Level of difficulty 1 paddel  |  Gastronomy 1 pitcher |  Length 3.2 km |  Time 1 hour

---

It is still an insider tip in the Julian Alps of northern Italy. The cool and crystal-clear glacial lake leaves no one cold because of its imposing location between steep mountain slopes. Lake Raibl may be small, but the paddling pleasure is great.

General information

• Friuli Venezia Giulia tourist information
• Lago del Predil Wikipedia
• Tarvisio Wikipedia
• Climate
• Wind, waves, weather

Navigation rules

In principle, you only have to watch out for bathers and other paddlers near the shore. The north shore is where you need to be most careful, as this is where the most people are. To the middle of the lake you usually have free travel.

Dangers and risks

When the water level is low, you are inevitably confronted with many sharp stones on the shore, which is why it is best to wear sturdy shoes with thick soles. In addition, the ground is loamy and slippery in many places. In order to avoid the low water level and its side effects, it is best to enter #lagodelpredil in the search bar on Instagram and look at the current photos and water levels,.

Around the middle of the day there can be quite strong south or north winds, which make paddling more strenuous. However, high waves or dangerous currents are not to be expected.

The banks are mostly shallow (depending on the water level), if you paddle too close to them, fins can get stuck.

Likewise, a relatively large number of bathers can be expected, especially on the beaches in the north and south of the lake, around the islands and around the small delta of the Canale Malga (below the Cascata Fiorino waterfall). Keep distance! 

Directions

Coming from Tarvisio there is only one access road to Lago del Predil. Take the SS 54 south to Cave del Predil and follow the signs towards Sella Nevea. After the former mining village of Cave del Predil, turn right onto the SP 76 in direction of Sella Nevea and park either shortly afterwards at the north car park (left after 170 m) or at one of the other car parks along the west bank.

Coming from Slovenia you drive through the overwhelming mountain landscape of the Triglav National Park and over the Predil Pass down to the lake. This route takes you past the remarkable war fortresses of Forte del Lago Predil (Fort Predel) and Batteria di Sella Predil. Beware of the heavy traffic: cars, motorcycles, cyclists!

Parking

The most popular parking lot at Chalet al Lago, which is always packed on nice days, lies on the north shore of the lake. If the gravel parking lot is full, there is little space for preparing the SUPs. Then it is best to inflate the boards on the bank and put the fins on there.

Around the southern beach there is also a relatively large parking lot.

Other small parking lots along the west bank can be found here:

Punto Panoramico sul Lago del Predil

Zsuzsa’s Panorama

Forte del Lago Predil

Viewpoint over the south beach

Viewpoint in direction of Sella Nevea

All parking is free.

Swimming

As a mountain lake, Lago del Predil is of course a bit cooler than other bathing lakes. However, the water is still pleasant in summer and offers a subtle cooling without hypothermia. Since the lake is easily accessible from all sides via the circular hiking trail, you can get into the water from anywhere. However, if the water level is too low, the banks are often slippery and loamy, and the lake doesn't look that romantic either.

Unfortunately, there hasn't been a public bathing beach since 2022, which also had the advantage that the operators took care of the safety of bathers and local environmental protection.

Worth seeing

Around the lake and the Predil Pass there are countless historically significant sites and exhibits to visit: Notable are the Battery Predilpass, the Forte del Lago Predil (Fort Predel) including the French burial site, but also the military artefacts in the Canale Malga area or along the SP 76 south of the lake.

The town of Tarvisio is located only ten kilometers north of the lake and invites you to stroll and enjoy its friendly town center. At the famous market you find Italian fashion (always negotiate prices!), around the main square - Piazza Unità - visitors discover nice bars and restaurants. For many holidaymakers from the north, Tarvisio is the first small highlight on their way south.

The village Cave del Predil (also called Raibl) is unfortunately not a special feast for the eyes, but it is still worth visiting the military museum and the geomineral park. You learn more about the lead and zinc mining that was carried out here and at the same time you support the local economy.

Extra Tips

There are many different hiking trails around the lake - some quite easy, others challenging. Worth mentioning is the 5.5 km long circular hiking trail around the lake. It is mostly flat and can be easily mastered by everyone. However, it is more strenuous to conquer Monte Lussari near Tarvisio.

Although they are almost too small to paddle, they are still beautiful and relaxing: the two Fusine-Lakes (Laghi di Fusine) are located a few kilometers south-east of Tarvisio and are in a diverse hiking area. The AlpeAdria Trail which is famous from many postcards.

The No Borders Music Festival has been held annually since the 1990s. The concerts were first held in Tarvisio's main square (Piazza Unità), but for a few years now they have been held at the Fusine Lakes.

In Tarvisio you can also join a guided forest bathing experience and relax in nature.

You can also come to the lake if you happen to be in the neighboring Slovenian Triglav National Park. Coming from Bovec, with the transfer in the minibus already included, you can take part in a guided SUP tour. If you want to try something new, just book a SUP yoga session instead.

Golfers will find a unique natural setting between the mountains on the course of the Senza Confini Golf Club. Since 2013, you can enjoy teeing off and dining here in the Italian-Austrian-Slovenian border triangle.

Tour

From the north bank to the west bank and around the lake.

Length

3.2 km

Time

1 hour

Start and landing

On the north shore at Chalet al Lago.

SUP rental

None

Overnight Stay

Affittacamere Buon Riposo
Largo Mazzini 4/A, 33018 Tarvisio
Phone +39 (0)338 767 4416

Casa il Tiglio
Località Rutte Piccolo 20, 33018 Tarvisio
Phone +39 (0)351 262 2438

Hotel Rosengarten
Via Bamberga 3, 33018 Tarvisio
Phone +39 (0)428 66 88 32

Hotel Canin
Via Carinzia 7, 33010 Sella Nevea

Predel House
Strmec na Predelu 15, 5231 Log pod Mangartom (Slovenien)

Gastronomy

Locanda del Minatore
Largo Giuseppe Mazzini 4, Cave del Predil, 33018 Tarvisio
Phone +39 (0)338 767 4416

Tschurwald
Via Roma 8, 33018 Tarvisio
Phone +39 (0)428 40534

Bar Trattoria Miramonti
Via Dante Alighieri 73, 33018 Tarvisio
Phone +39 (0)347 543 0340

L’Altro Gusto Restaurant & Bar
Via Armando Diaz 20, 33018 Tarvisio
Phone +39 (0)428 644223

Tizio E Caio
Via Roma 53, 33018 Tarvisio

Paddling experience on the former glacial lake

For many people living in the south of Austria on the border with Italy, Tarvisio is the first port of call if you occasionally want to experience a little Italian flair. For travelers passing through, the small town near the border is often the first point of contact on the way to more southern destinations.

Only about ten kilometers south of Tarvisio, the Lago del Predil (also called Lake Raibl) covers an area of one square kilometer and enchants everyone who travels the winding access road through the Tarvisian hinterland. The road leads through the former mining town of Cave del Predil, whose mine was closed in 1991 and has been lying fallow as a ruin ever since. After the Lago del Predil, the SS 54 continues on over the Predil Pass only to lead into the Slovenian Triglav National Park. It is an extremely popular route among cyclists and motorcyclists, so expect a lot of traffic.

You notice that not only on the street, but also in the parking lot in front of the Chalet al Lago on the northern shore of the lake. On nice days, it is fully occupied relatively early, but there is a constant coming and going here, so that parking spaces usually become free again and again. However, it is still quite narrow for pumping up the boards. Unfortunately, there are no more water sports rentals since 2022.

If you want to paddle here, you have to bring your own equipment or take part in a guided SUP tour. Once the preparations have been made, it only takes a few steps down to the lake and there it is best to first take in the overwhelming view, which was also captured in romantic paintings as early as the 19th century.

On all sides the rocky and forested slopes of the Julian Alps cascade down to the banks. One feels comfortably enclosed in a turquoise-blue-green landscape with dazzling white pebble beaches. The second largest natural lake in Friuli is approx. 30 m deep and was probably created as a glacial lake in a former moraine. It is only a matter of time before this natural idyll is no longer an insider tip.

But for now we don't worry about that, as we discuss our route on the beach and put on the fins. First we paddle to the right and along the western bank against the light southerly wind. Next to us, a local swimming club seems to have just finished its morning training and there are already a number of sunbathers frolicking on the shallow pebble beaches. While the lake is popular, the shores aren't crowded thanks to limited parking.

The entire shoreline is surrounded by a white-green band - the white pebbles lie by the water, just behind them mostly green grass or lush forests. In principle, you can get to the water on all sides to let your soul dangle. As passionate paddlers and enthusiastic mountaineers, we immediately fall in love with this phenomenal natural spectacle of tropical water colors between the strong and saturated colors of the mountains and forests around us.

Small tree trunks and wooden sticks occasionally swim in the crystal-clear water, while the sun's rays are reflected in a star shape. Although the road (SP 76) runs right above us, we hardly notice it - after all, the trees skilfully shield the view and engine noise.

Near the small creek delta of the Canale Malga, which rises on the mountain Raibler Aibl, we discover exhibited war equipment guarding over the lake. The entire area resembles an open-air museum with its military and mining relics. Worth mentioning in this respect is the entire town of Cave del Predil, the old buildings on the north-eastern shore of the lake, the Batteria di Sella Predil and the Forte del Lago Predil. All of these relics are indebted to the rich history of this region, which has also been the subject of various military claims. What was once Austro-Hungarian and hotly contested during the World Wars is now Italian territory.

Meanwhile we paddle towards the extensive beaches on the south of the lake. Here you should not paddle too close to the bank, because the water entrances are shallow and you could get stuck in them. Although there are a few small parking spaces along the SP 76 on the west bank, the bank sections are completely natural. The crystal-clear water tempts you to jump in and is pleasantly warm in midsummer despite the mountainous location.

After a short break, we continue to the canyon on the south-east bank and from there back via the east bank. No matter where you are on the lake, there are imposing mountain formations everywhere, such as the five pinnacles of the Cinque Punte (1909 m) in the north or the steep rock faces of the Cima del Lago (2125 m) in the south.

However, before we land again under the Chalet al Lago and end this small but nice tour of the lake, there is one last highlight to experience:

Depending on the water level, there are one or two islets on the northern shore that are just waiting to be circumnavigated. The larger one is wooded and particularly popular with bathers. The smaller one, on the other hand, consists only of rock with an overlying layer of grass. If the water level is right, you can either paddle between the two islands or just go around the larger one.

If the lake is really full to the brim, the smaller island is completely covered by the water. But you have to be lucky, because the water level varies constantly. If you want to be on the safe side, simply enter #lagodelpredil in the search bar on Instagram and you can view the latest featured images of the lake. From my own experience I can say that July usually offers extremely good chances for experiencing a full lake.

In the area of the islands there is also the outflow of the lake (Rio del Lago), which only drains the crystal-clear water in the direction of Tarvisio when the water level is high. At the end of our leisurely tour, we let ourselves drift in the water and enjoy the wonderful cooling off at air temperatures above 30° C.

After that you either stay right here and continue enjoying this place on the terrace of the little inn above, or you drive down to Tarvisio to treat yourself to a crispy pizza. Ciao! A presto al lago!