Getting to Tre Cime by Car

One of the first things you'll need to understand when planning Tre Cime is that you can't simply turn up and drive up whenever you like.

The road to Rifugio Auronzo is a toll road and access is controlled. The road generally opens for the summer season once conditions allow, but the opening date can change depending on snow and mountain conditions. So don't plan your trip around a fixed date too far in advance without checking the current information.

The important bit is that you need to reserve your access and parking in advance.

For 2026, the official price for a car is €40, which includes access to the toll road and parking at Rifugio Auronzo. Your reservation is valid for 12 hours from the access time you select.

The reservation is linked to your vehicle, so make sure you enter the correct registration details when booking.

How the 12-hour booking works

This is something I think is worth understanding before you book.

We booked our access for 8:30am, giving us a 12-hour window.

We didn't actually arrive until closer to 9am – possibly around 9:30am – because we'd had breakfast at our hotel first and then had roughly an hour's drive to get there.

That wasn't a problem for us because our reservation was already in place.

But when choosing your time, remember that the 12 hours aren't 12 hours of hiking. They're your overall access/parking period, so you need to allow time for driving up, parking, your walk and getting back down.

If you're planning to stay up there for a really long day or overnight, you'll need to check the current rules carefully. The standard parking ticket is for 12 hours, and staying beyond that requires another reservation.

Our tip: If you're travelling with kids, don't book an unnecessarily early slot just because you've heard you need to beat the crowds. Think about how long your drive is, whether you need breakfast first and what sort of day you actually want.

How Busy Is Tre Cime?

This was probably the biggest surprise for us. We knew Tre Cime was popular. But we'd underestimated just how busy it could be. We arrived around 9am–9:30am and there were already loads of people around.

And it's not just cars - there are buses and coaches bringing people up to the mountain too, so you can suddenly find yourself surrounded by coach loads of visitors.

We weren't worried about getting a parking space because we'd already reserved ours, but the number of people on the trail definitely wasn't what we'd pictured.

The good news? It did get noticeably quieter later in the day.

So, interestingly, if we went back, I don't think I'd automatically tell everyone to get there as early as possible. I'd actually consider going later in the day, particularly if your children aren't naturally early risers.

You'd obviously need to balance that against your driving time, the weather (which can often be worse in the afternoons) and how long you want to spend hiking, but I think there is something to be said for avoiding the busiest part of the day.

Our Tre Cime Route with Kids

We kept our route fairly simple, which worked really well for us with a four-year-old and a two-year-old.

We started from the Rifugio Auronzo car park and followed the main trail towards Rifugio Lavaredo. From there, we continued up towards the viewpoint, taking our time and letting the boys set the pace.

We weren't trying to complete the full Tre Cime loop. With the boys still being quite young, we knew that a full mountain circuit would probably be more than we wanted to take on as a family.

Instead, we treated it as a day out in the mountains rather than a hike we needed to finish.

Our eldest loved clambering over the rocks, which actually helped keep him interested in the walking. He did have a few turns on our shoulders, but for the most part he walked really well.

Our two-year-old was even more impressive. He went in the carrier and on shoulders when he'd had enough, but he also wanted to walk a lot of the route himself and managed far more than we'd expected.

Once we reached the viewpoint, we stopped for a good while. Rather than immediately turning around, we let the boys explore and play. They made little piles of rocks, wandered around and generally did what young children do when given a huge mountain playground.

It meant we could actually sit down, take in the views and enjoy being there without constantly worrying about how much further we needed to walk.

A quieter route on the way back

On the way back, we took a little detour near the chapel rather than simply following the main path straight back to the car park.

There's a path that branches off here and takes you away from the busiest part of the route. It was noticeably quieter when we walked it and gave us some lovely views across the valley, as well as a completely different perspective of the Tre Cime.

For us, this ended up being one of the nicest parts of the walk. We'd already seen the mountains from the main trail, so getting that different viewpoint – without the crowds around us – was a really nice change of pace.

It's an out-and-back section rather than something you need to commit to as part of a much longer hike, so you can simply turn around when you've had enough.

We then continued back towards the Rifugio Auronzo car park, stopping at the rifugio near the car park for something to eat before heading back down.

In total, our route was around 6km, but we spread it over several hours because of all the stops, exploring and time we spent letting the boys play.

For us, this was absolutely the right approach. We didn't need to complete the famous full circuit to feel like we'd experienced Tre Cime.

Could You Do the Full Tre Cime Loop with Kids?

Potentially, yes. But it really depends on your children.

The full circuit is around 10km and involves more elevation change than the section we chose to do. It's a completely different proposition if you've got children who happily hike for several hours compared with a two-year-old who wants to walk for ten minutes and then be carried.

For younger children, I'd consider:

Toddlers: Carrier + walking combination is probably the easiest option.

3–5 year olds: It depends massively on how much they enjoy walking. Expect to carry them at some point.

Older children: If they're used to hiking, you could potentially make a longer day of it and explore more of the circuit.

The other thing to remember is that you're already at significant altitude. You're starting at around 2,300m, so don't underestimate the effect that can have on little legs – or adults, for that matter.

If You Have More Time: Stay at a Rifugio

This is something we would seriously consider if we returned. We had another day pass available to go back up to Tre Cime, but ultimately decided that we'd already pushed the boys enough with hiking and didn't want to spend another full day doing it.

Looking back, though, I think staying overnight in a rifugio would be an amazing way to experience the area. It would mean you aren't trying to squeeze everything into one day. You could arrive, settle in, explore some of the shorter trails, watch the mountains change as the light moves and then have the area to yourself once many of the day visitors have gone.

There are rifugi around the Tre Cime area, including Rifugio Locatelli, and staying overnight is something we'd love to try when the boys are a little older.

It also makes much more sense if you want to explore some of the additional trails rather than simply doing the main route and heading back to the car.

If you have the time and can get a booking, I think this could be a really special family experience.

Things We'd Do Differently Next Time

We absolutely loved our day at Tre Cime, but there are a few things we'd change.

1. We'd consider going later

2. We'd explore more of the quieter trails

3. We'd consider staying in a rifugio