Day trips from Lake Garda

Lake Garda is one of the lakes in the famous Italian Lake District and is one of our most popular holiday destinations, combining very well in an Italy twin-centre holiday with the chic city of Milan.

If you are holidaying in Lake Garda and are eager to explore the surrounding region, here are some of our favourite day trips, which can easily be enjoyed from the main villages around Lake Garda.

Day Trips Around Lake Garda

With its mountain backdrop and stunning natural landscape, Lake Garda is a joy to discover on an Italy twin centre holiday. However, it is also the largest of the Italian lakes and so it can be difficult to appreciate the quaint charm of the different lakeside villages and the diversity of the landscape if you stick only to one area of the lake. Instead, if you want to explore Lake Garda in all its glory, we recommend booking a Lake Garda tour that takes you to the main villages and includes a boat ride across the lake. As a part of your custom-made Italy twin-centre holiday, we can arrange optional extras, such as tours, wine-tasting experiences and day trips, so you don’t have to – contact us for a holiday quote by clicking here.

However, if you would prefer to discover Lake Garda at your own pace, you can take the ferry. Many of the lake-side villages, such as Sirmione, Desenzano del Garda and Bardolino, have ports where the ferry docks, allowing you to discover the prettiest villages around the lake in relaxation. To make the most of your time, we recommend taking the hydrofoil or catamaran, but if you want to enjoy the scenery, opt for one of the slower pace pleasure boats. To find out more about the public boat service around Lake Garda, please click here.

Note that we don’t recommend hiring a car for a self-guided day trip around Lake Garda as the villages are very small and the traffic can get busy, especially during peak season. However, if you just want to enjoy the scenery, we highly recommend renting a bicycle as there are some exceptionally pretty lake-side biking trails to enjoy.

Family Day Trips from Lake Garda

If you are enjoying a family holiday in Lake Garda, we recommend treating the children to a day out at Gardaland, which is Lombardy’s theme park. It features thrilling rollercoasters, amusement park games, 3D experiences and rides for young children, and there is also a Sea Life Centre with sharks and rare fish.

Day Trips to Other Italian Cities

The most popular cities to visit on a day trip from Lake Garda are Venice and Verona.

Venice

Venice is known across the globe as one of the most magical and romantic cities, and has a wealth of famous attractions, such as St Mark’s Square and the Golden Basilica, Doge’s Palace and the thought-provoking Rialto Bridge. Venice is situated about 155 km east of Lake Garda and so can easily be visiting as part of a day trip.

If you would like to visit the Floating City of Venice on a day trip from Garda, we recommend arranging a pre-booked tour for the best experience. Some tours allow you to add optional extras for a customised experience, such as a gondola ride or lagoon tour, and most also include a city tour.

However, if you would prefer to make your own arrangements, then we recommend taking the train from Desenzano del Garda train station to Venice Santa Lucia train station, where you can then get a water taxi to the main Venice island, where the top attractions are located.

Verona

Verona is well known as the city of love, being the backdrop to Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. It is a treasure trove of delights for those that enjoy architecture and we especially love the whimsical charm of Juliet’s Balcony at Casa di Giulietta, as well as the stunning Arena di Verona, which is where the opera performances are held during the Verona Opera Festival.

Being just 45 km or so from Lake Garda, Verona is an easy day trip to make from the great lake. As with Venice, you can pre-arrange a guided tour, which has the added benefit of transport to and from Lake Garda, as well as a guided city tour. However, if you would prefer to enjoy Verona at your own pace, we recommend taking the train from Desenzano del Garda to Verona Porta Nuova train station – the main city attractions are then just a 20-minute walk from there.

If you’re thinking about a holiday to Lake Garda but are overwhelmed by the choice of villages and hotels, why not allow one of our expert travel advisers take all the stress out of arranging a holiday in Italy? We will take the time to listen to what you want from your Lake Garda holiday and will then hand-craft the perfect holiday itinerary for you, including any of the optional extras and tours that you would like. To find out more, please call a member of our friendly team on 01223 637331 or click here to send an online enquiry – we typically reply with a personalised quote within 24 hours.