Lake Garda is located in northern Italy about 130 km from Milan. The lake region of Italy is known for its waterfront towns and beautiful landscapes. On the southern edge of Lake Garda sits the town of Sirmione. This small town is beautiful on its own but located on an Italian lake makes it a must see destination! Here is our travel guide to visiting Sirmione on Lake Garda, Italy including tips on where to stay and what to do!
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Sirmione sits on a small, very thin peninsula that extends into Lake Garda. If you look anything up about Sirmione you will likely see the Rocca Scaligera which is a castle that juts out into the lake creating an incredibly scenic view. We actually went back and forth quite a few times between visiting Lake Como and visiting Lake Garda. Both are beautiful in slightly different locations. Ultimately we chose Lake Garda and had an amazing time!
Getting to Sirmione
Using our Eurail Global Pass we took the train from Interlaken, Switzerland to Sirmione. While it looks kind of close on a map, it’s actually really not all that close. It took us 5 trains, 1 bus and almost 9 hours to our Airbnb. The two closest train stations are Peschiera del Garda to the east or Desenzano Garda- Sirmione to the west. Both stations have bus routes that connect them to the surrounding area.
While it took a while, we were comfortable the entire time because traveling by train is so easy! If you’re traveling within Europe we cannot recommend the Eurail Pass enough! We have been using our Eurail passes to travel all over Europe for almost 3 full months now.
- The buses run significantly less frequently on Sundays so make sure to keep an eye on the day of the week. We left on a Sunday and needed to take the bus to the train station. But on Sunday morning there was only one bus option that worked. Google maps seemed to have the up to date schedule, however, we did notice the buses ran about 5-7 minutes late most of the time.
Where to Stay
Staying on the peninsula of Sirmione can be extremely expensive. It’s a small area with many high-end resort type hotels. That obviously wasn’t in our budget so we stayed off the peninsula though technically still considered Sirmione. It’s a great option if you’re looking to come to the area but don’t want to pay the high price tag!
From where we stayed we were able to walk along the lake to the peninsula in about 50 minutes. While that sounds long, it was actually such a beautiful and peaceful walk. Almost the whole thing is along the lake on a really scenic trail with lots of flowers and trees. We also could take the bus in about 15 minutes all the way to the entrance of the castle.
Travel Truth: The Sirmione bus for a single ride is 2.60 Euros which is the most expensive public bus ride we have paid for in Europe. So for us both it cost 5.20 Euros just for one ride. It’s just something to keep in mind when you’re choosing where to stay.
What To Do in Sirmione
Walk Along Lake Garda
Honestly the walk along the Lake was one of my favorite things we did in Sirmione! It was so pretty and although we did it for transportation from one point to another, it was amazing. There is a trail for walkers, bikers and runners. The views along the way are of the entire lake and the surrounding mountains.
There’s a dedicated path the entire way and even on the parts where you walk inland a little, theres a wide sidewalk to walk on. Even if you don’t want to walk as far as we did, it’s still worth walking along part of the way.
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Rocca Scaligera
The Rocca Scaligera sits on Lake Garda giving it amazing views from the top. The entrance is just through the walled entry to the town area. Tickets inside are 6 Euros per person. There is a room near the gate to explore as well as two levels you can walk around on. The first level is about halfway up and looks out onto the docks of the castle.
You do need to climb up a staircase to get to the higher level but it takes no more than a minute or two. Up there you can get spectacular views of the castle walls overlooking Lake Garda. It’s really beautiful! The castle itself is fairly small but you can walk around to the other side and get a different perspective looking out over the town streets as well.
- We went at about 5:30 PM on a weekday and there were only a few other people inside. I’m sure it’s more crowded in the summer months when the lake draws more people. But if you’re looking for a less popular time definitely consider the end of the day!
Explore the Streets of Sirmione
The most northern tip of the Sirmione peninsula has cobblestone pedestrian only streets where you will find lots of restaurants and gelato shops. Regardless of how you get there you will likely walk up Viale Guglielmo Marconi and then walk across the bridge. This will bring you into Piazza Castello with the castle entrance on one side and smaller streets directly in front leading farther up the peninsula.
If you don’t want to pay the entrance fee to the Scaligera Castle try checking out Spiaggia Grifone which is around the back of the castle. Here you can get views of the tower and the castle wall.
Put Your Hand in the Acqua Termale Pubblica
From the castle if you continue walking along the water on the east side of the peninsula you will reach the Acqua Termale Pubblica or public thermal pool. Beware it smells like eggs but that also means you probably won’t miss it! There were people with their feet in enjoying the warm water. It was actually very, very hot to touch so you don’t have to worry about it being cold regardless of the time of year.
It’s small, and easy to jump back and forth from the thermal pool to the ocean. But it’s something different to see and takes about 10 minutes to walk from the Rocca Scaligera.
- The Aquaria Thermal SPA is a very popular thermal spa in Sirmione if you’re looking for the thermal pool experience but a little more legit and commercialized. With that comes a higher price tag but it is one of the top things to do in the Sirmione area.
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Visit the Grotte di Catullo
Walking away from the pedestrian streets of Sirmione, it gets so quiet and peaceful. To the right are the Acqua Termale Pubblica and to the left is the Aquaria Thermal SPA. There is so much green and in October the fall foliage was beautiful! There weren’t too many people and it was a really nice place to take a walk away from the busier town streets.
At the end of the Sirmione peninsula is Grotte di Catullo. For 8 Euros you can explore this archeological site of a Roman villa. It’s quite expansive and because of it’s location at the tip of the peninsula you have unobstructed views looking out onto Lake Garda.
If you are going to do both Grotte di Catullo and Rocca Scaligera you can buy a combination ticket for 14 Euros although the ticket for both doesn’t actually save you money. So if you’re not sure if you’re going to go to both we would recommend holding off and just buying them individually.
- Also at the end of the peninsula is Jamaica Beach. We weren’t able to figure out how to get down to it from the entrance of the ruins but from pictures it looks beautiful!
When Should I visit Sirmione?
We visited Sirmione in the middle of October which is definitely in the shoulder season/off season for this resort town. A few years ago if you asked us about shoulder season travel we would have said no way we want to go during peak season to enjoy it the most. But peak or high season brings more expensive prices for accommodations, larger crowds and extreme temperatures.
Sirmione in October was beautiful! The trees were shades of yellow, orange and red. Although it was cloudy and rainy the one day, that is to be expected for the time of year. The thing we liked the most was how less crowded it was. In June through September this lakeside town will be bustling with travelers. If you’re willing to swap out flip flops for sneakers consider visiting Sirmione in the fall like we did!
