Alta Via 2: North Guided walking holiday

Where we stay
Our Classic mix of accommodation aims to give an enticing and varied taste of life in the Italian Dolomites. We mix lovely hotels in Brixen, Passo Sella, Malga Ciapela and Passo San Pellegrino with 4 nights in cosy, welcoming Italian mountain huts.

Private rooms
Dormitory accommodation is the norm at the huts on the Northern part of the Alta Via 2, with Rifugio Puez only offering accommodation in large mixed-gender dorms and the other huts offering a mix of large dorms and smaller shared rooms. We’ll always book the smallest shared rooms available on your dates.

Single Room Supplement
If any members of your group would like to stay in single occupancy rooms on the 4 hotel nights, rather than sharing a double, twin or triple room, we add our single room supplement. This covers the additional cost of booking single occupancy rooms on a per person basis. The single supplement is only applied to the hotel nights and is not applied to nights spent in huts, which do not offer single rooms.

Our approach to the Alta Via 2
Our Alta Via 2: North trip gives a complete journey on foot from Brixen to Passo San Pellegrino, walking every step of the way without the need to use public transport.

The Alta Via 2 trail is a well-defined and waymarked trail, and we follow the official route throughout our trip, except for a short detour between Passo Gardena and Rifugio Boè. Here, our routecards describe an alternative route via Passo Sella, which avoids two short sections of Via Ferrata on this stretch of the main route. The official trail here presents a far greater technical challenge than any trail we offer, and is outside of the remit of Alpine Exploratory’s walking holidays. Our alternative allows you to stick to walking terrain throughout, while still sampling all of the delights and scenic highlights of the trail!

Latest research on the Alta Via 2 by Alpine Exploratory’s Nicky.

The Terrain
The terrain on the Alta Via 2 provides an exciting mix of solid trails, over which you can stride out among the high peaks, combined with narrower zig-zagging hillside paths on steep, loose and often exposed terrain. Our Alta Via 2: North trip is first and foremost a walk, with no via ferrata or climbing sections.

In some places the paths are particularly steep and loose, for example on the final approaches to mountain passes and in descents made over scree; this is particularly notable on stage 3, on the descent from the Forcella della Roa and subsequent traverse to Rifugio Puez, and on the long scree descent from Forcella Pordoi (stage 6). These sections require steady balance and a head for heights.

There are sections of trail where a cable handrail is installed as an aid to walking on some of the narrower, more exposed paths; these are distinct from the Via Ferrata found elsewhere in the Dolomites (including on the full Alta Via 2), but these sections still present more challenging terrain than many other trails in the Alps. Please ask us for further details and photos of these sections.

Is it for me?
The Alta Via 2 is an outstanding trek with a mix of challenging mountain passes, excellent views and comfortable mountain huts. It is manageable for fit mountain walkers who are happy to walk for up to 9 hours a day over rocky and often exposed ground. Some of the stages on the route are long, but transport options exist to shorten the two longest days if needed. Some of the mountain passes are notably steep, loose and rocky, calling for good prior mountain experience and steady footing. Additionally, while the route is generally well-waymarked, there are also several stretches where the trail crosses barren, rocky plateaus, where navigation can be challenging in poor visibility.

We therefore wouldn’t recommend this trip for those new to multi-day trekking in the European Alps; a slightly less challenging route, such as the Tour du Mont Blanc or Alta Via 1, would be great preparation for the more demanding sections of our Alta Via 2: North trip. We also recommend extra care when considering the Alta Via 2: North for those with old injuries or niggles in their knees and ankles that tend to get worse on rocky and uneven terrain; there are some long and steep descents on scree in some places, where sure-footedness and good balance are key, that may aggravate these kinds of injuries.

A level of self-sufficiency on the AV2 is necessary as daily baggage transfer is not available. You’ll need to carry with you everything you need for the trip; it’s not too much and makes for a satisfying daily routine. We can arrange for bags to be transported from the start point in Brixen to your hotel in Passo San Pellegrino – please just ask.

Difficulty
Our Alta Via 2: North trip is first and foremost a walk, with no glacier crossings, via ferrata or rock climbing. There are, however, sections of steep and rocky ground which require steady foot placement and an ability to cope with walking along some narrow and exposed paths. In places, an additional challenge comes not in the terrain underfoot, but in the long distances and significant amounts of ascent or descent. We therefore grade the route as a Black 4 overall. Please let us know if you’d like more detail on the trickier bits of our route.

How to get there

Your holiday starts in the Alpine town of Brixen and ends at Passo San Pellegrino, a ski resort spread along the road pass between the small towns of Moena and Falcade. You will meet the rest of the group and your leader at your hotel in Brixen on the first evening.

Brixen is a stop on the main train line between Italy, Austria and Germany via the Brenner Pass – this is the route of the Munich-to-Venice long-distance train, and as such is well-linked to a range of airports. Munich, Innsbruck, Verona and Venice all lie along this train route, and all work well for inbound flights.

From Passo San Pellegrino, it’s possible to head West to rejoin the Brenner railway at either Trento or Bolzano, for trains back to Munich, Innsbruck or Verona airports, or to travel East to Belluno and onwards to Venice and Treviso airports. All options work well, but Venice gives the shortest journey!

Joining the rail network at Trento or Bolzano gives easy connections to most major cities in Italy, Austria or Germany, if your Alta Via 2 hike forms part of a longer holiday. In Italy, we love Venice, Rome and Turin and we will be glad to chat about onward travel plans if you’d like to visit any of these for some well-earned relaxation!

Travel to and from the trip is not included in the holiday price. We take care to give the most useful notes possible about all the travel options. We supply these both on booking and in your info pack, and we offer personalised tips at any point. The aim is that our walkers arrange their travel by the simplest and most scenic means as suits their plan.

Please ask us if you have any questions about getting to the route; we’ll be delighted to advise.