Here, in the heart of the Dolomites, there’s no need to go searching for mountain passes.
Because all around you stretches the full glory of the UNESCO Dolomites World Heritage Site.
We’ll admit it: some of our favorite passes are real beasts. True leg-burners. But every single grueling climb rewards you with jaw-dropping views – guaranteed.
100% Dolomites. 360° Alps.
From Olang, you’ll reach the most legendary Dolomite passes, the most authentic valleys, and the most stunning national parks in every direction – with only short approaches.
Variety is guaranteed. Effort too.
Set your goals high – but know your limits.
Since the tour options starting from Olang are so incredibly diverse, we’ve put together our very own Top 5 Mountain Pass Hit List for you.
Use our Passes Hit Parade to get an overview of the Pustertal region and start planning your personal first ascents and unforgettable day tours.
Here you'll find the most rewarding passes to rack up those elevation gains – for both beginners and pros.
Discover the 5 most stunning mountain passes!
Welcome to the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site – welcome to the most legendary mountain passes of the Pale Mountains!
With such a wide variety of scenic roads and high-altitude adventures in the Pustertal – from breathtaking to awe-inspiring, from moderate to merciless – we’ve put together our very own Top 5 Mountain Pass Hit List for you.
It’s your perfect starting point and a handy overview of the many possibilities waiting for you here.
Of course, this list makes no claim to completeness – in fact, our pass road potpourri could easily fill a Top 10!
But we didn’t make it easy for ourselves...
So, we proudly present: our Top 5 Mountain Passes
Stallersattel
Furkel Pass / Kronplatz Loop
Passo Falzarego
Sella Pass (Sellajoch)
Start the cross-border parade circuit directly from Olang through the wild and romantic Antholz Valley. The border between Italy and Austria lies directly at the top of the Stallersattel pass - and at the southwesternmost tip of the Hohe Tauern National Park. The pass road is single-lane (two-way traffic light regulation) and wonderfully winding past Lake Antholz up to 2,052 m - with wonderful views of the 3,000-metre peaks of the Rieserferner Group, which separate the Puster Valley from the Ziller Valley. It connects the South Tyrolean Antholz Valley with the East Tyrolean Defereggen Valley, passing through a deep valley incision guarded by the imposing mountain ranges of the Defreggen Mountains, the Schober, Larsörling and Rieserferner Groups. Via the west ramp from the Puster Valley, a total of 23 km and 1,065 metres in altitude have to be mastered, and via the east ramp, it's about 34 km and 1,235 metres in altitude down to Huben in Austria.
The tour to the Furkel Pass starts directly from Olang - and offers a direct entry into the legendary Kronplatz tour. In just 11.9 km you reach the Furkel Pass at 1,789 m from Olang. The Furkel saddle is thus the shortest and least congested connection between the eastern Puster Valley and the Badia valley.
After a rapid descent we reach St. Vigil. In the midst of the Ladin cultural region, an espresso stop is definitely in order. Afterwards, the Kronplatz tour leads on low-traffic roads to the idyllic place of pilgrimage Maria Saalen and finally via Bruneck and the Puster Valley cycle path back to Olang.
A mountain treat in the surroundings of the legendary Sella Ronda. During the First World War, the mountain ranges around the Falzarego Pass were the scene of fierce mountain warfare between Austria and Italy. A monument on the top of the mountain pass, which is littered with rocks, still bears witness to these battles. At 2,105 m, the wind can be really strong - but the fantastic view of the surrounding mountain world of the Dolomites makes up for all that: in the west, the glaciated Marmolata - and thus the highest mountain in the Dolomites - can be seen, and in the south, Monte Averau (2,649 m) rises in the Nuvolau Group as well as the five jagged peaks of the Cinque Torri.
Together with the Pordoi ridge, the Falzarego forms the main west-east route through the Dolomites. As the easternmost high point of the Great Dolomite Road, it also connects Arabba with Canazei.
The Sella Pass at 2,244 m is an absolute highlight of the region and one of the most beautiful tours in the Dolomites. As part of the quartet of passes of the Sella Ronda circuit, which also includes the Gardena Pass, the Pordoi Pass and the Campolongo, the pass is the highest of the Dolomite circuit with its 2,244 m, enclosed by imposing 3,000-metre peaks: the karstic peaks of the Sella group in the east and the Sassolungo in the west. It is considered the link between the Gardena Valley and the Fassa Valley. The Sella Ronda circuit (medium difficulty / 58 km and almost 1,800 m in altitude) is known to every cyclist around the globe and is one of the most popular tours in the Alps. In short: an absolute must – the most beautiful time are the early morning hours.
1,809 m, 14 km, almost 600 metres of altitude, 17 bends, up to 14% gradient - and a star of the art scene: the Passo Tre Croci. The Austrian painter Oskar Kokoschka immortalised it in 1913 in his oil painting "Tre Croci - Dolomite Landscape". The pass road leads above the tree line into an almost surreal mountain world and connects Toblach in the Puster Valley with Cortina d'Ampezzo. Among all the peaks, its most prominent peak is the 3,221 m high Cristallo. The often lonely and exposed "The Chamois Track", the well-known long-distance hiking trail Alpine Path of the Dolomites no. 3, also leads directly over the pass summit, where relics from the First World War can still be found.