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Lake Iseo with Monte Isola and the islet of Loreto, seen from the hills of the Bergamo shore
The walled harbour of the Scaliger castle at Sirmione on Lake Garda
The marble façade of the Cappella Colleoni in Bergamo's upper town
Mantegna's Gonzaga court on the north wall of the Camera degli Sposi in Mantua's Palazzo Ducale

Things to do in Lombardy: Milan, Lake Como and beyond

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Photo: pacj, CC BY 3.0

Sirmione, Lake Garda

Cross the moat into Sirmione and walk to Catullus's villa

Photo: Marie-Lan Nguyen, CC BY 3.0

Città Alta, Bergamo

Ride the funicular up to Bergamo's walled Città Alta

Check dates and prices

Photo: Steffen Schmitz, CC BY-SA 4.0

Palazzo Ducale and Palazzo Te, Mantua

Book five minutes in Mantegna's Camera degli Sposi in Mantua

Photo: Sailko, CC BY 3.0

Lombardy runs from the Alps on the Swiss border down to the flat rice and farm country of the Po, with Milan in the middle and a string of lakes along its northern edge: Maggiore on the west, Como, Iseo and the western shore of Garda. Milan and Lake Como have their own pages with the experiences worth booking.

This page covers three places that most visitors reach on a day trip from Milan and remember longer than they expected: Bergamo's walled upper town on its hill; Sirmione, a narrow peninsula into Lake Garda with a moated castle and a Roman villa at its tip; and Mantua, the Gonzaga court city in its ring of lakes, where Mantegna painted a room you can only see for a few booked minutes.

Places in this region

3 things to do in Lombardy

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The marble façade of the Cappella Colleoni in Bergamo's upper town

Ride the funicular up to Bergamo's walled Città Alta

Città Alta, Bergamo

Half a dayGo alone or with a tour

A hilltop town inside about 6.2 kilometres of Venetian walls, reached by funicular on an ordinary city bus ticket.

Check dates and pricesPrivate guided walk through the upper town
The walled harbour of the Scaliger castle at Sirmione on Lake Garda

Cross the moat into Sirmione and walk to Catullus's villa

Sirmione, Lake Garda

Half a dayBook ahead

Over a bridge past a moated castle, then through the lanes to the ruins of a vast Roman villa at the peninsula's tip.

Mantegna's Gonzaga court on the north wall of the Camera degli Sposi in Mantua's Palazzo Ducale

Book five minutes in Mantegna's Camera degli Sposi in Mantua

Palazzo Ducale and Palazzo Te, Mantua

A full day with Palazzo TeTimed entry

A painted oculus opens to the sky, with putti and courtiers leaning over the rail to look down at you.

Plan your trip

  • Which places to pick

    Bergamo is the easiest add-on to Milan, by train or straight from its airport. Sirmione pairs with a stay on Lake Garda or a stop between Milan and Verona, as the station of Desenzano is on that line. Mantua is a full day or a night, closer to Verona than to Milan.

  • Getting around

    Regional trains from Milan reach Bergamo, Desenzano for Sirmione, and Mantua; for Sirmione, take a bus or boat from Desenzano for the last stretch. A car helps for the smaller lakes and the Alps.

  • When to go

    Spring and early autumn suit all three. Sirmione is packed on summer weekends, so go on a weekday or early. Mantua is good in winter too, when the crowds thin. The Camera degli Sposi needs a booked slot all year.

Questions travellers ask

Is Bergamo worth visiting from Milan?

Yes. Its upper town, Città Alta, is a walled hilltop of medieval squares and Renaissance chapels, reached by a funicular from the lower town on an ordinary local ticket. Many travellers fly into Bergamo's airport, so it is easy to add a half day at the start or end of a trip.

Do you need to book the Camera degli Sposi in Mantua?

Yes. The full Palazzo Ducale ticket, €18, includes a compulsory booked date and time for Mantegna's room, where you can stay up to five minutes. Book on the palace's official ticket site. A ticket without the Camera costs €11.

How do you get to Sirmione without a car?

Take the train to Desenzano del Garda, on the Milan to Verona line, then a bus or, in season, a boat for the last stretch to Sirmione. Go early to beat the summer crowds.

Other places to go

Things to do in Italy

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