How to get to Lago di Braies, one of the most beautiful lakes in Europe from Venice! + Dobbiaco and Cortina
Have you ever wondered, how nice it would be like to visit a calming lake, full of birds chipping above you while you lay down on a lakeshore looking at a big rocky mountain? I thought about that a year ago! I thought exactly that.
Even though living in Venice can be everyone’s dream (aw, so romantic!), I miss seeing green nature, especially after the depressing three months' COVID-19 quarantine period. I love everything about green grass, blue sky and snowy mountain, and that’s how I want my future life would be like, away from the city’s busy pace. I want to live within the proximity to lakes or natural pools to chill there at any time and contemplate about life…. (ups)
So! In July 2020, my best friend and I finally visited two lakes in the South Tyrol region. It is in northern Italy and can be reached by car in 2,5 hours from Venice. I thought it only could be reached by car; however, after researching, I found out that using public transport is always feasible! So how do we get there, you ask? This itinerary may give you some idea!
Day 1: We left from Venice at 8.00 by ATVO bus to Cortina. You can check the schedule here. The bus ticket costs 12.90 per person (only for mornings departure, which is 08.05), which is not bad compared to other bus companies such as Cortina Express (25–27 euro one way). We arrived in Cortina at around 10.00, and we were stunned by the view along with the journey and when we got there! Cortina is a small town on the foot of the Dolomites where it is well-known for skiing. They will host an international ski Olympic in 2021 too, so if you enjoy skiing, Cortina can be your option for your next winter holiday.
Once we arrived, we visited a tourist information office, and they gladly welcomed us and showed us a map of tourist attractions. There are golf courses, lakes, hills, viewpoints (cable cars to dolomite’s peak points) and ‘passegiata’ meaning walking paths. As we only had 5 hours to explore Cortina, we just walked around following the walking paths. The view was incredible, and the weather was sunny but windy. Perfect timing to hang around!
After having a nice walk, we went back to the same bus terminal to take a bus to Dobbiaco. At 15.00 we took a SAD bus no 445 direction to Dobbiaco (In Italian)/Toblach (In German). You can check the schedule here as they depart every hour and you buy the ticket inside the bus (very convenient, right?). On the way to Dobbiaco, you can actually stop at two lakes. There are Lago di Landro and Lago di Dobbiaco. It’s up to your preference to visit, but we visited Lago di Dobbiaco as I have heard many good things about this place. You should visit this lake. It will blow your mind.
After 2–3 hour, we continue our journey to Dobbiaco, where we stayed at. We booked accommodation in Youth Hostel Dobbiaco (for your information, if you only go with a friend, a hostel is the cheapest option ever. You cannot find anything below 30 euro in other hotels). It was comfortable, affordable (30 euro per night, breakfast incl. ) and very close to the train station (just across the road) and bus station (20 minutes walk). We arrived in Dobbiaco and in the evening we went to a kebab shop for dinner just 10 minutes walk from the hostel. I must say, that was the second-best doner kebab I’ve ever had in Italy (of course, you cannot compare it to the one in Turkey!). But, if you have more time in Dobbiaco, you can also do some excursions and hiking!
Day 2: After having breakfast, we left for Lago di Braies, the lake in the legend of the kingdom of fanes and the place where the Italian movie ‘’Un Passo del Cielo”. We took the bus from Dobbiaco bus station at You can check the schedule here. It took us half an hour to get to Lago di Braies.
When we arrived there, I was.. speechless. Let me show you the picture so you can praise how breathtaking it is.
We then rent the boat straight away because I was afraid if there will be a queue. We took the boat, the boat that we’ve never used before…. a rowing boat! We were fine at first when we row it, but when we stopped somewhere in the middle to take pictures, our boat just slipped to the side because of the water flow and got stuck on the lakeshore, where many people enjoying the lake view but got distracted as we weren’t good at rowing..ahahha. However, we managed to get out of the shore as a German family (of course, they speak German) helped us. With my limited German language skills, I managed to understand some words and finally left the shore, not forgetting hailing them from the far as an act of gratitude, and we were sure, we made them proud….
We returned the boat on time! That was such an accomplishment, wasn’t it? We then walked around the hiking lake train that can be done in 1,5–2 hours. Many times we stopped to eat snacks and enjoy the view. Thank God that day was sunny but not hot!
We left the place at 3.00 PM with the same bus and continue our journey to Prato Piazza, which is this place.
Stay tuned for the next part of our journey!
