Terme di Sirmione (Spa & Thermal Garden, formerly Aquaria)

What to expect

Sirmione is a narrow peninsula pushing into the southern end of Lake Garda, with a medieval castle at its neck and Roman ruins at its tip. It is also one of the few places on the lake with genuine thermal water. The spring rises from the lake bed off the peninsula. Italian Wikipedia says it comes up from about 19 m below the lake surface, was known by the 16th century, and could not be used until pipes were laid in the late 1800s. A Venetian diver named Procopio is credited with tapping it in 1889, and the first thermal establishment followed.

The water is sulphurous and salsobromoiodic (rich in salts, bromine and iodine), and the company says the Italian health ministry recognises it. Underground it reaches about 156°F69°C, according to the spa. In the pools it is kept much cooler.

The day spa that most visitors use was long known as Aquaria. It now goes by Spa & Thermal Garden, at the same address on Piazza Don A. Piatti in the old town, by the lake shore. It is a modern wellness spa built on thermal water, with saunas and treatment rooms as well as pools.

The pools

The spa lists:

• Outdoor thermal pool: hydromassage, bubbling loungers and swan-neck jets, 140 cm deep.
• Indoor thermal pool: sulphurous salsobromoiodic water, 90 to 120 cm deep.
• Infinity Pool: fresh water, not thermal, facing the lake, 80 to 140 cm deep, kept at 86°F30°C.
• DIVA whirlpool: round, 10 seats, 100 cm deep.
• MUSA whirlpool: 22 neck jets, 90 cm deep.
• Vascular path: two crescent-shaped pools at 75°F and 93°F24°C and 34°C for alternating cold and warm.

The thermal pools run at 93°F34°C in summer and 97°F36°C in winter. Add saunas, relaxation rooms and a lakeside garden, and you can spend most of a day here. The water smells faintly of sulphur, which is normal.

Getting there

Sirmione is between Desenzano del Garda (about 6 km or 3.7 miles west as the crow flies) and Peschiera del Garda (about 9 km or 5.6 miles east). Verona is about 30 km (19 miles) away and Brescia about 35 km (22 miles), both as the crow flies, and Verona Villafranca airport about 25 km (15 miles).

By car: The A4 Milan to Venice motorway runs just south of the lake and has a Sirmione exit. From there, follow the road up the peninsula through Colombare towards the old town. The town’s tourist office says parking is outside the historic centre, so plan to leave the car in one of the car parks before the castle and walk in. The spa is about 700 m (0.4 miles) from the Grotte di Catullo at the tip, in the old town.

By train and bus or boat: Desenzano del Garda and Peschiera del Garda are on the Milan to Venice railway. From either, take a local bus or a lake ferry to Sirmione.

When to go

The spa is open every day of the year: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. The outdoor pools are at their best on cool, clear days in spring, autumn and winter, when the water is at its warmest (97°F36°C) and steam lifts off the surface.

Sirmione itself is very crowded on summer weekends and in August, and the old town’s streets fill with day visitors. Weekdays are calmer and cheaper here: the 5-hour ticket is €44 from Monday to Thursday against €58 from Friday to Sunday. An evening ticket after the day-trippers have gone is a good alternative.

Prices and booking

The official entry list (Terme & Saune), as shown in October 2026:

• 5 hours, Monday to Thursday: €44
• 5 hours, Friday to Sunday: €58
• All Day, Monday to Friday: €86, with a salad, a soft drink and a pack of Acqua di Sirmione
• Evening (entry until closing): €34 Sunday to Thursday, €40 Friday and Saturday from 7:30 p.m.
• Short (2 hours): €25
• Happy Hour with aperitif: €42 to €48
• Last Time (entry until closing): €19
• Junior 5 hours (30 months to 11 years, with an adult): €28

A swim cap and towel are included; a bathrobe comes with some tickets only. Booking is compulsory, online at spathermalgarden.termedisirmione.com, and vouchers are booked through a separate voucher portal. In October 2026 the company posted a notice that an IT fault had cut its phone lines and slowed email replies, so use the online system.

The cures

Terme di Sirmione is also a medical spa. Its health centre, the Therapy District at Piazza Virgilio 2 in Colombare, offers cure cycles such as mud and balneotherapy, inhalations and ear treatments, with specialists in ear, nose and throat, lungs, joints, skin and more. Thermal cures can be done under agreement with the national health service with a doctor’s prescription; private packages start at about €189 for inhalations. The company markets the water for respiratory, ear, joint, circulation and skin problems. We make no health claims for it.

Italian Wikipedia describes two historic establishments using the water, Catullo near the Grotte di Catullo and Virgilio at Colombare. The current company site lists only the Therapy District for cures.

Where to stay nearby

The company runs four Wellness Hotels: the 5-star Grand Hotel Terme Sirmione, the 4-star Hotel Sirmione Terme, the 3-star Hotel Fonte Boiola and Hotel Acquaviva del Garda. Sirmione’s old town and Colombare have many other hotels, and Desenzano and Peschiera are cheaper bases with train stations.

Safety notes

• Long soaks: 97°F36°C water in winter is easy to stay in for hours. Drink water and take breaks.
• Sulphur: sulphurous water can tarnish silver. Leave jewellery in your room.
• Pregnancy and health conditions: ask the spa before using saunas and hot pools.
• Crowds in the old town: in summer, allow extra time to park and walk to your booked slot.

Nearby stops worth adding

The Grotte di Catullo, the ruins of a large Roman villa at the tip of the peninsula, are a short walk from the spa, and the Scaliger castle guards the entrance to the old town. Elsewhere around the lake, QC Spa Garda at Villa Arzaga is a smart heated-water day spa with no thermal spring. For naturally hot water in the Alps, the nearest listing is QC Bagni Nuovi at Bormio.