As there were only six of us our guide Anna opted to take us to Lago di Braies by taxi/mini bus, which meant we were soon speeding to our start point rather than hanging around waiting for the local bus. Lago di Braies is surrounded by the imposing Seekofel massif (2,810m). Lago di Braies is a so-called damming lake as there is no obvious outlet for the water; in fact its outlet is underground and it emerges much lower down the valley.

The walk starts at the Hotel Lago Di Braies at the north end of the lake. The hotel was built for the famous Tyrolean innkeeper Emma Hellensteiner (1817-1904), who made a name for herself as "Mrs. Emma" as a pioneer of early Tyrolean tourism. The hotel was opened on 10th July 1899. From the hotel there are two ways to start the AV1 walk, but the path along the eastern side of the lake has the better views over the lake and is shorter. At the southern end of the lake you take a path going south.

Many people starting at Lago di Braies break for the first night at Rifugio Biella, 2,327m just after going over the pass Forcella Sora Forno. This is a good stopping place if you want to climb the nearby Croda del Becco, which is especially popular for the sunset. However Lago di Braies to Rifugio Biella is a 3-hour uphill slog (900m of ascent and 60m of descent); after that it is downhill, so many people carry on until they reach Rifugio Sennes. Rifugio Sennes is another 3.1km with 200 m of descent and takes about an hour.