Last Updated on November 11, 2023
The Seceda is the highest vantage point in Val Gardena, in the autonomous province of Bolzano (South Tyrol), Northern Italy. It provides a 360 degree view of mountains as well as the valley below. On a clear day, you can even see Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Austria.
Seceda is famous for images of sawtooth peaks with a sharp drop off on one side. It seemed like it was part of a larger mass of the earth that was thrusted vertically up but one half of it broke off leaving the jagged peaks and a ridgeline just hanging up in the air. The image of these jagged peaks may not come up when you Google “Dolomites” but it is nevertheless spectacular. It is truly worth a visit.
We visited Seceda in early September 2023. We were stationed in Calfosch and it was less than an hour’s drive away. The closest town is Ortisei which is at the heels of the mountain attraction. Here we describe our experience while visiting Seceda so that you may have an idea on planning your trip to this special place.
Getting to Seceda
There are three ways you can reach the Seceda. The first and most common way is to ride the Funivie Seceda which is a mountain cable car. The second way is to ride the Fermeda chairlift. The third is to hike your way up to the top. We will only cover the Funivie Seceda in detail in this blog because we can speak from that experience.
Funivie Seceda
Parking
If you are driving, just enter in Google Maps “Funivie Seceda” and it will get you close to the parking lot so that you can navigate to it. Same with if you are taking public transportation. Google Maps will provide the bus number(s) you need to take once you select “Directions” and “Public Transportation” options.
There is a parking structure and an open lot parking lot. The open parking lot is after the entrance to the parking structure. The road leading to the parking structure and lot is narrow. Initially, we were not able to even see the entrance to the parking structure and the open parking lot because of the line of cars waiting to park. We had a late start and arrived at the parking area around 11 AM.
We waited on the side of the road for about five minutes and were about to leave to find a different place to park when a parking attendant for the open parking lot approached us. He motioned to follow him as he walked to the open parking lot where he removed a metal barricade so we could enter. There was one parking space available. We paid the parking attendant 13 Euros (cash) and he gave us a receipt. Before we left the parking area, another spot opened up. I guess what we are saying is if you arrive and there is no place to park, just wait until one opens up.
The Cable Car Ride and Cost
You can purchase a one way or round trip ticket. We bought the round trip ticket. A one way ticket was not an option for us as we already had a late start and the distance and elevation drop to cover seemed like it was going to take a couple of hours (if we knew where the trail is). The round trip ticket price was 39.50 Euros during our visit. You can see the most current cable car ride prices on their website.
We scanned our tickets to get through the turnstiles and into the loading area. The Funivie Seceda is a two stage cable car ride. The first stage is a cable car that seats six. There is a first stage cable car that arrives at the loading area every 20 or so seconds. It seemed it took about five minutes for the first stage cable car to reach the intermediate station.
We had to get off the first stage cable, scan our tickets again to gain entry to the second stage cable car that took us to the Seceda. There are no seats in the second stage cable car that carries about 30 or so people. It also has an operator. There are only two second stage cable cars that take visitors up to and down from Seceda. If one is going up, the other is going down. There may be some waiting time with the second stage cable car, depending on when you catch it.
Fermeda Chairlift
The Fermeda chairlift was running at the time of our visit and was carrying people. Google Maps states that you may have to navigate through private roads to get to the chairlift. More than likely, these people take the Cabinovia Col Raiser cable car from Val Gardena to get to the chairlift. Cabinovia Col Riser has a website (https://www.colraiser.it/it/) where you can find the cable car fare. The Fermeda chairlift does not have a website.
Hiking to Seceda
According to Google Maps, it is a 7.6 km hike with about 1,200 meters of elevation gain to get to Seceda from Funivie Seceda parking lot. It is much shorter and much less of an elevation gain if you start from the Fermeda chairlift.
What To Do In Seceda
On exiting the second stage cable car, it is a short steep hike to the viewpoint. This is probably the shortest Dolomiti hike with phenomenal views. From the viewpoint, you can head over towards the jagged peaks if your legs are not yet warmed up or just want to rake in more steps.
Besides taking photos, the majority of the people just sit or lay on the grassy areas and admire the view in front of them. We actually wished we had started early that day so we could have spent more time up in Seceda even though we were up there for about four hours. Time flew quickly.
Restaurant Seceda which is at the terminus of the second stage cable car serves food and refreshments. There are also lounge chairs that are free to use to just sit and relax.
There were people paragliding up in Seceda when we arrived late morning but they seem to have packed up and left by early afternoon. Some brochures are available at the Funivie Seceda station but it did no have any cost information.
The last Funivie Seceda ride down is at 5:30 PM. During the summer, the sun is still up high at that time of the year so you may totally be unaware that it is already time to go. It is a long walk down if you miss the last ride.
Summary
The Seceda is the highest vantage point in Val Gardena. It offers a 360 degree view of the mountain ranges and valleys. The most photographed mountain in the Seceda is the jagged spires that look like it has been thrusted upwards.
You will have to ride the cable car or chairlift to get to the Seceda. Though the cable car may be pricey, it beats the option of hiking up to get there. Once in Seceda, you’ll be amazed by what you see around you. Though, there may be a lot of people doing the same thing as you are doing, do not let that spoil the moment. Instead, find your perfect spot, spread a ground cloth on a grassy area, have a picnic and admire the beauty around you. We’re almost sure that you would feel the same way as we did where you do not want to leave!