Geisler Alm: A Complete Guide to Visiting in 2024

If you’re visiting The Dolomites, you’ll most likely have seen Geisler Alm all over your Instagram feed.

It’s one of the most famous Rifugio’s (mountain hut) in the area, with an idyllic location in front of the Odle mountain range.

Before I visited the Dolomites, I naively assumed you could drive up to the hut, grab lunch, take a few pictures and be on your way, but that isn’t the case.

You’ll need to hike along the Adolf Munkel Trail to get to Geisler Alm, but don’t worry, it’s not a difficult hike and actually ended up being one of our favourites during our weekend spent exploring the area.

This guide will cover everything you need to know about visiting Geisler Alm, including where to park, which route to follow, and what time to go.

*Some links in this post are affiliate links. It won’t make a difference to what you pay, but I may earn a small commission if you purchase something I’ve recommended. I’m really grateful for your trust in my advice, and if I wouldn’t recommend it to a friend, I won’t recommend it to you.

What is Geisler Alm?

Geisler Alm is a Rifugio (or mountain hut) based in South Tyrol, an area that includes part of the Dolomites range.

You’ll find Rifugio’s scattered all over the Dolomites, ranging from basic to luxury, with some offering overnight accommodation for hikers. But all of them provide food and drink, and the concept of walking, then stopping at a Rifugio, was one of my favourite things about our trip.

If you’re not an avid hiker (as I am not), Rifugio’s are a great way to break up the walk, whether it’s for coffee and cake, a quick beer, or a lunch stop.

Geisler Alm is one of the most picturesque Rifugio’s in the Dolomites. It’s run by the Runggatscher family, and as well as serving delicious food with excellent service, it’s most famous for its incredible location and views.

Where is Geisler Alm?

Geisler Alm is located in Val di Funes, a 24km-long valley in South Tyrol. It’s worth dedicating at least half day of your itinerary to exploring the area as there’s lots to see.

I’ll cover some other points of interest at the end of this blog post.

Where to park to visit Geisler Alm

The best car park for visiting Geisler Alm is Zannes/Zans Car Park. You’ll pay the parking fee at the booth upon entry and you can stay for as long as you like.

Parking costs €8 for the day and you can pay with cash or card.

How far is the hike to Geisler Alm?

From the car park to Geisler Alm, it took us about an hour and a half. You’ll then need to hike back which takes about an hour.

On the way, we were stopping to take pictures, but on the way back we didn’t stop at all.

Total hike time = 2 and a half hours + extra time at the Rifugio.

What time is best to visit Geisler Alm?

We visited the Dolomites in early September and it was the perfect time for us for a few reasons:

1. The summer crowds had died down meaning we didn’t need to be up before sunrise to find a car parking space.
   
2. The weather was ideal for hiking – it was sunny but not too hot.
   
3. The Rifugio’s generally weren’t too busy, so you didn’t have to wait long for a table.

Geisler Alm was the only Rifugio where point number 3 wasn’t the case. With a lot of the walks we did, there were loads of huts in the area, and people could take their pick.

Although there are other huts around, most people are coming specifically to visit Geisler Alm, and when we arrived around lunchtime, the queue was long – not ideal when you’re really hungry off the back of a big walk.

But, if you avoid peak lunchtime you should be absolutely fine. The good thing about the huts in the Dolomites is that people tend to move on quickly to finish their hike, so you’re usually not waiting that long.

Hike details to get to Geisler Alm

Geisler Alm is located along the Adolf Munkel trail, a walking route that runs along the Odle/Geisler mountain group.

Many people choose to hike to whole trail, but we decided to take a shorter, circular loop that passes Geisler Alm and starts and ends at the car park.

Step by step hike details

The trail starts in Zannes car park. We parked in a space the furthest away from the booth, and found the nearest sign at the back of the car park.

You’ll start off following trail number 6 to Geisler Alm/Rif Delle Odle.

From here, you’ll walk along a tree-lined boardwalk and you’ll mostly be following a gravelled path through the woods for a while.

After a short walk (around 1 mile), the route automatically joins the Adolf Munkel trail (number 35) signposted towards Geisler Alm/Rif Delle Odle.

You’ll need to cross over the bridge and turn left on trail 35.

As the Adolf Munkel trail runs along the Odle/Geisler mountains, you’ll get some amazing views at this point in the hike, so have your camera ready!

You’ll come across signs along the way, just keep following #35 towards to Geisler Alm/Rif Delle Odle.

At this sign, you’ll want to keep left, where you’ll be around 30 minutes from Geisler Alm.

After a while, you’ll come to another sign. Keep right to join trail #36a towards to Geisler Alm/Rif Delle Odle. From here, you’re only 20 minutes away.

This part of the hike is mostly through woodland, but you’ll get a few glimpses of the mountain range.

And finally, you’ll get to a final sign, where you’ll follow trail #36 towards to Geisler Alm/Rif Delle Odle. You’re only 5 minutes away now.

Things to do at Geisler Alm

After 5 minutes, you’ll arrive at Geisler Alm, which was easily one of the most incredible places we visited on our trip to the Dolomites.

The hut is overlooked by the mountain range and it’s the perfect place to stop and catch your breath.

There’s plenty of chairs and benches around the grounds so you can relax and marvel at the mountains. But the hut is most famous for its cinema style chairs that mean you can actually lie down and rest.

Most people visiting Geisler Alm also stop for lunch here. They serve traditional South Tyrolean cuisine, made using produce from their kitchen garden and neighbouring farms in Val di Funes.

Expect dishes such as goulash, burgers, dumplings, ribs, lamp chops, venison, risotto and carpaccio.

This Rifugio gets a rating of 4.6* from over 2,000 reviews, so you can trust that you’re going to have a good meal.

Some people choose just to grab a drink here, and there’s also a variety of cakes and sweet treats if you need a sugar boost.

If you have children with you, there’s also a playground and a large meadow for them to run around in. And there’s cows in the far field that you can go and say hello to.

Hiking back from Geisler Alm

The hike back to the car park is really straightforward, you’ll mostly be walking downhill on a wide gravelled path.

It’s mostly tree lined so the views aren’t as good on the way back, but that meant we didn’t stop for many photos which made the walk quicker.

After about an hour, you’ll be back at the Zannes car park and you’ve completed the hike!

Visiting San Giovanni Church

Whilst you’re in Val di Funes, I’d recommend stopping off to see San Giovanni church.

The San Giovanni Church, or the Church of Saint John is located in the small village of Ranui, a 10 minute drive from Zannes car park, so it’s well worth a visit before or after Geisler Alm.

The car park for the San Giovanni church can be found with these co ordinates (46.6370170, 11.7208360) and costs €2.

For the best viewpoint of the church with the mountain range in the background, there’s a clearly marked photo spot on the right as you drive up to the car park.

You can also get a closer look at the church by paying €4 cash at the turnstile. You won’t be able to go inside.

Best time to visit: I’d strongly recommend visiting San Giovanni first thing in the morning or later in the afternoon, otherwise the light will be far too harsh and wash out the mountains. We didn’t time it particularly well so learn from my mistakes.

If you’re a keen photographer, pack a zoom lens. The viewpoint is actually quite far away from the church, so to get a good shot, you’ll need a wide angle zoom lens.

Things to pack for your hike

A water bottle: There’s plenty of water fountains around the Dolomites perfect for refilling your bottle. I have this Stanley bottle, it keeps water cold for over 12 hours, and has a straw for easy drinking

A backpack: I have this Osprey backpack which is perfect for day hikes. There’s space for my camera equipment, extra layers, snacks and my water bottle in the side.

Hiking shoes: I’d recommend a pair of hiking shoes or boots for your trip to the Dolomites. They don’t need to be expensive but they’ll support your feet much better than trainers. These are a great option for your first pair of boots, and they’ll last a long time.

A raincoat: The weather can change quite quickly in the mountains, so I’d pack a raincoat just in case. I always like to carry a pac a mac as they don’t take up much room.