Fusine Lakes

The two Laghi di Fusine lie in a limestone basin beneath Mangart, whose massif forms the border between Italy and Slovenia. Both lakes are of glacial origin: the upper one lies at 929 m, covers 9 hectares and is up to 10 m deep, while the lower one lies at 924 m, covers 13.5 hectares and is up to 25 m deep. The lakes are connected underground. They have been protected as a nature park since 1971 and are usually frozen from early December until March.

The lower lake is regarded as the more striking of the two: its green-blue water is set against dark fir forests and the rock face of Mangart, and the path around its shore takes about 30 minutes. The lakes lie in the Foresta dei Tre Confini, a forest of about 24,000 hectares shared by Italy, Austria and Slovenia. Deer and chamois live here, and bears have more recently arrived from Slovenia. From the upper lake a trail leads to the Rifugio Zacchi at 1,380 m (open from May to late September, according to Wikivoyage).

It is about 9 km from Tarvisio and roughly 14 km to Kranjska Gora in Slovenia. The access road is subject to a toll, according to Wikivoyage from June to September, with a higher rate for motorhomes than for cars (as of October 2026); there is a large car park at the upper lake. The classic circuit of both lakes on a forest path is without major difficulty and takes about 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on pace. May to October is regarded as the best time to visit.