Dolomites Day Trip from Venice to Cortina and Lake Misurina

Cortina d'Ampezzo, the Queen of the Dolomites

Cortina d'Ampezzo sits at about 1,224 metres in a wide green valley ringed by the Tofane, Cristallo and Pomagagnon peaks. It hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1956 and co-hosted them again in 2026, and its pedestrian Corso Italia, with boutiques, cafés and the tall bell tower of the parish church, is the social heart of the Dolomites.

On this tour you have a little over an hour of free time here, enough to walk the Corso, see the Olympic ice stadium from outside and photograph the mountains that rise straight behind the rooftops. Cortina is in the Veneto region, about two and a half hours by road from Venice, which makes a Cortina day trip from Venice very achievable when someone else does the driving.

Passo Tre Croci and the mountain road

From Cortina the coach climbs east to Passo Tre Croci, a pass at about 1,805 metres squeezed between the vertical walls of Monte Cristallo and the Sorapiss group. The road winds through larch and pine forest, and on clear days the views open to the peaks that make the Dolomites a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009.

This short drive of around half an hour is one of the most scenic stretches of the day, so keep your camera ready on the right side of the coach on the way up. In autumn the larches turn gold, in winter the pass is lined with snow, and in early summer the meadows fill with wild flowers, so the scenery changes with every season.

Lake Misurina and the Col de Varda

Lake Misurina lies at about 1,754 metres, a calm mountain lake roughly 2.6 km around, with the Sorapiss, the Cadini di Misurina and the Tre Cime reflected in its water. Its clean, dry air is so valued that a clinic for children with respiratory conditions stands on its shore. A flat path circles the lake and takes around 45 minutes at an easy pace.

You have about two hours here for the walk, photos and lunch at one of the lakeside restaurants (not included). From mid-June to mid-September you can also rent a small boat or ride the chairlift to the Col de Varda viewpoint at about 2,100 metres for a wider panorama, both paid on the spot. The best time to visit Lake Misurina is a clear summer or autumn morning, when the reflections are sharpest.

Views of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo

From the lake you look north to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, three giant towers of pale dolomite rock whose highest peak reaches about 2,999 metres. They are the most famous silhouette of the range, and during the First World War the front line between Italy and Austria-Hungary ran across these slopes, where old trenches and tunnels can still be found.

This tour shows you the Tre Cime from Misurina rather than hiking around their base, which is ideal for families and anyone who prefers gentle walking. The guide explains how the rock formed from ancient coral reefs under a tropical sea, which is why the Dolomites glow pink and orange at sunset, an effect locals call enrosadira.

Lake Auronzo and the drive back to Venice

On the return the coach follows the Ansiei valley down to Lake Auronzo, a turquoise reservoir created in the 1930s beside the village of Auronzo di Cadore. You have about 40 minutes to walk onto the dam, look along the lake to the forested slopes, and sometimes watch the water rush through the gates when the level is high.

From here it is roughly two hours and twenty minutes back to the Tronchetto in Venice, arriving in the evening. If you want more time at the lakes or prefer your own vehicle, a private Dolomites tour with a driver is also possible; ask our team. For a first taste of the mountains, though, this route covers the highlights in one well-paced day.