Monte Lagazuoi - World War I tunnels in the Dolomites

In July 2018, we were staying at Camping Cortina in the Dolomites. The day before, we had arrived here via the Grossglockner High Alpine Road in Austria. This time, a completely different kind of adventure was waiting for us. Not a scenic drive through mountain passes, but a mountain where soldiers had carved tunnels into rock more than a hundred years ago. It was day four of our Alps and Dolomites 2018 road trip.

The World War I tunnels of Monte Lagazuoi are above Passo Falzarego, where a cable car takes you to the top in about 3 minutes. The longest is the Italian mine tunnel (about 1,100 m). Walking down through it from the top cable car station takes about an hour. We did not take the tunnel and walked down to the pass on the trail. The the whole open-air museum is free to visit.

The Drive to Passo Falzarego

In the morning, we packed up and headed towards Passo Falzarego. The road from Cortina d'Ampezzo to the pass winds through sharp turns, and with every bend the views become more and more impressive. The Dolomite peaks rise from green meadows like giant stone towers. Our four kids were taking turns looking out the window and fighting over the best seat.

At Passo Falzarego, at an altitude of over 2,100 metres, you will find the lower station of the cable car to Monte Lagazuoi. The parking area was well marked and the whole place was set up for visitors. We bought tickets for the funivia - a cable car that takes you up to about 2,750 metres in just a few minutes.

At the top

The ride up is an experience on its own. The cabin rises above steep rock walls, and the view gets wider with every second. At the top, there is a mountain hut called Rifugio Lagazuoi and a panorama that is hard to look away from - you can see Marmolada, Tofane, Cinque Torri, and dozens of other Dolomite peaks.

We had brought inflatable sofas with us, and in the strong wind at the top they filled up in seconds. A moment of rest on a sofa with that kind of view is something hard to repeat anywhere else.

But the views were not the main reason we came here. Or at least - not the only reason.

Tunnels and trenches

Monte Lagazuoi is one of the most remarkable World War I sites in the Alps. Between 1915 and 1918, the Alpine front ran through this area - a battle line between Italy and Austria-Hungary. Both sides built large tunnel systems, trenches, and gun positions deep into the rock. Soldiers lived and fought at nearly three thousand metres, in extreme cold. Avalanches were just as dangerous as enemy fire.

Today, these positions are preserved as an open-air museum. From the summit, we started hiking down the ski run, which follows the main gully towards the pass. On the way, we stepped off it for a moment to visit a small cave that soldiers had cut into the rock.

The kids reacted in ways we did not expect. Krzys wanted to know how the soldiers ate and slept in such conditions. Agata looked nervously into the dark corner of the cave. The younger ones - Justyna and Iwona - treated the cave more like a big adventure, not fully understanding the historical context yet. And that was probably fine - it was enough that they could feel the atmosphere of the place.

Walking through the war positions is powerful, no matter your age. You can see the loopholes, remains of fortifications, and spots where soldiers spent weeks at a time. It is hard to imagine daily life at this altitude, inside rock, with the enemy just on the other side of the ridge.

Fun fact: on Lagazuoi, the war was fought not only on the surface but also inside the mountain. Both sides dug mine tunnels under the enemy positions. The Austro-Hungarians set off four mines here, and on 20 June 1917 the Italians blew up 33 tonnes of explosives under the fore-summit of Piccolo Lagazuoi. The Italian mine tunnel is about 1,100 metres long, and today you can walk through it on the way down to Passo Falzarego.

The way down

The trail down follows the main gully and is steep, but it is perfectly manageable for a family with kids - as long as the children like hiking and have proper shoes. Our four managed without any big problems, although by the end their legs were getting a bit tired.

Good to know: for the Italian mine tunnel, a helmet, a headlamp, gloves and good shoes are recommended. It is dark inside and you usually walk it downhill, so everyone, kids included, should have a headlamp.

The hike down took us about two and a half hours, with plenty of stops for a rest and photos. At the bottom, back at Passo Falzarego, our car and a well-earned snack were waiting for us.

Summary

Monte Lagazuoi is a place that combines history, nature, and mountain adventure all in one. For us, it was one of the most interesting spots during our stay in the Dolomites. In the evening, we returned to the campsite in Cortina, tired but impressed by what we had seen. The next day, more Dolomite trails were ahead - read about them in Sass Pordoi, Lago di Carezza and Pizza in the Dolomites.

Practical info

We checked the cable car seasons and the rules in November 2026.

When to go

In summer 2026 the Lagazuoi cable car ran from 6 June to 18 October, and the winter season 2026/2027 runs from 23 December to 4 April.

Getting there and parking

The cable car valley station is at Passo Falzarego. The car park there was free for the whole 2026 summer season.

Tickets

The Lagazuoi open-air museum is free, you only pay for the cable car (current prices on lagazuoi.it).

With kids

On the way down the ski run, we looked into a small cave cut into the rock.

The longest Italian mine tunnel (about 1,100 m) is a separate, more demanding route:

• the walk down takes about an hour, and it is dark, steep and slippery inside, so it suits kids who are used to mountain hiking,
• inside you need a torch, a helmet and a lanyard with a carabiner (you can rent the gear at the cable car valley station).

If you skip the tunnel, trails 401 and 402 take you down to the pass in about 2.5 hours.