Nicknamed the Emerald of the Dolomites, Lago di Braies (Lake Braies/Pragser Wildsee) is reportedly the most photographed mountain lake in Italy. It’s easy to see why! It’s a relatively large lake, easily accessible (you can park within a few meters of the lake), surrounded by mountain peaks and alpine forests.
Because of it’s ease in getting to and walking around, this is one of the most popular sites in the area of Cortina d’Amprezzo, if not all of the Dolomites. That popularity also brings the crowds so this may be the most crowded place you visit in the Dolomites. The high season is from mid-July to mid-September, so if you’re visiting during these times don’t expect to have a lot of solitude for your photos or hikes.
It’s a great place for a relatively easy hike (easier than most others in the area), rowboating, photography, and people-watching.
Where is Lago di Braies?
Lago di Braies is in Northeastern Italy. Some rough drive times from other locations are listed below.
Cortina d’Ampezzo – 1 hour
Selva di Val Gardena – 2 hours
Innsbruck – 2 hours
Venice – 3 hours
Milan – 4 hours 30 minutes
Florence – 6 hours
How to get to Lago di Braies
It’s easiest to get to Lago di Braies if you have your own car. While it is easy to drive there, there are rules around parking and even getting on the road to get there, which you can read more about below in the next section. It is possible to get there by train/shuttle, hiking, and biking depending on your location and fitness level.
By Bus – You can get the shuttle 439 from Welsberg and the bus 442 from Toblach, which takes you directly to Lago di Braies. Important: During high season (10 July – 10 September) you must have a reservation to use that shuttle bus.
By Bike – You can bike from Schmieden/Ferrara (45 minutes – 300 meters elevation gain) or from Niederdorf/Villabassa (additional 35 minutes – 100 meters elevation gain). There are numerous bike rental options available detailed at the Drei Zinnen website.
By Hiking – From the Niederdorf/Villabassa train station it’s 11km with 215 meters elevation gain to Lago di Braies. You can also hike from Welsberg/Monguelfo train station for 12.5km with 400 meters elevation gain.
Parking at Lago di Braes
If you are driving, you’ll need to have a reservation during high season (July 10 – September 10) if you want to go between 9:30 am and 4pm (16:00). We don’t know how early you need to book, but when we tried to get a reservation for any day the week we were there, everything was already booked more than a few days out. If, like us, you are unable to get a reservation, you can still get out there, you just have less flexibility with your timing. You can park without a reservation if you arrive before 9 or after 4. We’d also tried this a previous time, arriving at 4 pm two days earlier (Monday, July 15), but by the time we were about to park, cloudy skies turned into a thunderstorm that included lightning and hail, so hiking was out of the question. On Wednesday, July 17, after we first got turned away from Tre Cime at 7:45, we headed over and parked at Lago di Braes at 8:45 am.
Note: To make a reservation for parking at Lago di Braies, you need to have your license plate number as the timed entry system scans each vehicle’s plate for access. If you’re renting a car you’ll have to hold off until you have your car to make that reservation.
Best Things to Do at Lago di Braies
Take in the views at the entrance to Lago di Braies
This smooth and mirror-like lake has gorgeous views at every angle and is one of the most photographed sites in the Dolomites. Getting there at different parts of the day for different sunlight would be a photographer’s dream if you are staying in the area. We were there early in the day (just before 9am) and had great views, but Jude was so impressed that when he happened to wake up early a couple of days later, he decided to rush over to the lake to get some sunrise pictures while the rest of us slept. It is particularly neat if you get there early, before the boathouse is open and the boats are still out in a line on the lake.
Walk around Lago di Braes
We did the hike around the lake and did well with it though some parts were steep and would be difficult for anyone with accessibility difficulties. It’s rated as a moderately difficult hike, which we found to be quite broad. Easy hikes are basically those that are just a few miles or less and are accessible to most people. Difficult hikes are for experienced hikers, are much longer, and require specialty tools. This means “moderate” is a broad range. We are all pretty average on the fitness scale and have hiked a lot and definitely want more than an easy, short path. That said, we also live in a city that is entirely flat and at sea-level, so any altitude affects us a lot for at least a week as we adjust. Hills are uncommon for us, so steeper ups and downs take us longer than others. There was no doubt this hike was doable, but it was not easy for us. That said, it was easier than almost any other hike we did, so we’d rank it more at the easier end of moderate.
You can see the hike going
uphill above the water
Rent a Rowboat
One of the most popular things to do here is renting one of the handmade rowboats. You can rent a private rowboat for 50 Euros for 45 minutes. For that price you get the rowboat for up to 5 total passengers and also receive a magnet and postcard. There are no reservations for regular rowboat rentals, so if you have your heart set on this experience I’d recommend you arrive early and get in line about 30 minutes before the first rentals are available. You won’t have the lake completely to yourself, but you’re likely to have the smallest crowds and great lighting.
Rent the whole boathouse for a private photo shoot
If you just have to have photos with the lake, no other boats, and access to the pier to get some of the best angles, you can rent the boathouse for 400 Euros. This includes private use of the pier, boathouse, and 2 boats for 90 minutes before the rentals begin for the public. The timing of this changes throughout the year but you can visit the website for the boathouse for more details as well as photographers you can book to capture the moment. The morning Jude visited on his own there was a small wedding which looked like an idyllic way to celebrate with your love (if you don’t mind the incredibly early wake-up call!)
Have lunch or a snack at Emma’s
Emma’s Bistro is right on the lake in the hotel’s former horse stables. You can even see the stone troughs still on the wall as you walk through the interior. You can get drinks from 9:00-17:00 and there’s a self-service lunch counter from 11:30-1500. From there seating is right on the lake so you can have a beautiful view with your cappuccino, Hugo, or wine.
Have a picnic/sunbathe
The hike has a few benches at different points, but not many, though there are many opportunities to pull over to take some pictures. There are some rocky beaches that bring you closer to the lake, and one nicer beach (with toilettes) where many people were laying out and picnicking. Part of the hike does go through property where cows are pastured and you definitely have to pay attention to not step in the copious amounts of “cow pies” left behind.
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Visit the Chapel
Go Horseback Riding
The Steinwandterhof is a farm stay near Lago di Braies that also has several rooms to rent, and also can organize horseback riding trips to the lake.
Ride Bikes
How much time do you need to visit Lago di Braies
We would suggest you plan 3-4 hours for your visit. It’s absolutely possible to visit in 30 minutes if you simply want to park, walk up to the most famous views from the north side of the lake near the boathouse, and head right out. That said if you want to walk around the lake I’d add another 1.5-2 hours, and add an hour if you want to rent a rowboat.
Where to Stay near Lago di Braies
I don’t know that we’d recommend you stay at or near Lago di Braies as you’ll likely only want a few hours here, and other popular outdoor activities are a 1-2 hour drive from the lake. It would make a challenging home base.
That said, if you do want to have easy access to the lake and hope to visit early in the morning or late in the afternoon/evening, staying on the lake or nearby could be great. The ideal place to stay would be the Hotel Lago di Braies. There are family rooms availalbe with two twins and one king bed, though I’d opt for different lodging for a family trip and possibly stay here sometime if it was just the two of us traveling.
Here are some additional accomodation options near Lake Braies that I’d look into for a family stay:
Steinwandterhof – Our daughter is always asking about Horseback riding and while it’s not something we ever do in the city we live in, It would be ideal to stay at a place with horses that can also lead short rides so I’d look into options for a short stay here.
Garni Appartments Helvetia – We have had a lot of luck staying at guest houses like these. The rooms with balconies are spacious and charming, and the food has often been great. There’s always breakfast and often a half-board option including dinner that may be a good value.
Steinerhof – Steinerhof has a great location, family rooms, great reviews, and is a 20-25 minutes walk to Lake Braies.
Camping Olympia – While camping is not allowed on Lake Braies, Camping Olympia has campsites as well as some family apartments (including some with two king beds and two bunk beds). European camping sites often have great family amenities and this is no exception, with a playground, pool, sauna, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are there so many different names for Lago di Braies?
I’m reminded of this everytime I search for Lago di Braies in Google Maps, it comes up with the name Pragser Wildsee. This is the German name of Lago di Braies, and you’ll find traveling in the area it feels much more German/Austrian than what you might think of as Italian. Much of northern Italy and what we think of as the Dolomites was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until World War I so as you drive around you’ll see signs in German, Italian, English, and sometimes Ladin which is a language native to South Tyrol.
Can I bring my dog to Lago di Braies?
Dogs are allowed on both the boats and the hike around (while leashed) and are plentiful. As we find in much more common in Europe than in the United States, dogs were generally much better behaved, leashed, and no nuisance to anyone around them. That said, we saw a few (out of well-over 50 which our son counted on the hike) who were more aggressive to other dogs or barking regularly, which echoes around the lake quite a lot.
What else is there to see near Lago di Braies?
While we enjoyed a small bit at Lago di Braes, we knew we also wanted to see the cute town of Dobbiaco, the beautiful Lago di Dobbiaco (a little bit further drive from the town) and got another bite to eat, to round out our lunch at Ristorante il Fienile, right down by the lake. The food and service were good but nothing amazing though we’d still recommend the restaurant most for the view and the area if you are curious to see Lago di Dobbiaco.
Are there public bathrooms at Lago di Braies?
If you think of the lake as the face of a clock, from where you enter at 6 o’clock there are portable toilets at around 1 o’clock and very nice pay toilets at Emmas around 4 o’clock.
Can I fly a drone at Lago di Braies?
Flying drones at Lago di Braies is strictly prohibited and there is signage around the lake reminding visitors.
Can I swim in Lago di Braies?
Technically, swimming is not allowed in the lake, though we did still see some people wading in or even jumping (or falling?) off a large boulder that many people were taking photos on top of, just off the shore and into the lake. It is a mountain lake and even in the summer the water is incredibly cold.
Can I bring a stroller around Lago di Braies?
Starting from the hotel parking areas, turn right and you can go a bit more than halfway around the lake before you encounter stairs (that don’t provide particularly picturesque views, they’re just needed to get around that side of the lake). You can also go to the left a short ways from the beginning of the lake trail before you encounter the stairs on that side, though I find the views much more picturesque.
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