Lake Garda in 3 Days: South, North and West Shore Itinerary

Take run 8: the boat leaves Desenzano at 8:20 and ties up at Sirmione at 8:40, a 20-minute crossing. The Navigazione Laghi Garda office is in Desenzano too, so buy the pass here if you still need it. Before you sail, remember that base town holds its own Roman prize: the Villa Romana, about 11,000 m2, built in the 1st century BC and occupied into the 5th century.

It is covered by the combined ticket, so keep it for the evening of day 3 or for this afternoon. Fare details are on Lake Garda ferry.

The castle stands at the entrance to the old town, directly on the lake, a 14th-century Della Scala fortification attributed to Cansignorio and Antonio II after the middle of the 14th century. Inside the walls is an old harbour that once sheltered boats, and the ticket includes the keep, so climb it for the first view over the peninsula. Legend tells of Ebengardo and Arice: the knight Elaberto killed Arice on a stormy night, Ebengardo killed him, and Ebengardo's ghost is said to wander the rooms.

Hours are Tuesday to Sunday 8:30-19:15 with the ticket office closing 45 minutes earlier, and the castle is closed on Mondays, so check before you go. The combined ticket covers this castle, the Grottoes and the Desenzano Roman villa for 7 days. Full details on Sirmione castle.

The Roman site lies at the far tip of the peninsula, past the old town. The name came from Marino Sanuto in 1483, who linked the ruins to the poet Catullus, but the villa was built after the poet's death and is assumed to have belonged to the Gens Valeria of Verona. Only the supporting walls remain, which is why travellers once took them for caves.

An archaeological museum sits by the entrance. Hours are Tuesday to Saturday 8:30-17:00, Sunday to 14:00, closed Mondays, and last entry is 40 minutes before closing, so check before you go. Payment at the site is card only, cash is not accepted.

Plan the rest of the site on Grottoes of Catullus.

Sirmione lists seven beaches and they face different ways, so the light picks the hour. Lido delle Bionde sees the sunrise, Jamaica Beach below the Grottoes gets the midday light, and Brema watches the sun set behind its hills. Jamaica is reached through the gate just before the Grottoes entrance, then a steep dirt path down through an olive grove to smooth white rocks, with free showers and part of the shore free.

One rule covers all the beaches of Sirmione: dogs on a leash can swim, and fires and barbecues are forbidden everywhere. Compare the options on Lake Garda beaches.

Sirmione's water is the real thing. The thermal spring reaches 69 C at the source and rises 19 m below the lake, piped out only at the end of the 19th century. The SPA & Thermal Garden opens every day and the short 2-hour entry costs $27.93 (€25), but booking is always required through the online portal and entry is not guaranteed without one.

If you would rather stay dry, the 25-minute Sirmione peninsula cruise at $13 loops past Maria Callas Villa, the Grottoes, the sulfur spring and the castle from the small harbour by the castle. See both on Sirmione boat trips.

Check the last run at the pier and ride the ordinary boat back to Desenzano, or stay out later with the Sirmione sunset boat tour at $34.21 first, a 45-minute loop in the best light. Back at base, the Rambotti museum closes the day well: it holds the oldest plough in the world, found at Lavagnone. Entry is $7.82 (€7) and free on the first Sunday of the month.

In summer, from May to October, it opens Friday to Sunday 15:30-18:30 as well as mornings, with Monday and Wednesday closed, so fit it around the boat times. More on Desenzano del Garda.

Run 160 on the last summer timetable (16 May to 4 October) leaves Desenzano at 9:20 and reaches Riva at 12:15, under 3 hours end to end. It calls at Garda 9:51, Salò 10:21, Gardone 10:33, Gargnano 10:54, Malcesine 11:33 and Limone 11:50, so you can step off early instead of riding all the way north. The west shore slides past from the deck, Salò's promenade first, then Gardone's gardens.

Fast boats carry no bicycles, so leave the bike at the hotel. The pass is the only ticket that includes fast services, at $88.26 (€79) for the 3 days. Link Lake Garda ferry.

Riva belonged to Austria-Hungary from 1815 to 1918 under the name Reiff am Gartsee, and joined Italy only in 1918. On Piazza III Novembre, climb the Torre Apponale, 34 m tall and documented in the 13th century: 165 stairs to a gilded angel wind vane called the Anzolim de la Tor. Entry is $2.23 (€2), reduced $1.12 (€1), free under 15, open 1 October to 3 November 10:00-18:00 (summer hours are not listed here).

The MAG museum in the Rocca costs $5.59 (€5). Check before you go. Link Riva del Garda.

Two waterfalls drop into a vertical cave 3 km north-west of Riva. The water falls 98 m inside the rock. The site opened on 20 June 1874 and early visitors included Kafka and Thomas Mann.

About 70 long steps climb to the upper cave, and the spray is cold, so bring a waterproof. Hours run by month, May to August 9:00-19:00, and it closes only on 25 December. A local bus from Riva runs hourly and a free shuttle runs from the Baltera car park daily from June to September.

Tickets are sold on site only: adult $7.82 (€7), family 2 adults plus 1 child $21.23 (€19). Link Cascata del Varone.

If you would rather stay in Riva, a glass cabin climbs 130 m to the Bastione in about 3 minutes. A single costs $6.70 (€6), the return $11.17 (€10) from 1 June to 30 September and $10.05 (€9) the rest of the year. Children under 120 cm ride free.

The Bastione itself was built by Venice in 1507-1508 to guard the border with the Prince-Bishopric of Trent, and the terrace looks down the whole north basin. A path walks back down to the centre in about 20 minutes, an operator figure. Or book the private speedboat tour from Riva at $224 per boat for up to 4 people.

Check the afternoon fast runs south at the pier before you plan the evening, and let the pass carry you home. A good split is one last stop in Limone. Goethe sailed past on 13 September 1786 and described its terraced lemon gardens, and the road to Riva was finished only in 1932, so before that Limone was reachable only by lake or over the mountains.

If you would rather sleep in the north and break the journey, Limone or Malcesine makes an easy second base, with boats south the next morning. Link Limone sul Garda.

The largest island on the lake can only be visited with the owners' guide, so booking is compulsory, at least the day before and at least 4 days ahead in high season. No phone bookings. From Sirmione, in price range 2, the adult price including the return boat, the guided visit and a welcome drink is $51.39 (€46).

You stay about 2 hours 15-30 minutes on the island. The neo-Gothic villa was built 1890-1903, Saint Francis founded a hermitage here in 1221, and Dante mentions the place in Inferno canto XX. Tickets are non-refundable unless weather cancels the tour.

Or take the private boat tour of Isola del Garda at $496.04 per boat. Link Isola del Garda.

Gabriele D'Annunzio lived at the Vittoriale from 1922 until his death in 1938, and the cruiser Puglia now sits set into the hillside above the gardens. The site sells tickets online at its own shop, bottega.vittoriale.it, is open all year, and answers on +39 0365 296511. A simpler option is the guided Vittoriale visit at $48 for 2 hours.

Nearby, Heller Garden costs $13.41 (€12) for adults and closes 1 November to 1 March. Gardone sits in ferry zone 4 from Desenzano, so the pass covers the boat there and back to Salò. Link Gardone Riviera.

Salò has the longest lakefront promenade on the lake, made for a last hour of the day. History sits close by: the town was the seat of government of the Italian Social Republic from 1943 to 1945. The MuSa museum, whose collections include a section on that period, closed for renovation from 5 October, with reopening planned for spring.

From the pier, boats run back south to Desenzano, so check the last run of the day at the ticket office before you settle in at a lakefront table. Link Salò.