Punta Rocca sits at the top of the Marmolada cable car above Malga Ciapela, in the Rocca Pietore area of the Dolomites, Italy. Three cable car sections climb from the valley station to a 360-degree observation platform at 3200 m, with the Marmolada glacier below it. The middle stop holds a café/bar, toilets, a war museum and trails into First World War tunnels. In winter the summit also serves the ski descent.
Punta Rocca
Short of roping up and climbing, no point in the Dolomites lets you stand higher.
- Entrance
- Paid: access is by cable car ticket. The up-and-down fare came to €40 per person in mid-2026, and pilots who fly down still pay for both directions.
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance, parking and toilet at the valley station.
- Parking
- Free car park at the valley station in Malga Ciapela, about 20 m from the entrance.
- Difficulty
- Cable car all the way: three sections from the valley station to the summit deck, no walking.
- Transport
- Bus stop Malga Ciapela Marmolada, about 170 m from the valley station.
- Hours
- Cable car 9:00–15:30, every day.
What makes it special
The last cabin door opens onto a 360-degree deck at 3200 m, and the Marmolada glacier lies right there under the railing. Getting up takes three cable car sections from Malga Ciapela. The second stop is where most people break the journey: a café/bar, toilets, a war museum, and trails that run into tunnels cut during the First World War. In winter the summit feeds the ski descent — red and partly black from the deck down to the chairlift, easing to blue below it. In cloud the platform shows nothing at all, and the ticket buys you the ride and not the view.
Good to know
- Tickets: a QR code at the entrance sells them online, which walks past the queue at the register window.
- Queues: in ski season all three sections load full and the climb to the top turns into a wait.
- The cabins: they fill to the walls, get hot, and do not always leave the moment they are loaded.
- Middle station: café/bar, toilets, museum and the tunnel trails are all at the second stop; food service there can drag.
- Paragliders: the fare covers up and down even for pilots who only ride up — €40 per person in mid-2026.
Getting there
Drive to Malga Ciapela and the valley station is at the car park — the bays sit some 20 m from the door. From the ticket hall the lift does the whole climb: three cable car sections to the summit deck, with the change at the second stop where the café and museum are. For anyone arriving without a car, the Malga Ciapela Marmolada stop stands about 170 m from the station.
Best time to visit
Better: a weekday morning — one visitor counted 15–20 people at the ticket window on a Thursday at 10:00, and the online QR purchase skips even that.
Avoid: peak ski-season days, when all three sections load full and the climb to the top becomes a queue.
Everything up there hangs on visibility: the deck is a viewing platform over the glacier, so a clear day matters more than the hour you pick.
Sun & daylight
Nearby Places
Similar Places
Your whole travel map in one place
Get inspired by new places around the world and find the ones worth the journey
Frequently asked questions
How do you get to the top of Punta Rocca?
By cable car from Malga Ciapela: three sections from the valley station to the summit deck, with a change at the middle stop.Can the ticket queue be avoided?
Yes. A QR code at the entrance lets you buy tickets online instead of waiting at the register window.What is at the middle station?
A café/bar, toilets, a war museum and access to trails running through First World War tunnels. Service at the bar can be slow.How hard is the ski run down from the top?
Red and partly black from the summit down to the chairlift section, then blue below it.Do paragliders pay for the descent as well?
Yes — the fare covers both directions even for pilots who fly down. It came to €40 per person in mid-2026.