Great Dolomites Road by Motorcycle: Bolzano to Cortina over Costalunga, Pordoi and Falzarego

The Great Dolomites Road, the Grande Strada delle Dolomiti, is the old main road across the range: from Bolzano in the Adige valley to Cortina d’Ampezzo in the east, over three of the great passes. It was built for carriages and early motor tourists, and it still follows the natural line through the mountains, which is why it rides so well. Where the Sella Ronda circles one massif, this road crosses the whole range, and the scenery changes from gorge to lake to high pasture to the vertical walls around Cortina.

Ridden one way it is around 110 kilometres. Add the Passo Giau as a loop at the eastern end and you have a long, full day of around 190 kilometres. Most riders split it, with a night in the Val di Fassa or at Arabba, and use the second day for the Giau and the passes around Cortina.

Planning the ride

Ride west to east if you can. You start in the warm valley at Bolzano, climb into the mountains in the morning when the roads are quiet, and reach Cortina with the afternoon light on the Tofane. Bolzano is easy to reach from the Brenner motorway, and riders coming from Austria often stay the night before in the city or in the Eggental itself. Riders based in Cortina can of course ride it the other way round.

The route is signed in sections rather than as one road, so it helps to know the sequence: Bolzano, the Eggental, Nova Levante (Welschnofen), the Karersee, the Passo di Costalunga, Vigo di Fassa, Canazei, the Passo Pordoi, Arabba, the Passo Falzarego and Cortina.

The route, section by section

Bolzano through the Eggental to the Karersee (about 30km). Leave Bolzano east on the SS241 and within minutes you are in the Eggental (Val d’Ega), a narrow gorge of red porphyry rock with the road cut into its walls and a string of short tunnels. It is a fine start but a busy one, as it is also the main road for the villages above, so expect lorries and buses on a weekday morning. The valley opens out at Birchabruck and climbs through meadows to Welschnofen. Just beyond is the Karersee (Lago di Carezza), a small green lake under the spires of the Latemar. It is one of the most photographed spots in the Dolomites, so stop early or late if you want the viewpoint to yourself.

Over the Passo di Costalunga to the Val di Fassa (about 15km). Above the lake the road climbs gently to the Passo di Costalunga (Karerpass), at about 1,750 metres, with the Rosengarten (Catinaccio) walls to the north. It is the easiest of the three passes: wide, open bends and a smooth descent into the Val di Fassa at Vigo di Fassa. Turn left up the valley through Pozza and Campitello to Canazei, the last village before the climb.

Canazei over the Passo Pordoi to Arabba (about 25km). This is the heart of the ride. The western ramp of the Pordoi climbs out of Canazei in a long ladder of numbered hairpins, with views back down the Val di Fassa and across to the Sassolungo. The pass, at 2,239 metres, is the highest point of the Great Dolomites Road, with hotels, a cable car up the Sass Pordoi and room to park a bike. On a clear day the Marmolada glacier sits to the south. The eastern descent to Arabba is just as good: more hairpins, tight and well surfaced, dropping into a village built for skiers and riders alike.

Arabba over the Passo Falzarego to Cortina (about 40km). From Arabba the road runs east along the Livinallongo valley, a balcony road above a deep gorge, through Pieve di Livinallongo and past the castle of Andraz. Then it climbs to the Passo Falzarego at 2,105 metres, a wide saddle under the cliffs of the Lagazuoi, with a cable car to the summit and the remains of First World War positions all around. Nearby, the Passo Valparola branches north toward Val Badia if you want to extend the day. The descent from the Falzarego to Cortina is long and fast, with sweeping bends through larch forest and the Tofane walls rising to your left. Cortina, host of two Winter Olympics, is the natural end of the road.

The Passo Giau loop (about 80km)

From Cortina, the best way back to Arabba or the Val di Fassa is not the way you came. Ride back up the Falzarego road for a few kilometres to Pocol, then turn south on the road to the Passo Giau. This is many riders’ favourite pass in the range. The northern side climbs through forest and pasture to the pass at about 2,236 metres, with the Cinque Torri, the Nuvolau and the Ra Gusela standing above the road. The southern side drops toward Selva di Cadore in a long chain of tight hairpins on a steep slope, with a maximum gradient in the mid-teens. It is narrow in places, and cyclists climb it in large numbers, so give them room.

From Selva di Cadore follow the valley through Caprile, then climb back north over the Colle Santa Lucia road to the Livinallongo valley and Arabba, or continue west to Alleghe and the Passo Fedaia below the Marmolada if you are heading for the Val di Fassa.

Rules, closures and traffic

There are no tolls on any of these passes. Speed limits are low on the climbs and enforced, with speed checks common on the Pordoi and in the Val di Fassa. The western half of the route is in South Tyrol and Trentino; the Falzarego, the Giau and Cortina are in the province of Belluno in the Veneto, and each area manages its own roads.

South Tyrol has restricted organised motorcycle events on a list of high roads, including the Karerpass. Private riders can ride as normal, but if you are on a guided tour or a club run, check the current rules with the province before you go. On a few days each summer, passes in the area close to motor traffic for cycling events. Check South Tyrol’s provincial traffic information service, the Trentino road service and the Veneto road authority before you ride, and look at local event calendars when you book.

July and August bring heavy traffic, especially from mid-morning to late afternoon. Start early and you can ride the Pordoi and the Giau with the road almost to yourself.

When to go

The passes on this route are kept open for much of the year, but they can close in snow or storms, and the Giau can carry snow late into spring. For riding, mid-June to late September is the dependable window. September is ideal: settled weather, fewer cars and coaches, and cool, clear mornings. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in high summer, so plan the passes for the morning. It can be 15 degrees colder on the Pordoi than in Bolzano, so pack a warm layer even on a hot day.

The roads

Surfaces are generally good, but the hairpins collect gravel, and shaded sections stay damp long after rain. The Eggental tunnels are short but some are dim; take sunglasses off before you go in. Expect cyclists on every climb, coaches on the Pordoi and the Falzarego, and hire cars stopping suddenly for photos. There is no fuel on the passes: fill up in Bolzano, the Val di Fassa, Arabba or Cortina.

Where to stay

For a two-day trip, stay the first night in the Val di Fassa (Canazei, Campitello or Vigo di Fassa) or at Arabba, then base the second night at Cortina or back at Arabba after the Giau loop. Bolzano works as a gateway the night before. See our biker hotels in the Dolomites and the wider list of places to stay in Northern Italy. The Sella Ronda starts from Canazei or Arabba, both on this route; to the south, the Passo San Boldo and the Prosecco hills make a good day out of the mountains, and to the west the Stelvio and Gavia are a long day away.