One day at Lake Garda

Will you be driving there or taking the bus? And what time of the year will this be?

I will piggyback here, as I am facing the exact same situation. i am also planning a day trip to Lake Garda from Verona, likely on Friday, May 23. I will be doing this by public transport -- some combination of train, bus and boat. Want to see and experience the best I can in one long day. Guru Roberto already shared some thoughts with me about this a while ago.

"One day" is not sufficiently explanatory. Are you spending two nights, therefore truly a full day? Or just a few hours on the go while traveling from Milan to Venice? To me the north part of the lake is the most beautiful. My favorite town is Limone, however Malcesine, Riva, Torbole etc. are equally beautiful. In the south lake, Sirmione is a gem, albeit very crowded with tourists. With just one day you can hardly fit the North lake and Sirmione in the south, especially if you rely on public transportation. Malcesine and Riva are connected to Verona by bus. Limone is connected to Desenzano by bus. Sirmione is connected to bus to both Peschiera and Desenzano train stations. Boats criss cross the lake and several companies offer boat excursions from any of those towns. I need to know where you are spending the night before and the night after that day at the Garda to be more specific.

well said Roberto.

Thanks for the help so far. We have an apt for the week in Verona so we truly will go over early in the am and return to Verona at night. We know Larke Garda is very large and are trying to decide which city/area we should target for the day. We are traveling in mid April.

Then from Verona go to Malcesine or Riva by bus# 162. They are both on the north lake.
http://tech.atv.verona.it/atv_www/orari_extraurb/pdf/162.pdf
Once in Malcesine take a ferry to Limone (just across the lake). You won't regret it, both are pretty towns. Below is the official website for the ferry service.
http://www.navlaghi.it/eng/g_illago.html
In addition to the above public ferry, there are also private boat operators that organize boat trips. If the boat doesn't work for you, you can always go by bus to the northernmost town (Riva) then descend the western shore to Limone, using another bus (no. 27) from the Brescia province transit agency.
http://www.trasportibrescia.it/upload/orari/estivi/LN027.pdf
To go from a Verona to Sirmione in the south follow the directions below. You won't be able to visit both the north and Sirmione on the same day. It would be too rushed even with a rental car.
http://www.reidsitaly.com/destinations/lombardy/lake_garda/sirmione.html

Thank you so much, Roberto. That really helps us.