If you are looking for a day trip from Cortina to a nearby town with wonderful alpine scenery, definitely consider Alleghe and the walk around Lake Alleghe. During this very easy hike around the alpine lake, starting and ending at the picturesque town of Alleghe, you will enjoy gorgeous views of the surrounding peaks, including the impressive Monte Civetta.
It was summer 2021 when Darek, 15-months-old Alexander, my friend Mabel and I drove from Cortina to Alleghe to meet our friends and spend the day together. Alleghe was perfect: very scenic, relaxed and welcoming.
Keep reading to find out all the key info about the walk around Lake Alleghe, the description of the trail, and more useful things to know.
If you are planning your trip to Cortina, make sure you check out my Cortina guide, my advice on how to get to Cortina, many more hikes in the Dolomites, and all my posts about Cortina.
Key information about Alleghe and the walk around Lake Alleghe
Before we get to the description of the walk around Lake Alleghe, here is some useful information to plan your day.
- Where is Alleghe? Alleghe is located in the province of Belluno, in the region of Veneto, in North-East Italy (map here), at 1000 meters of altitude. It is about 1 hour away from Cortina by car.
- How long is the walk around Lake Alleghe? It is approximately 4.5 km long.
- How long does it take to walk around Lake Alleghe? It took us almost 2,5 hours, walking slowly, taking pictures and chatting. Plus, we stopped almost 2 hours for lunch. If you walk faster or have less time available, it could probably be done in an hour and a half.
- Is the walk around Lake Alleghe easy? Definitely! Most of the trail is either tarmac pedestrian path, or the actual tarmac road with very few cars. There is only a very short part that is actually a stone-and-dirt trail between trees, plus a narrow bridge to cross.
- Who can do the walk around Lake Alleghe? Because it is so easy, I think almost anyone can do it! We are couch potatoes and we managed without any issue, and Darek even had Alex on his shoulders (the Minimeis was great!). This walk is perfect to warm up your legs before a big hike the following day, or also to rest after a demanding hike. Families with kids can definitely do it; families with a child on a stroller may need to lift it somehow on the short trail among the trees; anyone who has injuries or can’t walk for long periods can just take it slow and sit on the meadows by the road to rest.
- What should I wear on this walk? Wear comfortable sports shoes and socks. The weather in the mountains is unstable, but on a sunny day in July-August you’ll be fine with shorts and tank top. In spring and fall, long trousers and a hoodie. If you want to be safe, pack a rain jacket and a bottle of water in your backpack, but I’m sure it can be done with just your phone, wallet and car keys.
- What are the facilities available along the walk? There are restaurants in Alleghe, in Masaré (the village at the southern point of the Lake), and a couple on the northern point of the lake. You’ll find restrooms at restaurants and hotels, just consider buying a coffee if you can use it for free. From time to time there are benches. However, if it starts raining and you’re on the western side of the lake, I’m not sure where you could take cover.
The town of Alleghe is nestled between the eastern shores of Lake Alleghe and the imposing Monte Civetta – but originally, there was no lake!
Findings show that even prehistorical people lived in this area (6000-4500 B.C.). The first written mention of Alleghe dates back to 1185. As usual, many different kingdoms and empires and republics and families ruled the area, which was famous for the excellent production of blades and swords.
The event that shaped Alleghe was the landslide of January 11th, 1771 from Monte Piz: the rocks and debris that fell at the southern end of the valley destroyed part of the town and blocked the flow of the Cordevole river. 49 people died, and the water quickly submerged other villages in a matter of days. Another landslide later that year destroyed other parts of the town and created the current shape of the lake. They say that, when the water is particularly clear, you can still see the tip of the bell tower under the water of the lake.
Nowadays, Alleghe and its lake attract lots of tourists all year round: for hiking, mountaineering and water sports in the summer, and for skiing, snowboarding and hockey during the winter.
How to get to Alleghe from Cortina
To go from Cortina to Alleghe, you have to drive on the Falzarego Pass or on the Giau Pass. They are both extremely scenic and take the same time, approximately 1 hour. However, there are a few differences worth considering.
First of all, exit from the center of Cortina towards the west by following the directions to Falzarego Pass. After the massive Hotel Argentina you’ll find the fork: choose left for Passo Giau, or keep the right for Passo Falzarego.
- Passo Giau is road SP638. The road until the top of the pass (at this parking here) is very scenic. The rest of the road down is… still scenic, but challenging. There are a lot of hairpin turns. So many that there are signs by the road to count them – there are 24. Yes, the views are incredible and people who like driving will enjoy this pass, but people who suffer from motion sickness will be too busy keeping calm. Once you get to the bottom, at the town of Selva di Cadore, it gets easier. Continue through the town of Caprile along the river until Alleghe.
- Passo Falzarego is road SR48. The road climbs up quite steeply until the top of the pass, where you’ll find two restaurants and the start of the Lagazuoi cable car (map here): the views are stunning from here too. From there, the way down has a few hairpin turns, but not as many as Giau Pass. At the next crossroads, take the left on SR203 and you’ll quickly be at Caprile, and then at Alleghe.
Once you arrive at Alleghe, you can start looking for a parking spot. We noticed too late and ended up crossing the town center and driving down to the paid parking lot in front of the ice rink (map here). It was quite ok: there is a fountain with fresh mountain water and a few hotels and restaurants, so we had our first snack at the cute N’Zunaia restaurant.
From there, we climbed the stairs up to the main road and the main square by the church, and then walked down Via Europa towards the lake; however, you can probably reach the lake also from the parking lot.
A few more important points about driving from Cortina to Alleghe:
- The passes may be closed during winter because of the snow
- Be prepared for motion sickness with medication, or focus hard on the road in front of you
- Drive slowly and with care: watch for landslides, wild animals, and idiots
- If you want to take a break, there are parking lots and restaurants on the top of both passes.
- As a person who suffers from motion sickness, I couldn’t wait to get there. Falzarego was probably a little better than Giau.
- So, whether you suffer from motion sickness or not, since you go from Cortina to Alleghe and back, you can drive down one pass and back up the other. This way you’ll enjoy all the views and all the mountains 🙂
The walk around Lake Alleghe: detailed itinerary
Yes, it’s a lake, so you just walk around it, right? Well, if you’re reading this, of course you’re looking for more information 🙂 my friend, this is why I’m here.
Recap for those who are planning this as a day trip from Cortina: this was our day.
- Departure at 8.45 from Cortina, arrival at 10 in Alleghe (Alex was sick after just 20 minutes 🙁 luckily afterwards he fell asleep)
- Second breakfast
- Start of the walk at Alleghe center at 11.15, going south
- Break and lots of pictures on the opposite side of the lake at 12.15
- Lunch break at the northern tip at the Chiosco da Tobia from 13 to 14.45 (Aperol Spritz and sandwiches for us, fruit and swings for Alex)
- Back to the parking lot at 15.15, coffee
- Departure at 15.45 from Alleghe, arrival at 17 in Cortina. In time for aperitivo at 18 🙂
As you can see, you can take it slow and easy like us, or you can also leave at 7.30, walk around the lake from 9 to 11, and be back in Cortina by lunchtime.
Which direction? Well, it doesn’t really matter. The key points to take this decision are symmetrical: the best view is exactly opposite Alleghe, and the restaurants or kiosks are both at the northern tip, at the southern tip in the village of Masaré, and of course in Alleghe. We started going south.
We started from the main square of Alleghe, very alpine and picturesque, and slightly elevated compared to the lake.
Walk down Via Europa until the promenade Lungo Lago. Here’s your first postcard!
We didn’t rent a boat or a paddleboat, but it looks really nice and fun.
We started walking towards the south and across a bridge over the small Alleghe Beach. We mountain people get excited when there’s a small area by the water that we can call a “beach” :D.
Here pedestrians walk on the tar, right next to the cars, protected by guardrails.
On the left, you’ll find the road that climbs up to a waterfall. We were told it was pretty and worth the short walk uphill, but we were too lazy for that.
At the town of Masaré, at the southern tip of the lake, you’ll cross the river on a bridge.
Here you are on the other side of Lake Alleghe, the western side. Here you walk on the tar road, with very few cars. Hikers can pretty much take over the whole road, which goes up and down a little bit. Enough to admire the beautiful views of the Lake and Alleghe on the other side!
There are some “balconies” with potted flowers which provide for nice photo spots. For me, Alexander’s hands over Darek’s eyes were more entertaining 😀
The road goes downhill at the Chalet al Lago apartments. At the small parking, you’ll find the best view of the walk: the impressive Mount Civetta towering over the town of Alleghe and the Lake. Just gorgeous!
As you continue north, the view keeps changing slowly.
With a few houses perched on a slope on the left, keep the right towards the lake and the river. Here there is a short section of a narrow trail, and then a pedestrian bridge to cross to the eastern side.
Shortly after there is a nice restaurant, but unfortunately it was full. Not a problem: we had a great, simple lunch at the kiosk “da Tobia” nearby. There were a few swings and slides for kids, and a good menu of local food: sandwiches with different types of hams, sausages, cheese, but also pizza and more.
You almost made it back to the centre of Alleghe. There are still a few nice photo spots.
By the time we got back to the lake promenade Lungo Lago, Alex was fast asleep 🙂
It was a great walk for all of us! It was such an easy and effortless walk that we were able to chat and enjoy the gorgeous mountain views. Still, our legs were quite tired at the end of the day, so we were satisfied in every sense 🙂
Final thoughts on the walk around Lake Alleghe
Hiking around Lake Alleghe is a great way to spend a few hours or a full day, enjoying the beautiful view of the alpine lake and of the Dolomites.
Now you know exactly what to expect and how easy it is! Even though we did this hike in August, I am sure the scenery is great any time of the year – with autumn foliage, with snow and ice, and with blooming trees.
Whether you go to Alleghe as a day trip from Cortina, or from anywhere else in the Dolomites and northeast Italy, I’m sure you will have a wonderful time!
Let me know in the comments what you think 🙂
