Hotel Catullo
Why we like it: Family-run hotel in Sirmione's historic centre, with 56 rooms, ten of them with a lake balcony, a restaurant and its own landing stage for swimming.
Duration3 nights
Getting thereDirect flight to Verona and hire car
Getting aroundCar and scheduled boat
Best timeMay, June and September
BudgetFrom about €450 pp without flights
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for Thursday to Sunday, from April to October, when the cable car and the boats run. The first night, in the south, near Sirmione; the other two, in Torbole, in the north. Saturday is the day for the water; on Sunday, Al Volt is open at midday.
Thursday
- 111:00Grotte di Catullo
You land in Verona, pick up the car and in about 40 minutes you are in Sirmione. Park at Colombare and walk to the Roman villa at the tip of the peninsula: €10, free for under-18s; closed on Mondays.
- 213:30Lunch at Antica Contrada
Grilled Garda fish and homemade pasta on the way out of Sirmione, with a garden towards the water. Book.
- 316:00Agriturismo Armea
Ten minutes away, among Lugana vineyards. Pool in the afternoon and dinner in the house trattoria.
Friday
- 108:30Monte Baldo cable car
An hour and a quarter by car to Malcesine along the east shore. Go up in the rotating cabins to 1,760 m and stroll along the ridge before the clouds arrive. €28 online.
- 213:00Lunch at Vecchia Malcesine
The MICHELIN-starred table of the east shore, beside the cable car, with menus from €100. Closed on Wednesdays and on Thursdays at midday, and only open from April to October.
- 315:30Boat to Limone and the walkway
Public boat from Malcesine to Limone, €7.50 one way, and about 2.5 km along the walkway hung from the rock over the water. Return by boat to Malcesine and continue by car to Torbole, about 25 minutes.
Saturday
- 109:00Windsurf lesson at Torbole
A two-hour group lesson at Vasco Renna, with the gentle morning wind: €85 with equipment, plus €6 insurance. Book the day before.
- 215:30Varone waterfall
A quarter of an hour by car, near Riva: the water falls inside a gorge that you walk through two caves. €7.
- 320:00Dinner at Al Volt
Trentino cooking and lake fish under the vaults of the centre of Riva. Menus from €60. Book.
Sunday
- 110:00Riva and return
A stroll round the harbour at Riva or along the Torbole promenade, and an hour and a quarter by car to Verona airport.
Lake Garda is two lakes in one, and in three nights you see both. The south, wide and open, has Sirmione, its Roman villa and the Lugana vineyards; the north, narrow and wedged between mountains, has Monte Baldo, the wind that fills the water with sails and the villages linked by boat. You arrive with a direct flight to Verona from Madrid or Barcelona and get around in a hire car, with the boat for crossing the lake.
How do you get there from Spain?
By plane to Verona Villafranca (VRN), with direct flights from Madrid and Barcelona; from other Spanish cities there are more routes to Bergamo (BGY). Hire the car at the airport: Sirmione is about 40 minutes from Verona, and Torbole a little over an hour. Without a car it is possible, with a train to Desenzano or Peschiera and, for the north, a train to Rovereto and bus 411 to Torbole, but you lose half a day at each change.
Where to stay?
| Accommodation | Area | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Agriturismo Armea | Countryside between Sirmione and Desenzano | Rooms and apartments among vineyards, with a pool and trattoria |
| Hotel Catullo | Historic centre of Sirmione | If you prefer to sleep inside the village, with a jetty for swimming |
| Camping al Porto | Centre of Torbole | Pitches, apartments and mobile homes a few metres from the water |
With children
Garda works well with children: under-1.20 m do not pay for the cable car, the Limone walkway is flat and suitable for pushchairs, the Varone waterfall has a family ticket and Camping al Porto has a pool and a playground. For teenagers, swap the Saturday walk for a second windsurf lesson.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Lake Garda, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Lake Garda
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
Fly to Verona, Bergamo or Milan and drive to the lake
Lake Garda lies between three airports with direct flights from Spain. The nearest is Verona: there are direct flights from Madrid and Barcelona, and from the airport the south of the lake, with Peschiera and Sirmione, is about 30 km away. Bergamo receives flights from more Spanish cities, among them Valencia, Málaga, Seville and Palma, and is a little over an hour by car from Desenzano. To get around the lake the practical thing is to hire a car at the airport; without a car, the Milan – Venice line train drops you at Peschiera and Desenzano, and boats link the villages from spring to autumn.
- Getting thereVerona Villafranca (VRN), the nearest…
- Getting aroundHire car at the airport…
- Where to sleepHotel Catullo, in Sirmione, half…
- ServicesFrom 2 November to 12…
Getting there
- Verona Villafranca (VRN), the nearest: direct flights from Madrid and Barcelona
- Milan Bergamo (BGY), with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga, Seville and Palma
- Milan Malpensa (MXP) and Linate (LIN), further from the lake
- From Verona, airport bus to Porta Nuova station and a direct train to Peschiera or Desenzano
Getting around
- Hire car at the airport to explore both shores
- Navigazione Laghi boats between the villages, from spring to early November
- For the north without a car, train to Rovereto and bus 411 to Torbole and Riva
Where to sleep
- Hotel Catullo, in Sirmione, half an hour by car from Verona airport
- Agriturismo Armea, between Sirmione and Desenzano, for the first night with a car
- Camping al Porto, in Torbole, if you are heading north to sail
Services
- From 2 November to 12 March there are no scheduled boats: in winter, drive
By car, one shore a day
A car lets you go round the lake and climb up to the mountain villages, but in summer the shore road jams and parking in Sirmione, Malcesine or Limone is hard. The practical approach is to sleep at a base with parking, do one shore a day and use the boat to cross.
110–190 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepHotel Catullo, in Sirmione, with…
- Getting aroundSirmione's centre is limited-traffic: park…
- Where to eatAntica Contrada, at the entrance…
- ServicesA22 Brenner motorway for the…
Where to sleep
- Hotel Catullo, in Sirmione, with private parking 500 m away for €20 a day
- Agriturismo Armea, in the countryside between Sirmione and Desenzano, with parking
- Camping al Porto, in Torbole, with pitches for caravans and motorhomes
Getting around
- Sirmione's centre is limited-traffic: park outside
- The Maderno – Torri del Benaco ferry crosses with your car and runs all year
- Monte Baldo cable car: arrive early, Malcesine's parking fills up
Where to eat
- Antica Contrada, at the entrance to Sirmione, without entering the centre
- Al Volt, in Riva, for dinner
- Vecchia Malcesine, beside the Baldo cable car
Services
- A22 Brenner motorway for the north (exit Rovereto Sud – Lago di Garda Nord) and A4 for the south
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights3
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're flyingif you're driving
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Camping al Porto
Why we like it: Three-star campsite in the centre of Torbole, a few metres from the lake, with pitches, ten apartments, mobile homes, a pool and sail storage.
Agriturismo Armea
Why we like it: Farm stay with a Lugana vineyard between Sirmione and Desenzano, with 3 rooms, 9 two-room apartments, a pool and its own trattoria.
Where to eat
Where to eat in Lake Garda
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!”.
Trattoria Antica Contrada
What to order: the homemade pasta with lake sardine and a wood-grilled Garda fish.
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
To cross between the two shores without going round the north, the Maderno – Torri del Benaco car ferry runs all year.
We'd skip it
Do not try to see both entire shores by car on the same day in July or August: you will spend more time in traffic jams and car parks than in the villages.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the getaway cost?
Without flights, with mid-range accommodation, car, tickets, boat, a windsurf lesson and meals, from about €450 per person for the three nights.
Can you do it in November?
Not as it stands: the cable car closes from 2 November to 25 December, the scheduled boats stop and Vecchia Malcesine closes until April.
Do you need a car?
It is the most practical. Without a car there are trains and buses, but the getaway loses a day.
Better north or south?
Both: the south for villages, ruins and wine; the north for mountains, wind and boats.