Rifugio Lagazuoi — Attraction in Cortina d'Ampezzo

We had an excellent experience staying in this rifugio. We stayed here in mid June and approached the hut by taking the frontline trail from the parking lot. There was a sign saying that the hike was closed due to snow, and there was indeed quite a bit of snow making the hike fairly challenging, but there were many others doing it and it took us just over 2 hours in total. Hiking poles definitely helped a lot.

We were able to check in starting at 2pm. You are not allowed to wear hiking boots inside the hut on the top floor if you are staying there, but there were slippers provided inside a boot drying room. We stayed in a private 3 person room on the top floor, and so our room came with 3 shower tokens. There were four shared bathrooms with showers on the top floor for guests staying in private rooms, these showers got a little busy right before dinner as guests were showering after using the sauna. The rooms and bathrooms both seemed very newly renovated and were top quality. The shower tokens allowed 25L of water, which felt very short to all of us, but that is understandable for a mountain rifugio.

The bathrooms did not have potable water, but drinking water could be purchased. I wished that I had brought my water filter so that I could fill my water from some of the streams during the hike, or even from the bathroom (which is what some guests did).

We chose the half-board option, and dinner was served at 7pm for everyone. The food was a little above average in taste, none of us thought it was overly amazing. We had to pay more for drinks, but they were not too expensive (we paid 20 euros for three cups of tea, a beer, an aperol spritz, and a cup of mulled wine). The dinner was definitely enough food, they served an entree, main dish and desert.

Breakfast was between 6:30 and 8 the following morning, and it was a buffet style, but they came to our table to bring us bacon and scrambled eggs. We all thought the breakfast was quite good. Coffee, water and juice were included for breakfast.

We had to check out of our room by 9 am, and that was also the time that the first gondola went down to the parking lot. We decided to hike down through the Lagazuoi caves, which was a really cool hike. Apparently this is officially a via Ferrata trail, but we didn't bring via ferrata equipment and didn't feel unsafe. We did rent helmets which we were very grateful for since the ceiling is quite low at points, but we saw other people who did not have helmets and they just had to be more careful. A headlamp is definitely a requirement for the caves. The hike down also took about 2 hours, 1 hour of that was in the caves. There were 2 difficult spots with snow on the hike down, but the part inside the caves felt very...

This is an impressive ski lodge that doubles as a Rifugio. It is the highest Rifugio on the Alta Via 1 hike, probably the most famous, and also the most expensive. It has a very large capacity that gives it a bit of a corporate / mass-produced feel. Most of the staff are friendly, but they're clearly understaffed and overworked.

The private rooms are very difficult to book, so we slept in the dorms. They pack 12 people into a room, which is a bit too much, most Rifugios stop at 6 for good reason! The rooms are narrow and long, meaning that getting in and out can be tricky and the air tends to get warm and stagnant after a few hours. 1 snorer can also ruin a lot of people's rest with such large rooms. The built in storage and charging facilities were decent and the internet was okay until the dorms filled up and it crawled to a halt.

The top 2 feet of the wall between the dorm room and the hallway was filled with glass and meant that lights in the hallway would also light up the dorm rooms. This happened frequently during the night and means that you definitely need an eye mask. The single, narrow hallway between the bathrooms and stairs means that there is nearly constant traffic by all the rooms that leads to an unpleasant level of ambient noise at almost all times during waking hours.

The water is not potable and they also sell the most expensive bottled water we encountered on our hike, €4 per liter. There are no refill stations anywhere nearby, so you will need to bring your own purifying equipment or be prepared to pay the water tax.

The bathrooms are probably the best on the Alta Via 1 hike, spacious and plenty of capacity for sinks, toilets, and showers. The only downside is that a couple can't share the €5 shower tokens because the showers are divided by gender. The drying room is also nice, if a bit too narrow.

The food was one of our high points with both good dinner and breakfast spreads; definitely the best breakfast we had during the trip.

PSA: The hike up to Lagazuoi can be pretty intense (read probably illegal in the USA). The hike up to the pass below Lagazuoi is pretty standard, but at that point you are at the bottom of a steep ski slope with the Rifugio at the top. In our case, there was deep, icy, slippery snow on the ground that meant we needed to literally hike up a steep ski slope. This was both physically demanding and dangerous if you slipped and fell in the wrong place. Make sure you come physically prepared and wearing good hiking gear and poles if these conditions...

My wife and I spent a night at Rifugio Lagazuoi during our Alta Via 1 hike. We arrived around 4 pm and checked in, which was quick and the staff was friendly.

Rooms and Boarding: Unfortunately, I’m a light sleeper and easily disturbed by small noises. We couldn’t book a private room, and upgrading upon arrival wasn’t possible. As a result, I only managed to sleep for about 4.5 hours with my AirPods Pro on noise cancellation mode. I was awakened by someone in our 12-person room who had a nightmare and screamed. This is a personal issue, so if you’re a light sleeper, I recommend avoiding the 12-person room sleeping situation. Otherwise, the room was fine, and the bed was comfortable.

Food: I didn’t take any pictures of the dinner, but it was good. The main course was pasta with mushrooms, and there was also a gluten-free option available. Just ask.

Breakfast was amazing, with a wide variety of tasty options.

Location: The location is incredible, offering stunning views of the mountains and clouds. Simply sitting and enjoying the sunset was breathtaking.

Cost of Things: The sauna costs about 30 euros per person, which is a bit steep, but it’s not the most outrageous price I’ve encountered.

The hotel is located at the top of the mountain and only accessible by gondola, so there’s no car access. I understand the pricing, but I still don’t understand why a liter of bottled water costs 5 euros. You’re basically forced to buy it, and the water here isn’t drinkable, at least according to the bathroom sign.

There’s free WiFi, but it’s very slow.

The shower costs 5 euros, and the opposite will give you 3 minutes of hot water. I timed it at 2 minutes and 15 seconds. Thanks for the heads up.

Overall, it’s a very nice place, but the prices for drinking water are somewhat unjustifiable. If you can get a private room, this place might be one of the best on the Alta Via 1 route. If not, be prepared to listen to 12 people snoring.

In my opinion, the real score for this place is 3.5, but Google doesn’t allow half points.

P.S. There’s no fresh air during the night when the door is closed. The smell in the room in the morning is very musky and unpleasant.

Wife did get gluten, therefore...