The Sella Ronda is the loop of four pass roads that encircles the Sella massif in the Dolomites: Passo Campolongo (1,875 m / 6,152 ft), Passo Pordoi (2,239 m / 7,346 ft), Passo Sella (2,218 m / 7,277 ft) and Passo Gardena (2,136 m / 7,008 ft). The official Sellaronda Bike Day route measures 53 km / 33 miles with 1,600 m / 5,250 ft of climbing, which is a good proxy for the driving loop too. On a motorcycle it is a half day of near-continuous hairpins with four summits, four villages and no long straights anywhere.
Why the loop works so well on two wheels
Most great alpine rides are linear: you climb one side, you descend the other, and then you have to decide what to do about getting back. The Sella Ronda solves that. The Sella massif sits between four Ladin valleys — Badia, Val Gardena (Gröden), Fascia and Fodom — split across the provinces of South Tyrol, Trentino and Belluno, and the four pass roads join them into a closed ring. You can start anywhere on it, ride it in either direction, and end up back where you parked.
The second thing that makes it work is density. Four summits in roughly 53 km means you are almost never on a road that is not doing something. And because each pass has villages at its feet — Corvara, Arabba, Canazei, Selva — there is always somewhere to stop, refuel or sit out a shower.
The Ladin names are worth knowing since you will see them on signs alongside the Italian and German ones: Ju de Ćiaulunch for Campolongo, Jëuf de Sela for Sella, Ju de Frara for Gardena.
Route at a glance
| Pass | Elevation | Connects | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passo Campolongo (Ju de Ćiaulunch) | 1,875 m / 6,152 ft | Corvara (Val Badia) and Arabba | lowest and shortest of the four, wooded, quick |
| Passo Pordoi | 2,239 m / 7,346 ft | Arabba and Canazei (Val di Fassa) | 9.4 km / 5.8 miles from Arabba, 637 m / 2,090 ft gain, avg 6.8% |
| Passo Sella (Jëuf de Sela) | 2,218 m / 7,277 ft | Val Gardena and Canazei | the scenic one, under the Sassolungo walls |
| Passo Gardena (Ju de Frara) | 2,136 m / 7,008 ft | Sëlva (Val Gardena) and Corvara (Val Badia) | 19 unnumbered hairpins, busy in summer |
| Loop total | 53 km / 33 miles, 1,600 m / 5,250 ft of climbing (official Sellaronda Bike Day route) | ||
Send the full circuit to your navigation app with the Corvara–Arabba–Canazei–Selva–Corvara directions.
Passo Campolongo, the warm-up
At 1,875 m / 6,152 ft, Campolongo is the lowest of the four and the only one that does not feel like a proper mountain pass. It links Corvara in Val Badia with Arabba over a short, largely wooded climb. Cyclists in the Maratona dles Dolomites ride it first, and it is the only one of that event's seven passes they climb twice.
For riders it is a useful stretch: it lets you get heat into cold tyres and settle into the rhythm before Pordoi asks for more. Do not write it off, though — the descent toward Arabba opens onto the first real Dolomite view of the day.
Passo Pordoi, the highest point of the loop
Pordoi sits at 2,239 m / 7,346 ft between the Sella group to the north and the Marmolada group to the south. From Arabba the ascent runs 9.4 km / 5.8 miles with 637 m / 2,090 ft of gain, an average gradient of 6.8%. Those numbers understate it a little: the bends are stacked closely and the road holds a consistent, satisfying rhythm rather than throwing surprises.
At the summit there is a memorial to Fausto Coppi, and above it the Sass Pordoi cable car. The car park is normally full of motorcycles in July and August, which is both the attraction and the warning: this is not a quiet road in high season.
Passo Sella, the one for the view
Passo Sella at 2,218 m / 7,277 ft joins Val Gardena with Canazei in the Fassa Valley, running along the base of the Sassolungo (Langkofel) group. If you stop once on the loop, stop here. The rock walls are close enough that the scale finally registers.
The riding is fast between the hairpins and the surface is generally good, which combined with the view is a familiar recipe for missed braking points. There are pull-ins along the top section; use them rather than stopping on the road, because coaches use this pass and their turning circles do not leave much spare.
Passo Gardena, closing the ring
Gardena at 2,136 m / 7,008 ft connects Sëlva in Val Gardena with Corvara in Val Badia and carries 19 unnumbered hairpin bends. It gets busy in summer with tourists, motorcyclists and cyclists all sharing the same width of road. North of the pass the Pizes de Cir range rises to Gran Cir at 2,592 m / 8,504 ft, and there are hotels and restaurants at the summit itself.
In mid-December the slopes either side host World Cup alpine ski racing — the Val Gardena downhill on one side, the Gran Risa giant slalom at Alta Badia on the other — which is a reminder that this is a working winter road network as much as a summer touring route.
Practical information
Season and closures. These four passes are lower than the big seasonal crossings and they serve villages and ski resorts on both sides, so they are not shut for months at a time the way Stelvio or Gavia are. They are still alpine roads at over 2,000 m and can close at short notice after snowfall. As of August 2026 the sensible approach is to check the current road status for the specific passes with the South Tyrol and Trentino road services before you set out, particularly outside June to September.
Car-free days. The Sellaronda Bike Day closes the roads around the Sella massif to motorised traffic for a full day, twice a year. Val Gardena's tourist board lists Saturday 6 June and Saturday 12 September 2026. Thousands of cyclists ride the 53 km circuit on those dates and no motor vehicles are permitted, so check the calendar before you plan a Sella Ronda day.
Traffic. High season here means coaches, campervans, cyclists and a lot of other motorcycles on roads that were not widened for any of them. The hairpins on Gardena and Pordoi in particular reward patience over pace.
Tolls. There is no toll on any of the four passes. Italian towns operate limited traffic zones (ZTL) and low emission schemes on some approach routes; rules and charges change, so check the relevant municipality rather than assuming.
Fuel and food. Corvara, Arabba, Canazei and Selva all have fuel and plenty of places to eat. There is no fuel at the summits. The loop is short enough that most bikes can do it twice on a tank.
Gear notes
The Sella Ronda is a navigation problem more than an endurance one. Four passes, four valleys and a lot of similar-looking junctions in three languages means it is easy to leave the loop without noticing — usually by dropping down the wrong side of Pordoi toward the Fedaia. Loading the whole circuit as a route rather than a destination avoids that, and the route planning guide covers how to build a loop that survives the transfer to your device. Offline maps on a unit like the JADO S6 riding system matter here because the valleys are deep and mobile coverage drops out on the climbs.
The other consideration is temperature swing. You will start the day in a valley at 1,500 m and cross 2,200 m four times, often with a shower in between. Tyre pressures move with that, and running a TPMS sensor means you find out about a slow puncture on a hairpin descent from a warning rather than from the front end. If you are new to the idea, how motorcycle TPMS works explains what the readings actually tell you.
FAQ
How long does the Sella Ronda take by motorcycle?
The loop is 53 km / 33 miles with 1,600 m / 5,250 ft of climbing. Without stops that is well under two hours; with photographs, coffee and summer traffic, most riders spend half a day on it. In August, allow longer again.
Which direction should I ride it?
Either works. Clockwise from Corvara gives you Campolongo, Pordoi, Sella, Gardena, which builds from the easiest pass to the busiest and puts the Sassolungo view in the middle of the day. Anticlockwise puts Gardena's 19 hairpins first while the roads are quieter.
Which of the four passes is highest?
Passo Pordoi at 2,239 m / 7,346 ft, marginally above Passo Sella at 2,218 m / 7,277 ft, then Gardena at 2,136 m / 7,008 ft and Campolongo at 1,875 m / 6,152 ft.
Are the roads ever closed to cars?
Yes. The Sellaronda Bike Day closes the circuit to motorised traffic for a full day twice a year — 6 June and 12 September in 2026 — with the roads reserved for cyclists. Race days for events such as the Maratona dles Dolomites also bring closures.
What else is worth adding to a Dolomites trip?
The obvious extension is east toward Cortina d'Ampezzo for Passo Giau and Passo Falzarego, which connect directly to Arabba via the Livinallongo valley. West of the Dolomites, Stelvio and Timmelsjoch are both within a day's ride.
Sources
- Sellaronda, Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sella_Ronda
- Sella Pass, Pordoi Pass, Gardena Pass and Campolongo Pass, Wikipedia
- Sellaronda Bike Day, Val Gardena official tourist board — valgardena.it
