Day Trip to Lake Garda from Bologna: A Complete Guide

Lake Garda (Lago di Garda) is Italy’s largest lake, and one of the most popular and beautiful places in Northern Italy. 

If you’re staying in Bologna, a trip to Lake Garda is not only possible – it’s easy, perfect for a day trip using public transport. If you’ve got a little more time to spare, spending a night or two by the lake is even better.

In this blog I outline everything you need to know to plan a great day trip to Lake Garda from Bologna.

How to visit Lake Garda from Bologna by public transport

The best way to get to Lake Garda from Bologna is by train. It’s straightforward and convenient, and as long as you book a couple of weeks in advance, very affordable. Here’s how to do it:

• From Bologna Centrale take a high speed train to Verona Porta Nuova.
• From here, switch to a regional train to one of the two lakeside towns with train stations – Peschiera del Garda and Desenzano del Garda (more about these in the next section).

Depending on the speed of the train you get and how the connections match up, your journey could be as quick as 90 minutes or up to 2 and a half hours (add on about 10/15 minutes if you get off at Desenzano instead of Peschiera). If you book a couple of weeks in advance, you can get tickets for as cheap as £10. 

You can book tickets on Trainline. Use this link to book tickets to Peschiera, and this link to book tickets to Desenzano – simply change the date and time to when you want to travel. Read the next section to read about the differences between these two lakeside towns.

A note in taking trains in Italy: For regional trains, you must ‘check-in’ your ticket so the provider knows you are travelling on your selected train. Failing to do this, or taking a different train, can result in a fine. If you book through Trainline, checking into your train is easy and can be done by simply pressing a button in your confirmation email before boarding.

If you’re confused or concerned by Italian trains, I’d recommend reading the helpful resources put together by Seat61.

Where to get the train to from Bologna – Desenzano or Peschiera?

If you’re travelling to Lake Garda from Bologna by train, there are two options: Desenzano and Peschiera. Both are nice towns, and I outline what you can do in each below. But to be honest, I’d recommend using both as a starting point to get to Sirmione or out onto the lake. I explain how to do this in the next section.

Desenzano del Garda

Desenzano is Lake Garda’s largest town. This is all relative, though. It’s still a small place and easily walkable, with a nice historic centre.

It’s most famous for its Roman villa, but it also has a nice lakeside promenade and small beach. Desenzano is probably the better option if you want to visit Sirmione as it’s slightly closer, and a ferry from Desenzano to Sirmione is quicker than from Peschiera.

Peschiera del Garda

Peschiera is a tourist destination in its own right, and a popular place to visit. It’s a fortified town built across several islands, and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

If you do get the train to Peschiera, it’s well worth strolling through the historic centre, and maybe getting one of the short frequent boat trips around the fortified walls. Elsewhere in Peschiera are a couple of pristine beaches where you can swim in the lake – and it’s also the gateway to one of the region’s main theme parks, Garda Land.

So basically – if you’re planning a day trip from Bologna you could easily get to Peschiera and have a lovely day. It’s a nicer, more interesting and more beautiful town than Desenzano. But if you’re up for a little bit more travelling, opt for Desenzano, and take the ferry to Sirmione. It’s one of Lake Garda’s main attractions, and one of Norther Italy’s most beautiful towns.

Why visit Sirmione?

Found on an impossibly thin peninsula sticking out into the lake, Sirmione is arguably Lake Garda’s prettiest town. And that’s facing some pretty tough competition. For such a small place, it also packs in a hell of a lot of cool sights, including:

Grotte di Catullo – A 1st century A.D. ruined Roman villa in a magical setting at the tip of Sirmione’s peninsula. It’s the largest domestic Roman villa in Northern Italy, with great views across the lake.

Aquaria – Lake Garda’s only thermal springs.

Scaligero Castle – A picturesque castle, right at the entrance to Sirmione’s old town.

It also has a lovely, walkable historic centre, a beautiful lakeside trail and several beaches and lake-swimming spots.

All of this is obviously very desirable – so Sirmione does get very busy. Visiting outside of peak season is best.

How to get to Sirmione from Bologna?

To get to Sirmione from Bologna, follow the steps above to Desenzano. From there, walk to the port (about 20 minutes from the train station) and take a ferry, which takes 20 minutes.

They’re not super frequent, so make sure to check the timetable and plan ahead. If in peak seasons, I’d suggest booking your ticket in advance.

You could also get a ferry from Peschiera instead, which takes 45 minutes instead of 20 – but this is a good option if you want to spend the morning in Peschiera.

If the ferries don’t quite match up with your timings, there are also frequent buses from both Desenzano and Peschiera up to Sirmione.

What else to do in Lake Garda?

If none of these options appeal to you, or you want to get off the beaten track or spend more than a day in Lake Garda, there are plenty of other options. That being said, unless you have a car, the options outlined in this blog are the most viable day trips from Bologna.

For other places to explore and towns around the lake, visit Lake Garda Travel.

Travelling to Lake Garda from Bologna by car

If you do have a car, you can easily get to several parts of Lake Garda from Bologna – though journey times won’t be much quicker than those outlined above.

To Peschiera it will take around two hours, and a similar time to Desenzano (both could be a bit quicker or longer depending on traffic). 

The benefit of travelling by car, of course, is that you can easily travel to more secluded spots around the lake and less-visited towns. If you’re sticking to a day trip from Bologna, I’d recommend limiting yourself to the south of the Lake – probably no farther north than Garda town.

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