Most people reach Lake Misurina by car. It is about 14 km from Cortina d'Ampezzo over Passo Tre Croci, about 20 km from Dobbiaco and roughly 2.5 hours from Venice. In summer, Dolomitibus buses run up from Auronzo and Cortina. The nearest airports are Treviso and Venice, and lakeside parking is pay-and-display in summer.
Lake Misurina sits at 1,754 m in the Dolomites, in a hamlet of Auronzo di Cadore in the province of Belluno. Three roads meet here: from Cortina d’Ampezzo over Passo Tre Croci, from Auronzo up the Ansiei valley, and from Dobbiaco in Val Pusteria via Carbonin. The road is open all year.
Most visitors drive. Buses work in summer if you plan around their timetables, and organised day trips from Venice are the easiest way in without a car.
The distances below come from a routing engine using OpenStreetMap data. Its times assume free-flowing traffic and run short on mountain roads, so we have added a margin. Budget extra in July and August, when the passes are busy, and in winter, when snow slows everything down.
| From | Distance | Allow about |
|---|---|---|
| Cortina d’Ampezzo | 14 km | 20 to 30 minutes |
| Dobbiaco (Toblach) | 20 km | 25 to 30 minutes |
| Auronzo di Cadore | 24 km | 30 to 35 minutes |
| Lago di Braies | 35 km | 45 minutes |
| Bolzano | 120 km | 2 to 2.5 hours |
| Venice (Piazzale Roma) | 172 km | 2.5 to 3 hours |
Take the SS48 east out of Cortina and over Passo Tre Croci, then drop down to the lake. Listings give the distance as anything from 10 to 15 km; by road it is about 14 km. Allow 20 to 30 minutes. A 2026 Italian blog gives 25 to 30.
Passo Tre Croci is also where the trail to Lake Sorapis starts, and parking at the pass is limited. If you plan both in one day, do Sorapis first.
From Dobbiaco (Toblach), follow the SS51 south through Val di Landro, past Lago di Landro, to Carbonin (Schluderbach). Turn left there for Misurina; the last stretch is about 8 km. The whole drive is about 20 km. This is also the way from Lago di Braies, about 35 km away.
The drive is about 172 km from Piazzale Roma. One route is the A27 motorway north to its exit at Pian di Vedoia, near Belluno, then the SS51 up through the Cadore to Cortina and over Passo Tre Croci. Allow 2.5 hours at least, more in summer traffic. Our Venice to the Dolomites guide compares the car, bus and tour options.
From Bolzano it is about 120 km. The official Auronzo tourism site describes the route from the A22 Brenner motorway: leave at Bressanone (Brixen), follow Val Pusteria to Dobbiaco, then the SS51 to Carbonin and turn off for Misurina. Allow about 2 to 2.5 hours.
The SS48bis climbs from Auronzo up the Ansiei valley to the lake, about 24 km. Misurina is a hamlet of Auronzo, and the town in the valley is another place to base yourself; our Auronzo di Cadore guide covers it.
The road to Misurina stays open, but the toll road up to the Tre Cime closes for the winter. Check road conditions before you set off and carry winter equipment.
Public transport to the lake runs mainly in summer, with a service between Auronzo and Misurina over Christmas as well. All local lines are run by Dolomitibus, the Belluno province bus company. Timetables change each season, so check dolomitibus.it before you travel.
Bus tickets on the Dolomitibus Tre Cime shuttle cannot be bought with cash on board. Use the app, a ticket office, the machine at Misurina, or a contactless card.
The South Tyrol bus 444 from Dobbiaco to Rifugio Auronzo stops at Carbonin, the Misurina junction, but not at Lake Misurina itself. It is a bus to the Tre Cime, not to the lake. Our Rifugio Auronzo guide covers it, along with the Misurina shuttle up to the Tre Cime.
| Airport | Distance by road to Misurina | Allow about |
|---|---|---|
| Treviso (TSF) | 146 km | 2 to 2.5 hours |
| Venice Marco Polo (VCE) | 161 km | 2 to 2.5 hours |
| Innsbruck (INN), Austria | 153 km | 2.5 hours |
| Verona (VRN) | about 254 km to Auronzo | 3 hours or more |
Treviso and Venice are the usual choices. From Venice airport, ATVO buses run to Mestre station for trains north, and Cortina Express coaches link the airport with the Cadore all year.
The lakeshore car parks are pay-and-display in summer and fill early in July, August and on sunny weekends, so arrive before mid-morning or come by bus. The booked parking you may have read about is at Rifugio Auronzo, at the top of the Tre Cime toll road, not at the lake. Our Lake Misurina parking guide has the details.
If you do not want to drive mountain roads, several small-group day tours from Venice stop at the lake. The longest stop we found is about three hours, on a tour that also visits Cortina; others give it about two hours, often with lunch, and stop at the Auronzo dam on the way. They are listed below and on our tours page.
Once you are here, the homepage guide to Lake Misurina covers the walk around the lake and what to see, and our Tre Cime guide covers the big hike above it. To stay by the water, see our guide to Lake Misurina hotels.
9 hours
The most-reviewed Misurina day trip from Venice: a small-group minivan run via Pieve di Cadore and the Auronzo dam to a lunch stop of over two hours at the lake, then an hour in Cortina.
from$166
Check availability10 hours
The cheapest way to the lake from Venice: a coach day that crosses the Tre Croci pass from Cortina to give you two hours at Misurina, with a last stop on the Auronzo dam.
from$111
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Gives the lake the longest slot of any Venice day trip, about three hours, in a Mercedes van capped at eight guests, with Cortina before and Lake Auronzo after.
from$207
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A long-running Venice day trip that stops at Lake Santa Croce, Pieve di Cadore and Lake Auronzo on the way up, then leaves you about two hours at Misurina for lunch and a walk.
from$196
Check availabilityPrices and ratings were taken from GetYourGuide and can change. Booking through these links supports this site at no extra cost to you.
Drive east over Passo Tre Croci on the SS48. It is about 14 km and takes roughly 20 to 30 minutes, longer behind summer traffic on the bends. Without a car, Dolomitibus line 51 ran hourly from 8 June to 9 September 2026 and five times a day until 4 October. From 5 October there is no bus until the summer service returns.
Yes, mainly in summer. Dolomitibus runs summer buses from Auronzo di Cadore and Cortina, with connections from Calalzo railway station. The official Auronzo tourism site says public buses link Auronzo and Misurina in summer and over Christmas. No scheduled bus has reached the lake since 5 October 2026. The SAD 444 from Dobbiaco stops only at the Carbonin junction, about 8 km away.
Yes. There are lakeside car parks, and parking is generally paid in summer, so check the meters for current rates. They fill early in July, August and on sunny weekends. In 2026 the Comune said it would put up barriers to stop the roadside parking that stretched up to about 1 km from the lake in 2025, so arrive early.
Treviso and Venice Marco Polo are the closest, at about 146 km and 161 km by road, roughly 2 hours or more each. Innsbruck in Austria is about 153 km away. Verona is further. From Venice airport, ATVO buses run to Mestre station, and Cortina Express coaches link Venice and the Cadore all year.
Yes. By car it is about 172 km each way, roughly 2.5 hours or more, so a day trip is long but doable. Several small-group day tours from Venice stop at the lake for one to three hours, usually combined with Cortina d'Ampezzo, and some add Lake Braies or a Tre Cime viewpoint. Without a car, those tours are the simplest option.
The easiest way from Venice to the Dolomites is the Cortina Express bus, which runs five times a day all year and takes 2 hours 10 minutes to 3 hours 10 minutes from Venice to Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Rifugio Auronzo is the hut and car park at the end of the Tre Cime toll road, 2,320 m up.
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.
For 3 days in the Dolomites, base yourself in Cortina d'Ampezzo or at Lake Misurina: day one for Cortina's cable cars, day two for the Tre Cime loop and the lake, day three for Lake Sorapis or Lago di Braies.