Dolomites From Venice in Autumn

Venice is where most Dolomites day trips start. Cortina d’Ampezzo is about 160 kilometres north, a little under two hours by motorway and the Piave valley road, which puts Lake Misurina, Cortina, the Tre Cime viewpoints and, on the longer routes, Lago di Braies inside a single day.

In autumn the road doesn’t change, but what’s at the end of it does. A trip on 10 September, one on 20 October and one on 20 November can use the same tour name, the same minivan and the same meeting point, and still be three quite different days. This page goes through them in order.

September: the full route, with room to move

September is the easiest month for a day trip from Venice. The summer extras are still running for the first half of the month: the chairlift from Lake Misurina to Col de Varda and the rowing boats on the lake, which operators say stop in mid-September. The Cortina lifts are open, and so are most mountain huts until the last week.

The change that helps is at Lago di Braies. From 1 July to 15 September in 2026, cars can only drive to the lake between 9am and 4pm with a booked parking space. After the 15th the road is open again and the lake gets much quieter.

Every Venice route on this site runs in September. If Braies is on your list, choose a tour that gives it at least an hour: the Dolomites, Cortina and Lake Braies trip and the Braies, Misurina and Tre Cime view day both give it ninety minutes.

October: the same stops, the colour, and fewer extras

In October you visit the same places without the add-ons. At Misurina the chairlift and boats have stopped, so the lake is a walk and lunch. Cortina’s lifts close for the season on 18 October. One operator notes the Faloria cable car is closed from September to the end of June, so any listing that mentions Faloria views does not include them in autumn.

What you gain is the larches. The drive through Cadore, the forests around Misurina and the Cortina basin, and the slopes above Braies all turn gold, usually peaking in the second and third weeks of the month. The foliage tours page says which routes pass the best of it.

The main thing to know is which tours keep running. When we read GetYourGuide’s calendars in September 2026, the Best of the Dolomites coach tour, the cheapest way up from Venice at $113, had dates to 31 October and none after. The minivan tours had October dates and continued into November. The clocks go back on 25 October, so late-October days finish in the dark.

November: the minivans keep going

November from Venice is a lakes-and-villages day. The high walks are over, the Tre Cime toll road is normally closed, and snow on the passes can change an itinerary on the day. The minivan tours still run, and the one at the top of this page changes its route for the season.

The Misurina and Cortina small-group day usually spends about three hours around Lake Misurina and Lake Antorno. From 15 November the operator adds San Candido and Lago di Braies. From 23 November to 6 January it adds the San Candido Christmas market. Groups are capped at eight, and it leaves Tronchetto at 8am sharp. Hotel pickup is not included.

The Cortina and two lakes day, the most-reviewed tour on this site, and the Braies, Misurina and Tre Cime view day both had November dates too. The November page covers what else is open.

Which Venice route to pick in autumn

• For Lago di Braies in September or October: the Braies and Cortina small-group trip, with ninety minutes at the lake and the entry fee included.
• For the most time at one lake: the Cortina and two lakes day, with more than two hours at Misurina.
• For the lowest price, until 31 October: the coach tour from $113, with a tour guide on board.
• For November: the Misurina small-group day, which adds Braies and a Christmas market.
• For walking rather than viewpoints: the hut hike from Venice, best before mid-October.

If you are travelling outside autumn, the full guide to Dolomites tours from Venice covers every route, price and departure point year round.

Getting there on your own instead

You can reach the Dolomites from Venice without a tour. There is a train to Calalzo di Cadore and a bus on to Cortina, or you can hire a car. For one day, though, the connections take up most of it, and a car means dealing with parking and, after 15 November, winter tyres. A guided day trip reaches two or three lakes and Cortina in the same time and gets you back to Venice for dinner.

Check availability for the Misurina small-group day, or see the complete autumn overview.