The Dolomites have more famous viewpoints than anyone can fit into one trip. These are the ten Dolomites photography locations we would go back to first, after three trips spent seeking out once-in-a-lifetime photographs: June 2021, the last days of October 2023 and the middle of October 2025. For each one there is info on where to stand, when the light worked for us, how to get there, and some lens and camera settings suggestions.
The camera settings below are as shot on Fujifilm APS-C cameras: multiply the focal length by 1.5 for the full-frame equivalent. The drone shot is marked, with its lens given as the full-frame equivalent. Read the drone rules near the end before you fly, because drones are banned in several of the parks these spots sit in.
When to go for photography in the Dolomites
OCTOBER, FOR THE LARCHES
The larch forests turn gold in October, and that is when most of these photographs were made. Between 15 and 18 October 2025 the larches around Cortina and the Alpe di Siusi were in full colour. Two weeks further into the season, at the end of October 2023, they were still gold, with the first snow on the peaks above them. That mix of gold trees and white summits only lasts a few days, and it is worth the gamble. Check larch forecasts in the month leading up to your trip for exact dates each year, but expect the second half of October to be ideal.
JUNE, FOR GREEN MEADOWS AND LATE SNOW
In June the meadows are green and the high peaks still hold snow in their gullies. The days are long, which makes sunrise hard work, but sunset shoots after dinner totally accessible: in Cortina on 20 June the sun rises at about 05:20 and sets at about 21:10.
LIFTS AND DAYLIGHT
Many lifts close for a few weeks, starting in late October or first week of November. The Seiser Alm cable car, for example, closes from early November to early December. In mid-October the sun rises in Cortina at about 07:30 and sets at about 18:30, an hour earlier once the clocks go back at the end of the month (be sure to plan for this if you're there at this time). Those are flat-horizon times: in a mountainous place like the Dolomites, the sun drops behind the peaks well before the official sunset time, while the summits keep their light until the end. We find The Photographer's Ephemeris app a useful tool for planning around this.
Val Gardena and Val di Funes
The western three are close enough to cover from a base in Ortisei.
SECEDA
Seceda, 16 October 2025, 08:57 · 20 mm, f/6.4, 1/240 s, ISO 125
Take the cable car up from Ortisei and walk a few minutes along the ridge from the top station. The classic view looks out along the tilted grass shelf towards the Odle peaks, with the cliff dropping away dramatically to your left. A wide lens fits the whole ridge in; a short telephoto picks out the spires.
We were up there between 08:45 and 09:00, with cloud moving across the peaks and the sun breaking through onto the grass in short bursts. Wait for those breaks: the shelf goes from dull green-brown to gold in a second. In summer 2025 a landowner put a paid turnstile on the path for a while, so check the current situation before you go. Note: drones are not allowed here, but you don't need one to get spectacular compositions.
ALPE DI SIUSI
Alpe di Siusi, 16 October 2025, 14:27 · 26 mm, f/5.6, 1/750 s, ISO 125
A huge high meadow scattered with wooden huts and single larches, with the Sassolungo and Sassopiatto behind. There is no single spot to stand: walk the farm tracks and look for a hut, a tree or a bend in the path to put in front of the peaks. We spent the afternoon here, from 14:00 until about 16:00, when the low October sun picked out the huts and the larches against the meadow.
The road up from Seis to Compatsch is closed to private cars from 9:00 to 17:00 in the main seasons. Drive up before 9:00, or take the cable car from Seis or the Mont Sëuc lift from Ortisei. From early November to early December the cable car closes and the road is open all day. The Seiser Alm access page has the current rules.
VAL DI FUNES: ST JOHANN IN RANUI
Val di Funes, 15 October 2025, 16:49 · 35 mm, f/14, 1/60 s, ISO 800
The small church of St Johann sits alone in a meadow with the Odle range rising behind it (this is the backside of Seceda, but about a 50 minute drive from Ortisei). There is a marked viewpoint a short walk from the Ranui car park, but the best place to stand is actually up the hill just behind the car park. For closer-up compositions, the meadows in front of the church belong to a farm, but access to the church is permitted through a paid turnstile (€5 or so). Stay on the paths.
The sunset golden hour works best. Depending on the season, the church and valley may be in shade already, but the peaks above it still burn with the warm alpenglow light, so a frame like this one works from about an hour before sunset.
Cortina and the eastern Dolomites
The other seven are an easy reach from Cortina d'Ampezzo, with Lago di Braies a little further north.
LAGO DI BRAIES
Lago di Braies, 17 October 2025, 11:37 · 16 mm, f/4.5, 1/1000 s, ISO 125
Stand on the beach at the north end of the lake, beside the boat jetty, and look south down the water to the Croda del Becco. In October the larches on the left-hand shore turn gold around the little chapel at the water's edge. The wooden boathouse with its rowing boats is a few steps to your right, and it is worth a frame of its own.
Morning is better than midday: the water is stiller and there are far fewer people (this is a relative thing at this super popular spot). Our June 2021 visit at 08:50 was quiet. By late morning in October 2025 the beach was already busy, as you can see.
In summer, driving to the lake during the day needs a booking for parking, roughly from July to mid-September. Check the current dates before you go. The lot is large and has been expanded over the years, but it will still fill up most of the year.
LAGO DI FEDERA
Lago di Federa, 1 November 2023, 09:04 · 28 mm, f/8, 1/350 s, ISO 400
A small lake below the walls of the Croda da Lago, ringed densely with larches, with the spire of Becco di Mezzodì to the south. On a still morning the whole scene sits upside down in the perfectly still water. Stand low on the northern shore among the grasses so the spire and its reflection line up with the lake lengthwise. At the start of November 2023 there was fresh snow on the peaks and the larches were still gold.
Get there early. The difference in the scene between the beginning of golden hour and midday is stark. Sunrise here is a lifelong memory, as the sun comes up over the far peaks and the larch trees' come alive with a golden light as the sun slowly moves across them. The hill behind the northern shore is a good spot for a wide angle shot looking down on the lake. The lakeshore is best for reflection shots. Drones are allowed, and no doubt you'll hear a few, but be mindful of your fellow photographers' compositions and everyone's right to enjoy the peaceful sunrise. The usual way up is the trail from Ponte di Rocurto on the Passo Giau road, about an hour and a quarter to two hours on foot, uphill. Rifugio Croda da Lago sits on the shore, which makes first light much easier if you stay the night, and also allows you to see a sunset and a sunrise here. It usually stays open into late October, but check the dates with the hut.
THE PASSO GIAU ROAD (DRONE)
Drone · the Passo Giau road below Pocol, 30 October 2023, 09:00 · 24 mm equivalent, f/2.8, 1/125 s, ISO 100
The road from Pocol up to Passo Giau climbs through larch and spruce in a run of tight bends, just above Cortina. From the ground it is a forest road. From above, the bends draw an S through the trees. We flew it at 09:00 at the end of October 2023, when fog and rainclouds were still lifting out of the valley and softening the edges of the frame. Point the camera most of the way down so the road fills the middle of the frame, and wait for a gap in the traffic (or an attractive-coloured car). If you find yourself in Cortina with bad weather, this might be worth trying out as an alternative to a hike.
The Federa trailhead at Ponte di Rocurto is on the same road, so it fits easily after a morning at the lake.
PASSO GIAU
Passo Giau, 17 October 2025, 15:14 · 32.5 mm, f/5, 1/680 s, ISO 125
A high road pass south-west of Cortina. Park at the top and you are already above the trees, with Ra Gusela rising straight behind the rifugio. The paths heading up from the pass make an easy leading line: in October the grass either side of them turns gold. We were here in the early afternoon, from about 14:00 to 15:20, with the sun coming across the slope from the side.
It is also the easiest sunset in the area. At the end of the day the limestone faces around the pass turn orange and then pink, the glow the locals call enrosadira. Bring a longer lens for that: the light on the far faces is the subject, and a wide view makes it small. You can hike a short while along one of the trails, or just stay near the road and rifugio with incredible views either direction from the pass.
CINQUE TORRI
Cinque Torri, 19 June 2021, 15:48 · 140 mm, f/2.8, 1/2000 s, ISO 80
Five limestone towers on a grassy shoulder above the Falzarego road, and one of the classic climbing crags in the Dolomites. Walk the path that loops around the base of the towers. Through the summer there are climbers on the faces most of the day, and a long lens picks one out against the rock: nothing else shows the size of the walls so clearly.
You can walk up from the Bai de Dones car park on the Falzarego road, about an hour and a half on path 425, or take the chairlift from there when it is running. We were here through the afternoon of 19 June 2021, as the cloud built behind the towers. If you stay for sunset, the chairlift may close but you can walk back down to your car in about 30-40 minutes. Take a headlamp if you plan to walk down.
TRE CIME DI LAVAREDO
Tre Cime di Lavaredo, 18 October 2025, 15:10 · 16 mm, f/5, 1/500 s, ISO 125
The three towers seen from the south, above the larch slopes, with a single tree in front for scale. The south faces take the sun through the afternoon, which suits a day that starts at Federa at dawn. Look for a lone larch or a boulder to give the towers something to stand behind.
The toll road from Misurina up to Rifugio Auronzo now needs booking and paying online before you arrive: your number plate is checked at the gate. It cost €40 for a car in 2026, and it usually runs from late May to October. The Dolomiti.it notice has the details.
CADINI DI MISURINA
Cadini di Misurina, 17 June 2021, 14:20 · 50 mm, f/7.1, 1/2000 s, ISO 320
The best-known view of the Cadini spires is from a grassy point at the end of a short path from Rifugio Auronzo, so it fits on the same toll ticket as the Tre Cime. One person stands out on the point and the photographer stays on the path behind. A short telephoto stacks the spires up behind the figure, and without someone there the scale is hard to read. The point is narrow and exposed, and in summer there is a queue for it as this spot gained popularity.
In June the gullies between the spires are still full of snow, as here. In October the valley below turns gold instead: we were back on the same path in the mid-afternoon of 18 October 2025, with the larches in full sun.
Flying a drone in the Dolomites
South Tyrol has banned drones in its nature parks since January 2023, including small drones under 250 g. That covers the Puez-Odle, Fanes-Sennes-Braies, Tre Cime and Sciliar-Catinaccio parks, so it rules out Lago di Braies and much of the high ground around Seceda, the Alpe di Siusi and the Tre Cime. Check the park boundaries before you take off.
Outside the parks the usual EU rules apply. In Italy that means registering in the d-flight app and putting your QR code on the drone, plus having the requisite certification for your drone's size, and liability insurance. The South Tyrol drone page has the details. The Cortina side is in the Veneto and has its own nature park, the Dolomiti d'Ampezzo, with its own rules, so check those too.
Four days in October: our 2025 route
This is the order we did it in, and it works well for the light:
- Day 1, late afternoon: Val di Funes, for the church with the Odle lit behind it.
- Day 2: Seceda in the morning, the Alpe di Siusi in the afternoon.
- Day 3: Lago di Braies in the late morning, Passo Giau in the early afternoon, then hike up to Lago di Federa for sunset and overnight at the rifugio.
- Day 4: Lago di Federa at first light, then back down to your car and drive to Tre Cime and the Cadini di Misurina in the afternoon.
The Cinque Torri and the Giau road from the air are from our other trips, and both are easy to add on a day based in Cortina.
Printing the Dolomites
Our autumn photography guide covers editing warm colour for print in detail. For images that require careful planning, early morning hikes uphill, or a little luck with the weather, you'll want to do more with your images than relegating them to a hard drive.
Wide frames like the Alpe di Siusi meadows or the Federa reflection suit a Layflat Edition, where a photograph can cross the centre of the spread without losing anything to the binding. A trip like this, in order from the first evening to the last, makes a natural book. Our guide to making a travel photo book has more on putting one together. If one frame stands apart, print it large as an Edition Framed Print. The Natural Oak frame colourway works well with warm autumn colours.
