Published 16 October 2026 | Updated 16 October 2026 by Kate Acaster
Mountains drop into the water at the northern end of Lake Garda. A medieval castle sits on a peninsula at the southern one. Is Lake Garda expensive? It can be, and Sirmione hotels set the top of our range. The ferries and the family pizzerias keep the daily costs sensible.
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Lake Garda at a glance
- Flight timeAbout 2 hours from London to Verona
- AirportVerona (VRN), about 30 minutes by road from the south shore
- CurrencyEuro
- Time zoneOne hour ahead of the UK
- LanguageItalian, with English widely spoken in tourist towns
- VisaVisa-free for up to 90 days in any 180
What a week on Lake Garda really costs
Hotels are the big spend. This is the rough picture for two adults, with hotel prices for a week in June. Euro prices are shown in pounds at roughly 85p to 90p to the euro.
| What you’re paying for | Rough cost |
|---|---|
| A June week in a Sirmione hotel | £850 to £1,800 |
| A pizza at a family pizzeria | £7 to £12 (€8.50 to €13) |
| A Michelin-listed tasting menu | £110 to £155 each (€130 to €170) |
| Ferry day ticket for the whole lake | Roughly £34 to £36 |
| A short ferry hop, one way | A few pounds |
| Monte Baldo cable car, return | Roughly £25 to £30 |
| Gardaland day ticket | Roughly £33 and up |
| Verona airport bus into the city | A few pounds |
A June week for two in a Sirmione hotel comes to roughly £850 to £1,800 before flights, depending on how close you want to be to the castle. Ferries and sights add a modest amount on top, and food depends entirely on whether you eat pizza or tasting menus.
"Buy the ferry day ticket on your first sunny morning and pick two or three towns to hop between. The towns look different from the water, and by lunchtime you’ll know which deserve a second visit. Fast boats cost extra, so check at the ticket desk."
Kate Acaster, Chief Editor, Flight Tribe
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Why Sirmione hotels sit at the top of our range
Sirmione sits on a narrow peninsula, so there is only so much room for hotels, and everyone wants to be near the castle and the water. That’s why Sirmione hotels set the top of our range.
Sirmione’s old town has a restricted traffic zone, so ask your hotel about access. Arriving by ferry rather than driving avoids the traffic zone altogether. Peschiera and Desenzano at the southern end are connected by train, and the towns up the eastern shore, such as Lazise and Bardolino, give you a more local feel.
None of this means skipping Sirmione. The castle and the Roman ruins at the tip are worth a half day.
Flying to Lake Garda from the UK
Verona is the closest airport to the lake, about a half-hour drive from the south shore, and it takes about two hours to fly there from London. Many routes run for a single season, so check your own airport’s dates before you book.
| UK airport | Direct to Verona |
|---|---|
| London | Direct flights to Verona are listed from Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted. Confirm your dates on the airline’s site. |
| Manchester | Jet2 flies it as part of its winter programme. Confirm other dates on the airline’s site. |
| Edinburgh | Jet2 flies it as part of its winter programme. Confirm other dates on the airline’s site. |
| Other UK airports | Direct flights to Verona are listed from Bristol, Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle, East Midlands and Belfast. Confirm your dates on the airline’s site. |
Milan’s airports are the other way in. They’re a longer transfer to the lake than Verona, so they’re worth a look only when the fare is clearly better. Bag fees can swing which airline is cheapest, so check yours in our airline luggage checker before you book.
Do UK visitors need a visa for Italy?
Italy is in the Schengen area, so every day you spend on the lake counts towards your 90-day allowance. You don’t need a visa for a holiday, but a few passport rules catch people out.
| Requirement | What it means |
|---|---|
| Visa | None needed for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. |
| Passport age | Issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive. |
| Passport validity | At least 3 months left after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area. |
| Border questions | You may be asked for proof of accommodation, travel insurance, a return ticket and enough money. |
| EES check | Fingerprints and a photo may be taken on arrival. It’s free and the record lasts 3 years. |
| Cash | Declare cash or travellers’ cheques worth 10,000 euros or more. |
Getting from the airport to the lake
Verona airport has no direct train, so most people go via the city. From there the lake’s southern towns are an easy hop.
| Option | Rough cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Bus 199 to Verona Porta Nuova | A few pounds one way | Takes about 15 minutes with no stops. It runs roughly every 20 minutes at busy times and less often in the evening. |
| Train to the lake | Low regional fare | From Porta Nuova, regional trains reach Peschiera del Garda and Desenzano in around 20 to 30 minutes. Both have ferry piers and buses on to the other towns. |
| Summer lake bus | Low fare | A direct bus runs from the airport up the eastern shore to Bardolino and Garda, but only from June to September. It takes up to 70 minutes. |
| Taxi | Roughly £20 to £30 to Verona centre | Quick and easy for a group. Ask the driver for a fixed price to the lake before you set off, because the fare to Sirmione or Garda isn’t published. |
If you’re staying in Sirmione, the simplest route is the train to Desenzano or Peschiera, then a local bus or a short taxi. The ferry from Desenzano is the pretty option when the timetable fits.
Getting around the lake
The ferries are the best way to see Lake Garda, and they cost less than most people expect. A short hop between neighbouring towns is a few euros, and a day ticket covers every stop.
| Ticket | Rough cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Short hop, such as Desenzano to Sirmione | A few pounds | Return costs double. Under-4s travel free. |
| Long run, such as Sirmione to Riva | Up to about £15 | Fast boats add a supplement of a few pounds, which saves real time on long runs. |
| Whole-lake day ticket | Roughly £34 to £36 | Unlimited travel on the standard boats on the day. Fast boats need a supplement. |
| Upper or lower lake day ticket | Roughly £20 to £25 | Cheaper if you’re staying in one half of the lake. |
| Family day ticket | Roughly £67 to £71 for the whole lake | Two full adult day tickets, with up to two children aged 4 to 11 included. |
| Car ferry, Maderno to Torri del Benaco | Roughly £6 to £7 on foot, £10 to £13 for a car | A handy shortcut across the middle of the lake. It saves a long drive round. |
The ferry timetable is fuller in summer and thinner in winter, so check the current one before you plan a day around a boat. Full timetables are on the operator’s own site.
Between towns, local buses run along both shores, and you can combine them with the boats. Many lakeside promenades are flat and pleasant to walk, so for a short hop between neighbouring villages your feet are the cheapest option.
What the lake’s sights cost
Lake Garda’s best experiences are free: swimming, walking the promenades and watching the light change on the mountains. The paid sights are mostly good value, and the cable car is the one worth timing around the weather.
| Sight | Rough cost | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Monte Baldo cable car, Malcesine | Roughly £25 to £30 return, a little less online | Go on a clear morning. It runs roughly April to early November, closes for maintenance before Christmas, then reopens for a short winter season. |
| Gardaland, near Peschiera | Roughly £33 and up, cheaper booked ahead | Italy’s biggest theme park. The aquarium next door stays open all year. |
| Scaliger Castle, Sirmione | Under about £10 | Allow an hour, and climb the tower for the view over the water. |
| Grotte di Catullo, Sirmione | Under about £10 | A Roman villa on the tip of the peninsula. Ask about a combined ticket at the ticket office. |
Scaliger Castle is the picture on every postcard. It rises straight out of the water at the entrance to the old town, so you can see most of its charm for nothing from the bridge, and the ticket is mainly for the tower climb.
If money is tight, do the castle from the outside, take the cable car on a clear day and spend the rest of your sightseeing budget on a ferry day ticket. That mix gives you the best views for the least money.
Where to stay on Lake Garda
Sirmione and the south shore are the easiest bases for a first visit, with trains, boats and the castle close by. Hotels add a small per-person, per-night tourist tax to the bill, and the amount varies by town and star rating, so ask what’s included before you pay. Prices below are for a week for two in June.
| Tier | Property | Why we’d book it |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | Hotel Serenella, Sirmione | Guests rate it 9.2 from over 500 reviews, a very strong score at the lower end of Sirmione prices. It has a poolside bar and air conditioning, and you’re on the peninsula itself. Roughly £850 to £1,000 a week. Breakfast costs extra. |
| Mid | Hotel Porto Azzurro, Colombare | Rated 9.2 from about 1,000 reviews, with breakfast included, a restaurant and a poolside bar. It sits in Colombare, on the road into Sirmione, so expect a short ride or walk to the old town. Roughly £1,100 to £1,600 a week, depending on the dates. |
| Worth the spend | Hotel Sirmione Terme, Sirmione old town | A waterfront hotel rated 8.8 from about 1,000 reviews, with an outdoor pool, a spa and a restaurant serving local dishes. You pay for the position inside the old town. Roughly £1,500 to £1,800 a week. |
Where to eat and drink on Lake Garda
A pizza supper costs little, and a long tasting menu costs a lot. These three show the range.
| Tier | Restaurant | What to order and what it costs |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | Al Cavallo, Santa Maria di Lugana | A restaurant and pizzeria just outside Sirmione, with pizzas from about £7 to £12 (€8.50 to €13). Pizza and a drink each comes to roughly £12 to £18 a head. It’s a short drive or taxi from the old town. |
| Mid | Antica Contrada, Colombare | A rustic trattoria on the road into Sirmione, known for lake fish grilled over a wood fire and fresh homemade pasta. Closed on Mondays. Plan on roughly £25 to £40 a head with a glass of wine. |
| Worth the spend | La Rucola 2.0, Sirmione | A Michelin-listed creative restaurant with tasting menus at £110 to £155 a head (€130 to €170), plus a cover charge of about £10 (€12). It has a plant-based menu too. Book ahead. |
The best time to visit Lake Garda
| When | What to expect |
|---|---|
| March | Quiet and cool. The ferries run their reduced winter timetable and many seasonal places are shut. |
| April and May | Fresh and green. The cable car and the theme park are open, the ferries are on the fuller summer timetable from mid-May, and hotels cost less than in summer. |
| June | Warm and bright, with long evenings. Prices climb, and it’s the month our hotel ranges are based on. |
| July and August | Peak heat, peak crowds and peak prices. Book ahead, especially in Sirmione. |
| September | Still warm, with calmer towns and a lake that’s good for swimming. A good all-round month. |
| October | Quieter and cooler. The summer ferry timetable ends in early October and some seasonal places start to close. |
| November to February | Mostly off-season. The cable car shuts for maintenance before Christmas and then runs a short winter season. |
Hotel prices follow the weather. The shoulder months of May and September give you most of the summer lake for noticeably less, which makes them the best-value months for most UK visitors.
If you want to ride the Monte Baldo cable car, plan around its season. It’s open from spring to early November, shuts for maintenance before Christmas and then runs a short winter season.
So, is Lake Garda expensive?
It can be, but you control most of the bill. Sirmione hotels set the top of our range. Use the ferries, eat at the family pizzerias and visit in May or September, and the daily costs stay sensible. For a city, see our Milan guide. For another Italian coast, try our Cinque Terre guide. Then check the latest Lake Garda break and our UK travel deals for fares.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lake Garda expensive?
Parts of it can be. Our sampled Sirmione hotels run at roughly £850 to £1,800 for a June week for two. Ferries, pizzerias and free promenades keep the daily cost sensible.
How much does a week at Lake Garda cost?
A June week for two in a well-reviewed Sirmione hotel comes to roughly £850 to £1,800 before flights. Ferries and sights add a modest amount on top.
How do I get from Verona airport to Lake Garda?
Take bus 199 to Verona Porta Nuova (about 15 minutes), then a train to Peschiera del Garda or Desenzano (20 to 30 minutes). A summer bus also runs up the eastern shore.
Is the Lake Garda ferry day ticket worth it?
Yes, if you plan several hops or a long run. It covers the standard boats on the day, and fast boats need a supplement.
When is the cheapest time to visit Lake Garda?
Outside July and August. May and September are the usual value months, and hotel prices vary by date, so compare dates before you book.
Which UK airports fly to Verona?
Verona lists direct flights from London Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted and from many regional airports, with Jet2 flying Manchester and Edinburgh in winter. Confirm your dates on the airline’s site.
Do UK travellers need a visa for Lake Garda?
No, not for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Your passport must be under 10 years old, with 3 months left after you leave.
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Kate Acaster is Chief Editor at Flight Tribe. She writes about practical travel planning, budget airlines, baggage rules, city breaks, beach holidays and good hotels that do not cost daft money.
Kate has travelled through Europe, South America and beyond, usually with a notebook, a half-formed plan and a strong opinion on airport snacks. At Flight Tribe, her work focuses on helping UK travellers understand what is included, what costs extra, and whether a trip is worth booking at the price shown.
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