Lake Garda public transport
Hi,
I recently took a day trip to Lake Garda from Verona (April 2026) and whilst it went well, I think the reality of using the public transportation is worth mentioning for anyone considering to make this kind of trip.
From peschiera del garda, Google maps and bus apps told me I could get the LN026 to sirmione all the way up to where the castle is basically. I got on that bus (which was not accurate to the times displayed , as expected of Italy) and the driver ejected everyone off the bus at the stop called piazza campiello(1). Now this was weird, ok, but fine whatever we'll just get on the next one up to sirmione. Took about 30 mins of waiting and ended up getting on the shuttle bus.
On the journey back, took the shuttle bus down to the shuttle bus stop 8 to catch the bus into Verona. After waiting 40 minutes and getting on the bus (packed like sardines) the bus broke down! There were now too many people at the bus stop that I felt our chances of getting on the next one were slim. We ended up having to get a taxi for €40 (fortunately split with another group) to desenzano station to get the train back to Verona.
This post isn't to complain about infrequency and lack of punctuality of buses, because as far as I can tell that's just normal for Italy. I just wanted to warn people that, yes, whilst visiting places like sirmione with public transport is absolutely doable, you're gonna spend a massive chunk of your day waiting around and if you're unlucky like me going through the rigmarole of switching transport many times. Seeing lake garda and places like sirmione are still 100% worth it, but this definitely seems like the kind of places suited massively towards a vehicle of your own that you can explore the lake fully freely.