October is one of the best months on Lake Garda for travellers who like food, wine and quieter lakeside towns. The beaches stay open, the olive mills start pressing and the chestnut and wine festivals fill the weekends. Here is what is on and what is open, with the dates confirmed so far. Check the organisers’ programme before you go, as times and weather can change.
Dates at a glance
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Until the end of October | Equipped beaches open, weather permitting | Peschiera del Garda to Torri del Benaco |
| From October 16 | Lugana Festival: tastings, masterclasses and the Lugana wine bar | Sirmione |
| October 17 | Padenghe con Gusto: guided olive oil tasting walk, 7 km | Padenghe sul Garda |
| October 17-18, 24-25 and October 31 – November 1 | Marrone di San Zeno DOP chestnut festival | San Zeno di Montagna, Monte Baldo |
| October 18 (postponed to October 25 if it rains) | In Volo: hot air balloons, vintage biplanes, shows and workshops | Parco Giardino Sigurtà, Valeggio sul Mincio |
Beaches open through October
The summer season does not end in September. Equipped beaches from Peschiera del Garda to Torri del Benaco keep sunbeds, kiosks and rental services open until the end of October, weather permitting. In Peschiera, Lido Cappuccini operates through the autumn unless rain interrupts the service, and many hotels nearby stay open for late-season visitors. Some spots have already closed: Bau Beach and Bergamini beach shut at the end of September.
Food and wine weekends
Lugana Festival, Sirmione. From October 16, Palazzo Callas Exhibitions hosts tastings, masterclasses and the Lugana wine bar, with a jazz tribute to Ornella Vanoni on October 17 at the Palazzo dei Congressi and a chefs’ competition for the Lugana DOC area on October 19 at Villa Cortine Palace Hotel.
Padenghe con Gusto, October 17. A 7-kilometre walk along the terraced olive groves of Padenghe sul Garda, led by a certified guide, ending with a tasting at the historic Frantoio Manestrini. The theme is the local extra virgin olive oil.
Marrone di San Zeno DOP, Monte Baldo. The chestnut festival returns to the main square of San Zeno di Montagna over three weekends, with an agricultural market and tasting stands run by the consortium producers, alongside the traditional Festa delle Castagne.
Open olive presses. With the harvest under way across the morainic hills, historic mills and modern presses open to visitors, who can follow the process from washing and crushing the olives to the first tastings of the new oil.
For families and outdoor days
In Volo at Parco Giardino Sigurtà, October 18. For the first time the park hosts a day dedicated to flight, with magicians, acrobats, jugglers, stilt walkers and soap bubble shows, workshops for all ages and, among the highlights, a full-scale reproduction of a 1915 Nieuport 17 biplane. If the weather is bad, the event moves to Sunday, October 25.
Getting around
The summer boat timetable ended on October 4. The autumn timetable runs from October 5 to November 1, and from November 2 to mid-March the only scheduled link across the lake is the Maderno–Torri car ferry. See the full Lake Garda ferry timetable, fares and car ferry guide.
If you drive from Germany or Austria, note that the autumn school holidays in some German states, including Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, began on October 5, and that construction at the Lueg viaduct on the A13 motorway, on the Austrian side of the Brenner route, affects traffic.
