Seceda

Updated October 2026 · Sources: Seilbahnen Seceda, Val Gardena tourist board, Dolomiti Superski

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Seceda is a 2,519-metre mountain above Ortisei in Val Gardena, South Tyrol, northern Italy. It is the western end of the Odle (Geisler) group, in the Puez-Odle Nature Park, inside the UNESCO-listed Dolomites. On one side, gentle meadows slope down to the valley; on the other, a tilted rock ridge drops away vertically. That is the Seceda ridgeline you have seen in countless photos of the Dolomites.

You don’t need to be a climber to get there: from Ortisei a gondola and a cable car take you up in two stages to about 2,500 metres, and the summit cross is a few minutes’ walk away. Or ride the Col Raiser gondola above Santa Cristina and walk for an hour and a half. Ortisei is 36 km from Bolzano airport, 113 km from Innsbruck and 185 km from Verona.

In summer, Seceda is a base for easy hikes between farms and mountain huts, facing Sass Rigais (3,025 m) and the Fermeda peaks. In winter it is part of the Val Gardena ski area, home to La Longia, a 10.5 km run down to Ortisei. Since summer 2026 the cable car must be booked online: below you’ll find current prices, hours and rules.

Seceda is not a village but a high meadow plateau rising to a ridge. Almost everything worth seeing is within two hours’ walk of the top station.

The summit cross and the ridgeline

From the top station, the summit cross at 2,519 metres is a few minutes away. The north face drops in sheer cliffs, the south side is a sloping meadow: the line between them is the ridge everyone photographs. Opposite stand the Odle spires, with Gran Fermeda (2,873 m) and Sass Rigais (3,025 m), the highest peak in the group. Below, to the north, lies Val di Funes.

The most photographed spot is a rocky viewpoint a few steps from the top station, on private land. In the summers of 2025 and 2026 the pasture owners charged 5 euros to reach it, first with a turnstile, then with a staffed pay point on the path. The fee only covers that viewpoint: the cross and the ridge are still open to everyone.

Seceda meadows and Alpe di Cisles

Below the summit lie the Seceda meadows, which run into the Cisles, Mastlé and Rasciesa alpine pastures: grazing land with wooden huts and farms, full of flowers in early summer. The name may come from the Latin siccus, dry, because the soil here is thin. From the plateau you can also see Monte Pic (2,363 m), another viewpoint over the valley.

Pieralongia

Pieralongia is a pair of free-standing rock towers in the middle of the meadows, at about 2,290 metres, below the Odle walls. It’s an easy 45-minute descent from the top station. It’s one of the most recognisable sights in the area, with fewer people than the summit. A hut of the same name stands nearby.

Malga Troier and Lech da Iman lake

Heading south-east from the top station you reach Malga Troier (about 2,250 m), then the small alpine lake Lech da Iman. This is the shortest loop: one hour to the Fermeda hut, fine with children.

Rifugio Firenze and Col Raiser

Rifugio Firenze (Regensburger Hütte), at 2,037 metres, is the historic hut below the Odle on the Santa Cristina side. Just above is the Col Raiser gondola top station (2,107 m), with more huts. This is where the quieter routes up to Seceda start. In 2026 Rifugio Firenze is open from 1 June to 12 October: check the dates before you go.

Furnes

Furnes is the mid-station on the way up from Ortisei, between the gondola and the cable car. You can buy a ticket to here only and walk the last section, or walk down from Furnes to Ortisei.

There are two main lifts: from Ortisei (the most direct) and from Santa Cristina on the Col Raiser gondola (quieter, plus an hour and a half on foot). Since 2026, buying tickets in Ortisei works differently.

From Ortisei: gondola and cable car

The valley station is on Via Val d’Anna in Ortisei. First take the Ortisei–Furnes gondola (450 m of ascent), then the Furnes–Seceda cable car (700 m). You arrive at about 2,500 metres. In 2026 the lifts run from 22 May to 2 November, daily from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm.

Since summer 2026, tickets are booked online on the official Seceda website, in fixed 30-minute time slots, to spread visitors across the day. In July and August, book a few days ahead.

Cable car prices (summer 2026)

• Ortisei–Seceda return: 74 euros adults, 37 euros juniors (8–15).
• Ortisei–Seceda one way: 49 euros adults, 25 euros juniors.
• Furnes–Seceda only: 44 euros return, 29 euros one way.
• Fermeda chairlift: 41 euros return, 28 euros one way.
• Children under 8: free with a paying adult. Dogs and bikes: 7 euros.

The Dolomiti Super Summer pass is not valid on these lifts. If you’re staying a few days, look at the Gardena Card, sold at the valley station: 124 euros for 3 days, 160 euros for 6, covering many lifts in the valley (valid 6 June to 11 October in 2026).

From Santa Cristina: Col Raiser gondola

The Col Raiser gondola starts above Santa Cristina and climbs to 2,107 metres. In 2026 it runs from 22 May to 1 November. From the top station, follow the Ridge Line: 3.5 km and about 430 m of ascent, an hour and a half to the ridge. Prices and hours on the Col Raiser gondola website.

Fermeda chairlift

The Fermeda chairlift climbs from the huts below the Odle back up to the Seceda area. It lets you close the Pieralongia and Malga Troier loops without walking back uphill. In 2026 it only ran from 20 June to 20 September.

On foot

Without lifts it’s a long climb. From Ortisei allow 3.5–4.5 hours and about 1,200 m of ascent; from Santa Cristina 3–4 hours and 900–1,000 m; from Selva, starting at Daunëi, 2.5–3.5 hours and 800–900 m. It’s also the only way to be on the ridge at sunrise.

Trails are well marked and almost all easy. The times below come from the official route descriptions and don’t include breaks.

Seceda – Pieralongia – Rifugio Odles

From the top station, walk down to Pieralongia (about 45 minutes), cross the viewing terrace below the Odle and reach Rifugio Odles at about 2,100 metres. Then go down to the Fermeda chairlift to ride back up. In total 5.8 km, an hour and a half, easy. When the chairlift is closed you walk back up: allow extra time.

Seceda – Malga Troier – Rifugio Fermeda

The shortest loop: 4.2 km, one hour. From the top station walk down to Malga Troier, past Lech da Iman lake, to Rifugio Fermeda (2,109 m) next to the chairlift. Good with kids.

Ridge Line from Col Raiser

From the Col Raiser top station you climb through the meadows to the Seceda ridge: 3.5 km, about 430 m of ascent, an hour and a half. You’ll meet far fewer people than arriving from Ortisei. Return to Col Raiser on another path via Rifugio Firenze, or ride the cable car down to Ortisei.

From Santa Cristina via Rifugio Firenze

For a full hiking day: from the Col Raiser valley station to Rifugio Firenze and on to Seceda is 7.9 km with about 990 m of ascent, 3.5 to 4 hours. Come back down on the cable car to Ortisei or the Col Raiser gondola.

Adolf Munkel Trail (Val di Funes)

The Adolf Munkel Trail runs along the other side, at the foot of the Odle north faces in Val di Funes. From the Zannes car park it’s a loop of about 3 hours with just over 400 m of ascent, through forest and past mountain farms. It doesn’t go up Seceda, but it shows you the same peaks from their wilder side.

Mountain biking

Bikes ride the cable car (7 euros) and there’s a bike shop at the valley station, open May to late October. A classic route goes from Ortisei via San Giacomo to Rifugio Firenze, with a variant towards the ridge. In the nature park some sections are reserved for walkers: stick to the routes open to bikes.

In winter, Seceda is one of the Val Gardena ski sectors, within Dolomiti Superski: 12 ski areas, about 1,200 km of slopes and 450 lifts on one pass. In the 2026/27 season the Seceda lifts run from 4 December 2026 to 4 April 2027. The sector has 25 km of runs, linked to Col Raiser and Rasciesa.

La Longia

La Longia (“the long one” in Ladin) is the signature run: a 10.5 km red from the top of Seceda down to Ortisei, through meadows and forest and past huts. It isn’t hard, but it is long: stop halfway. The local tourist board lists it among the eight best runs in the valley.

Other runs

• Catores: black, ending with three short, steep pitches, served by the chairlift of the same name.
• Curona: a wide blue used by ski schools.
• Fermeda: a red served by the Fermeda chairlift, fine for less experienced skiers.
• Fermeda – Santa Cristina: red and blue, 6 km down to Santa Cristina, where you join the Sellaronda.

Ski pass and Sellaronda

The 2026/27 Dolomiti Superski pass costs 89 euros a day for an adult in high season and 453 euros for 6 days. The Sellaronda, the circuit around the Sella massif, is 44 km long, about 21 km of it on lifts: from Santa Cristina you join it on skis. In winter non-skiers can ride up too, for a walk or lunch at a hut. The summit is also the start of the Gardenissima, a giant slalom race on a very long course.

The summer lifts run from late May to early November. In June the meadows are in flower and some snow lingers higher up; July and August are the warmest and busiest months; September and October bring clear air, autumn colours and fewer people. Some huts close by late October.

• Beat the crowds: book the first slot (8:30 am) or go up in the afternoon, when the early crowd heads down. Or hike up from Col Raiser.
• Sunrise and sunset: the cable car runs from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. For sunrise you must hike up with a headlamp; for sunset, walk down afterwards and check the route beforehand.
• Weather: up high the weather changes fast and summer storms come in the afternoon. Check the webcam on the lift company’s website before you buy.
• Fee at the photo spot: in 2025 and 2026 the owners of a private pasture charged 5 euros for the rocky viewpoint near the top station. It isn’t an entry fee to the mountain: the ridge and the cross are free.
• Drones: we found no rule specific to Seceda, but flying in Italian nature parks usually needs permission. Check the D-Flight map and ask the park before you take off.

• Ortisei: the main town of Val Gardena, with a pedestrian centre and a woodcarving tradition.
• Santa Cristina: a smaller village between Ortisei and Selva, the base for Col Raiser and Rifugio Firenze.
• Selva di Val Gardena: at the head of the valley, below the Sella and the Sellaronda.
• Passo Gardena: the pass to Alta Badia, between the Sella and the Cir peaks.
• Val di Funes: the north side of the Odle, with Santa Maddalena and the Adolf Munkel Trail.
• Bressanone: the nearest town, an old bishop’s seat on the Brenner railway.
• Alpe di Siusi: the vast plateau on the other side of Val Gardena, reachable from Ortisei.

There are huts and farms on Seceda, but for a holiday you’ll stay in a Val Gardena village. Choose by how you plan to go up.

• Ortisei: the best choice without a car or if you want the cable car on your doorstep. The valley station is a few minutes’ walk from the centre and the bus stop. Hotels, B&Bs and apartments at every price, plus restaurants and shops. In winter you’re at the bottom of La Longia.
• Santa Cristina: smaller and quieter, a few minutes from Ortisei. Handy for going up via Col Raiser, away from the cable car queues, and for the Sellaronda in winter. Good for families and hikers.
• Selva di Val Gardena: for skiers focused on the Sella and the Sellaronda, or anyone wanting Passo Gardena close by. For Seceda, take the bus or hike up from Daunëi.
• Val di Funes: for peace and farmland scenery below the north side of the Odle. No lift to Seceda: drive round via Chiusa, or hike up on a long day out.

Many places in the valley give you the Val Gardena Guest Pass, with free public transport during your stay. For July, August and Christmas, book early: Ortisei fills up first.

By car

Take the A22 Brenner motorway to the Chiusa / Val Gardena exit, then the SS242 for about 15 km to Ortisei. From the south you come via Verona, Trento and Bolzano; from the north via Innsbruck and the Brenner Pass. In winter carry snow tyres or chains. For Col Raiser, drive on to Santa Cristina.

By train

Val Gardena has no railway. The nearest stations are Ponte Gardena (18 km), Chiusa (23 km), Bressanone (34 km) and Bolzano (40 km); InterCity and EuroCity trains stop at Bolzano and Bressanone. Trenitalia’s FRECCIALink sells a single train-plus-bus ticket from Milan, Rome, Florence, Bologna, Verona or Naples to Ortisei, Santa Cristina or Selva. Coming on a DB/ÖBB EuroCity, a 5-euro connecting ticket covers the last leg. Details on the Val Gardena website.

By bus

Bus 350 links Bolzano, Bressanone and Chiusa with Ponte Gardena and Val Gardena; bus 360 runs from Bressanone to Ortisei. Get off at Ortisei, Piazza S. Antonio: the La Curta escalators take you to the cable car in 6–7 minutes. For hiking starts, take bus 358 (Cristauta, Santa Cristina) or 357 (Daunëi, Selva).

By plane

The nearest airport is Bolzano, 36 km away (about 45 minutes), with seasonal SkyAlps flights including from London. Next are Innsbruck (113 km, about 1 h 15), Verona (185 km, about 2 hours), Venice and Bergamo (about 270 km) and Munich (about 300 km). From most of them, direct coaches run to Val Gardena; private transfers are also available.

Parking

At the Ortisei valley station there’s a covered garage and an open-air car park, just over 250 spaces in total: in summer they fill early. The bus is a better bet. Spaces at the Col Raiser gondola are limited too.

SECEDA Meteo