Rent a Car in Sirmione

Sirmione sits on a narrow peninsula that juts nearly 4 km into the southern shore of Lake Garda, with the medieval Scaligero Castle guarding its only land entrance and the Roman ruins of the Grotte di Catullo at its tip. The historic centre itself is pedestrian-only and best explored on foot, but Sirmione has no train station and no airport, so a hire car is the practical way to actually get there and to reach everything around it — the thermal spas fed by Lake Garda's own hot springs, the vineyards of Lugana just south of town, and the rest of the lake's shoreline.

A car also opens up day trips that public transport makes slow and awkward: Verona's Roman Arena and historic centre are under 40 minutes east, Brescia is about 45 minutes south-west, and Mantua's Renaissance palazzos are just over an hour away. Along the lake itself, Desenzano del Garda is 10 minutes west and Peschiera del Garda — with its star-shaped fortress — is 15 minutes east, both easy stops on the way to or from the peninsula.