Hi, we are traveling to Italy and planning on staying in the Dolomites for about 4 days and then Lake Como for about 3 days. On our drive from the Dolomites to Lake Como, we were initially planning to stop in Verona for a few hours to explore and to enjoy lunch. I recently stumbled upon Sirmione in my research and have fallen in love with the magical town! It almost looks unreal. I've read a few things saying that getting to Sirmione is quite difficult, and would like to see if anyone has had experience visiting. If we aren't staying at a hotel in town, is there public parking available? Thank you so much!
Posted by
Massachusetts
847 posts
I have only visited it by boat (from Desenzano) but I'm pretty sure I saw signs for parking lots. It does get horribly crowded mid day. I almost didn't visit cause people told me how crowded it was and that it wasn't 'worth' it. I went pretty early in the day and it did get more crowded as the day went on but I am still glad I went.
Here's my photos. https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p1016537666
Posted by
Southeast US
4081 posts
Being the type who would rather rub elbows with middle-class Europeans than the elite crowd, I chose Lake Garda over Lake Como during a 3-week trip through Italy in 2015. I spent 3 nights in Sirmione, staying at the family-owned Hotel Marconi, and really enjoyed the area, including Sirmione itself. There is a large public parking lot just south of the narrowest part of the strip that sticks out into Lake Garda, but I would think you would need to arrive early to get a spot there. Hotel Marconi also had (tight) parking for guests. My friend and I did our trip by public transportation, catching a train to the Desenzano station and then taking a cab to Hotel Marconi for around 30 euro. Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
3475 posts
In April 2015, we took the train from Verona to Desenzano, and then walked from Desenzano to Sirmione. We are very enthusiastic walkers, but even for us it was a bit long. The town itself was very crowded, but not unbearably so. The ferries were still on their pre-season schedule, so we didn't get to take a boat ride. Sirmione is very pretty - but there's a lot of "very pretty" in that part of the world.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you all for the input!
Isabel - your photos are absolutely beautiful. Making me wish our trip was sooner!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16187 posts
Getting to Sirmione is not difficult at all. The hard part is to find parking in the two parking lots if you go at peak season or a weekend.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32392 posts
JKT,
Getting to Sirmione is not difficult but I'd suggest not going there on a weekend or holiday as it will be dreadfully crowded and parking will be almost impossible to find.
There is a parking lot just outside the entrance to the island, but during busy times it's packed! On my visit, there was a queue of cars stopped on the street waiting for openings in the car park. This queue extended for about a kilometre and I had to leave the Taxi at that point and walk into town. It was also exceptionally crowded in the town so that part of my overall experience with Sirmione was not a pleasant one.
Hopefully the situation during your visit is better.
Posted by
23 posts
My husband and I stayed a few nights in Sirmione several years ago. I don't believe we saw a single American tourist! However, there were TONS of people. It is a magical little town, but also a bit of a tourist trap with so many people visiting a small area. A lot of the "beach" areas are private, which was a bit of a let down. If we stayed at a hotel with beach access or a pool it may have been more enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful spot but I would do a little more research before committing. We splurged on a day pass to the Aquaria thermal bath/resort and it was a very unique experience!
I will say that we greatly enjoyed taking a break from Sirmione during our day trip to Verona, even though it was hot as blazes. Verona is a beautiful town with lots to do.
Sorry not sure about parking though, as we came by train. I would email a hotel you are considering and ask what they recommend for parking.
Have a great trip!