Bardolino: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Bardolino gives its name to a light red wine, and the hills behind the town are vines and olive groves almost to the water. The town itself is small and flat, a grid of lanes behind the lake front with two churches older than most of Italy's cathedrals. This route walks the old town and then drives or cycles two kilometres to the wine and olive oil museums. Half a day; on hot afternoons do the churches first, while they are cool.

A short history of Bardolino

Bardolino lies on the eastern shore of Lake Garda, and for centuries it made its living from fishing and vineyards. From the Middle Ages it has kept the 9th-century church of San Zeno, one of the few Carolingian churches in Italy preserved almost intact, and the 12th-century church of San Severo. In the 14th century it was ruled by the Scaligeri family of Verona, and then, from 1405, by the Republic of Venice. In 1968 the light red wine of the area, named after the town, received protected designation of origin status.

The ten best sights in Bardolino

1
Chiesa di San Severo
Romanesque church with medieval frescoes on the walls; a few quiet minutes from the lake
2
San Zeno
One of the oldest churches in Italy, tucked into a courtyard off the street
3
Museo del Vino
A small wine museum at the Zeni winery, with tastings of Bardolino and Chiaretto
4
Castello Scaligero di Sirmione
A castle standing in the water with its own walled harbour; come early, the bridge gets crowded
5
Grotte di Catullo
Ruins of a huge Roman villa on the tip of Sirmione, with the lake on three sides
6
Castello Scaligero di Torri del Benaco
Small castle museum with an old lemon house beside it
7
Castello Scaligero di Malcesine
Climb the tower for the view up the narrow north of the lake
8
Lungolago Francesco Lenotti
The lakeside promenade; at sunset the whole town walks here
9
Bardolino ferry pier
Ferries along the lake and across to Sirmione; a good way to skip the summer traffic
10
Punta San Vigilio
A cypress-lined point with a tiny harbour, 10 minutes north by car

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Tours in Bardolino →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Bardolino:

Free walking tours in Bardolino

Wine, oil and two old churches

Lungolago Francesco Lenotti · Bardolino became a protected wine name, a DOC, in 1968. Besides the red, the same grapes make Chiaretto, a pale rosé the town has made for generations by leaving the juice on the skins only briefly.
Bardolino ferry pier · Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy, about 370 square kilometres. Its ferries are run by a state company, and from this pier they cross to Sirmione and run up the shore to Garda and Malcesine.
San Zeno · The little church dates from the 9th century, in the time of the Carolingian kings. Built on a cross plan with a central tower, it is one of the best-preserved churches of that age in Italy, and it still stands almost unchanged among the houses.
Chiesa di San Severo · San Severo was built in the Romanesque style in the 11th and 12th centuries over an older church, whose crypt survives below. The nave walls keep frescoes of the 12th century, among them scenes from the Book of Revelation.
Museo del Vino · The museum belongs to the Zeni family, who have made wine here since 1870. It shows the old tools of the Bardolino harvest, and the cellar door at the end is the tasting room.
Museo dell'Olio · The olive groves around Lake Garda are among the northernmost in the world, kept alive by the mild climate the lake creates. The museum shows how oil was pressed here for centuries, with stone mills and wooden presses.

Castles of the lords of Verona

In the 13th and 14th centuries the della Scala family, the Scaligeri, ruled Verona and ringed its lake with castles, each with the swallow-tailed battlements that became their signature. A drive up and down the eastern shore links four of them, with a Roman villa and a cypress point between. The Gardesana road is narrow and slow in summer, so start early or take the ferry for the Sirmione leg. A full day.

Castello Scaligero di Malcesine · In 1786 Goethe sat in the ruined castle sketching the tower, and locals took him for an Austrian spy. He talked his way out of arrest, and told the story in his Italian Journey; the castle now has a room in his name.
Castello Scaligero di Torri del Benaco · Antonio della Scala rebuilt the castle in 1383. Beside it stands a limonaia from the 18th century, a terraced lemon house whose pillars once held a winter roof to protect the trees from frost.
Punta San Vigilio · The villa on the point was built in the 16th century for the humanist Agostino Brenzone, a Veronese lawyer who wanted a retreat for study and conversation. The tiny harbour and the inn beside it have hardly changed since.
Castello di Lazise · Lazise calls itself the first free commune of Italy: in 983 the emperor Otto II gave the town the right to fortify itself, fish and run its own market. The Scaliger castle on its walls came later, in the 14th century.
Castello Scaligero di Sirmione · The castle was built in the 13th century and stands in the lake, cut off by moats. Its walled inner harbour, where the Scaliger fleet once moored, is one of the very few surviving examples of a fortified medieval port.
Grotte di Catullo · These are the ruins of the largest Roman villa in northern Italy, built around the turn of the first century. Locals named it after the poet Catullus, who wrote a poem to his home at Sirmione, though there is no proof that this villa was his.

Beyond the shore

Bardolino sits in the middle of the busiest family holiday corner in Italy, with theme parks, a safari zoo and a mountain cable car all within half an hour. This route collects the best of them for days when the lake alone is not enough. It is not a single drive but a menu: pick two in a day. Book theme parks online in summer, and keep the Monte Baldo trip for a clear morning.

Lungolago Regina Adelaide · The lake took its Italian name from this town; the Romans called it Benacus, a name that survives in Torri del Benaco. The promenade is named after Queen Adelaide, who in the 10th century was imprisoned in the castle on the hill above and escaped.
Funivia Malcesine-Monte Baldo · Since 2002 the cabins rotate slowly on the way up, so everyone gets the view of the lake below. Botanists have called Monte Baldo the garden of Europe since the 16th century, for the hundreds of plant species found on its slopes.
Gardaland · Gardaland opened in 1975 on farmland near the lake, with a handful of rides. It has grown into the largest theme park in Italy and draws millions of visitors a year.
Parco Natura Viva · The park opened in 1969 and is split in two: a walking zoo and a safari section that you drive through in your own car among rhinos, zebras and giraffes. Windows stay closed, and the animals have the right of way.
Peschiera del Garda · The town is wrapped in Venetian star-shaped walls from the 16th century, with the river Mincio leaving the lake through its moats. Since 2017 the fortress has been part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing of Venice's defence works.
Parco Giardino Sigurtà · The industrialist Carlo Sigurtà bought the estate in 1941 and spent decades turning dry hills into a garden. What made it possible was an old right to draw water from the Mincio, which still feeds its lawns and ponds.

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Getting to Bardolino and getting around

Verona Villafranca Airport · The closest airport, about 35 minutes by car
Peschiera del Garda Station · Nearest railway station, on the Milan–Venice line; buses and ferries continue up the shore
Bardolino bus stop · ATV buses run along the shore to Garda, Lazise, Peschiera and Verona

Cheap eats in Bardolino

Bardolino eats from the lake and the hills: lake fish, olive oil from the slopes and the local red and rosé in every bar. A quick lunch is a panino, a piadina or a slice of pizza, and in the evening a glass of Chiaretto on the front costs less than a coffee in some cities. Prices are a little below Tel Aviv, higher along the lake front.

Piadineria Perez · Piadina flatbreads filled to order, about 6-9 €
Bottega del Gelato · Gelato on the main square, about 3-5 €
L'Angolino · Panini and quick bites, about 5-8 €
Walle's Burger · Burgers on the shore road, about 10-14 €
Pizzeria Bardolino · Pizza to eat in or take to the lake, about 7-12 €
Biancaneve · Gelato a few steps from the promenade, about 3-5 €

Museums in Bardolino

Museo del Vino · Wine tools and a tasting room at a family winery
Grotte di Catullo · Roman villa ruins and a small museum at the tip of Sirmione
Museo dell'Olio · Old olive presses and a tasting shop
Castello Scaligero di Sirmione · Walls, towers and the walled harbour
Castello Scaligero di Torri del Benaco · Castle museum of lake fishing and the lemon house

Nature and day trips near Bardolino

Funivia Malcesine-Monte Baldo · Ride to the ridge for walks above the lake
Parco Giardino Sigurtà · Lawns, ponds and a hedge maze
Punta San Vigilio · Cypress walk to a tiny harbour
Baia delle Sirene · Lawn beach under olive trees; paid entry
Lungolago Francesco Lenotti · Flat lakeside walk and cycle path

Things to do in Bardolino with kids

Gardaland · Rides for every age; a full day
Parco Natura Viva · Safari by car plus a walking zoo
Movieland · Film-themed park with stunt shows
Canevaworld · Water park for hot summer days

Where to eat in Bardolino

Al Porto · Dinner by the harbour; ask for the lake fish
Trattoria Al Commercio · Local trattoria in the old town
La Cantinetta · Small wine bar with plates to share
Il Portichetto · Pasta and pizza a lane from the lake
Osteria del Lago · Osteria food in the lanes behind the front
Trattoria Bardo · Trattoria on the main square

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Frequently asked questions about Bardolino

What is there to see in Bardolino?

The top sights in Bardolino are Chiesa di San Severo, San Zeno and Museo del Vino. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Bardolino?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Bardolino without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Bardolino?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Bardolino, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Wine, oil and two old churches.

How do you get to Bardolino and get around?

The main ways are Verona Villafranca Airport, Peschiera del Garda Station and Bardolino bus stop. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Bardolino, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Bardolino that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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