Lake Garda in just 24 hours might sound a bit mad, but it’s actually completely doable and a trip I've now done twice.
This trip was for an 18th birthday for my friend's daughter, so we prioritised convenience and making the most of our time rather than doing everything as cheaply as possible. I’ll share all the transport options so you can decide what works best for you.
We travelled as a group of 4, flying from Manchester to Verona early Saturday morning and returning the next morning. Basically 11am till 11am the following day in Italy.
If you’re new here, an Extreme Day Trip is exactly what it sounds like. Early flight out, late flight back, and a full day exploring, all in under 24 hours.
And yes, this Lake Garda itinerary kind of does qualify. We landed and departed at approximately 11am both days, so 24 hours exactly in Italy.
For us, doing an Extreme Day Trip isn’t quite as simple as just turning up at the airport. Living 2 hours from Manchester means it usually involves a hotel either the night before or when we get back.
So rather than spending that money on an airport hotel in Manchester, we’d much rather put it towards a night in the destination instead and actually extend the trip a little.
You could technically do this without the overnight stay, but you’d need:
Lake Garda is absolutely doable, it's only around 20km from Verona airport.
We added one night to give us a much more relaxed experience while still keeping the trip around 24 hours.
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We flew with easyJet on the 08:05 flight from Manchester, landing around 11:15.
Verona Airport is small and really easy to navigate. We were through quickly, even with the new Entry/Exit System in place. I was flagged for a manual passport check, but it didn’t add too much time overall.
We travelled with just backpacks, which makes a huge difference. No waiting around for luggage and you’re straight out of the airport.
You’ve got a few options here depending on your budget and how much time you want to spend travelling.
Bus to Sirmione: €1.30pp
Train to Peschiera del Garda: around £4pp
This is the cheapest option, but once you factor in waiting times and connections, you’re realistically looking at around 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours.
We pre-booked a private transfer through Holiday Extras (15% discount automatically applied through our link).
We were picked up straight from arrivals and dropped right into Sirmione’s historic centre by 12pm.
For us, saving that time on a 24-hour trip was 100% worth it.
Sirmione is one of the most beautiful spots on Lake Garda, and perfect for a short visit.
We spent a couple of hours just wandering:
No rushing, just soaking it all in.
We went to Ristorante Caruso which I’d visited before.
Total: £90 (£22.50pp)
It’s not the cheapest restaurant, but the location right on the water makes it worth it and it's not overly expensive for the area.
You’ll see this on your bill in Italy. It’s usually around €2–€2.50 per person.
It’s essentially a cover charge for:
You pay it in most sit-down restaurants, so just factor it in.
After lunch we grabbed a gelato and sat in the square. This is one of those places where you don’t need an itinerary, just enjoy it.
We decided to head over to Peschiera del Garda a little earlier than we probably would have liked so we could catch the ferry instead of getting a taxi. It just felt like more of an experience than sitting in a car, even though it does take around 30 minutes longer.
You can pay cash or card at the terminal.
The boat journey is such a nice way to arrive and definitely worth doing if you’ve got the time.
We arrived around 4pm and the ferry docks right in the centre, so it was literally a 2-minute walk to our accommodation.
We stayed at Aparthotel All'Orologio.
We booked the suite with terrace:
We chose this for location over price to make everything as easy as possible.
Dinner was at Caffè Centrale, a place I’ve been to a few times.
It’s a floating restaurant on the water with a really relaxed atmosphere.
Total: around £100 (£25pp)
Breakfast was included. You fill out a form the night before with what you want.
We then booked a taxi through the hotel to take us back to Verona airport:
Train + bus combo for around £11pp, but we would have missed breakfast due to needing to leave earlier, and ended up spending more anyway.
We flew back with Ryanair on the 11:15 flight.
Taxi at 08:40, at the airport just after 9am.
The Entry/Exit System was working well overall. I was flagged again which meant around 30 minutes, while the rest of the group were through in minutes.
Verona Airport has had a lot of upgrades recently.
Still a small airport though, so everything runs fairly smoothly.
Our tickets from Sirmione to Peschiera Del Garda as mentioned earlier were €6.
Timetables change seasonally, so always check ahead.
From the airport, you’re only around 15 minutes into the centre.
You could easily:
If you don’t want the hassle of transfers, this is the easier EDT. Just take the bus from the airport to Verona Porta Nuova for €7pp each way.
This trip was part of an 18th birthday celebration for my friend’s daughter, so it wasn’t my place to share those costs.
I know people will ask, but it just doesn’t feel right in this case.
What I have shared is everything else so you can plan your own version.
If you want to do this cheaper, here are some options:
Our hotel also had cheaper room options, we just chose the most expensive one for this trip.
If you prefer more of a campsite vibe (and this is one we’ve personally stayed at twice), have a read of our full review of Butterfly Camping Village — it’s a great option for families and around 15 minutes walk into the centre.
For a 24-hour trip, this worked perfectly.
Could you do it cheaper? Yes.
Would I change it? No.
When you’ve only got 24 hours, time matters more than anything.
If this kind of trip is your thing, you might also like:
And if you’re planning more Italy trips, make sure to check out our full Italy travel hub where we’ve got all our guides, itineraries and tips in one place.
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