Plan de Corones

Updated October 2026 · Sources: Kronplatz, Dolomiti Superski, Messner Mountain Museum, LUMEN, South Tyrol tourism board, Brunico Kronplatz tourism office

Find a place to stay at Plan de Corones

Plan de Corones, better known abroad by its German name Kronplatz, is the dome-shaped mountain above the Puster Valley (Val Pusteria) in South Tyrol, northern Italy. The summit stands at 2,275 metres and is almost flat: a wide plateau with the top stations of the lifts, two museums and a peace bell. Four villages sit at its foot: Riscone/Reischach (part of Brunico) to the north, Perca to the north-east, Valdaora/Olang to the east and San Vigilio di Marebbe to the south.

Distances from Brunico, the nearest town: about 5 km to the Riscone gondola, about 36 km to Bressanone and the Brenner motorway, about 75 km to Bolzano, about 105 km to Innsbruck, about 245 km to Munich. The most convenient airports are Bolzano (about 82 km), Innsbruck (about 110 km) and Venice (about 200 km).

Why go? In winter it is one of the largest areas in the Dolomiti Superski: 125 km of slopes on a single mountain, five well-known black runs and modern lifts on every side. In summer the lifts run from mid-May to early November, and at the top you have the Messner Mountain Museum Corones, the LUMEN museum and panoramic trails. And you can get there easily by train and bus.

Almost everything is on the summit plateau, a few steps from the gondola top stations.

The summit and the plateau

The top is not a peak but a broad, rounded plateau at 2,275 metres. That makes it a mountain for everyone: you ride up by gondola and walk on the flat between huts, terraces and viewpoints. To the south you see the Dolomites; to the north, the mountains of the Puster Valley and the glaciated peaks towards the Austrian border.

You can’t drive to the museums or the summit: you go up by lift or on foot, with more than 1,300 metres of climbing from Riscone.

Messner Mountain Museum Corones

The sixth and last of Reinhold Messner’s museums is dedicated to traditional mountaineering. The building, designed by Zaha Hadid, is set largely inside the mountain, with openings facing the Dolomites.

Official hours and prices: open daily 10:00–16:00 (last entry 15:30) during the lift seasons, i.e. until 8 November 2026 and then from 28 November 2026 to 11 April 2027. Adults €14, ages 6–18 €6, family €32. The combined ticket with LUMEN costs €22. Details at messner-mountain-museum.it.

LUMEN, the museum of mountain photography

LUMEN occupies the old top station of the 1963 cable car, fully converted. It is devoted to mountain photography, with exhibitions and rooms built around images of the mountains – a good pairing with the Messner museum.

Open 10:00–16:00, last entry 15:30, in the same periods as the lifts. Current prices at lumenmuseum.it; if you’re visiting both museums, take the combined ticket.

The Concordia 2000 peace bell

On the summit hangs one of the largest peace bells in the Alps, the work of Val Gardena artist Paul de Doss-Moroder. It was inaugurated in 2003 for the ski area’s 25th anniversary and is dedicated to Saint Bernard, patron saint of skiers and mountaineers.

By tradition it rings every day at noon, and also when a country abolishes the death penalty or a war ends. The short, almost flat Concordia 360° and Via Artis panoramic trails start nearby – easy with children.

The view over Brunico and the Puster Valley

From the northern edge of the plateau you look straight down on Brunico, the Rienza valley and the mouth of the Aurina valley. On the south side the view runs down the Marebbe valley to Piz da Peres and the mountains of the Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park.

Lake Valdaora

At the foot of the eastern side, along the Puster Valley road, lies Lake Valdaora, a reservoir. From the shore you see the whole of Plan de Corones, dome and slopes included. An easy stop by car, with a walk along the water.

The ski area in numbers

Plan de Corones has 125 km of slopes. The 2026/27 season runs from 28 November 2026 to 11 April 2027. Runs come down every side of the dome, so there’s always a slope in the sun or out of the wind. The longest is the Ried, a red run of about 7 km down to the gondola of the same name, above Perca.

The area is part of the Dolomiti Superski: the same pass covers Alta Badia, the Three Peaks (3 Zinnen) area and the whole network, more than 1,200 km. According to the lift company, counting the Alta Badia link and the train to the Three Peaks, you have over 200 km from Kronplatz without using a car.

Where to go up: the five access points

• Riscone (Brunico): Kronplatz 1 and 2 gondolas to the summit. The busiest access, with parking at the valley station and bus 420.1 from Brunico.
• Perca: Ried gondola, a few minutes’ walk from the railway station. The best access if you come by train.
• Valdaora: Olang 1 and 2 gondolas and the new Dolomiti chairlift.
• San Vigilio di Marebbe: Piz de Plaies and Miara gondolas, on the south side, with the most technical runs.
• Passo Furcia: Ruis gondola, renewed for winter 2026/27, from the pass between Valdaora and San Vigilio.

The Black Five

Kronplatz is famous for five black runs, the “Black Five”. Lengths as given by the lift company:

• Sylvester (no. 1): about 5 km, down towards Riscone.
• Herrnegg (no. 4): about 5.1 km, also towards Riscone, long and demanding all the way down.
• Pre da Peres: about 1.1 km, wide and steep, used for training and races.
• Erta (no. 40): about 1.6 km on the San Vigilio side, the women’s World Cup giant slalom run.
• Piculin (no. 45): about 2 km, also towards San Vigilio, considered the steepest in the area.

Not an expert? Most runs are blue or red, and there is always an easy way down from the summit.

What’s new for 2026/27

Dolomiti Superski has announced three new lifts for this winter: the 10-seater Kronplatz 1+2 gondola from Riscone, with a mid-station, replacing the two current gondolas; the 8-seater Dolomiti chairlift at Valdaora; and the 8-seater Ruis gondola from Passo Furcia. There are also two new runs, Lumen (red, about 2.7 km) and Dolomiti (blue). Before you travel, check on kronplatz.com which lifts are running from day one.

Ski pass 2026/27

Official Dolomiti Superski prices for 2026/27: adult day pass in high season €89, adult 6-day pass in high season €453. The Dolomiti Superski Family pass can be bought online for the first time. There is also a pass valid only on Plan de Corones: this season’s prices are on dolomitisuperski.com.

Ski schools, families and cross-country

Every base village has ski schools and rental shops near the lifts. For children and beginners there are wide blue runs on every side; ask your local ski school where the nursery slopes are. For cross-country skiing, the easy loop at Riscone, at the foot of the mountain, is floodlit on some evenings.

Ski Pustertal Express: by train to the slopes

The Ski Pustertal Express skiers’ train stops at the Ried gondola valley station in Perca and reaches Versciaco, in the Three Peaks Dolomites area of the Alta Pusteria, in about 30 minutes. The ride is included in the Dolomiti Superski pass: one area in the morning, the other in the afternoon.

In 2026 the summer lifts run from 16 May to 8 November. Dates for 2027 have not been published yet – check kronplatz.com. At the top you can choose between museums, panoramic walks, proper hikes and mountain biking.

Going up by lift

In summer you can ride up from Riscone, Perca, Valdaora, San Vigilio and Passo Furcia, but not all lifts run on the same days: check the timetable first. Taking a bike costs €5 if it’s not already included.

Hiking from Passo Furcia

Passo Furcia (1,789 m) sits on the ridge between Plan de Corones and Piz da Peres and links Valdaora with San Vigilio. It’s the easiest starting point for hiking up. The loop described by dolomiti.it follows trails 13 and 3 to the summit, then the Concordia panoramic trail and trail 4 back down: 10 km, 570 m of ascent, about 4.5 hours, graded E (hiking path). You can also hike up and ride down on the Ruis gondola.

Mind the parking: there are few spaces at the pass, summer queues, and roadside parking is fined. Arrive early (before 9:00) or take bus 463 from San Vigilio, which runs hourly in summer.

Hiking from Riscone

For fit walkers: from Riscone, trail no. 6 climbs to the summit in about 4 hours, 6.1 km and more than 1,300 metres of ascent. It’s graded difficult because of the length of the climb, not for technical sections. Start at the gondola car park; you arrive below LUMEN. Ride the gondola down.

Mountain biking: Kronplatz Bike Park

The bike park has trails for every level. The best known, with official figures:

• Herrnsteig: about 7.5 km and more than 1,200 m of descent, the longest.
• Furcia Trail: about 5 km between the summit and Passo Furcia, a flow trail full of bends, about 500 m of descent.
• Gassl Trail: about 6.5 km, about 900 m of descent.

Trail status changes through the season: the current map is on kronplatz.com. Bikes are not allowed on public buses, so plan to go up by lift.

Paragliding, zip line and evenings at the top

You can paraglide from the summit, including tandem flights with a pilot, and there’s a zip line. On some summer evenings the lifts and museums stay open late; dates are announced each year.

• December – March: ski season. January, outside the holidays, is the quietest month on the slopes.
• Late March – April: spring snow and long days; the 2026/27 season ends on 11 April.
• Mid-May – June: lifts open, few visitors, meadows in flower. Snow can linger at the top into June.
• July – August: peak summer, ideal for hiking and the bike park. Start early to avoid the crowds at Passo Furcia.
• September – early November: clear light, autumn colours, fewer people. The lifts close in early November and reopen at the end of the month for skiing.

• Lake Braies (Pragser Wildsee): about 28 km from Brunico, South Tyrol’s most famous lake.
• Lake Anterselva: about 28 km, below the Rieserferner peaks, with the biathlon stadium.
• Upper Puster Valley: Dobbiaco, San Candido and the Three Peaks, also reachable by train.
• Alta Badia: Corvara, La Villa and San Cassiano, linked to Plan de Corones on the same ski pass.
• Bressanone (Brixen): bishop’s town about 36 km from Brunico, with its cathedral and Neustift (Novacella) Abbey nearby.
• Campo Tures and the Aurina valley: castle and Riva waterfalls, about 15 km from Brunico.

There’s no village called Plan de Corones: you stay in one of the villages at its foot, depending on how you travel.

• Brunico and Riscone: a real town with shops, restaurants and a station, with the gondola 5 km away. Riscone for skiers who want to be close to the lift; central Brunico if you’re travelling without a car.
• San Vigilio di Marebbe: a quiet Ladin village on the south side, with lifts from the village and the Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park in summer. Good for families and hikers.
• Valdaora: east side, about 12 km from Brunico, with gondolas to the top and a village feel. Handy by car, also for trips to Braies and Anterselva.
• Perca: small, with the Ried gondola and a railway station. The logical choice if you come by train and want the Ski Pustertal Express on your doorstep.
• Rasun and Falzes: smaller, quieter villages without their own lifts but a few kilometres from the gondolas. Good if you have a car and want lower prices.

Types of accommodation: lots of self-catering apartments and family-run B&Bs (garni), hotels with spas, farm stays above the villages. For Christmas, New Year and February, book well ahead.

By car

From Innsbruck, take the Brenner motorway (A13/A22) south and exit at Bressanone/Brixen, then follow the SS49 Puster Valley road towards Brunico. Riscone is reached from Brunico; Perca and Valdaora are further east along the main road; for San Vigilio, turn off at San Lorenzo into the Val Badia as far as Longega. In winter, carry snow chains or fit winter tyres.

By train

The Puster Valley railway (Fortezza – San Candido) runs along the foot of the mountain. Get off at Perca for the Ried gondola, a few minutes’ walk away, or at Brunico and take the bus to Riscone. From Bolzano it takes about an hour and a half, usually changing at Fortezza. From Munich, Innsbruck or Verona, the Brenner line brings you to Fortezza. The new Riga valley link, planned for 2027, will make the connection to Bressanone more direct.

By bus

From Brunico’s Mobility Center, next to the station, line 420.1 runs to Riscone and the gondola stop. In summer, line 463 links San Vigilio with Passo Furcia. In winter, ski buses connect villages and lifts. Timetables at Südtirol Mobil.

By air

The nearest airports are Bolzano (about 82 km from Brunico) and Innsbruck (about 110 km). For more flights look at Venice and Treviso (about 190–200 km), Verona (about 230 km) and Munich (about 300 km). From these airports you can continue by train via the Brenner line or book a private transfer.

Parking

There’s a large car park at the Riscone valley station; the other access points also have parking near the lifts, which fills early on busy days. Passo Furcia has very few spaces: in summer, arrive early or take the bus.

Photos from Wikimedia Commons: Zefram (CC BY 2.0 de), -wuppertaler (CC BY-SA 4.0), -wuppertaler (CC BY-SA 4.0), -wuppertaler (CC BY-SA 4.0), Falk2 (CC BY-SA 4.0), Renardo la vulpo (CC BY-SA 4.0), -wuppertaler (CC BY-SA 4.0), Falk2 (CC BY-SA 4.0).