Lago di Braies

Updated October 2026 · Sources: Braies municipality and tourist office, Province of Bolzano, South Tyrol Mobility, IDM South Tyrol, Tre Cime Dolomiti

Find a place to stay near Lake Braies

Lake Braies (Lago di Braies in Italian, Pragser Wildsee in German) is in South Tyrol, northern Italy, at the head of the Braies Valley, a side valley of the Puster Valley (Val Pusteria), in the municipality of Braies (province of Bolzano). It sits at 1,494 m, inside the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park and the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site, right below the north face of Croda del Becco (Seekofel, 2,810 m). Bolzano is about 97 km away, Dobbiaco (Toblach) 16 km.

It is not a big lake: about 31 hectares, 1.2 km long and up to 36 m deep. It is known for its green-blue water, the wooden rowing boats and the rock face reflected in it early in the morning. The Italian TV series “Un passo dal cielo” made it famous, and in summer it is now one of the busiest spots in the Dolomites.

So the most useful thing to know is practical: in summer 2026, from 1 July to 15 September, between 9 am and 4 pm the valley road was open only with a pre-booked parking space, a transit permit, a pre-booked bus, on foot or by bike. Below you will find the rules, the lake loop, the boats, hikes to Croda del Becco and Prato Piazza, the lake in winter and where to stay.

You can see the lake on foot in half a day. With a full day, add Malga Foresta or Prato Piazza. There is no entrance fee: you only pay for parking or the bus.

The lake and the boathouse

The road ends on the north shore. A little further on, on the east shore, is the wooden boathouse on stilts with the rowing boats: the best-known photo of the lake. The colour changes with the light and the season, from green to blue. Croda del Becco closes the lake to the south. For an empty shore and still water, arrive before 8 am or after 5 pm.

The lakeside chapel

On the west shore, right on the loop trail, is a small chapel built in 1904 and dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows. It is linked to an event at the end of the Second World War, when prisoners were freed in the valley. A short stop on the easy side of the loop.

Croda del Becco

Croda del Becco (Seekofel, 2,810 m) is the mountain in every photo, south of the lake. The summit is a demanding hike with an exposed section secured by a fixed rope. The lake itself was formed by rockfalls and debris that once dammed the valley.

Malga Foresta

Malga Foresta (Grünwaldalm) is the easiest destination from the lake: about an hour on a forest track up the side valley, with little climbing. In winter it is the easiest snowshoe walk in the area. Good with children.

Prato Piazza

Prato Piazza (Plätzwiese) is a high pasture plateau at about 2,000 m, also in the municipality of Braies, facing Picco di Vallandro, Croda Rossa d’Ampezzo and Monte Cristallo. You don’t reach it from the lake but from Ponticello, halfway up the valley, on a toll road with a limited number of cars. In 2026 the same access rules as the lake applied; the alternative is bus 443.

Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park

The lake is on the northern edge of the nature park, which stretches to the Fanes and Sennes plateaus towards Val Badia and Cortina. Protected-area rules apply: no wild camping, stay on the trails. The park asks visitors not to swim in the lake.

Ferrara and San Vito

Driving up from the Puster Valley you pass Ferrara (Schmieden) and San Vito (St. Veit), the small villages of the valley, with farms and meadows. They are a few minutes from the lake by bus: the closest base if you want to be there before the crowds.

The loop around the lake is 3.6 km long, with 86 m of ascent and descent, between 1,491 and 1,528 m. The tourist board gives it about an hour; with stops and photos, allow an hour and a half. Easy and waymarked.

• West shore: flat and wide, past the chapel. The easiest section and the one to do with a pushchair, there and back.
• East shore: narrower path with steps and some ups and downs. Not suitable for pushchairs.
• South end: the furthest from the car park, below Croda del Becco, looking north over the lake. Usually the quietest.
• Season: the full loop is usually open from May to early or mid-November, weather permitting. In winter only one shore is open and the path can be icy.

In autumn and winter part of the loop may be closed: check the notices at the car park.

Rowing boats are rented at the boathouse on the east shore, near the end of the road. Each boat takes up to 5 people, children included. In 2026 the season ran from 25 April to 1 November; in high season (20 June to 6 September) the first boat went out at 8 am and the last at 6 pm, with shorter hours in spring and autumn.

• 2026 prices: private boat €55 for 45 minutes; there is also a cheaper shared boat trip (check the price on site).
• Booking: standard boats can’t be booked, only rented on the spot. On peak days there is a queue.
• Rules: no private boats, canoes or SUPs.

Every summer the Province of Bolzano regulates traffic in the Braies Valley. The dates change every year. In summer 2026 the rules were:

• Period: 1 July to 15 September 2026, 9 am to 4 pm.
• Who can drive in: only with a parking space booked online, a transit permit (for example if you are staying in the valley or visiting a partner business), on the pre-booked buses 439 or 442, on foot or by bike.
• Combined ticket: €44, including a day transit permit, a guaranteed parking space and a €22 voucher for restaurants and shops in the valley. Online advance booking only.
• Buses: lines 442 (from Dobbiaco and Villabassa) and 439 (from Monguelfo) must be booked and paid online at prags.bz. Mobilcard and guest cards are not valid; 10 seats per run are kept free, without booking, for holders of the South Tyrol altoadigemobilità Pass.
• Before 9 am and after 4 pm: you can drive in without a permit, but parking is paid and not guaranteed.
• From 16 September: no restrictions, access at any time (except the Prato Piazza toll road).

In 2026 booking opened in early June and July and August slots sold out fast. The rules for summer 2027 will be published in spring: check the official Braies Valley website before you go. Without a booking you can always walk or cycle up from the valley floor.

Times and climbs are from the Tre Cime Dolomiti tourist board unless stated otherwise. Season: usually June to October, snow permitting.

Lake Braies – Malga Foresta

2.1 km, about 1 hour, 118 m of ascent. Easy, on a forest track. For families, or to extend the lake loop.

Lake Braies – Malga Kaser

3.8 km, 1 h 30, 555 m of ascent. The hut is at 1,937 m. Steady climb through the forest, no technical difficulty.

Lake Braies – Malga Cavallo

6.6 km, nearly 3 hours, 846 m of ascent. For fit hikers, with views down onto the lake.

Lake Braies – Rifugio Biella and Rifugio Sennes

This is the start of the Alta Via 1, the Dolomites’ classic long-distance trek of over 100 km to Belluno. From the far end of the lake, trail no. 1 climbs to Rifugio Biella (2,327 m), with about 900 m of ascent: allow a full morning. Rifugio Sennes is 8.7 km from the lake, 3 h 20 and 922 m of ascent, on the Sennes plateau.

Croda del Becco

The summit (2,810 m) is reached via Rifugio Biella. A difficult hike, about 3 h 30 of ascent from the lake, with an exposed rocky section secured by a fixed rope. Only with experience, in good weather and without snow.

Lake Braies – Monguelfo

11.2 km, nearly 3 hours, almost all downhill along the valley to Monguelfo station. Handy if you came up by bus.

From December the lake freezes and is covered in snow. No boats, few people on weekdays, a white Croda del Becco above a flat expanse. One of the best times to come.

• Walking on the ice is prohibited: the thickness varies and the ice may not hold your weight. Only one shore of the loop stays open; the path can be icy, so bring winter boots or microspikes.
• Snowshoeing: to Malga Foresta, about 1 hour and 100 m of ascent; to Malga Kaser (1,937 m), under 2 hours, harder.
• Cross-country skiing: a 6 km loop at Prato Piazza, at about 2,000 m; more trails in the valley.
• Downhill skiing: no lifts at the lake. The nearest slopes are in the Alta Pusteria and the Puster Valley.
• Christmas market: there isn’t one at the lake. The nearest are in San Candido, Dobbiaco and Brunico.

In winter bus 442 runs up from Dobbiaco and Villabassa at normal public transport fares. By car, winter tyres or snow chains are required; parking is paid and limited.

• June: in 2026 the road regulation started on 1 July, but extra measures can apply on public holidays and long weekends. Snow still on high trails. A good month with fewer restrictions.
• July and August: peak season, road regulated from 9 am to 4 pm, booking required for cars and buses. Busy from mid-morning.
• Second half of September: restrictions over, fewer people, often settled weather. The best time for hiking.
• October: golden larches, boats until the end of the month, cool temperatures.
• December to March: frozen, snowy lake, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
• November, April and May: shoulder season, fewer services.

• Dobbiaco (16 km): the nearest village with a train station and bus station, the hub for buses to Braies and the Tre Cime.
• San Candido (6 km from Dobbiaco): Romanesque collegiate church and the cycle path to Lienz.
• Sesto (12 km from Dobbiaco): Val Fiscalina and the Sesto Sundial peaks.
• Tre Cime di Lavaredo: in summer by bus 444 from Dobbiaco, booked online.
• Lake Misurina (20 km from Dobbiaco): the lake below the Tre Cime, on the Veneto side.
• Cortina d’Ampezzo (33 km from Dobbiaco): through Val di Landro.
• Lake Anterselva (about 35 km): the Puster Valley’s other big lake, with the biathlon stadium and far fewer people.

There is very little accommodation on the lakeshore. Most visitors stay in the valley or in the Puster Valley. If you stay in the Braies Valley, your host gives you a transit permit for your whole stay: in July and August that is the biggest advantage.

• Braies Valley (San Vito, Ferrara): the closest option, a few minutes from the lake. For being at the shore at dawn and hiking from the door. Guesthouses, apartments and farm stays.
• Villabassa: at the mouth of the valley, with a train station and bus 442. For travellers without a car and families. There is also a campsite.
• Monguelfo: train station and bus 439 in summer. Quieter, also on the railway.
• Dobbiaco (16 km): the most practical base: trains, buses to Braies, Prato Piazza and the Tre Cime, plenty of hotels and apartments.
• San Candido and Sesto: for a week combining Braies, the Tre Cime and the ski slopes.

For one or two nights around a lake visit: the valley or Villabassa. For a week: Dobbiaco or San Candido. For July and August, book months ahead.

By car

Take the Brenner motorway (A22), exit at Bressanone/Varna – Val Pusteria and follow the SS 49 through the Puster Valley towards Brunico and Dobbiaco. Between Monguelfo and Villabassa turn south into the Braies Valley; the road ends at the lake. From Bolzano it is about 97 km. From Cortina, drive to Dobbiaco through Val di Landro and continue west on the SS 49. In summer, between 9 am and 4 pm, you need a booking (see above).

By train

The Puster Valley line (Fortezza – San Candido) stops at Monguelfo, Villabassa-Braies and Dobbiaco. At Fortezza it connects with Brenner line trains from Bolzano, Verona and Innsbruck. From the station, continue by bus. Timetables on South Tyrol Mobility.

By bus

• Line 442 (Dobbiaco – Villabassa – Lake Braies): all year; from 14 June to 11 October 2026 every 30 minutes in the middle of the day, roughly 6 am to 8 pm. 28 minutes from Dobbiaco bus station, 20 minutes from Villabassa.
• Line 439 (Monguelfo station – Lake Braies): only during the regulated period, in 2026 from 1 July to 15 September, about every 30 minutes, timed with trains from Brunico. 22 minutes.
• Line 443: in summer from Monguelfo, Villabassa and Dobbiaco to Prato Piazza, no booking needed.

From 1 July to 15 September buses 439 and 442 must be booked and paid online; outside that period no booking is needed and normal fares apply. Children under 6 travel free; dogs must wear a muzzle.

By plane

The nearest airport is Bolzano. For international flights, use Venice, Treviso, Innsbruck or Munich. Without a car, take the train to Fortezza, then the Puster Valley line to Monguelfo, Villabassa or Dobbiaco, and the bus to the lake. Private transfers from the airports are another option if you are travelling as a group.

Parking

There are three paid car parks at the lake: P4 about 100 m from the shore, P3 about 300 m, P2 about 800 m, with free toilets. Rates change with the season and are posted on site and on the Braies Valley website. Campervans pay €45 for 24 hours at P4. In summer, between 9 am and 4 pm, entry only with a booked space; outside those hours arrive early, as they fill up.