Hi, I'm after tips and recommendations on the Dolomites area in Italy. I'm planning to fly to Venice in 2 weeks time and from there travel to the lago di Braies by public transport. Accommodation by the lake is not available so I need to base myself somewhere else. I was told Dobbiaco is the closest but it takes 7 hours to get there from Venice. The other alternative would be Cortina but when I looked for accomodation there it came up with tons of small villages and I have no idea which option would be most suitable. I'd like to stay somewhere with easy and short access to the lake and from where I could travel very early around sunrise but I'm not sure if this option is even available? Any advice would be really appreciated. PS: Driving is not an option

There is train service from Venice Mestre to Villabassa Braies. It takes about 5 hours with one or 2 changes. There are a few hotels fairly near the Villabassa train station, and according to the website of one lakeside hotel there is "regular" bus service from the station to the lake.

https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html
[Use Italian spellings, i.e., Venezia Mestre.]

https://www.lagodibraies.com/en/directions/

You need to research the various bus services... ATVO, Dolomiti Bus, SII... I don't know which one(s) might go the Lago di Braies.

AFAIK, the lake can only be approached by vehicle/bus from the north, so Cortina wouldn't be terribly convenient specifically for Lago di Braies but would be a better base for other sightseeing in the Dolomites.

You're late looking for lodging in Cortina in its high season, but I see several options available in the city center on Booking.com for arrival on/about Aug. 19th. FYI, even properties that show no availability on Booking may actually have rooms if you contact them directly. Dobbiaco is smaller, so you may not have much choice for your dates.

Hi John, thank you so much for your input. After doing some more exploring it looks like trying to reach the lakes by public transport will be very time consuming and risky, especially as I only have 2 days. I have reluctantly decided to skip the Dolomites on this occasion and head to Slovenia instead. I will definitely do this trip in the near future (when it's less crowded as well) but I will allow more time and plan well in advance

Trying to exploring the Dolomites using only public transportation would be difficult and probably frustrating with anything less than 5-7 days. (Even 5-7 days with a car can force some tough sightseeing choices.) In a longer visit, you might want to use two bases, say Cortina and Ortisei, which both have in-town lifts as well as bus service to other points.

Thanks Jean, I will bear that in mind for next time

PS: Just realised I spelled your name wrong in my previous message, sorry!