# Lake Bracciano A day trip from Rome on the FL3 train: the Odescalchi castle in Bracciano, the Trevignano promenade, Anguillara and the aircraft museum at Vigna di Valle. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/lazio/lake-bracciano · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Lake Bracciano is a large, round volcanic lake, about 40 kilometres north-west of Rome, where internal-combustion motor boating is banned. Three villages surround it: Bracciano, with its castle; Trevignano Romano, on the north shore; and Anguillara Sabazia, on a promontory. It's the Romans' summer excursion, and also one of the few that can be made by train from the Vatican. ## What can you see at Lake Bracciano in a day? The Odescalchi castle is the reason to come. The Orsini built it in the late 15th century and it has belonged to the Odescalchi since the 17th. You tour it inside like a house: rooms with frescoes and wooden ceilings, armour, furniture and the wall walk above the ramparts, with the lake below. It opens every day; on Sundays the guided tour is included in the €10 ticket. The village of Bracciano surrounds the castle, and from Piazza Mazzini you go down to the shore, with boats, dark-sand beaches and kiosks in summer. Trevignano Romano has the most pleasant lakeside promenade, with terraces for eating, and a sloping old town. Anguillara Sabazia huddles on a point of rock jutting into the water. Between the two, on the south shore, the Vigna di Valle Air Force museum keeps seaplanes and historic aircraft in the hangars of Italy's first air base. A good order by car: the castle in the morning, lunch in Bracciano or Trevignano, the museum or a swim in the afternoon and sunset in Anguillara. ## How do you get there from Rome? By train, the FL3 regional line Rome–Viterbo stops at Anguillara and Bracciano. It leaves from Roma Tiburtina and passes through Ostiense, Trastevere and San Pietro, the station next to the Vatican; from San Pietro the journey takes about an hour and a quarter. Bracciano station is below the village, about a quarter of an hour's walk from the castle. Without a car you can see Bracciano well; the other villages and the museum have few buses. By car, around an hour from the centre via the Via Cassia or the Braccianese, longer on summer Sundays, when traffic to the lake is heavy. Going round the lake takes about 35 kilometres. Park in the car parks at the entrance to each village: the old towns are narrow or pedestrian. ## When to go? The castle is open all year, except 25 December. For the lake, from May to September: the water is clean, with no waves or speedboats, and there are free beaches and signposted swimming areas. On July and August Sundays many Romans arrive; on weekdays it's quiet. In autumn and spring, the Trevignano promenade and the light on the water make up for the weather not being right for swimming. ## Where to eat and sleep? In Bracciano, Il Ristorantino del Castello, on the square below the towers, cooks lake fish and fresh pasta. To sleep by the water, Borgo Vista Lago, an albergo diffuso in Trevignano's old town with rooms facing the lake, or, in the countryside and with children, the agriturismo Agrihouse, with farm animals. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Calcata and the Treja Valley (a 17.1 km), Cerveteri and Tarquinia (a 24.8 km), Caprarola and Bomarzo (a 32.1 km), Rome (a 32.8 km) ## Qué hacer - **Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano** (1 h 30 · Families, history, lake views · €10; children aged 6 to 12 €8; free up to age 5): The castle dominates Bracciano and the lake from the top of the village. It was built by the Orsini at the end of the 15th century and since the 17th century has belonged to the Odescalchi, who still own it. It is one of the best-preserved Renaissance fortresses in Italy and, inside, a home: rooms with frescoes, wooden ceilings, furniture, armour and weapons, and the sentry walk along the walls with views of the whole lake. Opening times and tickets Open every day of the year except 25 December, without a break: Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:00 (last entry at 16:00) and Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 18:00 (last entry at 17:00). On days of private events the hours may change. Tickets cost €10; €8 for ages 6 to 12; €9 with discounts (university students and over-65s on Tuesdays); free up to age 5. The visit is self-guided, with an app; on Sundays and public holidays there are guided tours included in the ticket at 10:30, 12:00, 14:30 and 16:00. There is no need to book except for private visits. Getting there The entrance is at Via Giulio Volpi, 12, in the centre of Bracciano. From the FL3 railway station it is about a fifteen-minute walk uphill. By car, park in the village car parks, not in the old town. - **Historical Museum of the Italian Air Force at Vigna di Valle** (2 h · Families and aviation enthusiasts): At Vigna di Valle, on the south shore of the lake, Italy's first military airship took off in 1908 and the seaplane base was here. Today the hangars hold the historical museum of the Air Force: from First World War aircraft to jets, with a room devoted to the Schneider Trophy racing seaplanes. It is a visit that hooks children and teenagers. Opening times and ticket Open Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays. On weekdays, the Ministry of Culture publishes hours from 10:00 to 16:30; at weekends the hours are longer. It does not take part in the free entry on the first Sunday of the month. Confirm the hours and price on the Air Force website or on 06 9988 7510 before you go. Getting there It is about 6 km from Bracciano, along the road that skirts the lake towards Anguillara. You need a car: the train does not stop nearby. Combine it with the castle in the morning and lunch at Trevignano or Anguillara. - **Trevignano Romano and its lakeside promenade** (2 h · Families, couples, walking with a dog): Trevignano is on the north shore of the lake, at the foot of a hill with the remains of the Orsini fortress. Its waterside promenade, the lungolago, is the most pleasant on the lake: trees, benches, terraces and small beaches of dark sand where people swim in summer. Combustion-engine boating is banned on the lake, and the water is calm. The walk Park at the entrance to the village and walk along the lungolago to the centre. From the square, climb through the streets of the old town to the church of the Assumption, from whose forecourt you can see the whole lake with Bracciano and its castle opposite. Go back down for lunch by the water. Two unhurried hours. Getting there By car, along the Cassia to Cesano and the lake road, or round the lake from Bracciano, about 15 minutes. By public transport, the FL3 train reaches Bracciano and from there local buses are scarce: a car is better. - **Anguillara Sabazia, the village on the promontory** (1 h 30 · Walking, photography, lunch by the lake): Anguillara is the lake village closest to Rome, on the south-east shore. Its old town huddles on a rocky promontory that juts into the water: sloping alleys, arches, the clock gate and, at the top, the collegiate church of the Assumption, with a viewpoint over the whole lake. The walk Enter by the clock gate, climb to the collegiate church and go down the other side to the lake promenade, with its landing stages and terraces. You can see it in an hour and a half. It is a good end to the day after Bracciano castle and the Vigna di Valle museum, which is on the road between the two. Getting there By car, about 40 minutes from Rome on the Cassia or the Braccianese, and 15 minutes from Bracciano on the lake road. Anguillara station, on the FL3 line, is outside the village, a few kilometres downhill. - **Bracciano: the village and the descent to the lake** (1 h 30 · Before or after the castle; families): Bracciano is on high ground, around the castle, and the lake lies below, a kilometre and a half downhill. The walk links the two. The route Start at Piazza Mazzini, at the foot of the castle towers. Walk through the old town, which surrounds the fortress, and look out from the viewpoints over the lake. Then go down to the shore by the lakeside road: below there is a promenade with fishing boats, beaches of volcanic sand, picnic areas and kiosks that fill up in summer. Coming back, the hill is long: if you are with children, go down by car. When Any season suits the village; for the lake, May to September, when the beach bars open and you can swim. On summer Sundays there is a lot of traffic on the descent. ## Dónde comer - **Il Ristorantino del Castello** (Restaurant, Bracciano, €€). Qué pedir: a lake fish dish and a fresh pasta; ask about the tasting menu ## By plane: Fly to Rome, then train or car to the lake Lake Bracciano is north-west of Rome, about 40 km from the centre and an hour by car from Fiumicino airport (FCO), which has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Málaga, Alicante, Palma and the Canary Islands, among others. Ciampino (CIA) is on the other side of Rome. Without a car, the FL3 regional train takes you to Bracciano from the Roman stations of Tiburtina, Ostiense, Trastevere and San Pietro. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **Hotel Diffuso Borgo Vista Lago** (Small hotel): A hotel spread around the village Borgo Vista Lago is an albergo diffuso: reception is at Via Garibaldi, 61, in the old town of Trevignano Romano, and the rooms are spread through the surrounding buildings, in former houses and workshops of the village. There are twelve, each different, with modern furniture and antiques, stone walls and beams. Rooms There are doubles with a lake view, a suite with a balcony over the lake, superior triples and doubles without a view. If you are coming for the lake, ask expressly for those that look onto it: it is what guests value most. The hotel offers massages with a lake view and suggests outdoor activities in the surrounding area. Who it suits For a quiet night on the lake, with the Trevignano promenade at the door and Bracciano castle a quarter of an hour by car. The old town is pedestrianised and on a slope: bring little luggage and ask when you book where to park. - **Agrihouse** (Country house): A farm in the Bracciano countryside Agrihouse is a farm stay at Sambuco, in the countryside west of Bracciano, among oaks, streams and meadows. The family farms organically and carries on the tradition of the first settlers who came here with the Maremma land reform, when there were no roads or electricity, as they tell on their website. It has a vegetable garden, farm animals and trails across the estate. Rooms and apartments Five units named after trees: the Sambuco and Quercia rooms, for two; the Ciliegio, for three; the Mirto apartment, for four, and the Castagno, for five. The Biancospino room also appears on their website. You book on their own website, by phone or on WhatsApp (333 289 1556). Who it suits For families with children who want to sleep in the countryside and see animals, and for anyone looking for silence after the castle and the lake. Breakfast is made with produce from the farm, and they offer nature walks, wild herb gathering and yoga. You need a car: the village of Bracciano and the lake are a few minutes away by road. ### Servicios - **FL3 regional train Rome – Bracciano**: The FL3 line Rome–Viterbo stops at Anguillara and Bracciano; it leaves from Roma Tiburtina and passes through Ostiense, Trastevere and San Pietro, next to the Vatican. ## By car: By car: around the lake By car you see the whole lake in a day: the full circuit is about 35 kilometres and the three villages and the museum are fifteen minutes from one another. It is worth it if you are going to swim, if you are with children or if you want to sleep in the countryside. Presupuesto orientativo: 80–150 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hotel Diffuso Borgo Vista Lago** (Small hotel): A hotel spread around the village Borgo Vista Lago is an albergo diffuso: reception is at Via Garibaldi, 61, in the old town of Trevignano Romano, and the rooms are spread through the surrounding buildings, in former houses and workshops of the village. There are twelve, each different, with modern furniture and antiques, stone walls and beams. Rooms There are doubles with a lake view, a suite with a balcony over the lake, superior triples and doubles without a view. If you are coming for the lake, ask expressly for those that look onto it: it is what guests value most. The hotel offers massages with a lake view and suggests outdoor activities in the surrounding area. Who it suits For a quiet night on the lake, with the Trevignano promenade at the door and Bracciano castle a quarter of an hour by car. The old town is pedestrianised and on a slope: bring little luggage and ask when you book where to park. - **Agrihouse** (Country house): A farm in the Bracciano countryside Agrihouse is a farm stay at Sambuco, in the countryside west of Bracciano, among oaks, streams and meadows. The family farms organically and carries on the tradition of the first settlers who came here with the Maremma land reform, when there were no roads or electricity, as they tell on their website. It has a vegetable garden, farm animals and trails across the estate. Rooms and apartments Five units named after trees: the Sambuco and Quercia rooms, for two; the Ciliegio, for three; the Mirto apartment, for four, and the Castagno, for five. The Biancospino room also appears on their website. You book on their own website, by phone or on WhatsApp (333 289 1556). Who it suits For families with children who want to sleep in the countryside and see animals, and for anyone looking for silence after the castle and the lake. Breakfast is made with produce from the farm, and they offer nature walks, wild herb gathering and yoga. You need a car: the village of Bracciano and the lake are a few minutes away by road. ## As a family: A real castle, aeroplanes and a lake to swim in Bracciano is one of the most rewarding day trips from Rome with children: a whole castle with armour and ramparts, an aircraft museum at the water's edge and, in summer, lake beaches without waves. It fits into an unhurried day. ### What works best The Odescalchi castle, with the sentry walk and the armour; €8 for ages 6 to 12, free up to 5 The Air Force museum at Vigna di Valle, with seaplanes in the hangars The shore at Trevignano or Bracciano, for playing and swimming in summer ### Where to stay Agrihouse, farm stay with farm animals and apartments for five Borgo Vista Lago, in Trevignano, better with older children: a sloping old town and no car at the door ### Where to eat Il Ristorantino del Castello, on the castle square Picnic on the lake shore ### Good to know The castle has narrow stairs: a baby carrier, not a pushchair The museum closes on Mondays ### Qué hacer as a family - Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano - Historical Museum of the Italian Air Force at Vigna di Valle - Trevignano Romano and its lakeside promenade - Bracciano: the village and the descent to the lake ## Consejos ### Go to the castle on Sunday The guided tour is included and leaves four times a day. ### Take the train at San Pietro If you're sleeping near the Vatican, the station is a short walk away. ### Swim on a weekday On summer Sundays the lake fills up. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How do I get from Rome to Lake Bracciano without a car? On the FL3 regional train from Tiburtina, Ostiense, Trastevere or San Pietro to Bracciano. ### How much does Bracciano castle cost? €10; €8 for ages 6 to 12; free up to 5. ### Can you swim in Lake Bracciano? Yes, in summer, at free beaches and signposted areas. Motor boating is banned. ### Which lake village should I see besides Bracciano? Trevignano Romano, for its waterfront promenade, and Anguillara, for its old town on the promontory. ### Can you see everything in a day? Yes, by car: castle, lunch, one more village and the museum or a swim.