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. Driving takes about 2 hours. For one day only, a small-group tour that stops at Lake Misurina is simplest.
From Venice, the Dolomites start about two hours north. Cortina d’Ampezzo is the usual target, and Lake Misurina sits 14 km further on over Passo Tre Croci. You have four ways to get there: bus, train plus bus, a hire car, or a day tour. Which one fits depends mostly on whether you are staying in the mountains or going up and back in a day.
| Option | Venice to Cortina | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Cortina Express bus | 2 h 10 to 3 h 10 | Staying in Cortina, no car |
| ATVO bus (line 29) | About 2 h 50 | Same, on the days it runs |
| Train + Dolomitibus | About 3 h 35 plus the change | Rail pass holders |
| Car | About 2 hours | Seeing several valleys, Tre Cime |
| Day tour | 8 to 12 hour day | One day only, from Venice |
The bus is the simplest public option, and from October 2026 both companies stop at Piazzale Revis in Cortina rather than the old Piazza Roma stop.
Cortina Express runs five times a day each way, every day of the year. Three runs leave from Mestre station (11:00, 14:00 and 17:00 in the 2026 timetables) and stop at Venice airport. Two more, run by Dolomiti Bus, leave from Piazzale Roma at 06:20 and 18:20 and go round by Calalzo. The fast runs take about 2 hours 10 minutes from the airport and 2 hours 30 from Mestre. The Piazzale Roma runs take about 3 hours 10. Fares change by date, so price it on the Cortina Express site when you book.
ATVO line 29 links Piazzale Roma, Mestre, the airport and Treviso with Cortina in about 2 hours 50 minutes. Booking is compulsory. ATVO adds services in winter (December to March) and summer (June to September); in the autumn 2026 timetable there was a single morning run up and an afternoon run back, on weekends only after 9 September.
If you want Auronzo di Cadore rather than Cortina, a summer Dolomiti Bus service ran direct from Venice to Auronzo from 19 June to 9 September 2026 (not Sundays, booking required). It stops in the valley and does not climb to Misurina.
There is no railway into the high Dolomites from Venice. The closest you get on the Cortina side is Calalzo-Pieve di Cadore-Cortina station, about 2 hours 40 minutes from Venice Santa Lucia on the occasional direct train, otherwise with one change. Dolomitibus line 30 then covers the 35 km to Cortina in about 55 minutes. Between September 2026 and June 2027 it runs 18 times a day Monday to Saturday but only three times on Sundays and holidays.
Two cautions. The Calalzo line has had long closures for works (28 March to 7 June 2026 was the latest), with buses replacing trains. And this route is slower than the direct bus. Use it if you hold a rail pass or are coming from elsewhere in Italy.
In summer, Trenitalia also sells FrecciaLink, a high-speed train to Mestre plus a connecting bus to Cortina. In 2026 it ran on weekends in July and August.
Take the A27 motorway north towards Belluno, leave at Pian di Vedoia, and follow the SS51 Alemagna up the Cadore valley to Cortina. It is about 156 km from Piazzale Roma and route planners give roughly 2 hours. Mountain roads run slower than the estimate, so allow more in summer traffic or snow. To reach Lake Misurina, carry on through Cortina and over Passo Tre Croci: about 170 km from Venice in all, realistically around 2 hours 30.
A car is the only way to see several valleys in a short trip. If the Tre Cime di Lavaredo is on your list, note that the toll road from Misurina to Rifugio Auronzo cost €40 per car in 2026 and needs an online booking in advance.
Misurina is the gap in the public network. In summer 2026, Dolomitibus line 51 ran from Cortina over Passo Tre Croci to Misurina hourly from early June to early September, taking about 35 minutes, then five times a day until 4 October. The winter timetable that started in September 2026 has no Cortina to Misurina line at all. Outside summer you need a car, a taxi or a tour. Our guide to getting to Lake Misurina covers the buses from Auronzo and Dobbiaco too.
Yes, if you accept what it is: a look, not a hike. Every option puts you on the road for about five hours of the day. On a tour you will typically get one to three hours at Lake Misurina, around an hour in Cortina, and photo stops along the way. That is enough to walk the flat loop around the lake (about 2.6 km), eat lunch facing the Sorapiss and see the Tre Cime from a distance.
It is not enough for the classic Tre Cime loop, which alone takes three to four hours from Rifugio Auronzo. If walking among the peaks is the point, stay at least one night. Our Dolomites itinerary shows how to fit Misurina, Cortina and the Tre Cime into three days.
Doing it yourself on the bus works for Cortina but not for Misurina outside summer. The first fast bus from Mestre arrives around 13:30, which leaves an afternoon.
These are the GetYourGuide tours from Venice that list Lake Misurina in the itinerary, with the time each gives the lake (as listed in October 2026):
| Tour | Time at Misurina | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dolomites Day Trip with Cortina and 2 Lakes | About 2 h 15 with lunch | 4.9 from over 1,100 reviews, small group |
| The Best of the Dolomites Mountains Day Trip | About 2 h | Coach; the cheapest of the set |
| Dolomites, Lake Misurina, and Cortina Day Trip | About 3 h | Longest stop; max 8; Braies in winter |
| Cortina and Dolomites Mountains Day Trip | About 2 h | Shortest day, about 8 hours |
| LAKES of the DOLOMITES Tour with DRONE video | About 1 h | Max 5, includes a drone clip |
One popular tour, “Dolomiti, Lake Braies and Tre Cime di Lavaredo”, is really a Lake Braies trip: it stops at Misurina for about five minutes. Book it for Lago di Braies, not for the lake.
Season matters. The three-hour tour switches to Lake Braies and San Candido from mid-November until the Tre Cime road reopens. In winter there is also a snowmobile and sledge day from Venice that stops at the frozen lake. See when to go for what is open each month, or compare every option on the tours page.
If you are staying a few days, spend one in Cortina itself: our list of things to do in Cortina d’Ampezzo covers the cable cars and the 2026 Olympic sites.
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
Check availability10 hours
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
Check availability8 hours
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 availability9 hours
A budget small-group loop of five or fewer guests that takes in Lakes Auronzo and Misurina, a Tre Cime viewpoint and Cortina, with a drone clip of you thrown in.
from$116
Check availability9 hours
A small-group van day built around a walk at Lake Braies, with Cortina, a Tre Cime viewpoint and only a five-minute photo stop at Misurina; in winter there is an optional snowmobile up Monte Piana.
from$160
Check availabilityPrices and ratings were taken from GetYourGuide and can change. Booking through these links supports this site at no extra cost to you.
Yes. Organised tours run 8 to 12 hours and most visit Cortina d'Ampezzo and Lake Misurina, with some adding Lake Braies. Expect about five hours on the road in total. You can also do it yourself on the Cortina Express bus, but the timetable leaves only a few hours in Cortina and does not reach Misurina.
Cortina Express takes about 2 hours 10 minutes from Venice airport and 2 hours 30 minutes from Mestre station. The two runs that start at Piazzale Roma go via Calalzo and take about 3 hours 10 minutes. ATVO line 29 takes about 2 hours 50 minutes but ran on weekends only in autumn 2026.
Not all the way. Trains run from Venice to Calalzo-Pieve di Cadore-Cortina station in about 2 hours 40 minutes, often with a change, and Dolomitibus line 30 covers the last 35 km to Cortina in about 55 minutes. The Calalzo line closed for works from March to June 2026, so check before you plan around it.
Most Venice to Dolomites day trips on GetYourGuide stop at the lake. The longest stop is about three hours on the Dolomites, Lake Misurina and Cortina day trip. The most-reviewed tour gives the lake over two hours with lunch. Tours built around Lake Braies may only pause at Misurina for a quick photo.
About 170 km by road, roughly 2 hours 15 minutes on a free-flowing route and nearer 2 hours 30 minutes in practice. You drive the A27 motorway to Belluno and the SS51 to Cortina, then cross Passo Tre Croci for the last 14 km. No direct public bus runs from Venice to the lake.
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.
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.
The best time to visit the Dolomites for hiking is mid-June to late September, when the lifts, mountain huts and summer buses all run.