The Best Winter Olympic Destinations: Where to Stay in the Italian Dolomites

Best Winter Olympic Destinations

The Italian Dolomites will sit at the heart of the 2026 Winter Olympics, with alpine events in Cortina d’Ampezzo and cross-country and ski jumping in Val di Fiemme, while the wider Dolomiti Superski area remains fully skiable for visitors who plan carefully around race days. For most skiers and Olympic spectators, the smartest strategy is to use Cortina, Alta Badia, Val Gardena, or Val di Fassa as bases, then day‑trip to events rather than trying to stay directly on every competition venue.

How the Dolomites Fit into the 2026 Games

From 6–22 February 2026, women’s alpine races plus bobsleigh, skeleton, luge and curling will be held in Cortina, while cross‑country and ski jumping run in Val di Fiemme (Predazzo, Tesero, Baselga di Pinè). Men’s alpine events take place over the pass in Bormio, but for most Dolomites‑focused visitors, Cortina and Val di Fiemme are the key hubs. Cortina’s Olympia delle Tofane piste, one of the classic World Cup venues, will be the focal slope for women’s speed events, yet outside the Olympic lanes, the wider ski area and linked Dolomiti Superski network remain open.

Cortina’s lift company confirms that all lifts and runs are planned to stay fully accessible until 12 January 2026; only from mid‑January will the Olympia delle Tofane and Labirinti runs gradually close for course preparation, with the rest of the area operating normally. This means early and mid‑season trips (December–early January) feel almost “business as usual”, while visitors arriving during the Games should expect specific race zones to be fenced off but large portions of terrain still skiable. Guides working in the region suggest that if you’re flexible and willing to ski neighbouring valleys, the Olympics become a reason to explore more of the Dolomites rather than a barrier to getting good snow.

Where to Stay: Key Dolomite Bases

Cortina d’Ampezzo: The Olympic Showpiece

Cortina, long marketed as the “Queen of the Dolomites”, will be the visual and media heart of the 2026 alpine competitions. The Olympia delle Tofane course—famous for its “Schuss” section hemmed in by vertical rock walls and gradients up to 65%—is already one of the most challenging women’s World Cup tracks, and the Games will only heighten its profile. Away from the TV cameras, Cortina’s town centre offers an old‑money Italian vibe: an elegant Corso Italia lined with boutiques, historic grand hotels like the Grand Hotel Savoia and Faloria Mountain Spa, and a mix of aperitivo bars catering to both fur‑coated Milanese and ski‑boot‑clad visitors.

From a practical standpoint, Cortina is the obvious base if you want to attend multiple Olympic events without long transfers, but that convenience comes at a premium. Grand‑hotel‑style properties in town command some of the highest rates in the Dolomites; mid‑range options such as Villa Alpina, Franceschi Park Hotel or Camina Suite & Spa offer 3–4★ comfort with strong views and easier access to the Tofane lifts, but even these are priced well above similar hotels in less high‑profile valleys during February 2026. Expect dynamic pricing, minimum‑stay rules, and the need to book a year ahead for prime dates, particularly over opening and closing ceremony weekends.

Alta Badia: Gourmet Hub on Skis

Alta Badia (Corvara, San Cassiano, La Villa, Colfosco, Badia, La Val) remains the Dolomites’ best base for skiers who care as much about food and wine as vertical metres. Linked into the Dolomiti Superski carousel and the famous Sellaronda circuit, it offers mostly intermediate‑friendly terrain, immaculate piste grooming, and a concentration of mountain huts serving cuisine that regularly appears in Michelin and Gault&Millau guides. Corvara and San Cassiano, in particular, have become shorthand for ski‑gourmet travel, with hotels like La Perla, Hotel Fanes and Aman Rosa Alpina combining deep‑austrian‑meets‑Italian warmth with serious cellars and destination restaurants.​

Accommodation here runs the full spectrum: pensioni and simple garnì in La Villa and Badia, polished 3★S and 4★ wellness hotels in Corvara and San Cassiano, and ultra‑luxury chalets with private spas. Winter rate sheets for mid‑range properties on the Alpe di Siusi plateau—a comparable price band within the Superski system—show half‑board prices around €145–160 per person per night in January and February 2026, rising further over peak Olympic dates. For many European and US visitors, Alta Badia represents the sweet spot: you’re 45–60 minutes’ drive from Cortina for a race day, but your “home” slopes and village atmosphere remain relatively insulated from the Olympic frenzy.

Val Gardena: Classic Views, All‑Round Skiing

Val Gardena (Ortisei, Santa Cristina, Selva) is often described as the most photogenic valley in the Dolomites, framed by the dramatic Sassolungo and Sella massifs and tied into Dolomiti Superski with direct access to the Sellaronda and the famous Saslong World Cup downhill course. Selva di Val Gardena tends to attract stronger skiers and boarders thanks to its immediate access to steeper terrain and efficient lifts, while Ortisei mixes spa‑oriented hotels with easy access to family‑friendly slopes on Seceda and Alpe di Siusi.

Hotel stock here is extensive: everything from affordable family‑run properties like Garni‑Hotel Bel Vert or Pozzamanigoni up to full‑service spa resorts such as Alpenroyal and Granbaita Dolomites. Reviews indicate that even “cheap” 3★ hotels in the valley often include wellness areas and solid half‑board dining, with budget‑tier doubles starting around €90–120 outside peak holiday weeks and climbing sharply in February. For Olympic‑season visitors who prioritise actual skiing over stadium atmospheres, Val Gardena offers a compelling combination of big‑mountain scenery, huge piste mileage and slightly softer pricing than Cortina or Alta Badia, at the cost of a longer drive to live events in Cortina or Val di Fiemme.​

Val di Fassa & Val di Fiemme: Value and Nordic Heritage

Val di Fassa (including Canazei, Pozza di Fassa and Moena) is often described as the Dolomites’ value play: authentic Ladin villages, quick access to multiple Superski sectors, and a broader mix of accommodation styles at lower average nightly rates than marquee valleys. Pozza di Fassa, in particular, is highlighted by independent ski writers as an “authentic” base combining ski‑in/ski‑out options, farm‑stays and good positioning for exploring several ski areas if you have a car. Here, mid‑range hotels and apartments commonly fall into the €80–140 per night bracket in winter 2026, with fewer eye‑watering luxury outliers than in Alta Badia.

Val di Fiemme (Predazzo, Tesero, Cavalese) will host the Olympic cross‑country and ski‑jumping events, but remains far quieter than Cortina in terms of international tourism. Its alpine slopes cannot match the sheer scale of Dolomiti Superski, yet for Nordic fans who want to follow the Olympic races and then ski the same tracks during their stay, it’s the obvious base. Accommodation in Predazzo and Cavalese tends to undercut prices in Cortina and Val Gardena, often starting from €70–130 per night for solid 3★ hotels, making it attractive for European visitors driving in and prioritising cost control.

Practical Stay Planning: Budget, Passes, Timing

Accommodation and Daily Costs

Recent Dolomites budget analyses suggest that, across the region in 2026, nightly accommodation averages roughly €40–80 for budget stays (simple B&Bs, older pensioni, basic apartments), €90–160 for mid‑range hotels, and €200–400 for high‑end spa resorts during peak winter weeks. Meals typically cost €8–15 for self‑service lunches at mountain rifugi, €25–40 for sit‑down dinners in village restaurants, and €3–5 for a coffee and pastry at a bar. Factoring in a 6‑day Dolomiti Superski pass in high season at about €392 for adults (with juniors at €274 and kids at €196) and daily lift‑served skiing, an honest mid‑range winter budget lands around:​

• Budget skier (hostel/pension, self‑catering, limited après): €110–140 per day
• Mid‑range skier (3★ hotel with half‑board, daily rifugio lunches, a few drinks): €170–230 per day
• Comfort/luxury skier (4–5★ spa hotel, à‑la‑carte dining, guiding, Olympic event tickets): €300+ per day

Dolomiti Superski’s 2025–26 price table shows a 6‑day adult pass at €392 and 7‑day passes at €416 in high season, with approximately 5% discounts for buying online at least two days in advance. For those planning multiple shorter trips or mixing resorts, the “10 Superdays” card (10 non‑consecutive ski days) is priced around €660 for adults, which can make sense for long‑stay European visitors or those basing in one valley but skiing across the network.

Olympic Crowds vs Ski Quality: When to Come

Cortina’s own winter 2025–26 scheduling gives useful guidance: everything runs normally until 12 January 2026, after which only specific Olympic slopes begin to close, while the rest of the lift system stays open. That creates three distinct windows for Dolomites visitors:​

• Early season & Christmas/New Year (Dec–early Jan): full terrain, festive atmosphere, but high holiday pricing and no Olympic action yet.
• Pre‑Games prep (mid‑Jan to 5 Feb): some closures on Olympia delle Tofane and related competition runs, but comparatively lighter crowds and often better value than Christmas weeks; a good compromise if you want the “Olympic build‑up” atmosphere without full Games congestion.
• Games period (6–22 Feb 2026): peak excitement, higher prices and more pressure on Cortina beds, but the wider Dolomiti Superski domain still offers 1,200 km of pistes and 450 lifts for those who treat event days as occasional excursions rather than their sole focus.

For many European and North American skiers who mainly care about snow and terrain rather than tickets, a March 2026 trip after the closing ceremony may be ideal: Olympic slopes reopen to the public, the infrastructure is freshly upgraded, and you avoid February’s pricing and congestion while still skiing on “race‑ready” pistes.​

If you share that pragmatic approach, Cortina becomes a compelling base from March onwards, while Alta Badia and Val Gardena remain the better choices during the actual Games weeks: you get access to the Superski network for your ski days, then drive or bus into Cortina or Val di Fiemme on selected days for specific events.