Lake Braies and Tre Cime Day Trip From Venice

Included and Excluded

Food and drinks are not included. The snowmobile ticket to Monte Piana is also extra. It costs $33.39 (€30), only exists in winter from December 6th to the end of March, and is paid on the day. Request it with a note at checkout.

On the plus side, Lake Braies entry fees are included, there is wifi on board, and medium luggage and back bags are permitted. Vehicles are insured and sanitized before every departure.

Season and Winter Changes

The tour runs year round. From January to March the lakes are frozen, which is a different but real kind of scenery. In winter the Monte Piana snowmobile option appears, 30 minutes and 7 km to 2,325 m for $33.39 (€30) on the day, from December 6th to the end of March.

The Dolomites have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2009, inscribed on 26 June.

Money, Food and the Euro

Lunch is not included, so bring cash or card for the Cortina break and the lakeside cafe at Braies. Prices in the mountains are in euro. At the European Central Bank rate of 1 EUR = 1.1130 USD, $33.39 (€30) for the snowmobile is the only optional fee listed beyond the tour price.

Meeting Point and Bags

Meet at Koko Bar, Piazzale Roma, posteggio 14, Santa Croce 548G, Venice. There is no hotel pickup and the departure time is not printed, so check your booking for the start time. Medium luggage and back bags are permitted.

No food or drinks in the vehicle. Bring comfortable shoes, a camera, water, a jacket and comfortable clothes.

Ages and Accessibility

The tour is not suitable for children under 3 years. No wheelchair access is stated. No minimum fitness level is stated, and no hiking is listed, so this is a low-effort day of stops and short walks.

If you need a private vehicle instead, Private Dolomites Tour with Lake Braies covers the same lake with your own group.

The Route in Order

You meet at Koko Bar, Piazzale Roma, posteggio 14, and the van ride to the first break is about 2 hours. No departure time is published, so check availability for the day's starting times. Cortina gets 45 minutes, then it is about 30 minutes to the Tre Cime viewpoint for a 15 minute photo stop, and about 30 minutes on to Pragser Wildsee, where you have 1.5 hours of free time with entry fees included. After the lake comes the Monte Piana stop, 1 hour, with the optional winter snowmobile. The last stop is a 5 minute photo stop at Lake Misurina, then about 2.5 hours back to Venice. The tour ends at parcheggio ncc venezia, not back at Koko Bar.

The driver wears a black badge reading ESSE GROUP, which helps at the meeting point.

Car, Bus or Tour

Without a tour you arrive by car, by bus or on foot. From 1 July to 15 September 2026, 9:00 to 16:00, the Pragser Tal valley is reachable by car only with an online reservation or a valid transit permit, according to the Prags tourist office. Walking, cycling and public transport are always allowed. Arriving before 9:00 is permitted but does not guarantee a parking space.

The buses that serve the lake, lines 439 and 442, need advance online booking and prepayment during the regulation, and once a bus is fully booked you can no longer reach the lake by bus. For self-drivers there is a combined ticket at $48.97 (€44) covering a full-day transit permit, a guaranteed parking spot and a $24.49 (€22) voucher for restaurants and shops, advance booking only. This tour includes the Lake Braies entry fees.

• Car: online reservation or transit permit, 1 July to 15 September, 9:00-16:00
• Bus 439 or 442: prepaid online booking, no access once fully booked
• Combined ticket: $48.97 (€44) with parking and a $24.49 (€22) voucher
• Tour: Lake Braies entry fees are included in the price

What Fits in 1.5 Hours

The circular trail around the lake is usually open from May to early or mid-November, and the trail runs around the lake. If you walk to the lake from Schmieden/Ferrara instead of arriving at the shore, the route is 4.8 km and takes about 1.5 hours on its own, so the walk in does not fit this van day. Rowing boats can be rented at the lake. Swimming is discouraged because it is a protected area.

In 1.5 hours you can walk a stretch of the circuit, rent a boat and take photos. If you want the full loop plus a slow lunch, that is a fuller day, and Dolomites and Braies Lake Full-Day Tour gives 4 h 35 min across its stops on a 10 hour day. In winter the trail situation changes and the lake freezes from January to March.

• Circular trail: usually open May to early or mid-November
• Walk in from Schmieden/Ferrara: 4.8 km, about 1.5 hours, not on this day
• Boats: rentable at the lake, swimming discouraged

Cortina D'Ampezzo, 45 Minutes

A break in the resort town that has hosted the Winter Olympics twice. You get free time to stroll and shop. Cortina's bus terminal is at the Ice Stadium (Stadio del Ghiaccio) if you ever come by public transport, and Marco Polo airport is 162 km away by road.

Tre Cime Di Lavaredo Viewpoint, 15 Minutes

A photo stop at the Three Peaks of Lavaredo, the most famous mountains in the range. Because this is a viewpoint stop and not a drive up the toll road, you do not pay the Rifugio Auronzo access fee of $44.52 (€40) per car or $89.04 (€80) per bus up to 30 seats. That road needs an online reservation with your plate and is normally open from end of May to end of October.

This tour does not go up to Rifugio Auronzo itself. See the section on the crowds further down for what the views give you instead.

Lake Braies, 1.5 Hours

Free time at Pragser Wildsee, described as the largest lake in the Dolomites, with entry fees included and a walk along the turquoise water or a lakeside cafe. The 2026 traffic rule applies from 1 July to 15 September, 9:00 to 16:00: cars need an online reservation or transit permit, and buses 439 and 442 need prepaid booking. The combined ticket is $48.97 (€44) with a $24.49 (€22) voucher.

The tour price includes the Lake Braies entry fees. Want more time at the water? Pusteria Valley, Lake Braies and Tre Cime runs 10 hours in the same price band.

Monte Piana, Rifugio Angelo Bosi, 1 Hour

A photo stop with scenic views at 2,325 m, reached in winter by an optional 30 minute snowmobile ride of 7 km with a local driver, not yourself. The ride costs $33.39 (€30) paid on the day and runs from December 6th to the end of March. Request it with a note at checkout.

Lake Misurina, 5 Minutes

A short photo stop for the Tre Cime reflected in the water. Five minutes is enough for one photo, not for the area. Nearby, the Col de Varda chairlift runs 18 June to 20 September with an adult return at $18.92 (€17), and the Dolomiti Bus Tre Cime shuttle from Misurina to Rifugio Auronzo runs daily from 30 May at $11.13 (€10) a day, cash not accepted on the bus.

Neither fits this tour's schedule. Dolomites Day Trip with Cortina and 2 Lakes gives a long Misurina stop if that appeals.

The Honest Verdict

Some guides do not recommend Lake Braies as a must-visit at all, citing crowds and its use as a backdrop for endless photo shoots. That criticism is fair at midday in summer. The fix is an early arrival, and arriving before 9:00 is allowed under the 2026 rule, though it does not guarantee a parking space if you drive.

A day trip from Venice cannot get you there at sunrise, because the drive alone is a large part of a 9 hour day. On this tour you get 1.5 hours at the lake.

What the Rest of the Day Gives You

The compensation is the other stops. The Tre Cime photo stop and the 5 minutes at Lake Misurina put the most famous mountains in the range in front of you twice,. In winter the lakes are frozen from January to March, and the snowmobile to Monte Piana becomes the reason to pick this tour over a summer one.