What to do in Cortina, a 2026 Winter Olympics host city

Is this the most spectacularly set town in the Dolomites? There is fierce competition between the eight northern Italian destinations chosen to host the Winter Olympics, but only the wide Ampezzo Valley surrounding Cortina allows for epic street-to-summit views of the craggy massifs, rising like sheer walls from surrounding forest.

Big-name fashion stores like Dior, Prada and Moncler line its Corso Italia, but even beyond this pedestrian artery the town has glitz. As a favoured retreat among Italy’s old money — and, increasingly, plenty of new — the town has attracted investment since long before the 2026 Olympics.

The Games were also held here in 1956, and a revamp of existing infrastructure has seen an overhaul of its Olympic Ice Stadium — retaining the original wooden seating, to create a cosy wood-cabin vibe for the curling events. The stadium is also a great spot to try an introductory lesson to the idiosyncratic sport, or to catch a hockey game. The town’s ski jump, meanwhile, remains a monument to Cortina’s mid-century Olympics; this February’s jumping events will instead be held in the town of Predazzo, two hours south west.

Just above the stadium, snaking up the hillside like a giant Scalextric track, the new Eugenio Monti Sliding Centre — named after an Italian Olympic champion — will host the bobsleigh events, plus its close cousins skeleton and luge. The project has been controversial because of its environmental impact and cost — estimated at €118m (£103m) — but its legacy should include public access, for the brave.

The Freccia nel Cielo cable-car, just behind the stadium, offers aerial views of the track’s extreme-angled sidewalls and vertiginous incline. This 30-minute, three-stage trip ascends from 1,216m (3,990ft) to the 3,244m Tofana, Cortina’s loftiest peak, climbing above dense forest and over the ridges of the Tofane massif.

Hop off at Col Druscié station for lunch at Masi Wine Bar, where dishes are served with a side of epic mountain views. Standout orders include potato gnocchi with a roe ragout, enriched with local Fojaneghe red. There are hundreds of other regional wines, served by the glass. In the centre of town, there’s a new branch of Milan’s food emporium-deli Le Eccellenze di Esselunga, which showcases high-end local and Italian products, from blu di capra goat cheese and Lagrein red wine to house-made pasta and gourmet panettone. Its smart cafe with mountain views is a great spot for lunch; alternatively, pick up some treats for a picnic on the piste.

More fast-tracks to the piste: the brand-new Apollonio-Socrepes cable-car reaches the summit of Cinque Torri (‘Five Towers’), named for its distinctive rock formations, while Faloria cable-car, built in 1939, and its summit rifugio (mountain hut) are being modernised.

Hotel de Len is the place to soothe ski-worn muscles, a chic, treehouse-like spa atop a cool, wood-clad hotel. Finnish and salt saunas, a steam bath, sensory showers and a part-outdoor hot tub all have panoramic views of the peaks, while the signature massage is fragrant with local Alpine herbs. Private night-spa sessions come complete with a three-course dinner, while downstairs in Len’s low-lit restaurant, chef Andrea Ribaldone serves up a tempting menu of refined local dishes including the likes of bigoli pasta with guinea fowl ragu, plus multi-course traditional breakfasts — also open to non-residents — that fuel you up for a day on the slopes.

Apres-ski in Cortina is more refined than a ski-boot stomp to a pub. At enrosadira — local Ladin language for the ‘turning pink’ of the peaks at sunset — it’s time to hit Corso Italia for the evening passeggiata, or stroll. During Advent, the street hosts Christmas market stalls, but local crafts including intricate silver filigree jewellery and inlaid wood boxes can be found year-round at Artigianato Artistico Ampezzano, a shop near the town’s lofty white bell tower. Just opposite, head to the American Bar at Hotel de la Poste, where Ernest Hemingway once supped. Its signature drink is the mimosa-like Puccini, named after the Italian composer.

And sure to raise the bar for cocktails, the super-luxe Mandarin Oriental is slated to open in the palatial, art nouveau-style former Hotel Cristallo, on the outskirts of town, later in 2026. However, the sunset spot of choice is Corso Italia, so head to the verandah of Hotel Ancora, a landmark hotel recently revamped by former Soho House designer Vicky Charles and new owner, Diesel fashion empresario Renzo Rosso. With a sweeping terrace overlooking the Corso — aka ‘Italy’s red carpet’ — this is the place for an aperitivo and a spot of people-watching. Try a Count Lucano with Campari, Amaro Lucano, Fernet Branca or gin and orange bitters, and continue the party inside at Ancora’s New York chic-style cocktail bar or bijou Club Brave, which bans phones, but not exhibitionism.    

Chic new bar-bistro The Roof Cortina, above swanky department store Cooperativa, serves jeroboams of top-notch prosecco from the surrounding Veneto region to a backdrop of DJ sets. The dinner menu features dishes from Michelin-starred sister restaurant Tivoli, including the flavours of Venice, two hours south, with the likes of red tuna tartare and fritto misto (mixed fried seafood).