Laghi di Fusine (Fusine Lakes) are two lakes of glacial origin in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, very close to the borders of Austria and Slovenia. The two lakes are called Lago di Fusine Superiore (the higher lake) and Lago di Fusine Inferiore (the lower lake).
Given their close proximity to these neighboring countries, the Fusine Lakes are also known by their German name, Weissenfelser Seen, and their Slovenian name, Belopeska Jezera. The Slovenian resort town Kranjska Gora is only a 20-min (14 km) drive away, while the Austrian town Villach is only a 35-min (30 km) drive away.
The Fusine Lakes are a captivating sight because they are situated at the foot of the Mangart massif. Mangart is one of the most majestic mountains in the Julian Alps (Alpe Giulie) and forms part of the natural border between Italy and Slovenia.
We recommend spending at least 1-2 hours visiting the Fusine Lakes. For the best views, follow the circuit trail around Lago di Fusine Superiore. If you have more time, consider hiking to Rifugio Luigi Zacchi.
We visited Laghi di Fusine on our 2 week Slovenia Road Trip. We drove from Bovec, Slovenia, to the Fusine Lakes via SS54 (google map).
Update 2023: The access road to the Fusine Lakes is now a toll road. The toll fee is 5 EUR for cars and 3 EUR for motorbikes. Once you pay the toll, continue the drive all the way to large car park at Lago di Fusine Superiore, the upper lake. There are no additional parking fees.
Visiting Laghi di Fusine in Northern Italy
- When to Visit: May – October
- Toll Fee: 5 EUR for cars, 3 EUR for motorbikes
- Parking Lot: There’s a large parking area at Lago di Fusine Superiore.
- Time Needed: 1 – 2 hours
- Where to Eat: Belvedere Lakeshore Eatery, Lago di Fusine Inferiore.
- Where to Stay: Apartments Mertelj in Rateče (SLO), or Hotel Il Cervo SPA & Wellness in Tarvisio (ITA)
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Fusine Lakes Map
Hiking around the Fusine Lakes
You can drive directly to Laghi di Fusine. There’s neither an entrance fee nor a parking fee to visit Laghi di Fusine.
The best place to park is at the large parking lot by Lago di Fusine Superiore (the higher lake). You’ll first drive past Lago di Fusine Inferiore (the lower lake), before reaching this car park.
After parking your car, walk to the higher Fusine Lake and follow the loop trail, which wraps around the entire lake. As you circuit the lake, you’ll have continuously bewitching views of Mangart.
The path itself is easy to follow and mostly flat. There are a number of benches positioned around the lake, so you can rest and enjoy the view along the way. The circular path around Lago di Fusine Superiore is 2km in length and takes 45 minutes to complete.
There are paths connecting the upper and lower lakes, so there’s no need to re-park. On the north side of Lago di Fusine Inferiore (the Lower Fusine Lake), there’s a small eatery called Belvedere. When we visited, they didn’t have very much in terms of food. Only toast with ham and cheese was available to order. So, this is a better place for a beverage than a meal.
Rifugio Luigi Zacchi Hike
- Trailhead: Lago di Fusine Superiore (929 m)
- Distance: 3 km (Forest Trail), 4.4 km (Road Trail)
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Altitude Difference: 451 m
- Time Needed: 1 hr one-way
- When to Go: May – October. Rifugio Luigi Zacchi is usually open from late May to the end of September.
If you want to continue exploring the region, you can also hike to Rifugio Luigi Zacchi (1380 m) along Trail No. 512. This mountain hut in the Julian Alps offers food, refreshments, and great alpine views. It’s generally open from late May to the end of September.
From the Lago di Fusine Superiore parking lot, follow the wide gravel road in the direction of Mangart. After about 5 minutes, you’ll reach an intersection. You can either take the Sentiero Rif. Zacchi path to the left, which follows a narrow forest trail to the hut. This is the faster route.
Or, you can take the Strada Rif. Zacchi path to the right, which is a gravel road, suitable also for bikers. This is a bit longer, but you’ll have more views of the Mangart mountain as you ascend. We hiked this as a loop, taking the left forest trail up to the rifugio and descending via the road.
Where to Stay near Laghi di Fusine (Fusine Lakes)
We recommend staying in Rateče (Slovenia) or Tarvisio (Italy). Here are some great options:
Budget: Apartments Mertelj in Rateče
Midrange: Hotel Il Cervo SPA & Wellness in Tarvisio
Look for accommodation near Fusine Lakes.
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There are 2 comments on this post
Hi Kati and Sabrina! We use your recommendations all the time for our trip planning - thank you for making these beautiful places more accessible to us! We visited the Fusine Lakes a few days ago and wanted to let you know that there is now a toll booth you have to go through in order to park near the lakes. It's 5 euro for a car and 3 euro for a bike. Before reaching the toll booth, there are very few shoulders to park on and the only parking lot is at a restaurant with no parking - private property signs, so it really isn't possible to avoid the toll. We took your advice and parked up at Fusine Superiore and it was magnificent!
Hi Eve,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share these updates!
We really appreciate it!
-Sabrina