Lake, Wine and City Day Trips From Verona

October 30, 2026

Three kinds of day trip work from Verona: a lake outing, a wine outing and a day in another historic city. Verona Porta Nuova station sits on the Milan to Venice line, so the city trips are simple by train, while the wine and lake destinations are easier with a car or a bus connection.

Lake days

Peschiera del Garda is the nearest lake town, a regional train ride of about 13 to 19 minutes from Verona. It is a good choice if you only want a few hours by the water.

Sirmione takes more planning. By car it is about 40 minutes, and there is no direct train, so rail travellers change at Peschiera or Desenzano and finish by local transport. Plan a full day. The town has the Scaliger castle and the Grotte di Catullo. A 2026 guide lists the Grotte at about 10 EUR and the castle at 6 to 8 EUR, while joint-ticket prices and Grotte hours vary and one guide says the Grotte close on Mondays, so confirm both before setting out. The Aquaria thermal spa is run by Terme di Sirmione . The lake beaches are mostly pebbles and stones, so bring sandals.

Wine days

Valpolicella is the wine country around the city, with estates around San Pietro in Cariano, Fumane and Negrar. A car or an organised tasting trip is the practical way to see several cellars. Book tastings ahead, since estates keep set visiting hours. Nearby, the Parco delle Cascate di Molina is a waterfall nature park, not a canyoning site, with entry at about 7 EUR. It closes in rain, and a combined ticket with the Grotta di Fumane is about 14 EUR. The operator is at parcodellecascate.it .

Soave is ringed by medieval Scaliger walls and has a castle. A museum listing from July 2024 gives castle hours of Tuesday to Sunday, 9 to 12 and 15 to 18. By train you reach San Bonifacio and then need local transport onward, so look up connections in advance.

City days

Vicenza is the quickest city trip: about 25 minutes on a Frecciarossa or 34 to 39 minutes on a regionale veloce. The Teatro Olimpico, dated 1585 and designed by Scamozzi, and the Basilica Palladiana are the main stops, and La Rotonda is a walk of roughly 20 minutes from the centre.

Mantua is a UNESCO-listed Gonzaga capital, about 45 minutes by regional train. The Palazzo Ducale charges 18 EUR full price since 2 January 2026 and 11 EUR reduced. The Camera degli Sposi needs a booked slot, and the ticket is valid for a month. Palazzo Te, with Giulio Romano’s Fall of the Giants, is priced somewhere between 11 and 15 EUR depending on the source.

Venice is about 1 hour 10 minutes from Verona to Venice Santa Lucia on a Frecciarossa or Italo, and about 1 hour 30 on a regionale veloce. It is a long day, so consider an overnight stay.

Practical notes

Buy train tickets through Trenitalia and look for strike notices the evening before you travel.
Verona Porta Nuova is about 1.5 km from Piazza Bra, a walk of 15 to 20 minutes, so allow time for the return to your hotel.
The Verona Airlink, which links the station and airport for 7 EUR on a combined rail and bus ticket, is separate from the VeronaCard. The card does not include the Aerobus.
If you drive, remember that the old centre is a restricted traffic zone and enter only with a booked permit.

Compare organised excursions: Verona day tours on Viator .