EHIC), and rescue can be charged to you: Trentino bills €750 if you are flown out uninjured and not admitted, and €92 per flight minute to visitors without the card; the Veneto can bill up to €90 a minute, capped at €7,500, for unjustified calls; South Tyrol charges a fee.

Alpine-club membership with rescue cover is common in Europe, but AVS covers only residents of Europe or the Mediterranean rim: check residence conditions before joining a club for its insurance. In an emergency, call 112 (118 also works in the Veneto).

Staying connected in Italy

TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell SIM cards and eSIMs in Italy; take your passport, and the shop may create a tax code (codice fiscale) for you. Signal is patchy in high valleys and at many huts, and about one hut in three has Wi-Fi. Download offline maps and the stage descriptions before you leave the valley.

Getting there and where to stay

Fly into Venice (VCE), then take the train to Bressanone on the Brenner line. Munich and Innsbruck are an option from the north by train. At the end, Feltre has trains to Padova and Belluno.

Gear: rent or buy

You sleep and eat in huts, so you carry clothes, water and a few snacks, not a tent. For the cabled sections, the CAI lists a certified harness, a helmet and a via ferrata set to EN 958. Cicerone argues a short rope and karabiners can do on the Alta Via 2; dolomiti.it lists ferrata equipment for the southern stages. With little experience, take the full set. Days at 2,000 m are about 11 °C to 16 °C in summer, and nights near freezing are possible higher up in June and September.

• Hiking boots with stiff soles for scree and rockBuy
• Backpack of 30–40 litres with rain coverRent or buy
• Via ferrata set (EN 958), harness and climbing helmetRent or buy
• Sleeping-bag liner, required in CAI hutsBuy
• Waterproof jacket and trousers for afternoon stormsBuy
• Warm layer, hat and gloves for the high passesBuy
• Trekking poles for the long descentsRent or buy
• Sun hat, sunglasses and high-factor sunscreenBuy
• Headlamp, first-aid kit, power bank and offline mapsBuy
• Cash for huts, showers and tourist taxBuy
• Anything you need for your religious practice, such as a light prayer matBuy

Add a few days in Italy

A few side trips sit right on the route or a short lift ride away.

Frequently asked questions