15 Best Photo Spots in the Dolomites: MAP + Complete Guide

The Dolomites in North-Eastern Italy are a photographer’s dream. There are just so many photogenic places that you can visit, from calm meadows to jagged peaks. Sometimes, especially if your trip is not that long but you still want to pull that tripod out, it’s not so easy to figure out which ones to go to!

In this list, I’ve named some of the best Dolomites photo spots – well, at least my favourite photography spots in the Dolomites. And in the end, you get a map as well!

The places include mountain passes such as Passo Gardena and Giau, some lakes (of course, lake Braies is listed), as well as some fancy peaks (Tre Cime, Cadini, Monte Lagazuoi). As I said, my favourites.

So enjoy!

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The Best Photo Spots In The Dolomites

I didn’t list the photography locations in any particular order, so the fact that Passo Gardena is #1 doesn’t mean that I love it the most. It’s really not that easy to rate the places!

For each of the places, I’ve also noted the location, best time to go to each of them, costs associated with the visit, and how much time you should account for.

Of course, the time is very approximate – I’d say, it’s the very minimum time that you should consider when making the itinerary.

1. Passo Gardena (Grödner; or Ju de Frara (Jëuf de Frea) in Ladin)

📍Location: Central Dolomites, Puez-Odle Nature Park; Google map
☀️Best time to visit for photography: Early summer
💵 Costs: Free (or parking costs)
⏰How much time to spend there: at least an hour

Passo Gardena is the mountain pass that connects Alta Badia and Val Gardena. It’s definitely one of the most beautiful places in the Dolomites (and you don’t even need to hike anywhere to get great views!).

Just walk a little bit up from the parking lot, and you’ll get an incredible view of the mountains and valleys around.

We loved the view when we visited in the middle of June – the grass was nice and green, the sun was shining, and the colours looked just incredible. Even the Sahara sand in the air didn’t really disturb anything.

The morning sun around the sunrise colors the peaks in pinks and oranges so if you’re ok with being an early bird, I recommend you try some sunrise photography. Otherwise, sunny weather looks nice.

2. Lake Braies (Lago di Braies, Pragser Wildsee)

📍Location: Eastern Dolomites, Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park; Google maps
☀️Best time to visit: late spring to early autumn, around sunrise or sunset. I’d avoid July and August.
💵 Costs: parking or bus transfer
⏰How much time to spend there: half a day to a day

I think everyone who has ever searched anything about the Dolomites or Italy on Instagram is aware of lake Braies. It’s one of the most popular Dolomites instagram spots! The Pearl of the Dolomites, as it’s also known, is a lake with emerald waters in the heart of the Fanes-Sennes-Braies nature park.

The reason I suggest avoiding July and August is because of overtourism. There are so many people at the lake that it’s impossible to enjoy anything, and let’s not even start talking about the impact it has on the environment.

It wasn’t that bad yet when we went in the middle of June, but the best – crowds-wise – time was April. The lake had just started melting, so the colours of the water with the snow and Croda mountain in the background was magnificent.

Timewise, the times that Michal went for sunset (June) or sunrise (August and February) were the best.

Tip: to get something more unique than the “boathouse, boats, lake, and mountain” picture, go to the left when you approach the lake, and that’s where you’ll find the Braies river and a little bridge. From there, you can get an amazing shot of the Lago di Braies.

3. Lago d’Antorno

📍Location: Eastern Dolomites, Near Tre Cime Nature Park (Drei Zinnen); Google maps
☀️Best time to visit: Summer
💵 Costs: Free
⏰How much time to spend there: an hour

Lago d’Antorno is a small lake on the way to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo and the Rifugio Auronzo. At first glance, it seems rather unassuming so you might be tempted to miss it.

But make sure to stop next to the lake (free parking!) and walk on a bit. From the shores of lake Antorno, you get to see the South face of Tre Cime di Lavaredo and the Cadini di Misurina!

It doesn’t require any effort or, to be fair, a lot of time to enjoy lago d’Antorno, so don’t miss it!

4. Seceda

📍Location: Western/Central Dolomites, Puez-Odle Nature Park; Google maps
☀️Best time to visit: when the lifts are open (winter and summer)
💵 Costs: Cable Car
⏰How much time to spend there: half a day to a day

Seceda is, I think, one of the most popular photography spots in the Dolomites. The sharp peaks rising from the ground, with a meadow on one side and a straight cliff on the other.

I’m generally skeptical of the most famous Instagram spots – I’m afraid that they’d be overcrowded, or overhyped, or many other “overs”. But Seceda really did meet the expectations that social media sets for us!

The peaks look just magical. You get the perfect photo view from an easily reachable spot – that is well marked.

Don’t miss the view towards the Puez-Odle Nature Park and Val di Funes, they look interesting and are definitely more unique than the peaks.

We went to Seceda in October during the day, and the light was nice. In summer, the wildflowers are in bloom, and in the spring, you’d get fields full of crocuses.

5. Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm; or Mont Sëuc in Ladin)

📍Location: Western/Central Dolomites, Southern part in Sciliar-Catinaccio Nature Park; Google maps
☀️Best time to visit: summer and autumn
💵 Costs: cable car or hotel
⏰How much time to spend there: at least half a day

My first thought when we visited the Alpe di Siusi was – wow, this can’t be real. We went there in October, and there was a bit of haze in the air.

Alpe di Siusi is the largest high-altitude meadow in Europe, so you know that it’s big.

Rolling hills with little huts and the Sassolungo massif in the background – it’s a photographer’s dream, really.

If you go for the sunset, the light will be coloring the mountains and the meadows. If you go for the sunrise, the sun will be rising just a bit to the left or behind the mountains depending on the season.

The best way to enjoy either would be to stay in one of the hotels on the plateau. Since cars are restricted on Alpe di Siusi, it’s troublesome to get there otherwise – especially if you have photography equipment with you.

6. Cadini di Misurina

📍Location: Eastern Dolomites, Tre Cime Nature Park (Drei Zinnen); Google maps
☀️Best time to visit: summer
💵 Costs: Rifugio Auronzo toll road price (you need a booking to get up the road!)
⏰How much time to spend there: the hike itself is approximately 2 hours roundtrip

For sure, my favourite hike in the Dolomites is the Cadini di Misurina viewpoint hike. The views-to-effort ratio is off the charts! The Cadini di Misurina are also known as the Mordor of the Dolomites, which I find pretty cool.

The hike takes approximately 2 hours round trip, and there’s very little altitude gain. If you don’t like heights and huge drops on the sides of the trail, though, it’s not the best trail for you. There are drops most of the way, the last few meters to the viewpoint itself are very narrow.

The best time of day to go to Cadini di Misurina for some spectacular photography would be sunrise, when the peaks are illuminated with light. But to be fair, as long as the skies are clear, it’s an incredible place to photograph.

7. Tre Cime di Lavaredo

📍Location: Eastern Dolomites, Tre Cime Nature Park (Drei Zinnen); Google maps
☀️Best time to visit: summer
💵 Costs: Rifugio Auronzo toll road costs
⏰How much time to spend there: the loop hike around Tre Cime lasts

Tre Cime di Lavaredo are the symbol of the Dolomites UNESCO World heritage site, and they’re definitely one of the best locations for photography in the Dolomites.

One of the most popular photo spots is from Forcella Lavaredo – that’s the picture that I’ve put as the image here. It takes approximately an hour to get there on the trail nr 101.

Another great option is from the Rifugio Locatelli. There, you can even get the Tre Cime together with laghi dei Piani.

If you can manage to snatch a bed in one of the rifugios, try your hand at some of the best night photography in the whole Europe.

Really, the possibilities here are endless.

8. Passo Giau

📍Location: Eastern Dolomites, Near Ampezzo Dolomites Natural Park; Google maps
☀️Best time to visit: anytime
💵 Costs: Free
⏰How much time to spend there: an hour or two

One of the easiest mountain passes to reach in the Dolomites is Passo Giau, which offers quite a spectacular view with the Ra Gusela Mountain. The view is made even more grand because of the Rifugio at the bottom of the cliff – it gives an amazing comparison of size.

Any time you can visit this mountain pass is, honestly, good for photography. The image above was taken before a thunderstorm (not safe for hiking, fyi). We also visited in winter, and the blue skies, white snow, huge mountain altogether looked quite cool.

If you go for the sunrise, the Ra Gusela mountain is nicely illuminated, but the sunset colors look nice also. You can hike a bit up from the parking lot – some 10 minutes – there’s a little pond where the Ra Gusela gets reflected.

9. Lake Carezza (Lago di Carezza; Karersee)

📍Location: Western Dolomites, Val d’Ega (Eggental Valley); Google maps
☀️Best time to visit: Summer – July or August
💵 Costs: Parking, otherwise free
⏰How much time to spend there: an hour

Lago di Carezza is also known as the Rainbow Lake of the Dolomites because of the spectacular color. Photographers greatly appreciate the incredible turquoise color of the water and the reflection of the Latemar range in the lake.

We visited Lake Carezza many times – in winter and in summer. The most impressive view was in August, when the skies were clear and the sun was shining (unlike June, when there was Sahara sand in the air AND it rained).

In winter, on the other hand, it’s all snowy. Which looks nice, of course, but is not the view for incredible photographs.

I’ve seen suggestions that the best time to visit is in the morning around sunrise, but honestly, in august, in the middle of the day, it was great, also.

10. Val di Funes Photo Spot – Santa Magdalena

📍Location: Western Dolomites, Puez-Odle Nature Park, Val di Funes; Google maps
☀️Best time to visit: anytime, around sunset
💵 Costs: free (or paid parking)
⏰How much time to spend there: a few hours

The Val di Funes photo spot in the Santa Magdalena town requires a bit of effort to reach it. Not a lot, though – the hike from the town of Santa Magdalena to the photo spot takes less than an hour. It’s really easy and doesn’t take a lot of time, so the photo spot is very popular with photographers – especially for sunset. Depart relatively early to not miss the best angle!

You’ll find Santa Maddalena in the Val di Funes valley. We loved the view in autumn during the sunset, when the leaves are nicely colored and you can hope to catch Enrosadira on the Puez-Odle peaks.

11. St. John Church (Chiesetta di San Giovanni in Ranui)

📍Location: Western Dolomites, Puez-Odle Nature Park, Val di Funes; Google maps
☀️Best time to visit: Evening
💵 Costs: Free (or paid parking)
⏰How much time to spend there: an hour

The Ranui Church is really easy to reach. There’s a parking lot, and just some 5 minutes of walking from it takes you to the photo spot for the little church with the majestic Puez-Odle in the background.

The photo spot is perfectly marked – there’s even a tiny wooden terrace there.

If you’d like to, you can go to the church itself to check it out, but be aware that the entrance there is paid.

We visited the location some time before sunset, and it looked nice. I can imagine that with the sunset – or sunrise – lights it looks even better.

12. Monte Lagazuoi Piccolo

📍Location: Eastern Dolomites, Ampezzo Dolomites Natural Park, by Passo Falzarego; Google maps
☀️Best time to visit: Summer
💵 Costs: Cable Car ticket
⏰How much time to spend there: Half a day – or a whole night

A bit of a unique location, but I still believe that you can get some awe-inspiring photographs from here. The Lagazuoi hut is located at 2752m asl. and you can get 360 views from here.

If you go towards Monte Lagazuoi Piccolo, you can have both the hut and then mountains in your picture – I really liked this angle.

If you get a chance, stay in the Rifugio Lagazuoi to enjoy both the sunset and sunrise lights without the struggle of getting up – or down – the mountain for them.

13. Cinque Torri

📍Location: Eastern Dolomites, Near Ampezzo Dolomites Natural Park; Google maps
☀️Best time to visit: Summer
💵 Costs: Cable Car
⏰How much time to spend there: Half a day

Five huge rock pillars (with lots of smaller ones around them), meadows, and the whole of Dolomites behind them – a lens lover’s paradise, isn’t it?

In spring, you can expect to have fields full of wildflowers, and in summer, the whole area is nicely green.

If you want some spectacular light, wait for the sunset – when the sun goes down, the Cinque Torri get nicely illuminated. Although for the sunrise, the light is amazing as well!

To take the famous picture of the pillars themselves, you just need to walk a few minutes from the cable car station. There’s also a road you can drive on towards the Cinque Torri (the road is closed from late July to the end of August and when there’s snow on the road), and from the parking lot, it’s an approximately 25-minute walk to Rifugio Scoiattoli.

14. Cortina d’Ampezzo

📍Location: Eastern Dolomites, Ampezzo Dolomites Natural Park; Google maps
☀️Best time to visit: summer and fall
💵 Costs: free
⏰How much time to spend there: half a day

It might seem weird, but really, the town of Cortina d’Ampezzo is very photogenic. You can walk through the small streets to take pictures of the charming houses, churches, and roads.

Definitely find a vantage point somewhere above the town, too. I personally loved the spot here-ish – you get great views over the town and the mountains. Another place to go for panoramic views is on the Faloria mountain.

The best time to go would be when it’s sunny, or even sunset or sunrise, to really bring out the colors. On our trip in April, it was cloudy so there was not so much contrast. Although the town itself looked dreamy.

In November, I loved the view of the fall foliage and the bits of snow in the mountains.

15. Passo delle Erbe (Würzjoch; or Ju de Börz in Ladin)

📍Location: Western/Central Dolomites, Puez-Odle Nature Park; Google maps
☀️Best time to visit: Summer
💵 Costs: Parking
⏰How much time to spend there: a few hours

Passo delle Erbe is kind of an underrated mountain pass in the Puez-Odle nature park. It’s dominated by the impressive form of Sass de Putia (Peitlerkofel) with the peaks of Grosser Peitler and the Kleiner Peitler and the deep ridge behind it.

It’s a stunning and tranquil mountain pass, and definitely a lot wilder than the more famous passes such as Gardena or Sella.

For the best photo ops, you can go from Ütia de Börz towards the Crocifisso ai Prati del Putia. The view from there of Sass de Putia is incredible. Or even just enjoy the view from the pass. As usual, the spot is best for sunset and sunrise.

The road towards the mountain pass is extremely narrow so be careful!

A Map

Photography Tips for the Dolomites

Here are some tips and rules so that you can properly enjoy photography in the Dolomites.

Best Time To Visit The Dolomites For Photography

The best time to visit, in my opinion, is the early summer or autumn.

In the early summer, you’ll encounter full waterfalls, the first wildflowers, and smaller crowds. The prices are also generally lower.

In autumn, the trees are becoming colorful and the light is nice and soft. And again, the crowds are not so big and prices are lower than in peak seasons.

July and august are the best weather-wise, but the crowds are generally the biggest and the prices – highest.

Don’t also dismiss winter for photography! The mountains look amazing in snow.

Weather Considerations

It’s important to keep in mind that in mountains, the weather can change in an instant so you should be prepared for anything.

Always pack layers with you, including waterproof ones. It’s a good idea to have extra snacks and drinks with you, in case you need to wait the weather out.

And make sure to never hike in a storm when it’s avoidable. It’s just not safe.

Drone Regulations

There are some regulations that you must follow to fly a drone in the Dolomites. Some are:

• You need a registration if your drone weighs more than 250g. You can do it on the d-flight app, where you also can find the no-fly zones.
• You cannot fly a drone in Nature parks and Natural parks.
• There needs to be a QR code on the drone which identifies it – you can also get that on the d-flight app.
• To fly drones above 250g, you also need a certificate of competence. There are categories for them. More info here on the South Tyrol official website.

Essential Gear

You already know all of the photography gear that you need, right?

But anyways, here are the main ones for the most beautiful pictures.

• Camera – we use a Nikon D810 DSLR
• Tripod
• Camera backpack – it’s easier to carry stuff with one when you need to hike

But don’t forget all the hiking essentials, too. You might not be hiking far, but you are going to be in the mountains, so:

• Hiking or trail running shoes
• Layers of clothing, including waterproof jacket
• Water bottle
• Snacks
• Maybe hiking poles.

Getting Around – get a car

If you’re visiting the Dolomites for photography, make sure to have a car – either rental, or drive yourself.

Buses are cheap (or free) and more nature friendly, but they don’t really work for photography – you need the freedom of time which the public transport really doesn’t provide.

If you have a car, you can go to different places for sunrise or sunset, as well as find the best angles if you go during the day.

Conclusion about the Dolomites best photo spots

The Dolomites are truly a photographer’s paradise and a destination filled with breathtaking landscapes, from iconic peaks like Tre Cime di Lavaredo and Seceda to serene lakes such as Lago di Braies and Lago di Carezza. Whether you’re after dramatic mountain vistas, tranquil valleys, or charming alpine villages, the region offers an incredible variety of photo opportunities and unforgettable experiences.

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