Lakes Braies and Misurina

From Cortina d’Ampezzo, it’s a 16 km run along the SR48 to Lake Misurina, right beneath the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (2,999 m). Continue another 25 km via the SS51 and SP47 to reach Lake Braies, a classic glacial bowl with larch-fringed shores and water that shifts tone with the sun. Morning brings mirror-still views of Pala di Santa and Croda del Becco; by late summer, shallow weed beds near the north jetty peek through, proof of the lake’s gentle shelf. Two lakes, two moods. And two distinct Dolomite angles: Ampezzo and Braies.

Here’s how the day flows: hotel pick-up in Cortina, your dedicated driver at the wheel of a Mercedes, and an easy start around Misurina’s shoreline before coffee on Via Guide Alpine. Then a smooth transfer to Braies while parking permits and the summer access booking are handled for you; you stroll, you sample apple strudel at Caffè del Lago, and the driving stress stays elsewhere. The route stays flexible—add a quick pass over Tre Croci (1,809 m) or a photo stop at Carbonin where the old Dobbiaco–Cortina railbed tracks the valley—before a relaxed return to Cortina.