The Ultimate Lago di Braies Travel Guide

 

As she plunged into the water
Crystal clear and deep
She realised that all her secrets
The fish would surely keep
Below the water’s surface
Her eyes open wide

In this underwater world
Her thoughts she wouldn’t have to hide
As she danced under the water
Her precious heart released its sheathe
In this palace below a sheet of glass
She could finally breathe…

By H.C.

 

Welcome to the Kingdom of the Fanes

 

For a place that looks like a fairytale with its crystal clear, blue-green waters and a stunning backdrop of the Croda del Becco, it’s only fitting that it comes with its own mythological legend right?  In fact the whole of the Dolomites is home to hundreds of stories and legends, but Lago Di Braies or Pragser Wildsee, is home to one of the most well known legends in the area: The Kingdom of the Fanes.

Lago Di Braies is one of the largest lakes in the Dolomites region and a UNESCO Heritage Site.  Considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, it’s not hard to imagine elves, faes, dwarves or an ancient kingdom once residing here.

Read on for your ultimate guide and find out why you should add the ‘Pearl of the Dolomite Lakes’ to your Italian travel itinerary! 

The Legend of Lago Di Braies

 

Long ago, the area that is now the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature park, was home to a peaceful Kingdom in which its people were allied with marmots (a large native squirrel-type animal).  The Queen of the Fanes decided to marry a foreign king, who, craving power, took control of the kingdom.

Eager to expand his kingdom, the king turned his daughter, Dolasilla, into a powerful warrior.  In return for helping the dwarves, Dolasilla was gifted with invincible armour and unfailing arrows.  They warn her however, that the armour’s powers would disappear if she were to ever marry. After many conquests and expanding her kingdom, Dolasilla meets Ey de Net, an enemy warrior and the two fall in love. They decide to marry.

Fearing the end of his kingdom, the king opposes the marriage and betrays Dolasilla by selling her and his people to the enemy kingdom, in return for the entrance to the legendary land of plenty “Aurona”.  The king flees, but Dolasilla fights to save her people and is killed in battle.  The traitorous king is turned into stone and the surviving Fanes find shelter with the marmots living inside the mountains surrounding Lago Di Braies.  They continue to wait there until the silver trumpets sound, marking the rebirth of their Kingdom.

 

 

Things to do

 

1. Go Hiking

If you’re an early riser like me and found yourself at Lago di Braies around 6am, then a morning hike might be just the idea for you – especially since a lot of the main activities don’t open until 10am.  The area is pretty much empty at this time so it’s the best time to skip the crowds and enjoy the scenic beauty in peace and quiet and…all to yourself!  The best kind of experience right?

The most easiest and well known hike is the route around the lake, which is suitable for adults and children over 7.  It is recommended to walk the route clockwise, finishing at the chapel for a slightly easier experience. The route takes you beneath a mountain, up and down a large amount of stairs and it does get quite high at times.  There is a wooden railing along some parts of the track as well.

Time to complete: 1.5 – 2 hours

Along the way, you will see paths diverging off – that’s because there are actually several hikes you can do from Lago Di Braies and a total of 34 hikes in the Braies valley all of varying difficulty. See below for a list of hikes and routes taken from the travel brochures I accumulated on my trip.

 

2. Go Climbing

Another activity open at all hours is rock climbing.  Around Lago Di Braies, there are two main climbs, one is a fixed rope route and the other one is a climbing crag.

 

3. Have a Picnic

With limited restaurants in the area and such a gorgeous setting, a day out in Lago Di Braies is the perfect excuse for a picnic!!  As you walk around the lake, you’ll notice a few picnic tables and sandbanks perfect for setting up a picnic and enjoying the sunshine!

 

4. Rent a boat and row in the lake

According to legend, the only way to reach the Fanes underground realm was to sail across Lago Di Braies by boat to the base of the Croda del Becco.

In fact, up until 100 years ago, the only way to reach the lake’s Southern shores was by boat.  Today, you can hire a traditional wooden row boat and relive the magical legends of the lake yourself.  If hiking isn’t your thing, then this is a fantastic way to experience the beauty of the area.

Boats are available to hire from June to September from 10am – 5pm every day.  They cost €15.00 for 1/2 an hour and €25.00 for 1 hour.

 

5. Swimming & Fishing

These are two activities I did not know you could do at Lago Di Braies, but according to the official site you can!  Chill out in the sunshine and take your chances with a bit of fishing or, if you’re game enough, take a dive in the icy cold alpine water…I’d rather stick to the hiking and photography please.

 

6. Take Instagram worthy photos

This place is picture perfect for Instagram photos.  No matter which angle, sunshine or clouds, your photos will look stunning.  In fact I can only think of one thing that is likely to ruin your photos. People. A lot of them.  That’s right, Lago Di Braies gets extremely crowded and is a popular destination for numerous tour buses, tourists and locals.

The crowds are said to start from 9:30am, and knowing this I set out to arrive early.  I got to Lago Di Braies just after 6am which was made easy because I was literally staying in a hotel that was around 5 mins drive down the road (details below).  Arriving before 7am also meant cheap parking at only 2 euro!

Surprisingly, there were still a few people in the area at this time, mostly photographers, but also those looking to enjoy an early morning walk.  It was by no means crowded and I had the opportunity to take my time with photos and really enjoy it.

The only downside with arriving so early was that the Boat House was closed, so I missed out on taking some iconic photos of the boat house steps that lead down into the water and some shots from inside a boat.  However if you’re able to spend a day here, arriving early leaves enough time to capture photos, hike around the lake without the crowds and be back in time to catch a boat ride when they open at 10am!

5. Visit Lago Di Braies Chapel

There’s something so beautiful about Swiss style churches – and yes I know that we are in Italy, but the churches here are of the same style as in Switzerland.  This chapel was built in the first years of the 20th century and consecrated in 1904 to Our Lady of Sorrows.  It now belongs to Hotel Lago Di Braies and has important ties to World War II, but I’ll let you discover those for yourself ;)

Please note that the church is only able to be visited in Summer.

 

When to Visit

 

Lago Di Braies is stunning all year round, but some seasons have a few more perks than others.  Visiting in summer gives you access to the traditional row boats and the chapel, both you cannot experience outside of the summer months.

I visited on June 12th and was happy to see some snow still left on the Croda del Becco.  I definitely think a touch of snow adds to the magic of the place!

 

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How to get there

 

Lago Di Braies is located in the Braies valley in the South Tyrolean Dolomites in Italy.

Getting to the Dolomites Region – Closest Airports

There is no direct flight to the Dolomites region, so the closest airports in Italy are Verona, Venice Marco Polo and Venice Treviso.  In Austria, the closest airports are Innsbruck, Salzburg and Klaenfurt with Munich being the closest in Germany.  From here you can easily drive, catch public transport or take a guided tour to Lago Di Braies.

 

Hire a Car

My preferred option when travelling not only because it’s comfortable, but it gives you a whole heap of freedom, it’s reliable and most importantly, it saves time.  Having a car also means you can beat the crowds! If you’re travelling in peak season, you could get away without having a car because public transport is frequent and reliable, but if you’re visiting outside of peak season, I definitely recommend hiring a car.

Driving in this beautiful region was an absolutely wonderful experience. It is so stunning.  I hired a car from Venice Marco Polo Airport and the drive was simple.  There are tolls on this route and working out how to pay for them on the fly was slightly difficult, but I was able to figure it out in the end.

I used GoogleMaps to navigate and simply typed in “Lago Di Braies” as the destination, or you could use the map I’ve created earlier in this post and navigate to one of the parking areas instead.

Here’s how long the drive takes from various destinations:

• From Venice: Just under a 3 hour drive taking the A27 and SS51
• From Verona: 3 hour drive
• From Innsbruck: 2 hours drive
• From Brunico: 35 minutes drive taking the SS49

 

Public Transport

From Venice Airport, there is a direct “FlixBus” to Dobbiaco, where the central bus station in the Dolomites is located.  Here you can catch a local bus 442 (purple line on map below) directly to Lago Di Braies. The total journey will take around 4.5 hours.

The 442 also passes Dobbiaco and Villabassa Stations, so if you’re coming by train, you can transfer from either to get to Lago Di Braies.  Villabassa Station may be a quicker alternative if travelling by train from the Brunico direction (Verona, Innsbruck or Munich airports).

Bus 442 roughly comes every 30mins in peak season and costs 3 euro per person.  Children under 6 ride free and furry friends are welcome. This site in general is great for finding your way around the Dolomites region by bus: http://www.sii.bz.it/en and also has some phone numbers you can contact if you have any problems.

Download 442 Timetable

If you have downloaded the timetable, here’s what the following symbols mean:

 

Shuttle Service

If you prefer, there is also a shuttle service from Monguelfo train station directly to the lake. This costs 3 euro pp, children under 6 ride free and furry friends are welcome.

 

LAGO DI BRAIES ACCOMODATION

 

I stayed at Albergo Steinerhof which I enjoyed.  The inn also has it’s own restaurant where you can buy lunch or dinner. Best of all, Albergo Steinerhof is located only 5 mins drive from Lago Di Braies.  My stay included free breakfast which I thought was impressive (image below).  There was a selection of colds meats, cheese, bread, croissants, jams and other spreads, cereals and fruits. There was also free wifi.

The lady who runs the hotel is lovely.  Although she doesn’t speak English, she tries her best to understand and communicate with you.

 

GENERAL INFO

PRICE

• Free entry to the Lago Di Braies
• Paid carpark –  Before 7am 2 euros, 7-5pm 6-8 euro, after 5pm 4 euro.  Parking is located very close to the lake, refer to image below for a visual reference.  The map earlier in this post provides a location reference to the parking.

OPENING HOURS

• Open all year round

FACILITIES

• Dogs and pets are allowed, but you must pick up after them.
• Toilet facilities are available at the southern most part of the lake and inside Hotel Lago Di Braies.
• Food at the site is limited, with the closest being available from Hotel Lago Di Braies.  It is recommended to bring your own food, or you can find a restaurant in a nearby town.
• Lago Di Braies is stroller and disabled friendly when accessed via the carpark.  Hiking around the lake is not possible with strollers or people with limited walking ability as there are many steps and steep areas.

What’s the most beautiful lake you’ve visited?

If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments below!