Sirmione is a quaint and beautiful little resort town on the southern side of Lake Garda. It's the perfect spot to visit for a day, arriving by one of Lake Garda's famous ferries, and wandering around enjoying the beautiful scenery and indulging in gigantic gelato.
→ Check out my complete guide to visiting Lake Garda!
My final week of my six-week Northern Italy trip was spent lakeside at Lake Garda, one of the two most iconic lakes of Northern Italy - the other being Lake Como, just a bit further west.
Along with Amelie, one of my best friends from Salzburg, who came to visit me for my Lake Garda week, we boarded the Lake Garda ferry from our base in Garda and headed south for a day trip to discover what Sirmione had to offer:
This guide is not to visit the town of Sirmione, but rather the area around the Castello Scaligero di Sirmione, the most popular tourist destination. As such, directions are to the castle, as well.
By ferry: The most popular way to reach Sirmione from anywhere around Lake Garda is by ferry. We were based in Garda and from there took a ferry south across the lake. Timings vary depending on how many stops the ferry takes; ours was about an hour. At the time of writing, the ferry cost €9.80 per person each way. You must book your Lake Garda ferry tickets in advance but you only need to select which date you want to travel, and you can pick any ferry that runs that day at any time.
By bus: You can also reach Sirmione by public bus but it's quite time-intensive, so I would stick to the ferries. If ferries aren't running due to bad weather, you can reach Sirmione by taking the LN026 bus from Peschiera.
By car: Of course, you can also reach Sirmione with your own wheels. This is the closest parking to Sirmione.
We spent the day in Sirmione, so timed our late morning arrival via ferry from Garda perfectly with a delicious pizza at Ristorante Pizzeria Arcimboldo (with gluten-free options!) and later stopped at the Viandante Cafe for what felt like the biggest gelato in all of Italy.
Ristorante Pizzeria Arcimboldo
Viandante Cafe
We spent just an afternoon (half-day) exploring Sirmione on foot from the ferry terminal to discover the quaint streets of the little lakeside town. It was plenty - I don't think more time would be necessary as Sirmione is quite small and you might find yourself running out of things to do.
It can get really packed in the summertime - even in late September when we visited the streets were crowded - so bear that in mind when planning your trip.
Spot the Castello Scaligero di Sirmione
This sweet little castle was built in the 13th century and is the key landmark of Sirmione. Surrounded completely by the water of the lake, it is accessible only by small footbridge. We didn't go inside, but tickets are available to visit the castle and climb to the top to take in the views of Sirmione.
→ Buy your tickets to visit the Castello Scaligero di Sirmione (not necessary to buy in advance; can also buy on-site).
Walk along the beach at Spiaggia del Prete
Near to the castle, this cute little beach had plenty of birdlife out to spot and pebbles to rest on and look out at the crystal clear gorgeous blue lake for a while.
Go shopping in the old town
We spent much of our afternoon wandering in and out of the adorable boutique shops nestled throughout the old town, spotting colourful floral displays, sniffing homemade lemon soap bars and feeling mouthwateringly hungry at all the delicacies.
The two main streets to explore are Via Giuseppe Piana and Via Vittorio Emanuele.
Head out to Jamaica Beach
Tucked right on the very point of the promontory, Jamaica Beach is a pretty 15-20-minute walk from the old town. You can also reach Jamaica Beach with the little tourist train to the walk; popular with kids!
While here, you could also choose to explore the Archaeological site of Grotte di Catullo, featuring the ruins of a Roman villa and olive groves.
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
