The Dolomites have long been one of Europe's most striking mountain ranges — 18 peaks and a scattering of deep valleys in northern Italy, protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for their pale, jagged rock formations. Add crystal-clear lakes, Alpine villages and a handful of serious ski resorts, and you get a region that works just as well for a summer hiking escape as it does for a winter snow trip. Where you sleep matters too, and a round-up from Condé Nast Traveller UK has pulled together 12 Airbnbs its editors rate for 2026.

The picks are deliberately varied. Couples are pointed towards the Aumia Apartment in Völs am Schlern, a spot on the Sciliar plateau with easy access to high-altitude trails. Families get Chalet Castanea in Dickerhof, while larger groups are steered towards Maria 1936 in Colle Santa Lucia — a village perched above some of the range's most photographed scenery. Design-minded travellers are sent to Chalet Apis, also in Dickerhof, and anyone who books primarily for the view should look at Ciasa Lachin in Lungiarü, a hamlet in the Ladin-speaking Badia valley.

What unites them, according to the editors, is less the style than the setting. Some are traditional timber chalets, others sleek apartments, but all come with standout mountain views — the reason most people come here in the first place. The vetting process behind the list leans on Superhost status, guest ratings and reviews, amenities, location and decor, so these are established listings rather than brand-new ones.

The timing angle is worth thinking about. A base like this serves two very different trips: a winter stay puts you close to lift-served ski areas such as Val Gardena and Alta Badia, with the chalet as your post-slope recovery zone; in summer, the same region swaps lifts for hiking and via ferrata routes, alpine lakes and village lidos. Booking an Airbnb rather than a hotel gives you kitchen access and more space — handy in a region where hotels, particularly in winter, can be pricey and booked out months ahead.

If the Dolomites aren't on the board for this year, the same editors have looked at Airbnbs and villas across the rest of Italy too — from Puglia and Tuscany to Lake Como, Sicily and the Amalfi Coast — so there's a home base for nearly every Italian itinerary. But for scenery-per-euro, it's hard to argue with a chalet window looking straight at those limestone towers.