Auronzo di Cadore is the town in the Ansiei valley that Lake Misurina belongs to, 24 km below the lake by road, or 25 to 35 minutes' drive. It sits on Lago di Santa Caterina, a reservoir with a flat 4 km shore walk. In summer, Dolomitibus line 50 runs from town to Misurina and the Tre Cime shuttle.
Auronzo di Cadore is a town of about 3,000 people in the Ansiei valley in the Veneto Dolomites, and Lake Misurina is one of its hamlets. The lake sits 24 km up the valley road from the town, a 25 to 35 minute drive, or 37 to 45 minutes on the summer bus. Most visitors drive straight through on their way to the lake and the Tre Cime di Lavaredo. Stop, and you find a town spread along its own lake, Lago di Santa Caterina, with chairlifts above it. The summer bus to the Tre Cime starts here too.
The comune of Auronzo di Cadore covers 220 km², and Misurina, beside the lake at 1,754 m, is its highest hamlet. That is why the Comune di Auronzo runs the Tre Cime toll road and its online booking. In 2026 a car paid €40 for a 12-hour slot, booked in advance; the Rifugio Auronzo guide has the rules.
The town itself is a string of districts on the valley floor. The bus timetable lists them in order going up the valley: Villapiccola, Piazza Vigo, Reane and Giralba. After Giralba the road climbs through the woods to Misurina.
By car, follow the SS48bis up the Ansiei valley. Our routing check gave 24.5 km and 26 minutes; mountain-road timings run long, so allow 30 to 35. Lakeside parking at Misurina is pay-and-display in summer, and the Lake Misurina parking guide lists the car parks.
By bus, Dolomitibus line 50 runs from Auronzo to the Misurina Genzianella stop. The Tre Cime shuttle leaves from the same stop, and in summer 2026 each morning bus from Auronzo arrived five minutes before a shuttle left. The 06:50 from Villapiccola reached Misurina at 07:35, and its shuttle got to Rifugio Auronzo at 08:05.
That early start matters. In July and August the Comune’s own advice is to avoid boarding the shuttle at Misurina, where the queues are long, and to start from Auronzo on one of the first buses.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Road to Lake Misurina | 24.5 km on the SS48bis, about 26 minutes by routing |
| Line 50, summer 2026 | 8 June to 9 September: 10 buses a day up from Auronzo, first at 06:50 |
| Line 50, autumn 2026 | 10 September to 4 October: 3 buses a day up, at 07:20, 07:58 and 12:20 |
| Bus time to Misurina | 37 to 50 minutes, depending on the stop and timetable |
| After 4 October 2026 | No line 50 timetable published; the Comune says buses run again over Christmas |
| Tre Cime shuttle from Misurina | €10 day ticket (2026), about 25 minutes to Rifugio Auronzo |
| Tre Cime toll road, car | €40 for 12 hours, online booking only (2026) |
| Line 31, Calalzo station to Auronzo | 6 buses Monday to Saturday, 22 minutes; timetable valid to 8 June 2027 |
| Monte Agudo chairlifts | €20 adult return to the top (summer 2026) |
| Tourist office (IAT) | Via Roma 24, daily 9:00 to 12:00, plus Monday and Saturday 15:30 to 18:30 |
Timetables change each season. Check dolomitibus.it before you travel.
The town’s lake is a reservoir, made by damming the Ansiei in the early 1930s. It is about 2 km long and lies at roughly 860 m. Lake Misurina is the largest natural lake in Cadore; Santa Caterina is bigger, but it is artificial.
A flat path of just over 4 km runs almost all the way round, with benches, a playground and lakeside cafés, and it works with a pushchair. You can hire kayaks, rowing boats and pedal boats in summer, and the lake hosts rowing and kayaking races. Three wood-and-iron footbridges cross the water. A cycle and walking path follows the shore and carries on up the valley toward Misurina.
Two chairlifts climb from Taiarezze (900 m) via Malòn to Rifugio Monte Agudo at 1,573 m, a ride of a little over 15 minutes. In 2026 they ran from mid-June to 13 September, and an adult return to the top cost €20.
The Fun Bob is a rail toboggan over 3 km long that starts near the top of the Taiarezze chair. You control the speed with a lever, and children up to 7 ride with an adult. Nearby, the adventure park has treetop courses, Tibetan bridges and zip lines.
Val Marzon, at the head of the valley, is the long way up. The Alta Val Marzon trail to Rifugio Auronzo climbs about 960 m in roughly four hours; the Comune calls it demanding and less busy than the usual routes. Trail 104 from the same valley reaches Rifugio Lavaredo in about three hours. Line 50 has a request stop at the Val Marzon turn-off.
The tourist board names potato gnocchi with smoked ricotta as the town’s signature dish, along with canederli (bread dumplings) and game with polenta.
The Monte Agudo and Col de Varda lifts are part of Dolomiti Superski. In winter 2025/26 the Auronzo lifts ran from 21 December to 22 March.
Where you sleep depends on what you want outside the window.
On price, we found no reliable comparison between the three, and few hotels publish rates. Compare the same dates. The Lake Misurina hotels guide covers named hotels at the lake, in Auronzo and in Cortina.
The nearest station is Calalzo-Pieve di Cadore-Cortina, about 15 km away. A direct regional train from Venezia Santa Lucia takes about 2 hours 40 minutes, though not every day. From the station, Dolomitibus line 31 reaches Auronzo Villapiccola in 22 minutes. Its 2026/27 timetable runs Monday to Saturday; we found no Sunday buses on it.
From 19 June to 9 September 2026, Cortina Express and Dolomiti Bus ran a direct Venice to Auronzo service. The 06:20 from Piazzale Roma reached Villapiccola at 09:10. It needed a reservation, did not run on Sundays or holidays, and ended at Giralba, short of Misurina.
Take the A27 to the Pian di Vedoia exit, then the SS51, SS51bis and SS52, about an hour from the exit. Venice airport is 137 km away. The Venice to Dolomites guide compares the options, and how to get to Lake Misurina covers the last leg.
Summer is when Auronzo works best as a base. From mid-June to early September the buses run all day, the chairlifts are open and the huts are serving. From mid-September to 4 October the bus drops to three a day and Monte Agudo closes. By mid-October most huts above Misurina have shut and no bus goes up, so a car is the only way to the lake. Winter brings the ski lifts and a Christmas bus to Misurina. For month-by-month detail, see the best time to visit the Dolomites.
5 hours
Meets at Misurina and drives you up the toll road (fee included) for the classic 10 km loop around the Tre Cime from Rifugio Auronzo, with a guide who covers the geology and First World War history.
from$146
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An early-start Tre Cime loop for up to four people, leaving from the Misurina car park with the toll included and pausing for breakfast at a mountain hut (food paid on the day).
from$146
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A demanding guided hike straight from the lakeshore into the Cadini spires, 12.7 km with 870 m of climbing, stopping at Rifugio Città di Carpi for lunch.
from$112
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About 24 km by road up the Ansiei valley on the SS48bis. Our routing check gave 26 minutes; allow 30 to 35 in summer traffic. In summer 2026, Dolomitibus line 50 took 37 to 45 minutes from the town to the Misurina Genzianella stop. Misurina is part of the same comune, so you never leave Auronzo on the way.
Yes, in summer. Line 50 runs from Auronzo to Misurina Genzianella, where a shuttle to Rifugio Auronzo left five minutes after each morning bus arrived. From 8 June to 9 September 2026 there were ten buses a day up from town; from 10 September to 4 October, three. The Tre Cime shuttle cost €10 for a day ticket in 2026.
It works well in summer if you want a town around you rather than a lakeside hamlet. The bus to the Tre Cime starts here, and the Comune advises boarding in Auronzo on an early bus in July and August to avoid the queues at Misurina. Outside summer you need a car, because line 50 stops running.
In summer: the flat walk of just over 4 km around Lago di Santa Caterina, boat and kayak hire, the Monte Agudo chairlifts, the Fun Bob rail toboggan, an adventure park, and long walks up Val Marzon to the Tre Cime. In winter, Monte Agudo is a small ski area in the Dolomiti Superski pass.
By car, take the A27 to the Pian di Vedoia exit, then the SS51, SS51bis and SS52, about an hour from the exit. By public transport, take the train to Calalzo and Dolomitibus line 31, which takes 22 minutes to Auronzo. In summer 2026 a direct bus ran from Venice, booking required, not on Sundays.
Rifugio Auronzo is the hut and car park at the end of the Tre Cime toll road, 2,320 m up.
Most people reach Lake Misurina by car.
The best things to do in Cortina d'Ampezzo are riding the Tofana cable car to 3,244 m, walking the First World War trenches at Cinque Torri and Lagazuoi, and strolling Corso Italia.