Visit the Italian Dolomites UNESCO

The Dolomites are without any doubts one of the most beautiful places in Italy. The recognizable mountains and the unique lakes make this place really special. I have been dreaming to visit the Dolomites for years so it was impossible to not add this place to our road trip! So we ended this amazing trip with this amazing place.

We stayed there for 3 days but obviously it was not enough. We only had the time to visit two lakes: the famous Lago di Braies and the unreal Lago di Sorapis. But also Cortina d’Ampezza, as we were staying there. We were not disappointed, these two lakes are absolutely incredible and totally different from each other. If you are planning to visit the Dolomites, you should definitely visit these two lakes! You can also add to your list the beautiful Alpe di Siusi, Santa Magdalena, and the Lago di Carrezza. If you like adventures, hiking, mountains, and lakes, believe me, you will love the Dolomites!

You are wondering where to stay? How to get to these places? What budget you have to forecast and what is the best time to go there? Here are the answers!

What is the best time of the year to visit the Dolomites

There’s no real best time to visit the Dolomites. Indeed, the region delights all year. To avoid the crowds, visit in May, June or September when it’s cool and settled. The Dolomites feature year-round beauty – whether it is the pristine winter snows primed for skiing, spring with valleys full of wildflowers, summer when all of the hiking trails and climbing routes are open, or fall when the larch trees turn golden yellow and you have the trails to yourself. So when is the best time to visit the Dolomites you ask? The depends entirely on you!

Where to stay in the Dolomites

The Dolomites are huge, more than 15 000m2, so there are many beautiful hotels and refuges to stay. It is depending on which places you want to visit. Personally, we wanted to visit the Lago di Braies and the Lago di Sorapis. So it was perfect for us to stay in Cortina d’Ampezzo. We were only at 15 minutes from the Lago di Sorapis and 50 minutes from the Lago di Braies. Honestly, the ratio quality-price is not so good in the Dolomites. The hotels are quite expensive and not always worth it. We managed to find a good hotel in Cortina d’Ampezzo for 120€ per night.

What places to visit in the Dolomites

Lago di Braies

The beautiful Lago di Braies is probably the more famous lake of the Dolomites and we can easily understand why! This place is pure bliss. When we arrived in front of this beautiful lake, we were totally in awe. Golden mountains, reflections in the water and boats. It was a true fairytale.

How to get to the Lago di Braies

You can directly park your car in one of the 2 partings just in front of the lake. The access to this lake is totally free. But you need to know that the parking is quite expensive: 6€ for one hour.

What is the best time of the day to visit this lake

Like all the famous places, you need to get there early if you want to avoid the crowd. But for this place, you need to know that even if you get there early, you won’t be the first! We went there around 7:00 am and it was already full of photographers, around 30 persons taking photos of the lake. Also, Drone photos are totally forbidden. You also need to know that the boat renting is closed until 9:00 am. If you want you to rent a boat, it will costs you 18€ for 30 minutes. I heard that you can also have this place to yourself before 9:00 if you pay 150€.

Lago di Sorapis

You may probably have heard of the Lago di Sorapis which is less known but it is for me one of the most beautiful lakes in the Dolomites. I absolutely wanted to get there and do the amazing hike. The blue color of the water is absolutely incredible and I swear it is even bluer in reality! And the mountains surrounded this place are stunning.

How to get there?

You can not park in front of this lake, you need to park at the beginning of the hiking trail and do a 2 hours hike to get there! It is totally free. It was exactly 13 km go and back but it was totally worthing it! First of all, we found the hike incredible, it was beautiful all along the way and when we arrived we discovered a hidden gem! It was even more beautiful than we could imagine! Concerning the difficulty, I would say honestly it is medium. If you are afraid of the heigh that can be a little bit hard at some points but if it not dangerous.

What is the best time of the day to get there

We woke up at 5:00 to be there around 7:30 and we were not disappointed! We were the first ones so we had the chance to have this place just for ourselves. When we arrived after two hours to this magical lake we were totally in awe! The water was so blue it was unreal. If you are asking yourself how this can be so blue, it’s because it’s a glacial lake!

Is it possible to swim in the lake?

No, unfortunately, it is not allowed to not swim there. The lake is protected by the UNESCO. So you can just sit there and admire the beauty of this place or you can also walk around the lake!

If you want to visit the Lago di Sorapis, read our full blog post about this place!

Visit the Dolomites

To conclude, you need to see the Dolomites if you are visiting the north of Italy. This place is a must to see! If you are planning to visit Italy soon, read our post about our Italy road trip

We were really glad we managed to visit this place and were really surprised by the beauty and the charm of the lakes. We already planned to go back next year and stay a little bit longer to see more of this place. If you have been there we would love to hear about your experience. And if you are planning to visit the Dolomites let us know in the comments 🙂 Have an amazing day full of adventures!