Would you enjoy a romantic rowboat ride on a beautiful turquoise lake in northern Italy? Then, you will want to put Lago di Braies on your Dolomite itinerary. Spoiler alert: It’s stunning!
Day 4 of our Dolomite Road Trip was a doozy. We started out doing our drive to Tre-Cime, but were waylaid along the way, and our planned agenda just didn’t pan out. Now it was time to punt. Lago di Braies was on our planned itinerary, but we were thinking we would do it on Day 5. Why not switch it up and do it today instead?
If you didn’t read about our Tre Cime epic drive, click here!
Driving the Dolomites
On this trip, I was surprised how many people were driving around, doing many of the same things we were. Traveling on a shoulder season, really the end of the high season in the Dolomites, the first week of October seemed like a time when Jim and I would be able to just waltz up and do whatever we wanted without worrying about crowds. Didn’t happen. However, we kept saying over and over, “If there’s this many people now, just imagine it in summer!”
Lago di Braies
So, yeah, we arrived at Lago di Braies, and the first clue that this is a popular thing to do is how many parking lots there are and how full they were. At least it wasn’t “too” overfull. We found a space in the lot closest to the lake, pretty easily, especially for the middle of the day, but it was a clue about how many people would be there.
The lake, although you couldn’t see it, was right across the street. Parking Lot 3 is the closest. Right away, there were a couple of buildings, a hotel, a snack bar-type restaurant, and they were packed. People everywhere.
Rowing Boats on Lago di Braies
As you start to walk around the lake, you immediately see the line for the kiosk selling the boating tickets. Obviously, there was going to be a wait. This turned some people away, but we were game for it.
The vendor told us we’d probably have to wait about 20 minutes, and he was spot on.
Since the boats are mainly for you and whoever you came with, it’s kind of like a theme park ride where you have to wait your turn for a boat to come in and be loaded.
Unlike a ride, though, you have to row yourself, so the helper gives you a 30 second lesson on how to row a boat, kicks you off the dock and you are on your own.
I’ve rowed many boats, and some boats are ridiculously difficult to row. This one was not. But that didn’t help some of the folks who’d never rowed before. I have to say, half the fun was watching how long it took some of the boats to get going.
Our Dolomite Road Trip Looked like this:
- Drove from Ramstein area in Germany
- Overnighted in the Brenner Pass
- Day 1 – Vipiteno, Bolzano, and Selva Val Gardena (volksmarch)
- Day 2 – Siusi, Seiser Alm, Compatsch and Kastelruth – Cow festivals
- Day 3 – Völs am Schern, Tiers Cow Festival, Via Coller, St. Magdalena Bacon Festival
- Day 4 – Tre-Cime and Lago di Braies
- Day 5 – Kronplatz Peak, The Lumen Mountain Photography Museum and the Messner Mountain Climbing Museum
- Day 6 – 9 – Back to Bolzano, Bergamo, Annecy and the Retours des Alpages
Download a snapshot pdf of our Dolomite road trip for further planning.
We were loaded, and Jim expertly got us out of the melee. We were in the middle of the lake, and had a chance to look around. The other entertainment was watching the Instagrammers trying to get their shots.
Note: You can always tell an Instagrammer from a regular tourist taking photos, because they will pick a spot and stay there…forever! Luckily, there was plenty of space for everyone else to go find a good spot as well.
For me, I like to get photos without too many people in them, and the picturesque chapel path was teeming with tourists, so I never did get quite the shot I wanted, but hey, that’s to be expected when I go somewhere right in the smack dab middle of the day.
You get 40 minutes with the boat, and really, it’s enough. We rowed. We took photos. We enjoyed each other’s company, and voilà, we were done. And we loved it!
Now, we didn’t stay for food. Usually, we would grab at least a snack, but we just didn’t want to wait for the lines, and really, the café didn’t have any good views of the lake, so why bother?
We opted to stop at Hans Pizzeria on the way back to Tre Cime in Toblach.
Map of our Dolomite Road Trip
Our Rating
I gave it a 5 star rating because it was a stunningly beautiful place. Yes, the time Jim and I chose to go was probably not the best, but that was our fault.
I would suggest going either first thing in the morning or maybe later after everyone else has gone home. Don’t know for sure, because we went when we went.
The boat was the right price. The wait wasn’t too long. The staff were helpful and friendly. It was all good. I would highly recommend stopping by on your Dolomite itinerary.
Conclusion
Lago di Braies is gorgeous! The turquoise water, the wooden row boats; it’s all stunning. It is a popular stop, though, so pick your time wisely!
On to Day 5 of our Dolomite road trip where we are surprised by two stunning museums, the Lumen Mountain Photography Museum and the Messner Mountain Museum Corones. Check it out!
Author Bio: Corinne Vail is a travel photographer, food lover, and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 14 years. For many years she lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands teaching the children of the US. military. She’s visited over 90 countries, and she’s not stopping anytime soon.