Passo Giau
Last updated on September 10, 2026Overview
Passo Giau is a road pass at 2,236 metres between Cortina and Selva di Cadore, and it is widely held to be the most spectacular drive in the Dolomites.
The reason is that the road climbs out of the trees into open alpine grassland and simply stops climbing, leaving you on a bare saddle with mountains in every direction and nothing built on it but a refuge.
The pyramid of Ra Gusela stands directly above the pass, and the Marmolada is visible across the valley to the west. Cyclists know it as one of the hardest climbs in the Giro d'Italia; photographers know it as the place to be at sunrise.
Visit Responsibly
The pass is overloaded in summer and its car park is small. Coming at dawn, coming out of season, or cycling up is materially better than joining the midday queue.
The saddle is grazed alpine pasture and the grass is thin and slow to recover. Keep to paths and to the car park -- the erosion scars where people have walked out for photographs are already visible.
Do not park on the verges or the grass, however full the car park is.
Cyclists have right of way in practice on a climb this narrow and this popular; give them room on the hairpins.
Take everything away with you. The bins at the top are emptied by road, and in summer they overflow long before that happens.
Plan Your Visit
The pass is a public road -- free, no toll, no ticket. There is a car park at the top with a refuge and a bar.
It is about 30 minutes by car from Cortina up the SP638, a good but narrow road with a long series of hairpins.
The road is normally open from late spring to late autumn and closed by snow in winter -- check before setting out between November and May.
Parking at the top is limited and fills by mid-morning in summer, when the pass carries a great deal of motorbike and cycle traffic.
Allow an hour for the pass itself, or half a day if you walk up towards the Nuvolau.
The car park and refuge terrace are level, so the main view is available without walking; the paths beyond are proper mountain trails.
At 2,236 metres it is cold and windy even in August. Bring a layer.