Places to visit in the Dolomites

The Italian Dolomites is one of my favorite areas in the world. I first visited two years ago, and then again in September 2021, and loved it. It is a unique place. The scenery there is absolutely incredible. You have mountains, lakes, high passes, valleys and much more. It is a photographers dream! In this post, I will talk about my favorite places to visit in The Dolomites. This will give you an idea, of what you can pack into your itinerary, when visiting.

Lago di Braies

Let’s start out with what it probably the most obvious. In my experience, Lago di Braies is the most visited of all the places on this list. However for good reason. Lago di Braies is absolutely stunning. If you arrive after sunrise, it will be absolutely packed with people. Even at sunrise there are quite a lot of people, more than I’m used to at sunrise.
Beautiful blue water, a mountain backdrop, wooden boats floating in the water and a little hut. There are so many compositions to photograph here.
Make sure you arrive early. Before sunrise that is!

Tre Cime

This is my favorite place in the Dolomites. No doubt! These five photos were taken from almost exactly the same spot. Tre Cime is a photography paradise. There is an entire hike that goes around in a circuit I believe. I have never done it, but will certainly undertake it during my next visit. The mountains here are some of the most beautiful I have seen. I have experienced it both with fog rolling in, and without it. As you can see from the photos, I love the foggy conditions. It is among my favorite photography spots in the entire world.

Lago di Carezza

Though less popular than some of the other lakes in the area, this is one of the best places to visit in the Dolomites. And probably my favorite lake there! The reflection is absolutely stunning and on both of my visits it has seemed more like a mirror than a lake. Of course, the crystal blue water gives it away. I have only visited for sunset and both times have been beautiful. And there have been much less people than it deserves! Another plus is that it doesn’t require a hike to get here. You simply park your car, cross the road and arrive.

Lago di Limides

I’m not sure whether this is a hidden gem or not. It certainly felt like it when I was there. Only one other photographer was there, and we shared this beautiful morning. To get to Lago di Limides, requires a short hike. Hiking through the forest in pitch darkness was quite difficult, and I’m sure I could have taken an easier route. I guess it took me about 30-40 minutes to get there, but during the day, it can definitely be done faster.
It was a beautiful place to spend the morning, and I had incredible light. As far as I have read, there is only water during some parts of the year.

Alpe di Siusi

This has to be on top of every persons places to visit in the Dolomites. It is absolutely picture perfect, especially when the light hits just right. I have visited three times for sunrise, but will definitely make sure to visit for sunset next time. You can take some breathtaking photos here, and if you are not into photography, it’s a beautiful area to simply wander around. Make sure you check up on the rules for visiting though. As far as I remember, you are only allowed to use the parking spots until a specific time.

Seceda

For many people this is one of the places they make sure to visit. I can see why. The cable car goes directly to the top, where you are able to hike around in these stunning settings. During my visit I went for sunrise. As you can see, the sun rose directly behind the peaks, which was a bit disappointing. I would definitely prefer to visit for sunset the next time. Especially because it required quite a strenuous hike to reach the top in time for sunrise. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful experience to visit as the sun rose.

Snake road

This was quite a pleasant surprise. Without a doubt the most beautiful road I have ever seen. Just look at how cool it is! Getting there was quite the hassle as myself and a friend chose to visit on what was possibly the worst day imaginable. Apparently there was a big cycling race on the exact day, meaning that we had to constantly change our route. We managed to get there though, and just before the skies opened, which would have made it impossible to fly the drone.
If you have a drone, make sure you visit!

Val di Funes

Another very popular spot in the Dolomites. Val di Funes is visited by many toursits, but surprisingly few during during sunset. At least on the two occasions I have been. Unlike many of the other locations, there are not too many compositions to photograph here. The main viewpoint is just behind a fence, so if you want to capture something different, you have to move around to try and find other viewpoints.

That wraps up my list of the best places to visit in the Dolomites. There are many other stunning sites as well, however these are my favorites. Do you have any other spots you would like to add?