Getting around northern Italy by train

It looks like the nearest train station to Sirmione (note spelling) is in Desenzano del Garda, and that one of the ways you could get to Sirmione is by taxi. Another, much more fun and inexpensive way is by ferry.

Are you looking at Sirmione, or Limone sul Garda?

Rome2Rio is a great site to see transportation options. You’re looking at a somewhat remote area, so if buses are a no-go, I would be looking at towns that have a train station: Peschiera del Garda or Desenzano. You could probably taxi to Sirmione from either of these pretty inexpensively. Or take the ferry from Desenzano. Limone sul Garda is farther and would be more challenging.

Yes. Just realizing that Limone su Garda is just too hard to get to unless we want a long ferry ride. I had hoped that maybe I was missing something when doing my research. Looks like Desenzano may be the best place then train to Verona then to Bolzano where we can rent a car for the Dolomites. Does this sound like a good itinerary? We would have a bit of time in Milan at the beginning and leave from Venice.

We drove up the west side of Lake Garda and stayed in Saló, an upscale resort town recommended by Italian friends. Lovely town and the tourists there were Italian and German. Then we drove to Ortisei in the Dolomites which were stunning! When we left the Dolomites we drove down the east side of Lake Garda staying in Malcesine. It is a more touristy town than Saló, but the mountain views were better. This was part of a month long trip and we had a car for all of it, our preferred way of travel so can’t answer any train questions.

We recently returned from a trip that took us to Lago di Garda, Verona, and the Dolomites (for 10 days of hiking) among other places. I may be able to help.

We originally booked 3 nights (their minimum stay) at Hotel Venezia in Malcescine, across the lake from Limone sul Garda ( we have been to Malcescine before and loved it). We planned to take the ferry from Desenzano up to Malcescine, and then upon departure we would use the hotel’s shuttle to take us to the nearest train station (Rovereto) for our onward travel by train. Then British Airways changed our flights, and we could not meet the 3-night minimum stay for the Malcescine hotel, so we changed to 2 nights at a really lovely hotel overlooking the lake at Desenzano, Park Hotel.

https://www.parkhotelonline.it/en

I highly recommend this hotel; the location was great, our room had a large balcony overlooking the lake, and the food in their restaurant was so good we dined there both nights (but I am sure there are nice restaurants in the old town area too). On the full day we had there we rode the ferry across to Sirmione to see the Roman ruins, which were quite impressive. The ferry ride was only £6 roundtrip each.

The following day we caught the train from Desenzano to Verona, where we spent one night to see an opera in the arena. Then onward by train to Bressanone, where our Dolomites trip began.

This was a fine outcome given the changes that we had to make to accommodate the new flight schedule. We did enjoy Desenzano and especially the Roman ruins at Sirmione ( an otherwise very touristy town too crowded for our tastes). However, I still feel the north lake (around Malcescine) is better for scenery, hiking, swimming, etc. So if you have the time, I urge you to re-consider heading to the north part of the lake. Staying in Malcescine would shorten the travel time a bit. Take a look at Hotel Venezia ( right on the lake) and their shuttle options—-they will arrange for you to be picked up at the train station at Verona, Peschiera, or Rovereto, and returned to another after your stay (Rovereto makes the most sense as it is the closest to Bolzano).

https://www.hotelvenezia-malcesine.it/en

Or consider arriving by ferry ( this hotel is walking distance from the ferry dock). The fast SR (servizio rapido) ferry from Desenzano to Malcescine takes a little over 2 hours, and in summer there is one, the SR112, that make the trip in 1 hour 40 minutes (departing Desenzano at 14:20 and arriving at Malcescine at 15:59. At least that was the summer 2022 schedule. (I still have a screenshot of that in my photos, so if you cannot find a summer schedule online, send me a PM with your email address and I can email you a copy).

As someone who regularly uses train, ferry or bus as my mode of transport, I find that sometimes you just need to rent a car.

Thanks so much for all of the replies. I will take a closer look at the ferry schedules but it seems like I have plenty of options. When visiting the Dolomites we are looking for ‘easy’ level hikes and while I’ve googled some, if anyone has some recommendations, we are open. I decided that Ortesei and Cortina were our best options to find varied hikes but, as one of you did on your trip, you came back from Ortesei and did the east side of the lake, which may be a great thing to do as well.

Laurel and Richard Barton's book Walking in Italy's Val Gardena: 23 Easier Walks in the Dolomites near Ortisei, Selva, and Santa Cristina.

This is my favorite hotel ever. The Hotel Sun Valley, It’s in the town of Selva in The Val Gardena. They provide you with a bus pass so you don’t need a car. Then you can get a six day lift ask for €125. You can take a bus from Bolzano to reach there. We are going in June 2023
https://www.hotelsunvalley.it/en/

As Richard said there is no need for a car in Val Gardena. The bus pass will get you wherever you want to go, without dealing with parking or traffic. With a lift pass you can access more easy hiking/walking than you will have time for. Brad