From Milan: Lake Garda, Salò & Sirmione Day Trip with Boat

Arrive in Salò, a refined Lombard town on the western shore of Lake Garda. Walk the elegant lakeside promenade lined with Liberty-style villas, visit the unfinished Gothic cathedral, and hear the town's unusual wartime history as capital of the Italian Social Republic from 1943 to 1945. Free time for a coffee or gelato before boarding the boat.

Board a traditional lake ferry and cross to the Sirmione peninsula, with views of snow-capped mountains to the north and the rolling hills of the Veneto to the east. The boat approaches the peninsula's tip, revealing the Scaligero Castle rising straight from the water.

Enter the Scaligero Castle of Sirmione, commissioned by Cangrande I della Scala in the 13th century. The fortress is built on a rocky promontory with water on three sides, accessible only by drawbridge. Climb the towers for sweeping views over the lake and explore the walls, harbour tower, and inner keep. The castle is one of the finest examples of Scaligero military architecture in Italy.

Walk to the northern tip of the peninsula to visit the Grotte di Catullo, the largest Roman residential complex in northern Italy. Once believed to be the villa of the Latin poet Catullus, the site features vast vaulted halls, mosaic fragments, and terraced gardens overlooking the lake. The on-site museum displays finds from Roman and early medieval periods.