Walking in the Dolomites — Cicerone Classic Alpine Walking Guide

🥾 Multi-Day Routes • Rifugio Culture • UNESCO-Listed Peaks

Walking in the Dolomites is one of the flagship titles from Cicerone Press, widely regarded as the gold standard for independent walking and trekking guides in Europe. Written for confident walkers who want structure, reliability and depth, this guide focuses on multi-day walking routes across Italy’s most dramatic mountain range — the Dolomites.

Rather than listing hundreds of short strolls, this book is designed for walkers who want to link days together, move between valleys, and experience the Dolomites as a coherent journey — supported by the region’s unique network of rifugi (mountain huts).

🌟 Why This Cicerone Guide Is a Standout

Cicerone guides have a distinct philosophy, and Walking in the Dolomites exemplifies it:

🥾 25 carefully curated multi-day routes — typically 2–6 days each
🗺️ Clear route descriptions & sketch maps — designed for real-world navigation
📏 Practical planning detail — distances, ascent, timings and difficulty notes
🏡 Rifugio-based itineraries — walk light, sleep comfortably, eat well
🌍 Regional breadth — routes spread across the major Dolomite groups
📖 Concise but authoritative writing — assumes competence, rewards preparation

This is not a glossy inspiration book — it’s a working field guide trusted by serious walkers.

🗺️ What the Guide Covers

The book is structured around distinct mountain groups and regions, allowing walkers to choose routes that suit their time, fitness and interests:

⛰️ Cortina d’Ampezzo region — dramatic limestone walls, WWI history and classic hut traverses
🌄 Sella & Marmolada groups — high passes, wide views and iconic Dolomite geology
🌿 Puez-Odle & Val Gardena — grassy ridges, sharp spires and photogenic terrain
🏞️ Fanes-Sennes-Braies — open plateaus, quiet valleys and linked hut walks
🏔️ Brenta Dolomites — more rugged, dramatic routes for experienced walkers

Many routes can be combined, shortened or extended, making the guide highly adaptable.

🥾 The Style of Walking You’ll Do

This guide is ideal if you enjoy:

🏕️ Hut-to-hut walking rather than camping
🎒 Carrying light packs — no tent or heavy food loads
📅 Structured multi-day itineraries with clear daily goals
⛰️ High-mountain terrain without technical climbing
🗺️ Independent travel rather than guided tours

Most routes follow well-marked Alpine paths, but they often involve steep ascents, exposed sections and long days, especially at altitude.

🌿 More Than Routes: Context That Matters

In classic Cicerone style, the guide provides just enough background to deepen understanding without overwhelming:

🪨 Geology — how ancient coral reefs became today’s limestone towers
🏛️ World War I remnants — tunnels, trenches and high-mountain battle sites
🌱 Alpine ecology — meadows, forests and seasonal changes
🏡 Mountain culture — rifugio traditions, languages and regional identity

The emphasis is always on what matters to a walker on the ground.

🧭 Practical Strengths of the Cicerone Approach

This guide excels in the details that make or break a trip:

✔️ Clear access notes — getting to trailheads by public transport or car
✔️ Accommodation guidance — rifugi spacing, alternatives and booking advice
✔️ Seasonal awareness — snow persistence, hut opening periods, weather risks
✔️ Route variants — escape options, shorter days, or tougher alternatives

It pairs extremely well with Tabacco or Kompass maps, which many walkers use alongside Cicerone guides.

📖 Book Specifications

📘 Title: Walking in the Dolomites
✍️ Author: Gillian Price
🏛️ Publisher: Cicerone Press
📄 Format: Paperback
📐 Size: approx. 172 × 116 mm (classic Cicerone pocket format)
📄 Length: ~280 pages
🗺️ Maps: Sketch maps + mapping references
🔢 ISBN: 9781852848162 (edition dependent)

Compact, durable and designed to live in your pack.

🎯 Who This Book Is For

🥾 Walkers planning multi-day hut-to-hut trips in the Dolomites
⛰️ Experienced hikers comfortable with alpine terrain
🚶♂️ Independent travellers who value clear, honest route guidance
📍 Visitors wanting depth over breadth
🧭 Anyone who trusts Cicerone’s no-nonsense approach

If you prefer practical accuracy over glossy inspiration, this guide is an excellent choice.

⭐ A Benchmark Guide for Alpine Walkers

The Dolomites can feel overwhelming — vast, complex and packed with choice. Walking in the Dolomites cuts through that complexity, offering tested routes, clear structure and quiet confidence.

It doesn’t just show you where to walk — it helps you link days together, read the landscape, and move through the mountains with purpose.

If the Dolomites are on your walking horizon, this is a guide you’ll return to again and again — both in planning and on the trail.