The 2026 Winter Olympics are underway. Competitions are taking place across northern Italy, with Milan hosting major indoor ice events and Cortina d’Ampezzo once again at the center of the alpine spotlight. In a few weeks, the Paralympic Winter Games will follow, extending the international presence across the same territories.
For travelers currently in Italy - and for planners organizing last-minute programs during the Games - the key strategic question is clear: where should you stay to experience the Olympics while still enjoying Italy beyond the competition venues? For many, the answer is Venice.
Venice offers international access, refined accommodation, and operational ease, while remaining within reach of both Cortina in the Dolomites and Verona, where major ceremonial moments of Milano Cortina 2026 are taking place. From here, it becomes possible to combine Olympic events with landscapes, culture, and curated regional experiences - without relocating between mountain bases.
Venice as a Strategic Base During Milano Cortina 2026
Unlike alpine towns where accommodation is limited and heavily concentrated around venues, Venice provides a stable hospitality platform.
From Venice:
- Cortina d’Ampezzo is approximately 1 hour 50 minutes by private vehicle.
- Verona is just over 1 hour by high-speed train.
- Venice Marco Polo Airport continues to serve as a key international gateway.
This allows travelers to attend a competition in Cortina, return to Venice for dinner in a historic palazzo, and the following day travel comfortably to Verona for Olympic or Paralympic ceremonies - all while staying in a single, culturally rich base.
For corporate hosts, VIP travelers, and multi-generational groups, this flexibility is crucial. Private transfers can be coordinated to avoid peak traffic windows in the Dolomites, and day programs can be structured around ticketed events.
Cortina d’Ampezzo During the 2026 Games
Cortina is not only a competition venue; it is Italy’s most iconic mountain resort.
Located at 1,200 meters in the Ampezzo Valley and surrounded by the UNESCO-listed Dolomites, Cortina previously hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics. Its return to the Olympic stage reinforces its identity as the heart of Italian alpine sport.
During Milano Cortina 2026, Cortina hosts the women’s Alpine Skiing events on the Tofane slopes, alongside bobsleigh, skeleton and luge at the Eugenio Monti Sliding Centre, and Olympic curling in town - confirming its role as one of the core competition clusters of the Games.
Beyond competitions, visitors can experience:
- The pedestrian center of Cortina, with alpine boutiques and historic cafés.
- Panoramic cable car access to high-altitude viewpoints.
- Snow-covered trails and winter walks in the valley.
- Mountain gastronomy rooted in Ladin tradition - from canederli dumplings to game dishes.
However, Cortina is also the gateway to a wider Dolomite circuit that many Olympic visitors overlook. Cortina is also reachable from Venice in under two hours by private transfer, making it fully feasible as a structured day experience during the Olympic period.
The Dolomites Beyond the Venues: A Full-Day Experience from Venice
For those based in Venice, a carefully structured day allows you to experience the dramatic Dolomite landscape without changing hotels.
Our Cortina & the Dolomites in 1 Day from Venice tour follows a classic and scenically coherent route:
Cortina - Lake Misurina - Lake Auronzo
After reaching Cortina from Venice in under two hours by private transfer, guests have time to explore the pedestrian center or take the Faloria cable car for a sweeping view over the Ampezzo basin - a perspective that immediately explains why this valley has been chosen for Olympic competition more than once. Lunch here introduces Ladin mountain cuisine, rooted in Alpine tradition.
The route then climbs to Lake Misurina, often called the “Pearl of the Dolomites.” At nearly 1,800 meters, its clear microclimate and open shoreline create one of the most iconic Dolomite panoramas, with the Sorapiss and Cadini peaks reflected in the water - even more dramatic in winter light.
The final stop at Lake Auronzo offers a quieter atmosphere - a wide alpine basin ideal for a short lakeside walk before returning to Venice.
We invite you to experience this tour in the tranquillity and quietness of the post-olympic madness: it keeps you within the host mountain territory while shifting the focus from competition crowds to landscape, history, and alpine identity - all comfortably manageable as a full-day excursion from Venice.
Verona: Ceremonial Stage and Cultural Counterpoint
While Cortina represents the alpine sporting core of the 2026 Olympics, Verona plays a distinct and symbolic role.
The Arena di Verona - the 1st-century Roman amphitheater at the heart of the city - is hosting major ceremonial moments of Milano Cortina 2026, including the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games and the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games.
This positions Verona not merely as a nearby art city, but as a ceremonial stage within the Veneto region itself. From Venice, Verona is easily reached in approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes by direct train.
A visit to Verona during the Olympic period can include:
- The Arena and its surrounding piazzas.
- Piazza delle Erbe and Torre dei Lamberti.
- Castelvecchio and the Scaliger bridge along the Adige River.
- A Valpolicella wine experience in the hills north of the city.
For travelers attending ceremonies, a half-day cultural program in Verona creates depth around the event - transforming a ticketed evening into a full experiential day.
We recommend our own Verona in 1 day from Venice tour to discover everything you need to see about this marvelous city.
A Practical Approach for Olympic Visitors
Travel during the Olympics requires timing awareness:
- Departures to Cortina should be planned outside early-morning competition traffic.
- Weather conditions in the Dolomites must always be monitored.
- Train reservations to Verona during ceremonial days should be secured in advance.
With structured coordination, however, the region remains fully accessible.
Venice Incoming designs both tailor-made Olympic-period itineraries and structured day experiences that integrate seamlessly into existing travel plans.
Our Cortina & the Dolomites in 1 Day from Venice tour functions either as a standalone excursion or as part of a broader Veneto program combining Venice, the Dolomites, and Verona.
The Veneto as an Olympic Territory
Milano Cortina 2026 is not concentrated in a single city. It is a distributed Games across landscapes.
In the Veneto alone, the Olympic narrative includes:
- Cortina and the Dolomites for alpine competition.
- Verona as ceremonial stage.
- Venice as logistical and cultural anchor.
For travelers seeking more than a stadium seat - for those who want mountain scale, historic cities, and seamless organization - Venice provides the most balanced and strategic base.
From here, the Winter Olympics become not just an event to attend, but a region to experience.
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