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Scenic aerial view of a charming lakeside town along the coast of Lake Garda, Italy.

Eastern shore · Veneto

Best Things to Do in Lazise

Medieval walls, a working harbour and thermal pools, ten minutes from Gardaland

Shore
Eastern shore · Veneto
Best for
Families, couples, cyclists
Best time
May–June, September–early October
How long
2–3 days

Lazise is the first proper walled town you reach heading north from Peschiera, and the walls are what you notice first: a complete ring of Scaliger fortifications with three gates, and the old town packed tightly inside them. The little harbour is still where the fishing boats tie up, the Venetian customs house stands right on the water, and the lanes behind it fill with the smell of grilled lake fish by early evening. It faces west, so the sunsets land straight on the harbour wall.

As a base it does a lot of jobs at once. The theme parks (Gardaland, Caneva, Movieland) are five to ten minutes away, the flat lakefront path runs north to Bardolino and Garda, there is a thermal park in the hills behind, and the ferries link you to Sirmione and the west shore without touching the car. It suits families and anyone who wants a proper old town rather than a resort strip. Here is what we would do with two or three days.

Things to do in Lazise

  1. Walk the Scaliger walls and the three gates – Lazise

    01 Sightseeing

    Walk the Scaliger walls and the three gates

    • Old town, all three gates within 10 minutes of the harbour
    • 1 hour
    • Free

    Lazise kept almost its whole medieval circuit, which is rare on the lake. Start at Porta San Zeno on the Bardolino side, follow the walls round to Porta Nuova, then finish at Porta Cansignorio (locals call it Porta Lion) at the top of the old town. The castle inside the walls is a private villa and not open to the public, but you get good views of its towers from Via Castello and from the lake.

    Map
  2. See the harbour, the Dogana Veneta and the church of San Nicolò – Lazise

    02 Culture & history

    See the harbour, the Dogana Veneta and the church of San Nicolò

    • Porto Vecchio, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele
    • 45 minutes
    • Free

    The old port is the heart of Lazise: a small square basin with the arcaded Dogana Veneta (the 16th-century Venetian customs house, now used for events and exhibitions) on one side and the little Romanesque church of San Nicolò on the other. San Nicolò dates from the 12th century and has fragments of Giotto-school frescoes inside; it is usually open in the daytime and takes ten minutes. Stand on the harbour wall at the end of the mole for the classic view back over the boats to the walls.

    Map
  3. Scenic view of Lake Garda with surrounding mountains and lush green trees in the foreground.

    03 Outdoors

    Cycle or walk the lakefront path to Bardolino and Garda

    • Path starts at Porta San Zeno, north end of the old town
    • Half a day
    • Free; bike hire €15–25 per day

    A flat, mostly car-free path leaves Porta San Zeno and follows the shore north through olive groves and past small pebble beaches to Bardolino (about 5 km) and on to Garda (about 9 km). It is the easiest ride on the whole lake, fine for children and hire bikes, and there are cafés and beaches to stop at the whole way. We cover it in more detail in our pick of the best Lake Garda bike rides.

    Map
  4. Soak in the thermal lake at Parco Termale del Garda – Lazise

    04 Beach & lake

    Soak in the thermal lake at Parco Termale del Garda

    • Colà di Lazise, 4 km inland, 10 minutes by car
    • Half a day or an evening
    • Roughly €25–40 depending on day and time slot

    In the hills at Colà, four kilometres inland, the grounds of Villa dei Cedri hold two thermal lakes fed by springs at around 37°C, with underwater jets, waterfalls and a large park of old trees around them. It is open into the evening in summer, and floating in warm water under the lights while the air cools down is one of the best things on this side of the lake. Take your own towels and robes or hire them at the entrance.

    Map
  5. Spend a day at Gardaland and SEA LIFE – Lazise

    05 Family

    Spend a day at Gardaland and SEA LIFE

    • Ronchi, Castelnuovo del Garda, 5 km south
    • Full day
    • €35–55 per person online, less for children under 10

    Italy’s biggest theme park is just over the boundary in Castelnuovo del Garda, ten minutes south of Lazise by car or bus. There are big coasters (Raptor, Oblivion, Blue Tornado), a good spread of gentle rides for small children, the Peppa Pig Land area, the Legoland Water Park in summer and the SEA LIFE aquarium next door. Buy dated tickets online, they are noticeably cheaper than at the gate. Our Castelnuovo del Garda guide goes into the park in more detail.

    Buy tickets Map
  6. Cool off at Caneva Aquapark or watch the shows at Movieland – Lazise

    06 Family

    Cool off at Caneva Aquapark or watch the shows at Movieland

    • Località Fossalta, 3 km south of the old town
    • Full day
    • €30–40 per person per park

    Canevaworld sits inside the Lazise boundary, halfway to Gardaland. Caneva is a Caribbean-themed water park with slides, a wave pool and a lazy river, good from about age six upwards, while Movieland next door is a film-studio park with stunt shows, a Rambo-style water ride and a dinosaur area. Do one or the other; a combined day is too much in the heat. Caneva only opens from late May to mid September.

    Map

  7. 07 Beach & lake

    Swim from the pebble beaches north of the walls

    • Lungolago north of Porta San Zeno
    • 2–3 hours
    • Free; sunbeds €10–20 where offered

    Lazise’s beaches are pebble and free, and they start as soon as you leave Porta San Zeno: a string of small coves under the olive trees runs all the way towards Bardolino, with Spiaggia delle Rose the biggest and best known. The water is clear and shelves gently, which is why families like it, and there are showers and kiosks in summer. See where they rank in our pick of the best Lake Garda beaches.

    Map

  8. 08 Food & wine

    Eat lake fish on the harbour

    • Porto Vecchio and the lanes behind it
    • 2 hours
    • €30–50 per person with wine

    The restaurants around the Porto Vecchio and along Via Fontana are the obvious place to eat and, unusually for a harbour front, some of them are good. Look for lavarello (whitefish) grilled with lemon, sarde in saor, risotto with tench, and bigoli with lake sardines, washed down with a cold Chiaretto from the hills behind town. Expect €15–25 for a main on the water, less a street or two back. Our best Lake Garda restaurants list has our favourites around the lake.

    Map

  9. 09 Food & wine

    Taste Bardolino and Custoza wines in the hills

    • Hills between Lazise, Colà and Calmasino
    • 2–3 hours
    • €15–30 per tasting

    Lazise sits where the Bardolino DOC red and rosé zone meets the white Custoza DOC, so within a ten-minute drive of the walls there are family estates pouring both. Most do a tasting of four or five wines with bread, olive oil and salumi for €15–30, and many sell bottles at half the restaurant price. The lanes through the vineyards around Colà, Pacengo and Calmasino are also good for a quiet cycle. We list our favourite estates in our guide to the best Lake Garda vineyards.

    Map
  10. Browse the Wednesday market – Lazise

    10 Markets & shopping

    Browse the Wednesday market

    • Lungolago and Piazza outside Porta Nuova
    • Morning
    • Free

    Every Wednesday morning the stalls set up along the lakefront and the car parks outside the walls: cheeses and salumi, olive oil from the hills, roast chickens, plus the usual clothes, shoes, linen and household stalls. It is one of the bigger markets on the eastern shore and worth an hour even if you buy nothing. It packs up around 1pm.

    Map
  11. Aerial view of Scaligero Castle and Sirmione peninsula on Lake Garda, Italy.

    11 Outdoors

    Take the ferry across to Sirmione or up to Garda

    • Ferry pier by the Dogana Veneta
    • Half a day
    • €5–15 each way depending on distance

    Navigazione Laghi boats call at the Lazise pier several times a day in season. The southern route goes to Peschiera and across to Sirmione and Desenzano, so you can see the castle and the Grotte di Catullo without queuing for the Sirmione car park; the northern route stops at Bardolino, Garda and Torri del Benaco. Check the timetable the day before, the last boat back can be earlier than you expect.

    Ferry timetable Map
  12. Tranquil view of Lake Garda with majestic mountains and clear sky, Italy.

    12 Evening

    Watch the sunset with an aperitivo on the harbour wall

    • Porto Vecchio and the mole
    • 1–2 hours
    • €4–7 per drink

    Because Lazise faces west across the widest part of the lake, the sun goes down behind the hills of Manerba and Salò and lights up the whole harbour. The bars on the Porto Vecchio put tables out on the cobbles, and a spritz or a glass of Chiaretto costs €4–7. Afterwards the lanes inside the walls stay busy until late with gelato queues and shops open past 10pm in summer. For more places to drink around the lake, see our pick of the best Lake Garda bars.

    Map

Our picks in Lazise

Places in Lazise that made our ranked Lake Garda guides.

Getting there

By car

Lazise is about 25 minutes from Verona: leave the A4 at Peschiera del Garda and follow the SR249 Gardesana Orientale north, or come off the A22 at Affi via Cavaion. The walled old town is a camera-controlled ZTL, closed to traffic round the clock from the week before Palm Sunday to 4 November and on every holiday, so we park outside the walls. Piazzale Marra is the biggest car park (474 spaces, pay on exit, about €2 an hour in 2025); San Martino and Casara are around €1.50. Parking is paid 8:00 to midnight from 1 April to mid-November, and everything fills by mid-morning on summer weekends and on Wednesday, market day.

By ferry

Navigazione Laghi boats call at the Lazise pier: south to Peschiera, Sirmione and Desenzano, north to Bardolino and Garda. The full summer timetable runs from 16 May to 4 October 2026, a thinner spring timetable from 1 April, and only a skeleton service in winter.

By bus and train

The nearest station is Peschiera del Garda on the Milan–Venice line, 15 minutes by train from Verona. From the station, ATV line 483 (daily, roughly hourly, late March to mid-October) or line 164 (year-round) reaches Lazise in about 15 minutes. Lines 162, 163 and 164 run direct from Verona.

Checked against the operators’ own websites on 28 September 2026. Timetables and prices change every season: confirm times with Navigazione Laghi and the bus operator before you travel.

Good to know

Is Lazise worth visiting?

Yes. It is one of the few towns on the southern half of the lake with a complete medieval wall and a genuine old town inside it. The harbour, the Venetian customs house and the lanes are worth half a day on their own, and the theme parks, thermal park and flat cycle path make it a practical base for a week. It is busy in summer, but the walls give it a character the resort strips lack.

Is Lazise good for families?

It is probably the best family base on Lake Garda. Gardaland, Caneva Aquapark and Movieland are all within ten minutes, the beaches north of the walls shelve gently, the cycle path to Bardolino is flat and car-free, and the campsites and family hotels along the shore have pools. Our round-up of the best Lake Garda parks covers which park suits which age.

How many days do you need in Lazise?

Two days covers the old town, a beach afternoon and an evening at the thermal park. Add a day for each theme park you want to do, and a day for a ferry trip to Sirmione or a cycle up to Garda. Most families we know settle in for a week and use it as a base for the whole southern and eastern shore, including a day out to Verona by bus.

Can you visit Lazise without a car?

Easily. Take the train to Peschiera del Garda, then the ATV 483 (daily from late March to mid-October) or the year-round 164 bus, or a ferry, to Lazise. Once there the old town is pedestrian, the ferries reach Sirmione, Bardolino and Garda, buses run to Verona and Gardaland, and hire bikes cover the lakefront path. The only place you would miss a car for is the thermal park at Colà, which is a taxi or a 45-minute walk.

What are the best beaches in Lazise?

The free pebble beaches north of Porta San Zeno are the ones to head for, with Spiaggia delle Rose the largest and the coves nearer the walls the quietest. They have clear, shallow water and a few kiosks and showers in summer. South of town the shore is mostly campsites with their own beaches. For a proper comparison with the rest of the lake see our best Lake Garda beaches guide.

Where do you park in Lazise?

The old town is closed to cars, so use the paid car parks just outside the walls: Piazzale Marra is the biggest (474 spaces, pay on exit, 2.1 m height limit), with smaller ones at Via San Martino, Casara, Via Barum and Viale Roma. Piazzale Marra was about €2 an hour in 2025 and San Martino and Casara around €1.50, paid from 8:00 to midnight between 1 April and the second Sunday in November, and the pay stations take cards. On summer weekends and Wednesday market mornings they are full by mid-morning; arrive early, come by bus, or leave the car at your hotel and walk.

When is the best time to visit Lazise?

Late May to June and September are the sweet spot: warm enough to swim, the parks open, restaurants and ferries running fully, and the walls still walkable without queues. July and August are hot, crowded and expensive, though the evenings are lively. October has the honey fair and mild days, but the theme parks and water park scale back. In winter much of the old town closes from November to March.

Is Lazise very busy in summer?

Yes. In July and August the car parks fill by mid morning, the lanes are packed from late morning until midnight, and harbour restaurants need a booking for dinner. The crowds are worst on Wednesdays (market day) and at weekends when Italian day-trippers arrive from Verona and Brescia. Early mornings and the hour before sunset are calm; if you want quieter towns in August, Torri del Benaco further north is a good comparison.

Lazise or Bardolino, which is better to stay in?

Lazise if you want walls, a harbour and the theme parks on the doorstep; Bardolino if you care more about wine, a longer lakefront promenade and a slightly older crowd. They are 5 km apart on a flat path, share the same beaches and ferries, and you will visit both anyway. On price they are similar; Bardolino has more small hotels in the centre, Lazise more campsites and family resorts along the shore.

What day trips can you do from Lazise?

Verona is 50 minutes by ATV bus or 25 minutes by car, and worth a full day. The ferry reaches Sirmione for its castle and Roman ruins in about an hour. The hilltop village of San Zeno di Montagna and the Monte Baldo cable car from Malcesine are a longer drive up the shore, and Parco Giardino Sigurtà at Valeggio sul Mincio is 25 minutes south by car.

When are the car parks in Lazise paid, and is the old town really closed to cars?

Yes. The old town inside the walls is a ZTL with five camera gates, in force 24 hours a day from the week before Palm Sunday until 4 November and on all holidays. The public car parks outside the walls are paid from 8:00 to midnight every day from 1 April to the second Sunday in November; Piazzale Marra was about €2 an hour in 2025, San Martino and Casara around €1.50.

When is Gardaland open in 2026?

Gardaland runs its 2026 season from 28 March to 1 November, daily in summer and on selected days in spring and autumn. Adult tickets are €59 at the gate; buying online in advance is cheaper, and children under 90 cm go free.

Photo credits

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