Lake Carezza in South Tyrol is truly a jewel of the Dolomites and one of the most visited lakes in South Tyrol. The water shines in a wonderful turquoise blue and it is so clear that you can see from every spot to the bottom. But the special highlight of Lago di Carezza is the view of the Rosengarten, which stretches majestically in the background. This panorama is really unique and simply beautiful.
Lago di Carezza in South Tyrol
Lake Carezza is one of the tourist attractions in the Dolomites and is visited by thousands of people every year. For some years now, there has even been a visitor center with a souvenir store, restaurants and toilets. So there is a lot going on here, but we would still recommend everyone to visit Lago di Carezza, because it is really beautiful here.
After you park your car in the huge visitor parking lot, walk towards the visitor center and go down one floor through a tunnel directly to the lake. This will save you from having to cross the street. As soon as you come out on the other side of the tunnel, you will see the visitors’ terrace, which offers a wonderful view of the lake and the mountains behind it.
This is also the panorama that you will see in most of the photos of Lake Carezza. Because the combination of blue water, green fir trees, the gray rock and the (hopefully) blue sky is really unique.
However, you should not stay here, but also walk around the lake. The hiking trail around the lake is less than 2 km long and can be done in about half an hour. The path is always about 10 meters or more away from the water and there is also a wooden fence around the lake.
It is forbidden to climb the fence, which means that you can not go directly to the lake. But this is a good thing, because it is the only way to protect the unique nature here. From the southwestern shore you also have a wonderful view of the lake and another mountain massif.
If you don’t have much time and don’t want to do any more hiking, you can go back to the parking lot. But before you continue you can walk over a 50 meter long suspension bridge on the opposite side of the parking lot. This also wobbles properly when running over and invites you to take some nice photos. After this short photo stop, we also turned around and drove further in the direction of Seceda.
Facts about Lago di Carezza
Lake Carezza is located in the middle of the dense Carezza forest at 1534 meters above sea level and has no visible inflow, as it is fed by an underground spring. The water level of Lake Carezza changes almost monthly and is at its highest in spring, as it is fed by the melting snow from the surrounding mountains. In October the water level is at its lowest and in winter Lake Carezza regularly freezes over.
In spring, the lake has a length of 287 meters and a width of 137 meters and is over 20 meters deep at its deepest point. At low tide in October, the deepest point cannot be 6 meters deep. And even if you were allowed to swim in the lake, it would not be a nice experience, because even in summer the water temperature does not rise above 13 degrees and in spring the lake does not get above 6 degrees.
Visiting Lago di Carezza with your Dog
We went with our dog Aaro to South Tyrol and thus also to Lago di Carezza and had a great experience here. We think the lake is definitely suitable for dogs. It is allowed to take your dog with you on a leash during the hike around the lake. However, your dog should not swim in the lake, because nature should be protected and the wooden fence restricts access to the lake.
Is it allowed to swim in Lake Carezza?
Unfortunately, swimming in Lake Carezza is prohibited in order to protect the unique nature. The lake is also fenced all around and therefore it is not even possible to get directly to the lake to swim there. If you want to swim in a mountain lake with a similar panorama, you should visit Lago di Braies. The lake is similarly touristy, but also beautiful and swimming is allowed here.
How to get to Lago di Carezza
Lake Carezza is located about 35 km west of Bolzano and you can reach it easily on the SS241 road. If you are on the road here, you cannot miss it. On Google Maps you can find the Lago di Landro her on Google Maps.
Parking at Lake Carezza in South Tyrol
Directly at the lake there is a huge visitor parking lot, which offers enough space for cars and also caravans or campervans. Parking costs 1 Euro per hour. Unfortunately, spending the night in a camper van is not allowed here.
Hiking at Lake Carezza in South Tyrol
Apart from the hike that takes you once around the lake in half an hour, there are plenty of other trails that can be explored on foot or by mountain bike. So you see, Lake Carezza offers much more than just a short photo stop. Just check the large information board at the parking lot to find out which other hikes are possible at Lago di Carezza.
Hotel recommendation close to Lago di Carezza
Residence Cesa Callegari in Wolkenstein
In this charming accommodation at the end of the ski resort Selva di Val Gardena you have spacious apartments with kitchen and large living room. 
You can even use the large garden which was really great for us with our dog Aaro.
From Selva Gardena you are quickly at the many highlights of the Dolomites such as Seceda, the Sella Pass or Catinaccio.
- spacious apartments
- possibility to use the garden
- rustic furnishings with everything you need
- central position