Alpe di Siusi, known in German as Seiser Alm, is a Dolomite plateau in South Tyrol above Castelrotto and the largest high-elevation alpine meadow in Europe — 52 square kilometres of pasture lying between 1,680 and 2,350 metres. It sits between Val Gardena, the Sassolungo group and the Sciliar massif, with views out to the Sella, the Rosengarten and the Marmolada. The meadow is still grazed and mown for hay, and its eastern part belongs to Sciliar Natural Park. Skiing in winter, walking in summer, with a gondola from Ortisei doing the climbing.
Alpe Siusi
Local name: Alpe di Siusi
Out on the meadow stands a bench built for giants — two and a half hours there and back.
- Parking
- Car park about 90 m from the meadow at Compatsch; a second, asphalted, about 150 m away is private.
- Difficulty
- Easy walking on meadow paths, no technical ground; about 2.5 hours out to the giant bench and back with stops, steeper in the later half.
- Transport
- Gondola from Ortisei almost to the top, 41€ per person in summer 2026; nearest bus stop Compatsch, about 240 m from the meadow.
What makes it special
Step off the gondola and the ground stops climbing. Ahead lie 52 square kilometres of meadow, rolling between 1,680 and 2,350 metres — the largest high alpine pasture in Europe. The rock does the framing: Sassolungo to the north-east, the blunt profile of the Sciliar to the south-east, and beyond them the Sella, the Rosengarten and the Marmolada strung round the horizon.
It is a working pasture, not scenery. The plateau is cut into plots, some grazed, others mown for hay that goes down to farms at lower elevations, and the walking paths run straight across them. People have been coming up here a very long time: hunters worked this forest in the Middle Stone Age, Bronze Age herders cleared it for cattle, and a Roman mule path climbs to the plateau from Siusi.
Good to know
- Free toilets at Compatsch — two of them within 75 m of the arrival point, with information boards alongside.
- Carry your own water — there is no drinking water point out on the plateau, and the walking starts as soon as you leave the station.
- Take a pole — nothing here is technical, but the ground rolls and the second half of the walk out to the giant bench steepens.
- Livestock on the paths — the plots are grazed as well as mown, so cows and donkeys stand about on the tracks.
- Sciliar Natural Park has covered the eastern part of the plateau since 1975.
Getting there
Most people ride up. The gondola out of Ortisei climbs almost to the top, and the meadow begins at the station door — a restaurant right beside it, paths running out into the grass from there. The other way in is on foot from the valley: one visitor skipped the lift, walked up and reckoned the view repaid it. Either way, the plateau itself is walking country. Cars and buses stop at Compatsch on the edge of the meadow, so the place you came for starts where the engine goes quiet.
Best time to visit
Better: late October, or high summer.
Avoid: a visit built around the top station alone.
In late October the grass turns gold against the sky, the crowds thin and tickets at the lift come without a queue. Summer gives the other version: alpine flowers between the plots, cows and donkeys on the tracks, the whole ring of peaks open. Winter hands the plateau over to skiing. Whatever the month, the meadow only opens up once you walk away from the lift.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you get up to Alpe di Siusi?
By gondola from Ortisei, which climbs almost to the top; the plateau starts at the station door. Walking up from the valley is the alternative. Buses stop at Compatsch, on the edge of the meadow.How long does the walk to the giant bench take?
About two and a half hours out and back, at an unhurried pace with frequent stops. The route crosses grassy hills and steepens in its later half; a pole helps more than boots do.Is there anywhere to eat, and are there toilets?
Yes to both. A restaurant stands next to the cable car station, and two free toilets sit within 75 m of the arrival point, with information boards beside them. Drinking water is the one thing to bring.Is Alpe di Siusi worth it in winter?
Yes — the plateau turns into ski ground, and the gondola still carries you almost to the top. The same meadow that is hay and pasture in summer is pistes under snow.