From Venice or From Lake Garda?
Dolomites day tours from Venice and from Lake Garda or Verona reach different parts of the range. Which lakes, which passes, which season — and how to choose.
The Dolomites cover a lot of ground, and the city you leave from decides which part of them you see. A day trip from Venice and a day trip from Lake Garda are not the same tour at a different price — they go to opposite ends of the range.
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From Venice: the eastern Dolomites
Venice tours head north through the Piave valley into Cadore and the Ampezzo region. What you get is lakes and a famous town: Lake Misurina, the Auronzo lake, Cortina d’Ampezzo, the Tre Cime di Lavaredo from a viewpoint, and on longer routes Lago di Braies.
Cortina is about 160 km from Venice, a little under two hours, so the driving is manageable and the stops can be long. Most tours are minivans capped at eight; there is also a coach tour and a private option. Prices run from $113 to about $230 per person.
From Lake Garda or Verona: the western Dolomites
These tours head north-east into Trentino and South Tyrol. What you get is passes and villages: Lake Soraga, Moena or Cavalese in Val di Fassa, the Pordoi Pass at about 2,240 m with an optional cable car to the Sass Pordoi terrace, and an afternoon in Ortisei in Val Gardena, known for its wood carving.
You do not get Braies, Misurina or the Tre Cime — they are on the other side of the range. What you do get is height: the Sass Pordoi terrace looks over the Sella group and the Marmolada, which no Venice day trip reaches.
These are coach tours with a guide, from $97 from Lake Garda and $149 from Verona, and they are long: ten to twelve hours from Garda, eleven from Verona.
The season difference, which is the big one
The Venice tours run nearly all year. The western coach tours are summer-only.
When we read GetYourGuide’s calendars in September 2026, the Verona day tour had its last date on 2 October, and the Lake Garda tour on 9 October. A second Lake Garda coach tour had no October dates at all. Meanwhile the Venice minivan tours had dates through October and November.
So if you are travelling after early October and staying on Lake Garda, a Dolomites day trip is probably not available from there. See the Dolomites in October.
Which one, for which traveller
Choose Venice if you want the classic lake scenes — Braies, Misurina — or the Tre Cime, if you want a small group rather than a coach, or if you are travelling in autumn or winter.
Choose Lake Garda or Verona if you are already staying there (the Venice departures are not worth a separate trip across the country), if you want to ride a cable car to a high terrace, or if you want a guided coach day at a lower price, in summer or September.
Choose neither if you can spend two or three nights in the mountains. Staying in Cortina, Ortisei or Dobbiaco turns every one of these day trips into a short morning, and puts Seceda and the high trails within reach.
What they have in common
Both are long days with a lot of road. Both leave lunch to you. Both are much colder than the city you left, and both can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before.
And on both sides, the single best thing you can do is check the mountain forecast a couple of days out. The Dolomites on a clear day are extraordinary from either direction; in cloud, they are four hours of driving to look at a grey wall.
Compare the routes on all Dolomites day tours, or start with which day tour is right for you.
Venice to the Dolomites and Back in a Day
Piazzale Roma pickup, Pieve di Cadore, over two hours at Lake Misurina and an hour in Cortina d'Ampezzo by minivan — rated 4.9/5 by 1,116 guests. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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