Dobbiaco

Updated October 2026 · Sources: Euregio Kulturzentrum Toblach, 3 Zinnen Dolomites, Dolomiti Superski, IDM South Tyrol, Braies municipality, line 444

Find a place to stay in Dobbiaco

Toblach (Dobbiaco in Italian) is a village in South Tyrol, the autonomous province of Bolzano in north-east Italy, in the Alta Pusteria (Upper Puster Valley). The centre sits at 1,256 metres, about 6 km from San Candido (Innichen) and about 60 km from the Bressanone exit of the A22 Brenner motorway. Around 3,500 people live here, eight out of ten German-speaking, so you will see both names, Toblach and Dobbiaco, on every sign.

Toblach sits on a watershed: to the west the Rienza flows towards the Adige and the Adriatic; to the east the Drava runs to the Danube and the Black Sea. This is where the Val di Landro begins, the road to Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Tre Cime di Lavaredo. The nearest airports are Bolzano (about 105 km), Innsbruck (about 135 km), Treviso (about 165 km) and Venice (about 180 km); Munich is about 270 km away.

In winter Toblach is above all a cross-country skiing centre, with the Nordic Arena hosting the World Cup; for downhill skiing, the 3 Zinnen Dolomites area is a few kilometres away. In summer it is a base with a railway station for Lake Toblach, Prato Piazza, Lake Braies and the Tre Cime, with buses leaving from the station. And Gustav Mahler spent his last three summers here.

The village has two parts: Dobbiaco Vecchia (Old Toblach) around the church, and Dobbiaco Nuova (New Toblach), lower down by the station and the Grand Hotel. The sights are the Baroque church, the Mahler places, the lake and the Val di Landro, with traces of the First World War.

The centre: St John the Baptist church

The parish church of St John the Baptist dominates the old centre. It was built in the second half of the 18th century on the foundations of a Romanesque, then Gothic church; inside are frescoes by Franz Anton Zeiller and Tyrolean Rococo altars. In July 1916 it was hit by a shell during the First World War.

From the church a short Way of the Cross with four chapels leads to the round Lerschach chapel: a walk of a few minutes.

Grand Hotel and Gustav Mahler cultural centre

The Grand Hotel in New Toblach was built by the Austrian Southern Railway (Südbahn) to bring passengers to the Puster Valley line, opened in 1871. It opened in summer 1878, served as a military hospital in the First World War, then stood empty until a major restoration in the 1990s.

Today it is the Euregio Gustav Mahler cultural centre, with a concert hall, a youth hostel and the visitor centre of the Tre Cime Nature Park (check opening times). Since 1999 it has hosted the Gustav Mahler Music Weeks, founded in 1981: concerts, talks and a walk to the composer’s hut. In 2026 they ran from 11 July to 5 September; the programme is on the cultural centre’s website.

Mahler’s composing hut

Gustav Mahler spent the summers of 1908, 1909 and 1910 in Toblach with his wife Alma and daughter Anna. He did not stay at the Grand Hotel, as is often written, but at a farmhouse just outside the village, in Alt-Schluderbach, towards the Val di Landro. A small wooden hut was built for him in the woods nearby, so he could work in peace.

Here he wrote Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) and the Ninth Symphony, and began the Tenth, left unfinished. He left Toblach on 3 September 1910 and died in Vienna in May 1911. The hut now stands in a small wildlife park next to the farmhouse, which is a restaurant today. It can be visited in summer: check times and admission locally.

Lake Toblach

Lake Toblach (Lago di Dobbiaco) lies at 1,259 metres, about 4 km south of the village at the mouth of the Val di Landro. It is small (roughly 600 by 400 metres) and shallow, formed by a landslide, with the Rienza flowing through it. It is a natural monument between the Tre Cime and Fanes-Senes-Braies nature parks.

A nature trail with 11 information boards runs around it, plus an observation deck on the west shore: in spring and autumn many migrating birds stop here. The lake loop is flat and takes under an hour. On foot from the village, the village–lake loop is about 8 km, 2 hours 30, fine with a pushchair. In summer you can hire rowing boats; the water is too cold for swimming.

Val di Landro and Lake Landro

The Val di Landro climbs from Toblach towards Carbonin and Cortina along the SS51 road. About 11 km from the village is Lake Landro (Dürrensee) at 1,406 metres, with Monte Cristallo reflected in the water. You can get there by car, by bike on the cycle path or on the Tre Cime bus, which stops here.

The valley still has bunkers of the Italian Alpine Wall, built from 1939, and remains of 19th-century Austrian forts: in the First World War the Monte Piana front line was only a few kilometres away.

Drei Zinnen Blick: the Tre Cime from the road

About 8 km from Toblach on the road to Cortina, the Drei Zinnen Blick viewpoint looks straight up the Rienza valley to the north faces of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Three Peaks). There is a platform with boards and a telescope: the easiest view of the Three Peaks, with no toll road and no climb.

From here trail 102 follows the Rienza valley up to the Locatelli hut: about 8 km, almost 1,000 metres of ascent, 3 hours 30 up. A demanding hike, for proper boots and settled weather only.

Nasswand war cemetery

About 6 km south of Toblach, in the forest beside the Cortina road, is the Austro-Hungarian military cemetery of Nasswand, also called the Sorgenti cemetery. More than 1,200 First World War soldiers are buried here, many of them brought in wounded from the Monte Piana front. A quiet, protected place for a short stop.

Prato Piazza

Prato Piazza (Plätzwiese) is a high pasture plateau at about 2,000 metres, between Picco di Vallandro and Croda Rossa d’Ampezzo, in the municipality of Braies and the Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park. Monte Cristallo stands opposite. It is the easiest way to be in high mountains without effort.

You drive up from Ponticello in the Braies valley on a toll road with a limited number of cars and restricted hours in high season (in 2026, in July and August, cars only before 9 am and after 4 pm). The alternative is bus 443 from Toblach and Villabassa, which runs up to the plateau in summer. Current rules on the Braies municipality website.

Toblach is first and foremost a cross-country village. For downhill there is only a small children’s area; the real slopes belong to the 3 Zinnen Dolomites ski area (Tre Cime Dolomiti), between San Candido, Versciaco and Sesto, 6–12 km away. The season usually runs from late November or early December to Easter, snow permitting.

Cross-country skiing and the Nordic Arena

The Tre Cime region has about 200 km of linked cross-country trails, around 120 km of them around Toblach. You start at the Nordic Arena, the cross-country stadium, with 5 to 10 km loops suitable for beginners; the trails continue towards San Candido, Villabassa and the Val di Landro.

The Nordic Arena hosts the FIS Cross-Country World Cup and has been a Tour de Ski stage several times, most recently over New Year 2025/26 (in October 2026 the 2026/27 calendar was still provisional). The best-known race is the Dobbiaco–Cortina Granfondo, first run in 1977: in 2027 it takes place in early February, 42 km classic and 35 km skating, starting and finishing in Toblach and turning after the Cimabanche pass.

Downhill: the Rienza area and 3 Zinnen Dolomites

In Toblach itself, on the valley floor, the Rienza area has a few lifts and easy runs, with a ski school and a snow park for children. Good for your first days on skis, not for a full ski week.

For proper skiing go to Versciaco (about 9 km), where a new gondola runs up Monte Elmo (Helm) from winter 2026/27, or to San Candido for Monte Baranci (about 6 km), family-friendly with night skiing. With Croda Rossa, Passo Monte Croce and Val Comelico, the area has about 115 km of runs and over 30 lifts, mostly blue and red. Trains and ski buses go to the lift stations. Kronplatz (Plan de Corones) is reachable by train on the Ski Pustertal Express; Brunico is about 27 km away.

Ski passes

The area is part of Dolomiti Superski. For 2026/27, an adult Dolomiti Superski day pass costs 89 euros in high season and a 6-day pass 453 euros. There is also a cheaper local 3 Zinnen Dolomites pass: prices on the lift company’s website.

Snowshoeing and the frozen lake

In winter the groomed loop around Lake Toblach is about 1.7 km, 45 minutes; when the ice is declared open, people skate and play curling. Above the village, Monte Rota (Ratsberg) is the classic snowshoe outing, with an easy route and a loop of almost 10 km and about 450 metres of ascent. Prato Piazza is another snowshoe destination: winter access rules are on the Braies municipality website.

In summer Toblach works well without a car: buses to the Tre Cime and Braies leave from the station, and cycle paths start in the village.

To the Tre Cime on bus 444

Line 444 runs from Toblach (bus and train stations) to the Auronzo hut, stopping at Lake Toblach, Drei Zinnen Blick, Lake Landro and Carbonin. In 2026 it ran from 31 May to 11 October, only with online booking and payment for the return trip: 22 euros for adults, 12 euros for ages 6–13. It does not stop at Misurina, does not take bikes and does not accept the Mobilcard or guest pass. Booking on the bus website.

From the Auronzo hut, walk the Tre Cime loop: about 9.5 km, about 400 metres of ascent, 3–4 hours. By car you go up from Misurina on the toll road, with compulsory booking.

Picco di Vallandro

Picco di Vallandro (Dürrenstein, 2,839 m) is the classic summit from Prato Piazza. Trail 40 climbs about 850 metres in 3–4 hours, zig-zagging to the fore-summit. The last section has a short cable-protected step: you need a sure foot and a head for heights. Easier: the walk to the Vallandro hut (2,040 m), almost flat from the plateau.

Cycling to Cortina on the old railway

From 1921 to 1964 a railway linked Toblach with Cortina and Calalzo. Its route is now a cycle path up the Val di Landro, past Lake Landro, over the Cimabanche pass (about 1,530 m) and down to Cortina. The gradients are railway gradients: gentle, fine for hybrids and e-bikes.

The Drava cycle path to Lienz

Eastwards starts the Drava cycle path: from Toblach to Lienz in Austria is just under 50 km, mostly downhill and almost always away from traffic. It is the most family-friendly bike ride in the area. You come back by train: check the rules for taking bikes beforehand.

Monte Rota and easy walks

Monte Rota, above Toblach, is the viewpoint walk over the village and the Sesto Dolomites, with mountain-bike trails too. For a quiet half day: the lake loop and Mahler’s hut.

• San Candido (about 6 km): the old centre and the Monte Baranci slopes. Guide: San Candido.
• Sesto and Val Fiscalina (about 12 km): the Sesto sundial peaks and the walking route to the Locatelli hut. Guide: Sesto.
• Lake Braies (about 16 km): in high summer (in 2026 from 1 July to 15 September, 9 am to 4 pm) by car only with a pre-booked parking space; bus 442 from Toblach must be booked online. Guide: Lake Braies.
• Lake Misurina (about 20 km): already in the Veneto, start of the toll road to the Tre Cime. Guide: Lake Misurina.
• Cortina d’Ampezzo (about 33 km): through the Val di Landro, by car or bike. Guide: Cortina d’Ampezzo.
• Lake Anterselva (about 35 km): home of Olympic biathlon.
• Lienz (about 48 km): main town of East Tyrol, by train or by bike along the Drava.

Toblach is a good base for cross-country skiing and for travelling by train and bus. Which part suits you depends on how you get around.

• Centre and Old Toblach: for families and anyone who wants shops and restaurants on foot. Guesthouses, family hotels, apartments.
• New Toblach, by the station and Grand Hotel: the best choice without a car, close to trains, buses and the Nordic Arena. Ideal for cross-country skiers.
• Towards the lake and Val di Landro: nature and quiet, a campsite and isolated places; you need a car or bike.
• Hamlets and farms (Santa Maria, Valle San Silvestro): for tighter budgets or a farm stay, with a car.
• For downhill skiers: if you ski every day, consider San Candido or Versciaco, closer to the gondolas.

Book early for August, Christmas and race weekends. Many places give you a guest pass for public transport, but it is not valid on lines 444 and 442 during the booking periods.

By car

From the A22 Brenner motorway take the Bressanone/Varna – Val Pusteria exit and follow the SS49 for about 60 km via Brunico. From Cortina, take the SS51 through the Val di Landro (about 33 km). From Austria, Lienz is about 48 km away along the Drava.

By train

Toblach has a station on the Puster Valley line Fortezza – San Candido. Fortezza (Franzensfeste) is served by Brenner line trains from Verona, Bolzano, Innsbruck and Munich (Trenitalia, DB, ÖBB); change there for the regional train to San Candido. From Austria there are trains from Lienz. Timetables on südtirolmobil.

By bus

From the bus station, line 446 runs to San Candido and Sesto and, in summer, line 442 to Lake Braies, 443 to Prato Piazza and 444 to the Tre Cime. Line 444, and line 442 in high summer, must be booked online.

By plane

The nearest airports are Bolzano (about 105 km), Innsbruck (about 135 km), Treviso (about 165 km) and Venice (about 180 km); Munich is about 270 km. From Bolzano and Innsbruck continue by train via Fortezza; from Venice and Treviso there are transfers to book in advance.

Parking

In the village there is parking in the centre, at the station and at the Nordic Arena, plus a car park at Lake Toblach. In high summer, parking at Lake Braies and Prato Piazza is paid and limited: the buses save you queues and full car parks.

DOBBIACO Weather