Lake Garda – The Biggest Italian Lake, 2hr distance from Milan. Discover its warm charm, elegance and infinite landscapes.
Your private tour will begin with your private driver collecting you from your hotel in Milan (or another custom location in the area) with a luxury sedan or minivan, you will reach Sirmione del Garda, our first stop. The name Sirmione comes from “syrma” that means “tail” or “train”. It is located on a narrow, 4 km long peninsula, at the south of Lake Garda. Its natural beauty has been admired and celebrated since the ancient times. Here you can visit the impressive ruins at “the Grottoes of Catullus“, and the Scaligera Fortress.
The centre of Sirmione is defended by the Scaligera Fortress, strategically positioned on the only point of access by land. You will be able to visit the Castle, one of the most complete e best preserved fortifications in Italy. The Fortress is surrounded by water and you can access the main tower through the drawbridge and climb to the top with a146 step stairway. Once you reached the top of the tower you can walk where wardens once stayed and admire the suggestive dockyard, ancient refuge of the Scaligera fleet.
The village is also famous for its thermal water of Sirmione, with meteoric origins. It comes from Baldo Mountain (800 meters above the sea) and goes down to 2’100 meters below the sea level, where it gets rich in minerals and increases its temperature up to 69 Celsius degrees (156 F).
After this first site, in a 15 min walk you can reach the Grottoes of Catullus, the ruins of a big roman-age villa on the south coast of Garda Lake, probably owned by the Latin poet Caio Valerio Catullus. They cover more than 5 acres, are situated in a splendid and scenic location within the area of an archaeological park, just after the Antiquarium, where the finds of the original villa are placed. After that, you can have some free time for a lunch break in one of the nice local restaurants in Sirmione.
The next step, after lunch, will be Peschiera del Garda, a medieval town situated in the south-west part of the lake. This place has a lot of history and its old town recall to all its ancient beauty with historical bulidings, narrow streets and bastions.
However, the Peschiera Fortress is a real unmissable pearl of this town situated on an island in the river Mincio.
Since 2017 the fortress is an UNESCO heritage: enclosed in an impressive wall of pentagonal shape, which date back to the sixteenth century, with beautiful bastions and imposing doors.
After this last visit, your driver will then take you back to your hotel in Milan.
Your hotel in Milan area (different location may be agreed)
Suggested departure from 8:00am to 9:30am
You can customize your tour according to your needs and preferences, our staff would be happy to inform you about different options, alternative routes and sites.
Your private driver will welcome you at your hotel in Milan.
Known since Roman times for its thermal water, today it houses an internationally renowned spa as well as offering a rich historical and artistic heritage, which includes the remains of an ancient Roman-age villa known as the Grotte di Catullo, Rocca Scaligera and the church of San Pietro, built in the 8th Century.
Peschiera del Garda, when Lombardy-Venetia was under Austrian rule, was the northwest anchor of the four fortified towns constituting the Quadrilatero. The fortress is still visible now on an island in the river Mincio at its outlet from Lake Garda.
The town is encircled by massive Venetian defensive systems that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In about 2h30m you will reach back your hotel in Milan.
