Last updated September 2, 2026 · Editorial policy
More: When to visit Dolomites · Dolomites travel guide
Things to Do in Dolomites: 12 Experiences You Can’t Miss: What Is Actually Worth Your Time
Quick answer: This is an honest look at what is genuinely worth your time in Dolomites: 12 Experiences You Can’t Miss.
Lago di Braies gets the postcard fame, and that is exactly the problem. It is the most photographed lake in the range, so the small shoreline jams by mid-morning, and from roughly July 10 to September 10 the access road closes to private cars between about 9:30am and 4pm unless you pre-booked parking or take a shuttle. Drive an hour south instead and hike to Lago di Sorapis on trail 215 from Passo Tre Croci. It is around two hours each way, roughly 12 km round trip, and the walk-in filters out most of the crowd you would fight at Braies, leaving you a milky turquoise lake under the Sorapis massif.
A few moves that save real time and money:
- For Tre Cime di Lavaredo (the classic loop is about 10 km, 3.5 to 4 hours), book the Rifugio Auronzo toll road and parking online the night before. It runs around 40 EUR per car, and same-day reservations are not allowed.
- At Alpe di Siusi, do not idle in the summer road closure (about 9am to 5pm). Ride the cable car up from Siusi instead. It reaches Compatsch in roughly 15 minutes and costs about 30 EUR round trip.
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John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
