Route

550 kilometers and almost 40,000 meters altitude in 28 days – crossing the Alps from Munich to Venice is a once in a lifetime adventure and I’d like to take it on.

altitude profile dream way
Altitude profile of the famous “dream way” from Munich to Venice

The starting point is traditionally the “Marienplatz” directly in the centre of Munich. After crossing three countries – Germany, Austria and Italy – you’ll get to the finish: the “Piazza San Marco” in Venice (Europe’s most beautiful ballroom, as Napoleon said), where you earned yourself an highly overpriced cappuccino 😉 Inbetween those two famous city centres lie 17 peaks with “Piz Boe” being the highest (3,150m) and the “Birkkar peak” being the steepest (1,550m ascent and descent each in one day).

On a journey to arrive

I’ll begin in the Bavarian foothills of the Alps, which are said to be initially tranquil but then become jaggedly higher towards the “Karwendel” mountain. After crossing the first peak at 2,750m, I’ll come down through the “Inn valley” and go up again into the “Tuxer Alps”. There, I not only cross the Tuxer glaciers but also the main ridge of the Alps. The path continues through the “Pfunderertal”, across the Italian “Dolomites”, the “Puez” group and the “Sella” – two tricky “via ferratas” make it necessary to put your climbing set on – until the peaks slowly lower again. At Belluno I have largely left the high mountains behind and can leisurely head towards Venice.

  1. München -> Wolfratshausen
  2. Wolfratshausen -> Bad Tölz
  3. Bad Tölz -> Tutzinger Hütte
  4. Tutzinger Hütte -> Vorderriß
  5. Vorderriß -> Karwendelhaus
  6. Karwendelhaus -> Halleranger Alm
  7. Halleranger Alm -> Lizumer Hütte
  8. Lizumer Hütte -> Tuxer-Joch-Haus
  9. Tuxer-Joch-Haus -> Olpererhütte
  10. Olpererhütte -> Stein
  11. Stein -> Pfunders
  12. Pfunders -> Kreuzwiesen Alm
  13. Kreuzwiesen Alm -> Schlüterhütte
  14. Schlüterhütte -> Puezhütte
  15. Puezhütte -> Rifugio Boè
  16. Rifugio Boè -> Rifugio Viel dal Pan
  17. Rifugio Viel dal Pan -> Alleghe
  18. Alleghe -> Rifugio Tissi
  19. Rifugio Tissi -> Rifugio Bruto Carestiato
  20. Rifugio Bruto Carestiato -> Rifugio Pian de Fontana
  21. Rifugio Pian de Fontana -> Rifugio 7° Alpini
  22. Rifugio 7° Alpini -> Belluno
  23. Belluno -> Rifugio Col Visentin
  24. Rifugio Col Visentin -> Tarzo
  25. Tarzo -> Ponte della Priula
  26. Ponte della Priula -> San Bartolomeo
  27. San Bartolomeo -> Jesolo
  28. Jesolo -> Venice

Many roads lead to Rome. And many ways lead across the Alps. Already 200 B.C. Hannibal saddled his war elephants to meet a surprise attack against the Romans on this route. Today many mountain lovers go the most famous way, the “Dream Way”, to find calmness in nature instead. Ludwig Grassler is the inventor and “father” of this path: In 1974 he mastered the route in one piece and wrote it down in his book “On foot across the Alps“. I follow his call and hope to be persevering and strong enough to reach Venice happy and healthy.