Cortina d'Ampezzo: where to ski, stay and eat
Cortina D'Ampezzo's winter sports pedigree is up there with St Moritz, initially as a scenic spot for blue-blooded types, then by the 1950s, as a fully-fledged winter playground for a thumping medley of European elites and Hollywood bigwigs. Sophia Loren opened the first Winter Olympics here, 1973’s Ash Wednesday starring Elizabeth Taylor was filmed here, and Roger Moore fled down Cortina’s slopes in the 1981 James Bond, For Your Eyes Only, pursued by John Whyman as KGB baddy Eric Kriegler. Despite its starry appeal, the chic Romans, Venetians, and a few Milanese (the latter mainly cross the border to St Moritz) are Cortina’s mainstay, hunkering down in heirloom chalets for long weekends on the slopes or parading along the Corso Italia in their winter finery (the nonnas typically in head-to-toe mink). They were clipped onto skis before they could walk and glide down Cortina’s scenic pistes like swans, pecking at cured meats and dumplings en route in family-run mountain huts such as Rifugio Pomedes and Capanna Tondi, before coasting home for a shower then passeggiata and aperitivo somewhere along Piazza Angelo Dibona, (aprés hits differently in the Dolomites). As such, there’s an Italian authenticity to Cortina that’s absent in many of the top-drawer ski resorts, whose history is so often defined by a plummy group of Brits fixated on high-altitude tomfoolery.
In the Queen of the Dolomites, you’ll be tucking into homemade pasta in the sunshine while Fendi-clad Italians light cigarettes on the deck chairs scattering the restaurant’s perimeter. You can also forgo the skiing entirely for an afternoon browsing the designer stores in the town centre or stewing in one of the grand hotel spas, absorbing all the jagged Dolomite majesty from a pine-infused hot tub. But if you are here for the skiing, and not simply the scene, over 140 km of (fairly) snow-sure runs across three ski areas await – Faloria-Cristallo, Cinque Torri-Laqazuoi and Tofana-Socrepes, which, while not as smoothly connected as some of the French or Swiss resorts, are challenging enough for intermediates (and ludicrously beautiful). Then there’s the snowshoeing, the World War One ski touring, the paragliding, the piste-side scoffing, the serious summer hiking and year-round pink sunsets.
For a ski resort that has it all (and perhaps as a symptom of its Italian authenticity and well-heeled family chalets), it has woefully lagged behind when it comes to the best ski hotels in Europe. But with Hotel de LEN’s lavish minimalism having elbowed its way into the Victorian hotel scene, and the original grande dame, Cristallo, set to reopen as a Mandarin Oriental Cortina in 2026, this all looks set to change.
More recommendations on where to book this ski season
Getty ImagesThe Skiing
Cortina d’Ampezzo’s skiing is fairly snow-sure, thanks to a battalion of snow machines deployed over 95 per cent of the slopes. Beginners are wise to head for the Socrepes area on the Tofane side, though Cortina feels more geared towards intermediates, who have enough control to fully absorb the Narnia-like setting, such as the Rumerlo-Fedo’s run in the Tofane area, or the red Armentarola, snaking through the Hidden Valley, past frozen waterfalls and alongside sheer, jagged Dolomites cliff faces. The Cinque Torri area offers still more scenic squiggles of blues and reds that are a delight to cruise down towards an Aperol Spritz. Intermediates feeling bold can head to the Faloria area for the steeper reds, while the advanced lot can sink their teeth (and skis) into the Forcella Rossa, Cortina’s steepest black run, or the exhilarating Olympia Delle Tofane, which hosted the 1956 Olympics Women’s Downhill (and will do so again for the 2026 Winter Olympics) and is famous for its initial black section, wedged between two jagged walls of rock protruding from the snow. Those accustomed to Swiss, French or Austrian Alpine resorts may find the lift connectivity for the three main ski areas surrounding Cortina d’Ampezzo frustrating (it’s fragmented, at best, with the Faloria ski area the only one directly accessible via a cable car in the town centre, but with a guide, it’s a breeze, and once you’ve mastered the lift times, the most uncrowded, scenic runs and have pinpointed all the best mountain hut pit stops along the way, there’s no going back.
- chalet, flying in the face of Cortina’s grand Victoriana with its contemporary art installation-style timber facade and warm, clean-cut interiors with a Nordic sensibility. Instead of some bastion of 20th-century high society rituals, the hotel is firmly grounded in its location (Len is the Ladin name for wood) and elevates the simplicity of its surroundings with design panache. This commitment to locality reaches a crescendo in the restaurant and bar, where farm produce and foraged treasure are deftly worked into delectable Ladin-inspired small plates and a cocktail menu – a spirit-laced ramble through the Alpine forests. 22 spacious, soothingly-lit rooms, encased in reclaimed fir and pine, are geared primarily towards sleep, with snazzy ‘Sleep Radiance Panels’ at the base of beds for boosting the body’s energy flow and modern takes on Alpine cosiness (see the arty gingham bedspreads). While rooms spill onto little balconies to gulp in the crisp Dolomite air, the spa pulls in the humbling scenery to thrilling effect. The glass-fronted, top-floor wellness perch gives the sensation of being suspended amid all the jagged-peaked drama, particularly at sunset when the peaks move through their infamous shades of pink. Expect steam baths, ‘emotional showers’ and an outdoor hot tub that puffs into the cool mountain air.\n<strong>Price:</strong> Rooms from around £420 per night.","contentType":"photo","credit":"Helenio Barbetta","segmentedSources":{"sm":[{"height":480,"width":320,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/66f5311eca8bcc49f750cf2e/master/w_320,c_limit/hotel%20de%20len-cortina%20ampezzo%20best%20hotel-sept24-pr-global.jpg"},{"height":960,"width":640,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/66f5311eca8bcc49f750cf2e/master/w_640,c_limit/hotel%20de%20len-cortina%20ampezzo%20best%20hotel-sept24-pr-global.jpg"}],"md":[{"height":960,"width":640,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/66f5311eca8bcc49f750cf2e/master/w_640,c_limit/hotel%20de%20len-cortina%20ampezzo%20best%20hotel-sept24-pr-global.jpg"},{"height":1920,"width":1280,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/66f5311eca8bcc49f750cf2e/master/w_1280,c_limit/hotel%20de%20len-cortina%20ampezzo%20best%20hotel-sept24-pr-global.jpg"}],"lg":[{"height":1536,"width":1024,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/66f5311eca8bcc49f750cf2e/master/w_1024,c_limit/hotel%20de%20len-cortina%20ampezzo%20best%20hotel-sept24-pr-global.jpg"},{"height":3072,"width":2048,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/66f5311eca8bcc49f750cf2e/master/w_2048,c_limit/hotel%20de%20len-cortina%20ampezzo%20best%20hotel-sept24-pr-global.jpg"}],"xl":[{"height":1920,"width":1280,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/66f5311eca8bcc49f750cf2e/master/w_1280,c_limit/hotel%20de%20len-cortina%20ampezzo%20best%20hotel-sept24-pr-global.jpg"}],"xxl":[{"height":1920,"width":1280,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/66f5311eca8bcc49f750cf2e/master/w_1280,c_limit/hotel%20de%20len-cortina%20ampezzo%20best%20hotel-sept24-pr-global.jpg"}]}}}" data-testid="GallerySlideWrapper">
Helenio BarbettaThe best hotels in Cortina d'Ampezzo
Hotel de LEN
The high-altitude sister of Puglia’s Borgo Egnazia, Hotel de LEN puts a modernist spin on the Alpine chalet, flying in the face of Cortina’s grand Victoriana with its contemporary art installation-style timber facade and warm, clean-cut interiors with a Nordic sensibility. Instead of some bastion of 20th-century high society rituals, the hotel is firmly grounded in its location (Len is the Ladin name for wood) and elevates the simplicity of its surroundings with design panache. This commitment to locality reaches a crescendo in the restaurant and bar, where farm produce and foraged treasure are deftly worked into delectable Ladin-inspired small plates and a cocktail menu – a spirit-laced ramble through the Alpine forests. 22 spacious, soothingly-lit rooms, encased in reclaimed fir and pine, are geared primarily towards sleep, with snazzy ‘Sleep Radiance Panels’ at the base of beds for boosting the body’s energy flow and modern takes on Alpine cosiness (see the arty gingham bedspreads). While rooms spill onto little balconies to gulp in the crisp Dolomite air, the spa pulls in the humbling scenery to thrilling effect. The glass-fronted, top-floor wellness perch gives the sensation of being suspended amid all the jagged-peaked drama, particularly at sunset when the peaks move through their infamous shades of pink. Expect steam baths, ‘emotional showers’ and an outdoor hot tub that puffs into the cool mountain air.
Price: Rooms from around £420 per night.
Faloria Mountain Spa Resort
Another old timer that’s tipped into the modern-luxe camp in a bid to stay relevant, Faloria Mountain Spa Resort was thrust into the capable hands of architect Flaviano Capriotti for a head-to-toe makeover. The hotel’s iconic exterior remains, with tweaks here and there, but inside, it's a purely contemporary scene, where Dolomite woods and stone have been chipped and carved into clean, calming lines. Nordic-simple rooms are animated with dazzling mountain light from floor-to-ceiling windows, and the subdued, quiet colours and textures artfully frame and reflect the magnificent scenery outside, spinning like a snow globe as you move from one spot to the next. Perhaps the greatest beneficiary from the full-throttle review, though, was the spa, whose vast, turquoise majolica-tiled pool takes centre stage amid a whopping 1000 square metres of saunas, Turkish baths, treatment rooms and larch-encased relaxation areas. Along with the massages and water jets, the martinis in the bar, with its enamelled lava stone stove, are an effective tonic for a hard day on the slopes.
Price: Rooms from around £385per night.
- Venice, has become a favourite among Italians and the host of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Around the area, you’ll find a handful of <a href=https://www.cntraveller.com/"https://www.cntraveller.com/topic/italian-lakes/" target=\"_blank\">beautiful lakes</a>, including Lago di Misurina and, slightly further, Lago di Braies. The perfect base for your adventures is Rosapetra, whose secluded location on the outskirts of Cortina offers a low-key, relaxing few days. An Alpine cottage where each of the 33 rooms looks out towards the Dolomites. From a well-equipped gym to a wellness circuit of iced waterfalls, saunas and a 12m swimming pool, you’ll have everything you need to warm up or restore your muscles pre and post-ski. <em>Lucrezia Worthington</em>\n<strong>Price:</strong> Rooms from around £470 per night.","contentType":"photo","credit":"","segmentedSources":{"sm":[{"height":388,"width":320,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/65cca7cd95740971e2968150/master/w_320,c_limit/HOTEL%20SALTUS,%20ALTO%20ADIGE-dolomites-feb24-pr-global.jpg"},{"height":776,"width":640,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/65cca7cd95740971e2968150/master/w_640,c_limit/HOTEL%20SALTUS,%20ALTO%20ADIGE-dolomites-feb24-pr-global.jpg"}],"md":[{"height":776,"width":640,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/65cca7cd95740971e2968150/master/w_640,c_limit/HOTEL%20SALTUS,%20ALTO%20ADIGE-dolomites-feb24-pr-global.jpg"},{"height":1551,"width":1280,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/65cca7cd95740971e2968150/master/w_1280,c_limit/HOTEL%20SALTUS,%20ALTO%20ADIGE-dolomites-feb24-pr-global.jpg"}],"lg":[{"height":1241,"width":1024,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/65cca7cd95740971e2968150/master/w_1024,c_limit/HOTEL%20SALTUS,%20ALTO%20ADIGE-dolomites-feb24-pr-global.jpg"},{"height":2482,"width":2048,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/65cca7cd95740971e2968150/master/w_2048,c_limit/HOTEL%20SALTUS,%20ALTO%20ADIGE-dolomites-feb24-pr-global.jpg"}],"xl":[{"height":1551,"width":1280,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/65cca7cd95740971e2968150/master/w_1280,c_limit/HOTEL%20SALTUS,%20ALTO%20ADIGE-dolomites-feb24-pr-global.jpg"}],"xxl":[{"height":1551,"width":1280,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/65cca7cd95740971e2968150/master/w_1280,c_limit/HOTEL%20SALTUS,%20ALTO%20ADIGE-dolomites-feb24-pr-global.jpg"}]}}}" data-testid="GallerySlideWrapper">
Rosapetra
To soak up illustrious glamour head to the pearl of the Dolomites, Cortina d’Ampezzo, where you’re likely to splurge most of your budget on oysters and Champagne. But there’s a reason why this northern gem, located only two hours away from Venice, has become a favourite among Italians and the host of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Around the area, you’ll find a handful of beautiful lakes, including Lago di Misurina and, slightly further, Lago di Braies. The perfect base for your adventures is Rosapetra, whose secluded location on the outskirts of Cortina offers a low-key, relaxing few days. An Alpine cottage where each of the 33 rooms looks out towards the Dolomites. From a well-equipped gym to a wellness circuit of iced waterfalls, saunas and a 12m swimming pool, you’ll have everything you need to warm up or restore your muscles pre and post-ski. Lucrezia Worthington
Price: Rooms from around £470 per night.
Cristallo, Luxury Collection Resort & Spa
This stalwart of the Dolomite winter leisure scene has seen it all: Leo Tolstoy, wounded soldiers from the Great War, Hollywood film crews, Frank Sinatra, you name it. It’s white, palatial exterior lords over a Narnia-like valley, and in summer, red geraniums work like scarlet lipstick to accentuate to wake up its pale, sun-deprived facade. But, despite all that old-world charm, the blue-blooded loyalists and spa updates, Cortina’s leading grande dame was beginning to lose its spark. Not one to miss a heavyweight hotel in a highly-coveted location opportunity, Mandarin Oriental has moved in on the Cristallo action, fleshing out the palatial bones of this Dolomite original with its signature, lavishly modern style. The transformation is set to be unveiled in 2026.
Chalet Serge, Leo Trippi
There are few things Oliver Corkhill of Viadi Group (parent company of luxury chalet ski holiday aficionados Leo Trippi) doesn’t know about Cortina D’Ampezzo. He’s friends with the owners of legendary mountain huts such as Rifugio in Cinque Torri, has tried and tested every run, menu and chalet, and knows what makes the crowd of frequent Cortina tick. A highlight of Leo Trippi’s Cortina d’Ampezzo contingent is Chalet Serge, a four-bedroom, contemporary hideaway with an understated, traditional exterior and heart-thumping views of the Ampezzo Dolomites. Contemporary art perks up the pine walls and weary ski muscles can make a beeline for the Finnish sauna, the whirlpool bath and the hammam. Well-placed Cortina chalets are hard to come by (at least the ones not owned and permanently used by Roman or Venetian families), so Chalet Serge’s central location, a mere three minutes away from the ski lifts and five minutes from the town centre, gives it an edge over perhaps swankier but further flung chalets here.
- Book online</a>\n<strong>Tivoli</strong>\nWorth peeling off your salopettes for, Tivoli (just outside the town centre) is considered one of Cortina’s swankiest establishments. It’s the sort of Michelin-starred joint where mousse, gel and froth feature abundantly across the menu, and foie gras routinely opens the show. Expect rich, Alpine flavours with top-drawer, regional ingredients and chef and owner Graziano Prest’s artfully composed plates that make you twitch for your iPhone camera. All the unctuous seafood and perfectly cooked meats are finely tuned with wines from Prest’s impressive cellars.\n<a href=https://www.cntraveller.com/"https://www.ristorantetivolicortina.it/en/landing-page-en//">Book online</a>\n<strong>Al Camin</strong><br>\nThis always thrumming Cortina d’Ampezzo favourite spills onto a sun-trap terrace and performs an impressive balancing act, where food standards are sky high, yet the mood is gloriously easygoing. The centrally-based restaurant is a polished take on a rustic Alpine chalet, with heart-carved chairs and blonde wood framed with red curtains. It’s effortlessly cosy, and Fabio Pompanin’s imaginative menus (and first-rate wine list), keep the punters returning for more.\n<a href=https://www.cntraveller.com/"https://www.ristorantealcamin.it//">Book online</a>\n<strong>Enoteca Cortina</strong>\nA wine bar and a Cortina institution, ‘Gerry’s wine shop’ as it’s affectionately known (after its owner Girolamo Gaspari) is where well-washed, well-dressed Italians head after an afternoon on the slopes for aperitivi. The vaulted-ceiling, dimly-lit interiors are comfortingly unchanged for decades, and the bruschetta, olives and cured meats are a Godsend for tying you over until the Italian-style late supper.<br>","contentType":"photo","credit":"Chantal Arnts","segmentedSources":{"sm":[{"height":480,"width":320,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/66f5758ca96b92687cb4333c/master/w_320,c_limit/%20Sanbrite%20-%20best%20restaurants%20in%20cortina-pr-global-%20%C2%A9%20Chantal%20Arnts%20-47.jpg"},{"height":960,"width":640,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/66f5758ca96b92687cb4333c/master/w_640,c_limit/%20Sanbrite%20-%20best%20restaurants%20in%20cortina-pr-global-%20%C2%A9%20Chantal%20Arnts%20-47.jpg"}],"md":[{"height":960,"width":640,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/66f5758ca96b92687cb4333c/master/w_640,c_limit/%20Sanbrite%20-%20best%20restaurants%20in%20cortina-pr-global-%20%C2%A9%20Chantal%20Arnts%20-47.jpg"},{"height":1919,"width":1280,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/66f5758ca96b92687cb4333c/master/w_1280,c_limit/%20Sanbrite%20-%20best%20restaurants%20in%20cortina-pr-global-%20%C2%A9%20Chantal%20Arnts%20-47.jpg"}],"lg":[{"height":1536,"width":1024,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/66f5758ca96b92687cb4333c/master/w_1024,c_limit/%20Sanbrite%20-%20best%20restaurants%20in%20cortina-pr-global-%20%C2%A9%20Chantal%20Arnts%20-47.jpg"},{"height":3071,"width":2048,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/66f5758ca96b92687cb4333c/master/w_2048,c_limit/%20Sanbrite%20-%20best%20restaurants%20in%20cortina-pr-global-%20%C2%A9%20Chantal%20Arnts%20-47.jpg"}],"xl":[{"height":1919,"width":1280,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/66f5758ca96b92687cb4333c/master/w_1280,c_limit/%20Sanbrite%20-%20best%20restaurants%20in%20cortina-pr-global-%20%C2%A9%20Chantal%20Arnts%20-47.jpg"}],"xxl":[{"height":1919,"width":1280,"url":"https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/66f5758ca96b92687cb4333c/master/w_1280,c_limit/%20Sanbrite%20-%20best%20restaurants%20in%20cortina-pr-global-%20%C2%A9%20Chantal%20Arnts%20-47.jpg"}]}}}" data-testid="GallerySlideWrapper">
Chantal ArntsWhere to eat
In town
SanBrite
Dialling up Cortina’s restaurant scene in 2017 without the fuss and frills the Michelin-star brigade are accustomed to, SanBrite is elevated organic, locavore ethos personified. Operating from his family’s barn, Riccardo Gaspari draws on his native region for the seasonally shifting menu, focusing on ‘regenerative cuisine.’ Most ingredients are sourced from the Gaspari farm or surrounding forests (milk from the dairy, meat from their flocks and herds, and pine, herbs, and nuts foraged nearby). Cortina loyalist Oli Corkhill of Leo Trippi recommends the Sentiero tasting menu, or for something special, booking Gaspari’s Outdoor experience (they’ll unfold a kitchen and table on any mountain or lakeside spot imaginable, like origami).
Tivoli
Worth peeling off your salopettes for, Tivoli (just outside the town centre) is considered one of Cortina’s swankiest establishments. It’s the sort of Michelin-starred joint where mousse, gel and froth feature abundantly across the menu, and foie gras routinely opens the show. Expect rich, Alpine flavours with top-drawer, regional ingredients and chef and owner Graziano Prest’s artfully composed plates that make you twitch for your iPhone camera. All the unctuous seafood and perfectly cooked meats are finely tuned with wines from Prest’s impressive cellars.
Al Camin
This always thrumming Cortina d’Ampezzo favourite spills onto a sun-trap terrace and performs an impressive balancing act, where food standards are sky high, yet the mood is gloriously easygoing. The centrally-based restaurant is a polished take on a rustic Alpine chalet, with heart-carved chairs and blonde wood framed with red curtains. It’s effortlessly cosy, and Fabio Pompanin’s imaginative menus (and first-rate wine list), keep the punters returning for more.Enoteca Cortina
A wine bar and a Cortina institution, ‘Gerry’s wine shop’ as it’s affectionately known (after its owner Girolamo Gaspari) is where well-washed, well-dressed Italians head after an afternoon on the slopes for aperitivi. The vaulted-ceiling, dimly-lit interiors are comfortingly unchanged for decades, and the bruschetta, olives and cured meats are a Godsend for tying you over until the Italian-style late supper.
Getty ImagesOn the mountain
Baita Resch
Open in both the summer and winter months, this cosy, traditionally inclined refuge overlooks Cortina from its Tofane ski area perch. It’s all family-run and home-made, with hearty, though delicately presented and cooked, plates of goulash, polenta and carbonara. Save room for owner and pastry chef Ivan’s puddings, and do your best to bag a spot on the terrace as soon as the Dolomites switch on the sunshine.
Rifugio Pomedes
As much a summer sensation for hikers as a cosy, cockle-warming refuge for famished skiers, Rifugio Pomedes (positioned at the top of Pomedes) embodies just about everything good about skiing in the Dolomites. The family-run joint whips up richly-flavoured Ampezzo-style plates (a hangover of the Austro-Hungarian border fluctuations); expect speck dumplings, beetroot casunziei and smoked pork loin. Standards are as high as the hut’s altitude. Yet, the atmosphere is mercifully unbuttoned, and the setting unfathomably beautiful (Dolomite rock juts upwards alongside the terrace, which overlooks Mount Pelmo, Croda da Lago and the Lastroni di Formin.
El Camineto
Its position at the bottom of the Tofane ski area’s Duca d’Aosta chairlift accounts for many non-skiers. Those eager to lean into the piste-side parade and the breath-snatching views without so much as leaning into one run for an entire week in Cortina. It’s a phenomenon that’s becoming more and more common in the Dolomite resort and is best witnessed here, amid the well-oiled service, the risotto, spaghetti alla vodka and meringue paired with twinkling glasses of Eiswein.
