Braies, and the Dolomites around it
A few slow days in the eastern Dolomites, built around an emerald lake, long ridgeline hikes, and South Tyrol dinners.
Braies is the photograph that started your group chat, and it earns the early alarm. Base in the quiet Pusteria valley, drive out for the lake before the boats fill, then spend the rest of the trip trading high ridgelines for long South Tyrol dinners. Come with people who will get up for first light at the water and still want a second glass of Lagrein at ten.
Braies runs on timing more than distance.
The lake is calmest and emptiest in the first hour after sunrise, before the lots fill and the rowboats go out. The middle of the day belongs to the high trails around Tre Cime, where a mountain hut waits with goulash and a bench in the sun. Evenings are for driving back down to the valley towns and a slow table. Get the order right and the crowds mostly happen to other people.
Cortina sits about an hour south for a grander night out, and the Pusteria towns of Dobbiaco and San Candido put you ten minutes from the lake road. Every place below opens straight into your Varde itinerary with a tap. Build a loose plan, then let the weather and your legs decide the rest.
Where to eat
Casunziei in the woods, two Michelin rooms, and a farm in a clearing.
Baita Fraina
Best for A warm first night
A family run baita above Cortina in the larch woods, the kind of room you want on the first night. Order the casunziei, the beetroot ravioli that turns the plate pink, and let the kitchen send out the local cheeses. There are a few rooms upstairs if the wine list wins.
Ristorante Tivoli
Best for The big dinner
Cortina's Michelin starred table, where Graziano Prest cooks the mountains and the nearby Adriatic on one menu. Sit for the tasting and let them pour the regional wines alongside. Book well ahead, this is the splurge dinner of the trip.
SanBrite
Best for Farm cooking done right
A Michelin starred farm restaurant where most of what reaches the plate is raised or made on site, from the cheese to the cured meats. Riccardo Gaspari cooks a clean, rooted alpine menu that feels nothing like fussy. Go for the lunch if dinner is full.
El Brite de Larieto
Best for A lazy mountain lunch
A working malga in a clearing in the larches, reached by a short drive and a walk through the trees. The cheeses are made out back and the menu is short and seasonal, heavy on dumplings and roasted meat. A long, easy lunch when the sun is out.
Restaurant Tilia
Best for A quiet valley splurge
A small, precise Dobbiaco room where Chris Oberhammer cooks a modern South Tyrol menu just minutes from the lake road. Few tables, long evenings, a deep regional wine list. The valley pick when you want refined without the drive to Cortina.
What to see
The lake at dawn, the three peaks, and the hut between them.
Lago di Braies
Best for First light
The lake itself, emerald under sheer dolomite walls, with a wooden boathouse and rowboats that have launched a million photos. Come for the first hour after sunrise to walk the flat shore loop in near silence, then rent a boat once the light is up. The road tolls and lots fill by mid morning in summer, so go early or come back at dusk.
Tre Cime di Lavaredo
Best for The signature hike
The three blunt towers that put the Dolomites on every wish list, circled by a roughly ten kilometer loop that earns its reputation. Start from the Auronzo hut and walk it clockwise for the famous north face view about halfway round. Bring layers, the weather here writes its own plan.
Rifugio Locatelli
Best for Lunch with a view
The mountain hut that sits dead opposite the north faces of Tre Cime, the natural halfway stop on the loop. Pull in for goulash, a barley soup, or a slice of cake on the terrace with the best seats in the range. Cash is handy and the kitchen keeps hut hours, so time your walk to land here near noon.
Where to base
Three valley hotels ten minutes from the lake road.
Hotel Santer
Best for A relaxed valley stay
A family run wellness hotel in Dobbiaco with a generous spa and an easy walk into the small town. Comfortable rather than flashy, and well placed for both the Braies road and the cross country trails. A good value base for a group that wants room to spread out.
Hotel Adler Dolomiti
Best for A traditional village base
A long standing hotel on the square in Villabassa, the next village over from Dobbiaco, with a spa and a kitchen happy to feed a tired group. Central, traditional, and a few minutes closer to the lake. Ask about half board if you would rather not drive out every night.
Where to splurge
Two grand Cortina rooms for the night you go all in.
Grand Hotel Savoia
Best for A night in town
A classic five star in the heart of Cortina, steps from the main promenade and the evening passeggiata. Polished, central, and built for stepping straight out to dinner. The pick if you want one night in town rather than up a mountain road.
Plan your Lago di Braies, Italy trip with Varde.
Free for everyday trips. Every place in this guide can be added to your itinerary with a single tap.