Northern Italy’s Winter Olympics Are Less Than a Year Away – Here’s How to Go
Cortina d’Ampezzo's slopes are ready for their golden moment.
Fierce competition meets a dream ski-season getaway in the Dolomites.
It’s been nearly 70 years since the Winter Olympics torch blazed in Italy’s, Dolomites, but in February 2026, the Games return to Cortina d’Ampezzo and Milan. For travelers who long to pair some serious spectating with shopping on the Via Monte Napoleone or carving down Italy’s best slopes, it’s time to get planning.
Tickets to the Games – including the opening and closing ceremonies, individual events, and multisport packages – are already available through On Location, the Games’ official hospitality provider. Your travel advisor can work with the company and Virtuoso tour connections across Italy to craft experiences that include tickets, accommodations, skiing, and sightseeing.
“I don’t know if there’s ever been a Winter Olympics destination so well suited for both spectators and ski vacationers,” says Rick Reichsfeld, founder of ski tour operator Alpine Adventures. “It’s easy to get to the action and get off the beaten track.”
Dolomiti Superski is home to more than 745 miles of ski runs.
Cortina d’Ampezzo is part of Dolomiti Superski, the world’s second-largest ski area. Across the strikingly beautiful 1,150-square-mile UNESCO Natural World Heritage site and its two major valleys, Val Gardena and Alta Badia, 400 lifts and more than 700 miles of trails efficiently connect a dozen ski resorts – all covered under one lift ticket. Travelers can stay in the bustling (but still laid-back) villages of Cortina or Ortisei, or retreat to traffic-free mountain towns such as Corvara and San Cassiano, then ski into the action.
“The region’s compact nature allows fans to blend world-class sporting events with the quintessential Dolomites lifestyle,” says Will Whiston, On Location’s executive vice president of Olympic and Paralympic Games. “Travelers can go from cheering on Olympians in the morning to carving their own tracks on the slopes in the afternoon.”
Peak views from Lefay Resort & Spa Dolomiti and (right) Rosa Alpina’s tucked-away perch.
Where to Eat, Play, and Stay in the Dolomites
Cortina’s limited lodging will likely be taken by officials, organizers, and sponsors during next year’s Winter Olympics – but the good news is that there’s plenty of standout accommodations in the surrounding towns. In addition to San Cassiano’s legendary 51-room Rosa Alpina (now an Aman resort and reopening this year after major renovations), there’s the 51-room, ski-in/ski-out Hotel La Perla in Corvara In Badia (home to the Michelin-starred La Stüa de Michil); Ortisei’s 64-room Gardena Grödnerhof Hotel & Spa; and the wellness-focused, 88-suite Lefay Resort & Spa Dolomiti in Pinzolo in the quiet Parco Naturale Adamello Brenta. One of the Dolomites’ newest hideaways, the 60-room COMO Alpina, opened last winter in Val Gardena with an outpost of the brand’s renowned COMO Shambhala spa.
Even veteran Italy travelers may be surprised by the differences in this northern region, which borders Austria: “You might hear locals addressing each other in Ladin, a romance language that varies from valley to valley and harks back to a way of life as old as the surrounding mountains,” says Virtuoso travel advisor Damien Martin. Skiing is the main winter activity here, but travelers can also snowshoe, take a horse-drawn sleigh ride, ice-skate, and explore the mountains, which are full of protected World War I bunkers high on the slopes. Imago Artis Travel, a Virtuoso tour connection in Italy, suggests touring the area’s geological wonders by snowmobile or helicopter.
Baita Piè Tofana’s rich and creamy cappelletti di Parmigiano.
Après-ski, the Dolomites’ culinary scene doesn’t disappoint: Atelier Moessmer in Brunico – helmed by chef Norbert Niederkofler of Restaurant St. Hubertus fame – has three Michelin stars, plus a Michelin green star, reflecting his ethos of “Cook the Mountain.” In Cortina, Andrea Grisdale, founder and CEO of Virtuoso tour connection IC Bellagio, recommends several great spots focused on regional cuisine, including Ristorante Tivoli, SanBrite, Ristorante Ospitale, and Baita Piè Tofana.
Cortina d’Ampezzo is roughly five hours by car from Milan, but for travelers planning to stay put by the slopes, Virtuoso’s tour experts in Italy recommend flying into Venice (a two-hour drive from Cortina), where they can add on a few crowd-free, low-season days. Grisdale suggests stopping in the Veneto, Italy’s prosecco region, on the way to Cortina, as well as a pre- or post-Games stay in Bolzano or Lake Garda.
“We’re already working on Olympics itineraries,” Grisdale says. “Northern Italy is an incredible destination for both the Olympics and enjoying a winter vacation.”
