The best hotels in the Dolomites 2025

In winter, a dramatic, snowglobe scene of jagged, rocky spines protruding from snowy coats, dusted pine forests and frozen lakes surround the best hotels in the Dolomites. And it all thaws for summer’s ‘hills-are-alive’ buttercup meadows and lush valleys. Glassy lakes and church spires piercing the crisp, blue skies. The Dolomites mountain range are maddeningly beautiful – a cinematic landscape dotted with storybook chalet towns and villages, the Brothers Grimm sort that wind up on a Panettoni tin and genuinely, truly exist.

Along with Ortisei, Brixen and Santa Magdalena, Cortina d’Ampezio is one of these, and will shortly fall into sharp focus as the host of 2026’s Winter Olympics. It’s the Narnia-like wonders such as the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Lago di Braies, Alpe di Siusi and the Marmolada Glacier that have afforded the Dolomites their UNESCO World Heritage label. And where French and Swiss Alpine towns have chipped their identity amid the jet set glitz and Oligarch glam, the Dolomites remain deeply rooted in Ladin culture and traditions, with Roman and Milanese weekenders setting a palpably Italian (not touristy) tone, and history, notably in South Tyrol region, expressed through unique dishes and local rhythms.

Dolomiti winters are stewing in a thermal pool or admiring the enrosidira (the pink hue cast on the jagged peaks at sunset) with a glass of Lagrein, having whooshed down the slopes or trudged through silent pine forests that day. Summers are following trails scribbled across the peaks, skirting glacial lakes and wallowing in outdoor pools with valley views.

And from restrained, foodie eco-boutiques to spa stalwarts with steaming outdoor pools tipping over pastoral valleys and easy access to the slopes, the best hotels in the Dolomites are well aware of their year-round appeal.

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