Lake Garda-Sirmione Things To Do
Lake Garda is one of the most underrated places in Italy. Lake Como is the more well-known (maybe more luxurious) Italian lake. However, if you visit Lake Garda you’ll find a gorgeous spot full of so many activities to keep every type of traveler entertained. If you like lakes with mountain views, colorful and charming towns, biking and outdoor activities, wine tasting, and Italian food then Lake Garda will be a joy for you. Lake Garda holidays for families are sure to become a new favorite. It is a great destination for adults as well as kids.
This post will focus on Sirmione things to do but also touches on other places and things to do around Lake Garda.
Where is Lake Garda/Where is Sirmione?
Lake Garda is in the northern part of Italy just south of the Italian Alps/Dolomites and in between the major cities of Milan and Venice. Lake Garda is large, in fact the largest lake in Italy. It is the furthest east compared to the other Italian Lakes like Lake Maggiore and Lake Como.
Sirmione is on the southern end of the lake. It is a small peninsula that juts out from the mainland. Sirmione is a great place to base because of a wide variety of things to do and it’s charming atmosphere.
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How to Get to Lake Garda
Flying
To visit Lake Garda, the closest major airports are in Milan (Milan Bergamo or Milan Linate). Milan is about a 2 hour drive from Lake Garda. If you are flying from a city in Europe, you can also see if there are reasonable flights into Verona which is even closer. Once there you will need to hire a car or a transfer to the lake.
Driving
Driving to Lake Garda is relatively easy. Keep in mind Italy has a toll booth system on their highways. We have always been able to pay with a card but it is a good idea to have some Euro cash on you just in case.
Once you get near the lake you can expect to be on some smaller roads with bikers. This is popular biking destination so drive cautiously.
Train
It is possible to reach a couple towns on Lake Garda via train from Milan, Venice, and Verona. The train will bring you to Desenzano del Garda or Pescheria del Garda (both on the southern end of the lake). However, this is a bit limiting and you’ll have more flexibility and ease of movement with a car.
Best Time to Visit Lake Garda
The best times to visit Lake Garda are between the months of May-October when the weather is most agreeable. August will be the hottest and most crowded month. August is the busiest month in Europe for travel because the schools are on break. Most European schools are back in session beginning to mid September.
How Many Days in Lake Garda?
Lake Garda has so many charming towns to explore, I think you could happily spend a week here and fill your time. However, that may be unrealistic for your timeline, so I would say plan for at least 3 nights to get the most out of your visit.
With 3 nights I would choose one place to base out of and explore from there. If you stayed longer, you could split your time with a couple nights on the northern end of the lake and a couple nights on the southern end.
Sirmione Things to Do
Castello Scaligero
This is the most iconic thing to do in Sirmione! You can’t miss this castle in Sirmione, it will be the first image you see when you google the town.
The best reason to visit is the views you get from the top. Lovely views surround the whole castle, but particularly from the tall tower.
I loved that the castle was small enough that the kids had fun exploring but it wasn’t so massive that they had time to get bored. It makes for a quick and fun visit.
Entry to the castle was 6 per adult, our kids were all free. You can also get a combination ticket that will get you into 2 other sites nearby.
Make sure to try and get here first thing in the morning when the heat and the crowds are down.
Boat Trip
Take a boat to another lakeside town! One of the best things about Lake Garda is that it is lined with several adorable, charming towns. Seeing the towns from the water gives you a totally different view. You’ll enjoy getting a new perspective from the water.
The cheapest way to do this is with the ferry. The prices vary depending on how far you go. Keep in mind the size of the lake, you are better off picking a town in close proximity.
We picked the neighboring Desenzano del Garda and it was about 30€ for our family of 5 to go round trip. You can also bring bikes on some but not all of the ferries for an extra charge.
We loved visiting Desenzano, it was a gorgeous little spot. We wandered the town, the waterfront, had a great lunch at Cartapaglia Pizza & Gin, played at a playground, and of course sampled some gelato!
What we didn’t think about was had we picked a town East of Sirmione, we would’ve had a nice water view of the Roman ruins and the peninsula because of the direction of travel. Something to consider!
If you’d like to spend longer on the water and try a longer tour, check out the options below:
Jamaica Beach
Can you guess why it is called Jamaica Beach?? It’s that gorgeous water color that mimics beautiful shades of Caribbean blue!
On a hot day in Sirmione, this is definitely the place to go to cool off. This beach is all the way at the tip of the Sirmione peninsula. You can get here through a gate located very near the Grotte di Catullo. Entering the beach is free but the sun beds are for hire.
There is one small beach bar selling small bites like focaccia and sandwiches and plenty of drinks.
***If you want to visit a beach that’s a little less crowded, head to the east side of the tip of the peninsula. There are beaches on that side also with very beautiful water, sun beds for hire, and a restaurant.
Read Next: Travel Guide to Istria, Croatia
Grotte Di Catullus
These ancient Roman ruins are fascinating to see. Kids can roam around the site with plenty of space and you can enjoy the panoramic views of Lake Garda. The ruins are quite impressive and there is a small museum on site where you can see items that were found in excavations of this site.
The site is fairly large with plenty of open space for wandering. You’ll see the ruins, olive trees, and impressive water views. It’s almost worth it for the above view of beautiful Jamaica Beach so you can see the perspective of the gorgeous blue waters.
Entry tickets are 8 Euros per adult and kids are free.
Tip: the entrance is all the way down the peninsula and it is quite a walk for little legs. It’s worthwhile to buy tickets on the little golfcart train to cut down on the walking, especially on hot days. A ticket is 1.80 roundtrip.
Ride Bikes
Riding bikes is one of the most popular activities in Lake Garda. We brought our bikes and were so happy we did! We biked each day from our hotel to the peninsula. It saved us a lot of money in parking fees and honestly was quicker than driving many times because of the traffic getting backed up. On nice summer days, you can expect the closest lots to fill up early and to pay at least 20 Euro to park for the day.
In Sirmione, you can’t ride bikes in the historic part of town (past the castle). There are tons of bike paths and bike lanes for riding all over though.
I will caution you that if you have a new/very young bike rider, the biking can be a bit hairy along the peninsula and you need to be comfortable biking next to cars. If you bike along the coast either east or west from Sirmione, it is more calm and there are more dedicated bike paths.
Visit One of the Thermal Spas
There are two thermal spas in Sirmione: Terme Virgilio and Aquaria Thermal Spa.
A visit to a thermal spa Sirmione is a perfect way to relax. Enjoy the indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, and baths. Book a treatment and pamper yourself! Check with your hotel, they may have discounted tickets available as well.
Wine Tasting
Lake Garda is in a prominent wine region of Italy. The whole lake is surrounded by vineyards and there are no shortage of wineries to visit. Here are a few near Sirmione worth checking out:
Parco Giardino Sigurta
This botanical garden and park looks like a beautiful place to spend a day. You can ride bikes through the garden or rent a golf cart. The garden has an impressive tulip display in the spring and there is a labyrinth that kids are sure to love.
Day Trips From Sirmione
Lake Garda is full of charming towns! It would be a shame not to see more than one.
The biggest and most popular town on the northern end of the lake is Riva del Garda. It is about an hour drive from Sirmione.
You can wander the charming waterfront and admire the (more) dramatic mountain views from here. There is also a reptile house which would likely entertain little ones who are a fan of critters. Drive a short way to Parco Grotta Cascata Varone, an impressive looking gorge with dramatic waterfall.
Malcesine is another town not to be missed. I loved the feeling of this charming little spot. I could’ve spent all day shopping, snapping pictures, and admiring views here.
Desenzano del Garda is very close to Sirmione and has some buildings that are reminiscent of Venice.
Limone del Garda is a town high on my list to visit. This town looks adorable and there is a bike/walking path here that is suspended over the water. It looks amazing, I can’t wait to go someday!
Take a boat to Isola del Garda, and island with a beautiful Italian villa and gardens. This island is most easily reached from the towns in the southwestern part of the lake (Gardone Rivera, Portese, San Felice del Benaco).
Lake Garda with Kids
GARDALAND & THEME PARKS
Lake Garda family holidays need to include something just for kids! Gardaland resort is a great option. The whole resort consists of a theme park, SeaLife park, and Legoland water park. This theme park is full of rollercoasters, games, and rides for little kids.
Our visit coincided with a European holiday so the park was quite crowded. Unfortunately, that impacted our experience a bit. We enjoyed the rides we did, but the lines were so long that we weren’t able to do that many.
I think the park was fun, had some cool themed areas and had rides for everyone. There was also a Peppa Pig themed area where we met Peppa without waiting long at all. It’s not my favorite theme park in Europe but if you weren’t there on a European holiday, I think it could be very fun.
Safari Adventure at Parco Natura Viva: Visit Parco Natura Viva, a wildlife park that combines a traditional zoo with a safari experience. The kids can observe and learn about various animals, including lions, giraffes, and elephants.
Caneva Aquapark: Cool off at Caneva Aquapark, a water park located near Lake Garda. It features various water slides, pools, and water-based activities suitable for all ages.
Lake Garda Map
You can see all the places I mentioned in this post on this map:
Family Resorts in Lake Garda
If you want a more relaxing, luxury vacation try these family resorts on Lake Garda that look like they have wonderful amenities for families:
https://www.letorridelgarda.com/en
https://www.sisanfamilyresort.com/en/
https://www.quellenhof-lazise.it/en/
https://www.astoriaresort.it/en/hotel-riva-del-garda-italy/1-0.html
Where to Stay in Sirmione
We stayed at this modest apartment style hotel and were very happy with it. It was clean, the owners were kind, there is a pool, and they have many bikes available to use if you don’t bring your own.
To stay closer to the action, you’ll want to find a place near the castle. I honestly don’t know if I would want to stay past the castle in the historic part, only because of the tight streets and driving situation. It is way too crowded and cramped for us to want to drive our own car. If the hotel had a shuttle service and they did the driving, then I would consider it.
Lake Garda Tips
Don’t forget that Italy has a different electrical plug type than the standard EU plug. Cover all your bases with these plug adapters. Trust me, I have forgotten more than once!
Consider the size of the lake. It is huge-the largest in Italy. It takes 1 hour to drive from top to bottom. Ferry rides are also long if you try to go across the entire thing (would likely take all day to try and do this).
Italy has a riposo (rest) period in the middle of the day. Restaurants may be closed from about 3-7. Remember this as you plan your days. You may find many places are closed and you may not be able to eat at any restaurant you want. This is also something to consider because dinner service may start later than you (your kids) are used to.
If you need some new things to keep your kids busy on the drive or flight over, check out these ideas.
Our family really loved spending a few days in Sirmione and every town we’ve stopped at on Lake Garda has really been full of charm and felt like we wished we could spend longer there. If you’ve been to Lake Garda, tell me about it in the comments! If you still have questions, please feel free to ask in the comments as well.
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