Lake Garda and Sirmione from Milan: the 51-minute train to Desenzano, the €2.20 bus, the castle and the Grotte di Catullo at €10 each, and no boats from 2 November

💡 The Short Version: Take the train to Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione: 51 minutes by Frecciarossa from €23.90, or 1 hour 23 minutes by regional from €10.50. The station is in Desenzano, not Sirmione: Arriva’s bus (line LN026 or LN008) is €2.20 for the 10 km. The Scaliger Castle and the Grotte di Catullo are €10 each, €20 together, and the castle is closed on Mondays. Lake Garda’s passenger boats do not run from 2 November 2026 to 12 March 2027, so a winter day is the town, the castle and the caves on foot. Verona and Sirmione fit one day on the same train line: Verona to Desenzano is 19 to 23 minutes. Or book now: the guided small-group walking tour of Veronaad is from €30 for 2 hours and starts in the city, so the train sets the day (GetYourGuide). See the Verona day trip.

Getting there

Fares are Trenitalia’s “from” fares for a second-class single; the Trenitalia app shows the exact fare for your date. Fast trains need a seat reservation, which the fare includes; regional trains do not.

• The station: the stop is Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione, in Desenzano. Sirmione is about 10 km away on its peninsula.
• The bus: Arriva Italia runs lines LN026 (Brescia, Desenzano, Sirmione, Verona) and LN008 (Carpenedolo, Desenzano, Sirmione). Desenzano or Peschiera to Sirmione is fare B, €2.20; Sirmione to Verona is fare E, €4.20. Tap a contactless card on the green validator when you board, and tap out when you get off.
• In Sirmione: the old town is a pedestrian zone. A shuttle bus runs from April to October between Colombare (Piazza Campiello) and the historic centre, and at other times the extra-urban line serves Colombare (Visit Sirmione).
• Strikes: rail strikes are announced at short notice. Milan public transport has the dated days, and the Ministry’s strike list is the source.

The same Frecciarossa line runs on to Venice, 2 hours 29 minutes from Milano Centrale: see Venice and, for Garda from the other side, Venice’s day trips.

Tours

No tour is needed for Sirmione: the train and the bus do the work. For a Verona and Sirmione day, the walks that start in Verona suit a visitor on the train, and the Verona page lists them with the Arena and Juliet’s House. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” price for one adult.

Boats

Navigazione Laghi · no passenger boats from 2 November 2026 to 12 March 2027

Navigazione Laghi’s Garda timetable covers 5 October to 1 November 2026 and 13 to 25 March 2027, with the lines running from Desenzano through Peschiera, Sirmione, Lazise, Bardolino and Garda to Riva. From 2 November 2026 to 12 March 2027 the only service is the vehicle ferry between Torri and Maderno, on the western shore. Boats are suspended in strong wind, and the operator posts notices for each line.

Returns are double, and fast services add a supplement (Navigazione Laghi’s tariff). The bus at €2.20 is the cheaper way to Sirmione at any time of year.

What to see

Sirmione is a medieval town on a narrow peninsula, entered across a drawbridge at the castle. The order for a few hours: the castle at its opening, the old town, and the Grotte di Catullo at the tip of the peninsula, with lunch between.

Sirmione’s old town and Lake Garda, seen from the castle keep. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Scaliger Castle

€10 · closed Mondays · 08:30 to 19:15

A 14th-century lakeside fortress of the Della Scala family, who ruled Verona, in Piazza Castello. The ticket includes the 37 m keep, which has a view over Lake Garda; the dock can be visited only on guided tours. It is open Tuesday to Sunday 08:30 to 19:15, with the ticket office closing 45 minutes earlier, and closed on Mondays, 1 January and 25 December. The ticket is €10, €2 for Italian and EU citizens aged 18 to 25, and free under 18 (Musei Lombardia).

The Scaliger Castle and its fortified harbour, Sirmione. Photo: Josep M. Gracia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Grotte di Catullo

€10 · card payment only · Monday 09:00 to 13:00, Tuesday to Saturday 08:30 to 19:30, Sunday 10:00 to 19:30

A Roman archaeological site and museum at the tip of the peninsula, in Piazzale Orti Manara. The ticket is €10, €2 for EU citizens aged 18 to 25, and payment is by debit or credit card only. The last entry is 40 minutes before closing, and the site closes on 1 January and 25 December. The ground is gravel with steep slopes, and a paid electric train runs in summer from Piazza Piatti to the entrance (Musei Lombardia).

The Roman ruins of the Grotte di Catullo at the tip of the Sirmione peninsula. Photo: Marco Ober, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The joint ticket

€20 · valid 7 days · castle, Grotte di Catullo and the Villa Romana in Desenzano

One ticket covers the castle, the Grotte and the Roman villa and museum at Desenzano. It is €20 against €20 for the castle and Grotte bought separately, so the villa comes free.

What a day costs

Before you go

• The thing that ruins a day: Monday. The castle is closed and the Grotte open only 09:00 to 13:00.
• Winter: there are no passenger boats from 2 November 2026 to 12 March 2027, and the castle and Grotte keep the hours above.
• The last train: the last Frecciarossa from Desenzano to Milano Centrale leaves at 21:23, and the last regional at 22:07, on a weekday in October.
• Which to take: the regional for the lowest fare; the Frecciarossa to save 30 minutes each way.

Day trips from Milan compares every trip. Verona is 19 to 23 minutes up the line, and Lake Como is the other lake an hour from Milan. Milan public transport covers the way to Centrale, 3 days in Milan fits a day away into the week, and where to stay in Milan compares the areas. What to book before you go to Milan lists the closed days in the city.