Trattoria Antica Contrada
What to order: the homemade pasta with lake sardine and a wood-grilled Garda fish.
geocalia
Day itinerary · 45.63° N · 10.67° E
Sirmione the day you arrive, 40 minutes from Verona.
Direct flight to Verona and 40 minutes by car to Sirmione: a Roman villa above the lake, grilled Garda fish and a night on a farm stay among vineyards.
Leaving from
Direct flight to Verona fromBarcelona 1 h 45Madrid 2 h 30Fuerteventura 4 h 30Gran Canaria 4 h 45
Part of Lake GardaItalian LakesAlps
Add to my trip
Total time9 h
By car45 min each way
From SpainDirect flight to Verona (VRN)
Verona – Sirmione42 min · 43 km by car
VisitRoman villa · 1 h 30
DifficultyEasy
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Verona 45 min by car
hire car in Verona or at its airport, which has a direct flight from Madrid and Barcelona
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1
Grotte di Catullo, Sirmione's Roman villa
€10 · free for under-18s · closed on Mondays
- 8 min by car3 km
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2
Trattoria Antica Contrada
booking; open at midday Wednesday to Sunday
Via Colombare, 23, 25019 Sirmione · +39 030 990 4369
Restaurant €€€Book - 12 min by car8 km
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3
Agriturismo Armea
pool and dinner at the house trattoria
Località Armea, 1, 25015 Desenzano del Garda · +39 030 910 8325
Country houseCheck availability -
Back home
night at the farm stay; the next day, to the north of the lake or back to Verona
Approximate cost
About €35–60 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Grotte di Catullo, Sirmione's Roman villa
The south of Lake Garda is about 40 minutes by car from Verona, whose airport receives direct flights from Madrid and Barcelona. If you land early, you have time to see Sirmione the same day: the Roman villa at the tip of the peninsula, a lake-fish lunch and the afternoon at the pool of a farm stay among vineyards, without taking the car into any historic centre.
The day, hour by hour
10:00 · Leave Verona. There is a direct flight to Verona Villafranca (VRN) from Madrid and Barcelona. Pick up the hire car and take the road to the lake: from Verona it is about 43 km to Sirmione, and from the airport a little less.
11:00 · Grotte di Catullo. Leave the car in the Piazzale Campiello car park, in Colombare, and take the shuttle to the castle; from there, about 15 or 20 minutes on foot through the village to the villa. Allow an hour and a half among the ruins, the olive grove above the water and the museum. Admission costs €10; under-18s do not pay. Closed on Mondays.
13:30 · Lunch at the Antica Contrada. Back at the car, the trattoria is on the same street in Colombare, at the exit from the peninsula. Grilled Garda fish, bigoli with lake sardine and risotto with perch; in good weather, in the garden facing the water. Book: it is open at lunchtime Wednesday to Sunday.
16:00 · Agriturismo Armea. About ten minutes away, in the countryside of San Martino della Battaglia. Drop off your bags, swim in the pool and dine at the house trattoria with its Lugana.
The next day. Continue to the north of the lake, to Malcesine and Monte Baldo, or return to Verona in about 40 minutes.
Time2 h
Change the route
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Al Volt
What to order: the freshwater fish menu, or the tagliolini with tench ragù and the Arctic char.
Vecchia Malcesine
What to order: the long Qcina menu if it is an occasion; otherwise, the three-dish “Scegli tu!”.
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Lake Garda
From April to June and in September and October, with good light and without the August queues. The Grotte are closed on Mondays and the trattoria on Monday and Tuesday at lunchtime.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Avoid Monday
The Grotte di Catullo are closed and so is the trattoria.
- 2Do not drive into the centre
Sirmione is a limited-traffic zone; park in Colombare.
- 3The first Sunday of the month
Admission to the Grotte is free for everyone, and there are more people.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Verona to Sirmione?
About 42 minutes by car from the centre of Verona, 43 km; from the airport, a little less.
Are there direct flights to Verona from Spain?
Yes, from Madrid and Barcelona. From other cities, look at Bergamo.
Can it be done without a car?
Yes, with a bus and train to Desenzano or Peschiera, but it is slower. Then sleep in Sirmione.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/italy/lake-garda/itineraries/sirmione-grotte-di-catullo-first-day-lake-garda
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.