Visiting Lago di Braies – Is the boat ride worth it? Dolomites, Italy

August 2024

Visiting Lago di Braies – Is the boat ride worth it? Dolomites, Italy

Visiting Lake Braies is typically found on all bloggers’ itineraries for visiting the Dolomites though I did read some skepticism of being over hyped. While being identified as the “Pearl of the Dolomites”, naturally social media has exploded its popularity and it is quite a mob scene despite the photos online where there is not a soul around. However, the alpine lake is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the scenery here is quite beautiful so

I kept it on our itinerary as a loose plan and if our interest was high. The lake itself sits at the base of beautiful mountain peaks with the north face of Croda del Becco and famously has wooden boats that can be rented as well as a hiking path around the entire lake.

When visiting, it is best to have a plan for what you want to do as well as how much time you want to spend here. We used Moon and Honey’s guide to help with the planning – their content is fantastic for anyone planning a trip to the Dolomites. For most must-see destinations in the Cortina d’Ampezzo area, Lake Braies is out of the way with almost an hour drive each way so keep that in mind when budgeting activities for your day. 

Parking 

First, it is important to know that during peak visiting weeks (for 2024, those dates were between July 10th and September 10th), driving access to Lago di Braies is restricted between 9:30 am and 4 pm. You must have a parking pass reserved in order to continue on this road. Parking is of utmost priority when it comes to destinations of interest in the Dolomites and Lake Braies is no expectation. In fact, I would argue that Lake Braies requires some of the most advanced planning of the other tourist sites. The road to the lake itself is closed to traffic and only those with a parking pass are permitted to continue through. But this is not like Tre Cime where it is a toll road – the parking lots are run privately and vary in distance from the lake and vary in price. I will save you the options by stating the best and really only option you need is parking lot P3. We purchased our pass at this website and it secured our ability to visit the lake. The price is 8 euro (as of writing this post) and it is less than a five minute walk to the lake itself. The other lots are either way more money or so far that you need to rely on a shuttle bus. 

What is There To Do

Rent a boat – By far the most popular thing to do (thanks Instagram) is rent a wooden boat and row along the lake. It is scenic, some mix of calm and chaotic depending on how many people are on the lake that have no idea how to row or steer, and is a pretty unique experience. As of writing this post, the price for a shared boat was 15 euro for 45 minutes and for a private boat was 50 euro for 45 minutes. Each boat can hold a max of five people. During our visit, we did not witness one boat that was shared – so either everyone pays for a private boat or they do not enforce the shared boat rules very much. But given the price and demand, I assume everyone is paying for a private boat ride. 

Hike the trail – There is a scenic trail along the lake that is through woods for a large majority of the trail. The total loop is 3.6km and takes about 1.5 hours to complete. We saw many people taking advantage of this trail and it looked quite enjoyable. 

Relax – We noted many people having themselves a beach day, enjoying the restaurant, and exploring the area so there are certainly other options available if you decide to spend all day here. 

Renting a Boat

Since we were a group of five, renting the boats made a lot of sense. Getting a private boat meant it was only 10 euro a person which made the experience super reasonable. I knew there could be a long wait for a boat so once we arrived at P3 parking, we scurried to the lake and got in line to pay for a boat. When you pay for your boat experience of choice, you are given a number and then like a deli counter, as boats arrive at the dock for disembarking your number is called to board your boat. For us, it ended up being a fifteen minute wait for our group number to be called. 

Everyone took turns attempting to row the boat – and I saw attempting cause the wind was so strong in one direction that it made intentional rowing and steering difficult at times. We witnessed more boats than not struggling to figure out the rowing and thankfully we navigated around them into less occupied territory to enjoy ourselves. Views from the boat were so nice and as our 45 minutes was nearing a close, we noted some large storm clouds rolling in.

Is it Worth It?

Overall, we really enjoyed our time at Lake Braies but I can certainly understand the criticisms of this location. For us as a group of five, the boat rental was an easy ten euro a person and if you can row away from the group you will have a more peaceful experience. If it was just Kevin and I, I am not sure we would have made the trip. Definitely consider your options for how to want to structure your visit to Cortina d’Ampezzo and the time commitment visiting this lake, including the drive there. There are several lakes closer to town, such as Lake Misurina and Lake Dürrensee, but you do not get the backdrop and beat ride you get at Lake Braies.

Continue reading about our week in Dolomites here!

Read all blog posts for the Dolomites here!

Packing in a carry on? Read the full packing list here!

See our complete itinerary here!

Planning your trip? Check out the Perfect One Week Itinerary to the Dolomites here!