Dobbiaco: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Dobbiaco, Toblach in German, is a quiet village at the top of the Pustertal, where the railway from Austria arrived in 1871 and turned it into a resort. Gustav Mahler spent his last three summers here, from 1908 to 1910, writing in a wooden hut in the fields. This walk links the station, the old railway hotel, the church and Mahler's hut. About two hours on foot, flat; the hut is a 30-minute walk west of the centre.

A short history of Dobbiaco

Dobbiaco, Toblach in German, is a town in the Puster Valley, on the watershed between rivers flowing to the Adriatic and the Drava, which flows to the Black Sea. With the arrival of the railway in 1871 it became a resort for aristocrats and merchants from Vienna. In the summers of 1908 to 1910 Gustav Mahler lived here, and in a small hut in the woods he wrote "Das Lied von der Erde" and the Ninth Symphony. In 1919 the area passed from Austria to Italy.

The ten best sights in Dobbiaco

1
Church of St John the Baptist
Baroque parish church on Piazza Parrocchia, the centre of the village
2
Grand Hotel Toblach
The old railway hotel, now a cultural centre and concert hall
3
Tre Cime Nature Park House
Free visitor centre on the park; good before a hike
4
Gustav Mahler composing hut
The small hut where Mahler wrote his last works, 2 km west
5
Collegiate Church of San Candido
The great Romanesque church of the Tyrol, 10 minutes east
6
Lago di Dobbiaco
A lake 3 km south with a flat path around it and boat hire
7
Lago di Landro
A shallow lake under Monte Cristallo on the Cortina road
8
Drei Zinnen Blick
The roadside view of the Tre Cime, 15 minutes south
9
Prato Piazza
A high meadow at 2,000 m; restricted road access in summer
10
Lago di Braies
The famous green lake 25 minutes west; come early or by bus

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Tours in Dobbiaco →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Dobbiaco:

Free walking tours in Dobbiaco

Mahler's summer village

Dobbiaco Station · The Pustertal railway reached Toblach in 1871, linking it with Lienz and the Habsburg south. Within a few years villas and hotels went up, and Viennese families came for the summer.
Grand Hotel Toblach · The Grand Hotel was built in 1878 by the Südbahn, the railway company, as a luxury stop for its passengers. Since 1981 it has hosted the Gustav Mahler Music Weeks each summer, and today it is the Euregio cultural centre with a concert hall.
Church of St John the Baptist · The baroque church was built in the 1760s and decorated by Tyrolean painters. Its onion-shaped spire is the mark of the village from every path in the valley.
Tre Cime Nature Park House · The visitor centre covers the Tre Cime nature park, which since 2009 has been part of the Dolomites World Heritage site. Exhibits explain how the peaks were built from coral reefs of a tropical sea about 250 million years ago.
Gustav Mahler composing hut · In this hut Mahler wrote Das Lied von der Erde, his Ninth Symphony and the sketches of his unfinished Tenth. He had just been forced out of the Vienna Opera, and lost his elder daughter in 1907; he died in 1911, a year after his last summer here.
Drei Zinnen show dairy · The dairy belongs to the local farmers' cooperative and takes milk from the high farms of the valley. Through the windows you can watch the curd being cut and pressed into wheels.

South to the Three Peaks

From Dobbiaco the old Strada d'Alemagna climbs south through the Landro valley towards Cortina, past two lakes and the one place on the road where the Tre Cime appear. Side roads lead to a high meadow and to Lago di Braies, the best known lake in the Dolomites. This is a car day of about 100 km. In summer Braies and Prato Piazza have access limits and paid parking; check before you go, or take the bus.

Lago di Dobbiaco · The lake lies on the old road from Germany to Venice, which the Germans called the Alemagna road. For centuries carts with goods for the Venetian market passed along its shore on the way over the mountains.
Lago di Landro · In the First World War the Landro valley was the Austrian supply line to the front on the Tre Cime and Monte Cristallo. The lake is shallow and in dry autumns shrinks to a few pools, with the Cristallo reflected in what is left.
Drei Zinnen Blick · From this one lay-by the Tre Cime show at the end of the Rienz side valley, framed by forest. A few hundred metres further on, the view disappears again behind the slopes.
Tre Cime di Lavaredo · The peaks are reached from this side via Misurina and the toll road to the Auronzo hut. The north faces, seen from the Locatelli hut, are the view on the posters; the walk there from Auronzo takes about an hour and a half.
Prato Piazza · Prato Piazza, Plätzwiese in German, is a high pasture at about 2,000 metres facing the Croda Rossa and Monte Cristallo. An old Austrian fort stands nearby, built before the First World War to guard the passes to Italy.
Lago di Braies · At the end of April 1945 the SS brought a group of prominent prisoners to the lake hotel — among them the former French prime minister Léon Blum and Austria's Kurt Schuschnigg. German army officers took them under their protection, and American troops freed them here days later.

East to the watershed

Just east of Dobbiaco, on the flat Toblacher Feld, the waters of Europe divide: one way they flow to the Adriatic, the other to the Black Sea. This route follows the second way, from the source of the Drava to San Candido and the side valley of Sesto under the peaks that tell the time. It can be done by car in half a day, or by bike along the Drava path. On the bike, keep going downhill to Lienz and take the train back.

Source of the Drava · The Drava rises here, between Dobbiaco and San Candido, and runs more than 700 kilometres through Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary to the Danube and the Black Sea. A few hundred metres west, the Rienza flows the other way, to the Adige and the Adriatic.
Drava cycle path · The path follows the river downhill from here to Lienz in Austria, about 40 km, almost all of it gently descending. In summer bike-hire shops run a system where you leave the bike at the other end and come back on the train.
Collegiate Church of San Candido · The Bavarian duke Tassilo III founded a monastery here in 769 to bring Christianity to the Slavs of the eastern Alps. The church that stands today, from the 13th century, is the finest Romanesque building in the Tyrol, with a carved crucifix that is among the oldest of its kind.
Haunold · The mountain above San Candido is named after the giant Haunold of local legend, said to have helped the monks build their church by carrying the stones. A large bone kept in the church was long shown as one of his ribs.
Sexten · Above Sesto five peaks form a giant sundial: the Neuner, Zehner, Elfer, Zwölfer and Einser — Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve and One. From the village, the sun stands over each of them at that hour.
Valle di Sesto · In 1915 Sesto lay right on the front, and Italian artillery set the village on fire. Sepp Innerkofler, a famous mountain guide from Sesto, was killed in July 1915 trying to retake the Paterno peak near the Tre Cime.

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Getting to Dobbiaco and getting around

Dobbiaco Station · On the Pustertal line: Fortezza and Bolzano west, Lienz in Austria east
Dobbiaco bus stop at the station · Buses south to Cortina and to Lago di Braies leave beside the trains

Cheap eats in Dobbiaco

Dobbiaco eats South Tyrolean: speck and cheese, dumplings, strudel and dark rye bread, with coffee and cake in the afternoon. A bakery roll and a piece of cheese from the show dairy make a cheap picnic for the lakes. Prices are in euros, a little lower than in Cortina.

Bäckerei Trenker · Bread, pretzels and strudel on the town hall square, about 2-5 €
Walder · Bakery on Gustav-Mahler-Strasse, a filled roll about 4-6 €
Kugler Speckstube · Speck and cheese plates, about 12-18 €
Cafe Marlen · Coffee and cake by the church, about 5-7 €
Drei Zinnen show dairy · Local cheese by the piece, a tasting plate about 8-12 €
Cristallino · Ice cream, about 3-4 €

Museums in Dobbiaco

Gustav Mahler composing hut · Small exhibition in the hut by the Mahler Stube inn
Grand Hotel Toblach · Concerts and exhibitions; check the summer programme
Tre Cime Nature Park House · Free; maps and trail advice
Collegiate Church of San Candido · Romanesque church and crypt, 10 minutes away

Nature and day trips near Dobbiaco

Lago di Braies · Walk the lake loop in about an hour; rowing boats in summer
Prato Piazza · Easy walks with big views
Lago di Dobbiaco · Flat lake loop and nature trail
Lago di Landro · A stop on the way to Cortina
Valle di Sesto · The way into the Fiscalino valley and its huts

Things to do in Dobbiaco with kids

Drava cycle path · Gentle downhill riding; trailers for small children
Lago di Dobbiaco · Boats, a flat path and ducks
Nordic Arena · Cross-country ski stadium; summer roller trails
Drei Zinnen show dairy · Watch the cheese being made through the windows

Where to eat in Dobbiaco

Gasthaus Weber · Traditional inn on Gustav-Mahler-Strasse
Restaurant Schlosskeller · Dinner in the cellar of the old castle by the church
Winkelkeller · Local dishes in the centre
Ariston · Pizza and pasta on the town hall square
Eirisch Grill · Grills on the town hall square

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Frequently asked questions about Dobbiaco

What is there to see in Dobbiaco?

The top sights in Dobbiaco are Church of St John the Baptist, Grand Hotel Toblach and Tre Cime Nature Park House. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Dobbiaco?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Dobbiaco without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Dobbiaco?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Dobbiaco, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Mahler's summer village.

How do you get to Dobbiaco and get around?

The main ways are Dobbiaco Station and Dobbiaco bus stop at the station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Dobbiaco, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Dobbiaco that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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