How to Reserve Parking and Hike Tre Cime in the Dolomites

There are some places in the Dolomites that you know you're going to see before you ever arrive. Tre Cime di Lavaredo is one of them. You've probably seen the photos...three enormous limestone peaks rising dramatically above a green alpine landscape, with a tiny trail winding around them. It is one of those places that looks almost too perfect to be real.

And yes, the Tre Cime hike really is that beautiful.

But there is something you need to know before you go.

Getting to the trailhead requires more planning than it used to.

If you're planning to drive your rental car to the Rifugio Auronzo parking area, you now need to make a reservation in advance. Your license plate is connected to that reservation, and the access system uses vehicle recognition to control who is allowed to drive up the mountain road.

This is important because a lot of the information you'll find online about Tre Cime is outdated. Older posts often tell you that you can simply drive up, pay the toll and park.

That's not the system you should plan around now.

The good news? A parking reservation isn't the only way to experience Tre Cime.

There are also hikes you can do from the surrounding area that don't require you to drive your car up the restricted road.

And if you have the time, you can even combine Tre Cime with Cadini di Misurina for a pretty spectacular day in the mountains.

Here's what I would know before planning your Tre Cime hike.

Where to Stay in the Dolomites: Three Incredible Home Bases for Hiking and Exploring

The Dolomites are one of those places that can make you feel like you have accidentally stepped into a postcard. Jagged limestone peaks rise dramatically above green alpine meadows, rifugios sit high on mountainsides, and every turn in the road seems to reveal another view that makes you stop and reach for your camera.

But there is one thing I learned when planning a Dolomites trip...where you stay matters!

The Dolomites aren't one compact destination. They stretch across a large area of northern Italy, and the mountain ranges, valleys and villages each have their own personality. If your goal is to hike, choosing the right home base can mean the difference between spending your day on the trail and spending your day driving to the trailhead.

Three places that stand out are Cortina d'Ampezzo, Ortisei, and San Candido. Each gives you access to a different side of the Dolomites, and each offers a slightly different experience.

If you're trying to decide where to stay in the Dolomites, here's how I would think about these three towns.

The Things I’m Willing to Spend Money on When I Travel Now

I’m still a frugal traveler. That probably won't ever change. Mostly because I see money saved as the possibility of more trips. But I like finding a deal. I love a good travel hack, especially when it also saves me time and money, and I will absolutely always compare prices, look for free options, use points and miles when it makes sense, and think twice before spending money on something that doesn't add much value to my trip. 

But I've also learned something after years of traveling...the cheapest option isn't always the best option.

There was a time when I would automatically choose the least expensive flight, the hotel that was a little farther out, or the itinerary with the longest layover if it saved me $50.

These days, I'm a little more willing to spend money to make a trip easier, more comfortable, and less exhausting.

Maybe that's part of getting older. Or maybe it's simply having enough travel experience to know exactly what I don't want to deal with anymore.

I've had the 3 a.m. wake-up calls. I've carried a backpack that felt like it was filled with bricks. I've stayed far enough outside a city that I spent a small fortune getting back and forth. I've heard the stories of what happens when a trip goes sideways and you suddenly realize just how expensive international medical care and transportation can be.

So now I have a list of things I'm willing to spend money on when I travel.

I'm still not throwing money around. I'm just spending it where it actually makes a difference.

What I Stop Buying at Home So I Can Travel More

I like nice things. 

I like a good meal, a pretty hotel, a cute outfit, a great cup of coffee, and yes, I absolutely love shopping. I'm not interested in living a life where I never spend money on anything fun just so I can say I saved every penny.

But there is one thing I like even more than buying stuff and that's traveling. 

Over the years, I've realized that one of the easiest ways to make room in my budget for travel isn't necessarily to find more money. It's to stop spending the money I already have on things that don't matter nearly as much to me.

This isn't about deprivation. It's not about never going out to eat, never buying clothes, or making yourself miserable in the name of saving money. I've always believed that frugal living works best when you can still enjoy your life. Instead, it's about deciding what deserves your money.

And for me, travel wins.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately because my relationship with money has changed over the years. When I first wrote about the things I was wasting money on, my kids were younger, our family expenses looked very different, and I was looking for every possible way to stretch a dollar. I wrote about borrowing books from the library instead of buying them, avoiding unnecessary fees, limiting expensive coffee, skipping upgrades, and buying classic clothing instead of chasing every trend. Those ideas still hold up surprisingly well.

But now that I'm in a different stage of life, I've realized that I'm not just trying to save money anymore.

I'm trying to save money for something.

And that something is often a plane ticket.

So here are the things I stop, or at least drastically limit, buying at home so I can travel more.

Small Towns I Loved More Than Big Cities

When people ask me for travel recommendations, they're usually expecting me to name the biggest cities I've visited. 

London. Rome. Seattle. Dublin.

And while I've loved spending time in each of those places, I've noticed something after years of traveling: it's rarely the big cities that stay with me the longest.

Instead, it's the smaller towns. The places where shop owners remember your face. Where you can hear church bells instead of traffic. Where dinner lasts for hours and no one seems to be in a hurry.

I've learned that some of my favorite travel memories happened in places that weren't necessarily on my original itinerary. These smaller destinations became the highlights of the trip, and in many cases, I'd happily return there before revisiting the larger city nearby.

Here are three small towns that completely won me over.