7 Lakes to Visit in the Dolomites, Italy

Given that I've been living just a few hours' drive away from the Dolomites for nearly four years, I can't believe it's taken me this long to finally visit. It's been at the top of my bucket list for so long!

To be honest, planning a trip to the Dolomites simply overwhelmed me. There is so much information out there and the region is huge, spanning across three of Italy's northern regions: Veneto, Trentino-South Tyrol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. You could spend weeks exploring in any season of the year and still not cover it all.

I've tried to compile my guides in a straightforward way that reduce as much feeling lost at where to start as possible. Alongside this post, I've written a detailed guide on how we spent our four days in the Dolomites including where we stayed, what we ate and everything we did.

→ Check out my guide for your visit to the Dolomites!

While we plan to come back to the Dolomites again and again - especially now that the looming overwhelm of our first trip has come and gone - we visited seven lakes during our first trip to this incredible part of Italy. They are listed in order that we visited them.

NOTE: None of the lakes on this list require hiking; we actively avoided hiking this time around because we really just wanted to get a feel of the region. Of course, if you are visiting the Dolomites from further abroad and want to pack more into your trip, then there are also a bunch of lakes with hikes I've included at the end that are on my bucket list (but which I cannot yet give personal reviews for).

Lago di Dobbiaco

Toblacher See

The Lago di Dobbiaco was our very first introduction to the incredible beauty of the Dolomites. Turquoise blue waters are surrounded by mountain peaks at this like that reminded me so very strongly of my time in Banff and Jasper National Park in Canada.

Parking: right next to the lake (exact Google Maps location)

Bus access: yes, the 445 runs from Cortina in just over half an hour

Walking trails: yes, a ~2.5km loop trail circles the entire lake, crossing the Fiume Rienza just south of the lake

Swimming: permitted

Accommodation: yes, a camping site with some luxury chalets and the Hotel Baur

Lago di Landro

Dürrensee

Not as well-known as some of the other lakes, I actually really enjoyed this one. Situated right on the roadside with plenty of parking, this is such a beautiful lake, especially in morning light. You can walk around the lake on a pretty and very flat, easy trail, as well as go swimming in the bright blue water.

Parking: next to the lake (exact Google Maps location)

Bus access: yes, the 445 runs from Cortina in just under half an hour; get off at Drei-Zinnen-Blick and then walk ten minutes back to the lake

Walking trails: yes, a ~2km loop trail circles the entire lake

Swimming: permitted

Accommodation: not directly at the lake, but you can find the Hotel Residence Tre Crime a 15-minute walk to the north and the Hotel Croda Rossa half an hour to the south

Lago di Carezza

Karersee

I think this lake was the biggest surprise for us. The water is a shocking mix between emerald green and azure blue, so radiant you might think it fake. The water in Lago di Carezza is very clear thanks to a combination of the algae in the lake, the white rocks on bottom reflecting the surface and the underground springs that feed the lake.

Parking: across the road from the lake, accessed by an underground tunnel (exact Google Maps location)

Bus access: yes, the 180 runs from Bolzano in just under an hour

Walking trails: yes, there is a beautiful trail that goes around the entire lake and is the best way to visit

Swimming: not permitted

Accommodation: the closest hotel to Lago di Carezza is the Lake & River Hotel, with great reviews. There are also hotels a little further down the road in the town of Carezza al Lago / Karersee.