Veneto · Verona
Bardolino
Lake Garda's east-shore wine town, where Corvina and Rondinella grapes have made Bardolino and Chiaretto since the Roman period.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Bardolino is on our list
It holds Città del Vino.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 36 min from Verona
- Population
- 6,861
- J8°
- F11°
- M14°
- A17°
- M22°
- J27°
- J29°
- A29°
- S24°
- O19°
- N13°
- D9°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Bardolino sits on the eastern shore of Lake Garda, twenty-five kilometers northwest of Verona. The hills behind town have been planted with vines since the Roman period, and the modern DOC was granted in 1968. Three grapes do the work: Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara.
Long maceration produces Bardolino, the light red the town has lived on since the nineteenth century; short skin contact produces Chiaretto, the rosé that has overtaken the red in current sales. Two churches hold the medieval line. San Zeno in the centro storico is ninth-century, one of the oldest in the province of Verona.
San Severo, built between the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries on the foundations of an earlier church mentioned in an 893 charter of Berengario, is the town's Romanesque anchor. The lakefront has been a tourist promenade since the 1950s. The Chiaretto festival runs in late spring, usually late May or early June; the Festa dell'Uva e del Vino runs in early October.
How to get there
From Verona (VRN), about 44 min by car.
Milan Bergamo (BGY) is about 1 h 19 min away.
By car from the center of Brescia 55 min or Trento 1 h.
Coming from Verona, Venice or Bologna?
Coming by train into Verona Porta Nuova? Bardolino is about 34 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Verona airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Chiesa di San Severo
Romanesque church built between the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries on the foundations of a structure mentioned in a 893 charter.
Chiesa di San Zeno
Ninth-century church in the centro storico, one of the oldest in the province of Verona, on a Latin cross plan with a small apse.
Centro storico
Walled medieval core around Piazza Matteotti, with arcaded streets dating to the Venetian period from the fifteenth century.
Lungolago
Lakefront promenade running north toward Garda and south toward Cisano, with public swimming areas and the harbor for ferries.
Strada del Bardolino
Wine route through the hills behind town, signposted across Cavaion, Affi, Pastrengo and the vineyards of the Bardolino DOC.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Il Giardino delle EsperidiRistorante
A spot in the Michelin Guide, at Il Giardino delle Esperidi.
La Veranda del ColorRistorante
La Veranda del Color holds a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Bardolino meets both of our rules for a small town.
- 6,861 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Verona, a city of 255,039, is 36 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 6,861, down 2% since 2015
- Nearest city Verona, 36 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Peschiera del Garda, 13 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €3,500 to €5,000 per m² to buy
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 51% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Verona airport (VRN), 44 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Venice, 1 h 43 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
11% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Germany and Bangladesh, against 9% across Italy. 111 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Germany, the Netherlands and Austria. There are 254 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 56% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Verona province ranks 7th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Peschiera del Garda, 13 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Verona, 24 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Verona, 24 km away. The nearest IB school is International School Brescia, 23 km as the crow flies. There are 2 within 30 km.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 0.86% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.4% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Veneto spends about €2,310 a month, €560 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €490 a year for water, on the Veneto average. In Verona, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.25, a meal in a pizzeria €11.58 and a man's haircut €22.03.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 3% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 4% in a high or medium one. Under 1% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
BARDOLINO
DOC red from Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara, granted in 1968 and produced in the hills between the lake and Verona.
CHIARETTO
Rosé from the same grapes with short skin contact; now outsells the red, celebrated each June at the Palio del Chiaretto.
ROMANESQUE
San Zeno from the ninth century and San Severo from the eleventh-twelfth give Bardolino two of the oldest churches on the lake.
Common questions
- What is Bardolino known for?
- Lake Garda's east-shore wine town at 65 meters, where Corvina and Rondinella grapes have made Bardolino and Chiaretto since the Roman period.
- Where is Bardolino?
- Bardolino is a comune in the province of Verona, in Veneto.
- What is the nearest airport to Bardolino?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Verona (VRN), about 44 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Brescia to Bardolino?
- About 55 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Bardolino?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Bardolino?
- Lazise, Malcesine and Trevignano Romano.
- How many people live in Bardolino?
- 6,861 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Bardolino a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Bardolino is a small town that meets both of our rules. The nearest city, Verona, is 36 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Peschiera del Garda, 13 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 51% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 65 m
- Population: 6,861
- Surface area: 57.33 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Bardolino appears in
- The best lake towns that eat well within 90 minutes of VeronaNear Veronalakewithin 90 mineats well6 towns · smallest 1,500 residents · closest 30 min away
- The best lake towns within two hours of BolognaNear Bolognalakewithin 2 hours6 towns · smallest 3,967 residents · closest 106 min away
- The best towns with a serious restaurant in the province of VeronaVerona provinceserious restaurant6 towns · smallest 1,500 residents
- The best wine towns within an hour of BresciaNear Bresciawithin 60 minwine zone6 towns · smallest 3,967 residents · closest 28 min away
- The best wine towns within 75 minutes of TrentoNear Trentowithin 75 minwine zone7 towns · smallest 2,888 residents · closest 57 min away
- The best lake towns within two hours of VeniceNear Venicelakewithin 2 hours8 towns · smallest 1,500 residents · closest 93 min away
Featured on
Bardolino appears on 2 themed picks from our Collections:
Similar
Towns like Bardolino
What all six share with Bardolino: lake towns · between 3,000 and 10,000 people · near sea level
The letter
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