Seceda & Val Gardena in Autumn

When people ask “is anything still open in the Dolomites in late October?”, the answer mostly comes from Val Gardena. While Alta Badia’s lifts close on 4 October and Cortina’s on 18 October, Val Gardena keeps the two most famous high viewpoints in the western Dolomites running into November: the Seceda ridge and the Alpe di Siusi plateau.

This page covers why that matters, what’s open and when, and the honest answer on how to get there on a tour.

Seceda in October

Seceda is the tilted grass ridge above Ortisei, at 2,519 metres, that drops away in a wall of rock on its far side, with the Odle spires lined up beyond it. In summer it’s one of the most photographed views in the Alps. In October the grass turns russet, the Odle often has a first dusting of snow, and there are far fewer people.

In 2026 both sections of the lift, the Ortisei–Furnes gondola and the Furnes–Seceda cable car, run until 2 November. Since summer 2026, tickets have been sold in fixed 30-minute time slots that you book online in advance, which is worth doing even in October. On a clear day the ridge is superb. On a grey one it can sit in cloud all day, so if you’re staying in the valley, choose your Seceda day from the forecast.

The Alpe di Siusi and the larches

The Alpe di Siusi, Europe’s largest high alpine meadow, spreads south of Ortisei below the Sassolungo. In October its edges turn gold with larches and the meadows go brown. The Ortisei–Alpe di Siusi gondola also runs until 2 November in 2026. With Val di Funes just to the north, this is where many of the classic autumn Dolomites photographs are taken. See autumn foliage tours.

Not every Val Gardena lift stays open

“Val Gardena is open until November” is true for Seceda and the Alpe di Siusi, but not for the whole valley. In 2026:

• 2 November: Seceda (Ortisei–Furnes–Seceda), Ortisei–Alpe di Siusi
• 1 November: Col Raiser, on the Selva side of the Seceda plateau
• 11 October: Ciampinoi, Mont de Seura, Forcella Sassolungo, the Resciesa railway
• 4 October: Dantercepies above Selva

So a late-October plan built around the Sassolungo or the Sella side of the valley won’t work. One built around Seceda or the Alpe di Siusi will.

Getting there on a tour: the honest answer

Val Gardena is on the far side of the range from Venice, and none of the Venice day trips on GetYourGuide go there. The day tours that reach the valley leave from Lake Garda and Verona, and they’re summer tours.

The Lake Garda coach tour, featured at the top of this page, is the best-reviewed of them, with 729 reviews at 4.6 out of 5. It collects from towns around the lake, stops at Lake Soraga, gives you free time at the Pordoi Pass with the option of the cable car to Sass Pordoi, and spends the afternoon in Ortisei, the Val Gardena village the Seceda lift starts from. It doesn’t ride up to Seceda, and when we read the calendar in September 2026 its last date was 9 October. The Verona version follows a similar route and finished on 2 October.

For late September and early October, that works. For late October, you need to be in the valley yourself, and there are local guided options on GetYourGuide from Ortisei:

• A guided Seceda e-bike tour from Ortisei, with dates to 28 October in 2026. It’s a new listing with no reviews yet.
• A private guided Seceda hike for up to two, with dates to 31 October. Also no reviews yet.
• A sunset alpenglow hike above Val Gardena with an aperitif, with dates to mid-October.

The comparison table below links to the first two. Because none has reviews yet, check the listing details and cancellation terms carefully.

One more note: an Ortisei bus tour to Lago di Braies is sometimes suggested for Val Gardena visitors, but in 2026 it had no dates after September.

If you are coming from Venice

Seceda isn’t realistic as a day trip from Venice. For a late-autumn Venice day, the lakes around Cortina are the practical choice: see Dolomites tours from Venice in autumn. If you have two or three days, staying in Ortisei turns Seceda and the Alpe di Siusi into easy mornings with the lifts.

For every October closing date across the Dolomites, see the Dolomites in October. Check availability for the Val Gardena coach day.