Italian Alps & Dolomites Cycling Climbs

Climb Town Altitude (m) Length (km) Gradient (%) Difficulty Rating
Passo Campolongo Arabba 1873 5 4.5 140 ***
Passo Campolongo Corvara 1873 7 4.7 185 ****
Zoncolan Sutrio 1734 13.0 8.7 1450 ****
Zoncolan Priola 1734 8.9 12.8 2020 ***
Zoncolan Ovaro 1734 10.0 12.0 2180 *****
Tre Cime di Lavaredo Misurina 2360 18 6.9 1240 *****
Passo dello Stelvio Prato 2758 24 7.4 1421 *****
Passo dello Stelvio Bormio 2758 21.9 6.7 1244 ****
Sella Valcalda Sutrio 958 7.0 6.0 287 ***
Sella Valcalda Comeglians 958 7.0 5.9 245 ***
Passo Sella Plan de Gralba 2244 6 7.1 275 *****
Passo Sella Canazei 2244 11 6.2 384 ****
Sella di Razzo Comeglians 1790 26 4.5 580 ****
Sella Ciampigotto Pelos di Cadore 1790 17 5.6 620 ****
Sella Ciampigotto Ampezzo 1790 29 4.4 590 ****
Passo Pordoi Canazei 2239 12 5.7 441 ****
Passo Pordoi Arabba 2239 10 5.7 320 ****
Passo delle Erbe San Martino 2004 15 5.3 918 ****
Passo delle Erbe Piccolino 2004 15 5.1 855 ****
Passo delle Erbe Pardell 2004 26 5.3 1197 ***
Passo delle Erbe Luson 2004 27 4.8 1201 *****
Passo delle Erbe Longega 2004 14 5.5 1069 ****
Passo delle Erbe Eores di Sopra 2004 30 4.7 941 ****
Passo Costalunga Vigo di Fassa 1752 9 3.3 150 ***
Passo Costalunga Bolzano 1752 26 5.6 820 ****
Passo Nigra Prato Isarco 1688 26 4.9 940 ***
Passo Nigra Prato Isarco (Brie) 1688 19 6.6 1310 *****
Passo Nigra Bolzano 1688 32 4 589 ****
Muro di Sormano Sormano 1128 1.7 14.1 310 *****
Mortirolo Mazzo 1852 12 9.6 1685 *****
Mortirolo Grosio 1852 14 7.2 790 ****
Mortirolo Edolo 1852 17 6.3 720 ****
Monte Grappa Romano d'Ezzelino 1722 26 5.6 1255 *****
Madonna del Ghisallo Bellagio 758 9.4 4.5 410 ****
Passo di Giau Cortina d'Ampezzo 2238 16 5.9 690 ****
Passo di Giau Caprile 2238 16 7.4 1080 ****
Passo di Gavia Ponte di Legno 2621 16 7.5 1340 *****
Passo di Gavia Bormio 2621 25 5.2 785 ****
Passo Gardena Ponte Gardena 2121 31 5.1 620 ***
Passo Gardena Corvara 2121 9 5.7 274 ****
Passo Fedaia Caprile 2061 14 7 1178 *****
Passo Fedaia Canazei 2061 14 3.5 250 ***
Monte Crostis Ravascletto 1982 22.9 5.6 1120 *****
Monte Crostis Comeglians 1982 14.0 10.1 1842 *****





Mountains

The Italian Alps and Dolomites are some of the most iconic climbs in the world for cycling. This section does not attempt to include everything (maybe in time!), but rather to go into more detail about the best and most enjoyable climbs that we have ridden in the region.

The climbs included in this section stretch from the Carnic Alps in the east, near to the border with Slovenia, through the Dolomites, to the High Alps, situated on the border with Switzerland. Throughout this range there is great diversity, both in terms of scenery and in terms of the culture of the regions that are crossed.


Gavia Pass

The Gavia Pass is one of the highest in Europe






Scenery

The scenery in this part of Northern Italy is spectacular. The Dolomites are well known for their spectacular limestone rock formations - somewhat similar to the Picos de Europa mountains in North-Western Spain.

The Alps are equally rugged in places, with snow present on most of the higher slopes (above 3,000m) throughout the year.

In addition, the area is filled with delightful green pastures and valleys carved by mountain streams and glaciers. The downside to all this spectacular green scenery is that the region does get more than its fair share of rain, but don't let that put you off!

Roads

The road surfaces are generally of good quality; they are mostly smooth and enjoyable to ride. There are some exceptions though; some climbs have surfaces that are badly cracked or damaged and require care both when climbing and descending.

Traffic is mixed, with the more popular passes (e.g. Stelvio, Sella Ronda) becoming quite busy with cars in the summer. Many of the other climbs though are very quiet, and so it's worth doing some research and looking at the climb pages, if you are keen to avoid the traffic.



Getting There

The Dolomites and Italian Alps are easily accessible. The tour we run to the region begins in Venice and ends in Milan - home to two of the larges airports in southern Europe. It is also easy to drive to from Austria, Switzerland, France and Germany - with regular train connections also a good option.

In some ways, the area is too easy to get to! And this results in quite a lot of traffic on some of the climbs in the main summer season.



Weather

These are high mountains and the weather is predictably unpredictable! Summer is the best time to ride here, but rain is not uncommon even in July and August; and you should be prepared to wrap up warm on the descents at any time of year.

Most of the higher roads are closed from November until May, although the lower slopes and those further south can still be open during the winter.



Cycling Holidays

We run a cycling holiday in Italy that tackles many of the greatest climbs and is designed for groups or cycling clubs. Starting with Zoncolan and finishing with Mortirolo, it is a challenging tour that really explores the best of the region.

You can find out more details about this and some of our other mountainous tours in the links below.




Monte Zoncolan
Italian FlagItaly


Guided Cycling Holiday
Length: 9 Days
Level: Difficulty Challenging-Hard
Price: €1,970 EUR
Port de Pailheres Cycling
French FlagFrance

Guided Cycling Holiday
Length: 9 Days
Level: Difficulty Hard
Price: €1,980 EUR
*Bike Hire Included

French FlagFrance

Guided Cycling Holiday
Length: 8 Days
Level: Difficulty Challenging-Hard
Price: €1,630 EUR
*Bike Hire Included