Dobbiaco
Dobbiaco (Toblach in German) is a municipality in the Alta Pusteria (Hochpustertal), in South Tyrol, set in a wide basin at the fo...
Updated 17 July 2026
This season · July · Summer
What to do in Dobbiaco now
The story
The story of Dobbiaco
The town of Alta Pusteria
Dobbiaco lies in Alta Pusteria (Hochpustertal), the easternmost part of South Tyrol, in an open basin at about 1,250 metres of altitude that marks the watershed between the Drava and Rienza river basins. The village has for centuries been a crossroads of trade and culture, where the Germanic influence of Alta Pusteria meets the Ladin-Dolomitic character of the territories further south toward Cortina. The settlement is split between the old core, with steep-roofed houses and the baroque parish church of St John the Baptist, and the more recent areas developed around the railway station and tourist facilities. Dobbiaco is the main town of a municipality that also includes the hamlet of Santa Maria, with nearby Villabassa, making it a convenient base for exploring the whole of Alta Pusteria, from the lakes to the side valleys and up to the high-altitude mountain huts.
Gateway to the Dolomites of Sesto and the Tre Cime
Dobbiaco is the natural gateway to the Dolomites of Sesto, one of the nine mountain systems that make up the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage site. From here the road climbs the Val di Landro toward the Tre Croci Pass and Cortina d'Ampezzo, offering ever-changing views of the limestone spires that define this corner of the eastern Dolomites. The best-known destination reachable from the area is the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, an absolute symbol of the Dolomites, visible in their full grandeur from the Rifugio Auronzo and walkable via the classic loop that also touches the Rifugio Locatelli. The surroundings of Dobbiaco also open onto numerous trails toward the mountain huts of the Dolomites of Sesto, such as Rifugio Fondovalle and Rifugio Vallandro, ideal for half-day hikes or as starting points for more demanding high-altitude traverses.
The lakes: Dobbiaco and the Val di Landro toward Braies
Just outside the town centre lies Lake Dobbiaco (Toblacher See), a turquoise-tinted body of water surrounded by spruce and larch woods, easily reached on foot or by bicycle and a starting point for gentle walks suitable for families. Heading up the Val di Landro, the same direction that leads toward the Dolomites of Sesto, other alpine lakes appear along the way, and with a short detour one reaches the famous Lake Braies, one of the most photographed lakes in the Alps, its emerald waters framed by the cliffs of the Croda del Becco. Together these bodies of water make the Dobbiaco area a reference point for anyone seeking mountain lake scenery, often combined with walks accessible even to those who do not practise demanding trekking, and with cycle paths that follow the valley floor.
Gustav Mahler and the Music Weeks
Dobbiaco is inseparably linked to the figure of Austrian composer Gustav Mahler, who spent his summers here between 1908 and 1910, composing some of his last works, including parts of the Ninth Symphony and Das Lied von der Erde, in a small isolated hut in the woods. That hut, now known as Casa Mahler, can be visited and preserves the memory of that creative period lived far from the rhythms of city life. The town has made this connection part of its identity, hosting the Gustav Mahler Cultural Centre, a space dedicated to concerts, exhibitions and events, and the Gustav Mahler Music Weeks, a festival that every summer draws musicians and enthusiasts from all over Europe to Alta Pusteria. For visitors to Dobbiaco, following in Mahler's footsteps means discovering a more intimate, cultural side of the town, complementing its hiking and sporting vocation.
The Dobbiaco-Cortina cycle path, cross-country skiing and surroundings
Dobbiaco is the starting point of the historic Dobbiaco-Cortina cycle path, laid out on the bed of the former Dolomites railway line decommissioned in the 1960s: about 30 kilometres running up the Val di Landro through tunnels, bridges and converted railway stations, with a gentle gradient and constant views of the Dolomites of Sesto, all the way to Cortina d'Ampezzo. It is one of the best-known and most popular cycle-touring routes in the Alps. In winter the same area turns into one of the world's leading centres for cross-country skiing: the Nordic Arena and the trails of Alta Pusteria have hosted World Cup stages and train generations of athletes, thanks to reliably natural snow cover and kilometres of tracks running through forest and basin. Around Dobbiaco there are also mountain huts, areas for snowshoe walks, and the nearby town of San Candido, another hub of Alta Pusteria worth combining in a broader visit.
Not to be missed
- The Tre Cime di Lavaredo and the loop hike from Rifugio Auronzo to Rifugio Locatelli
- Lake Dobbiaco (Toblacher See) and, with a detour up the Val di Landro, Lake Braies
- Casa Mahler and the Gustav Mahler Cultural Centre, with the summer Music Weeks
- The Dobbiaco-Cortina cycle path along the former Dolomites railway line
- The cross-country ski trails of the Nordic Arena in Alta Pusteria
To see
What to see in Dobbiaco
Routes · Trovido Route
Routes in Dobbiaco
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