Castel Gandolfo
The Pope's summer town sits on the rim of a dead volcano, and the lake at the bottom is the quietest water this close to Rome.
16 days outthe nearest is a 37 min drive from Rome
Lake Albano fills a crater, which means the walls go up on every side and the water stays flat when the coast is rough. It is small enough to paddle across in a morning and deep enough that nobody has ever built anything on the far shore. The town above it is a twenty-minute walk of terraces looking straight down onto it.
The Barberini gardens and the papal palace opened to visitors a few years ago and are the reason most people come. The lake is the reason to stay the afternoon.
Best fit for this section first, then whatever you can book today. Closest to Rome breaks a tie. Never by who pays us.
On the waterTrendingThree hours paddling across Lake Albano, gear included, children from six up.
€42.40 per person
Books on ckacademy.it
See the day
On the waterKayak rental on Lake Albano below Castel Gandolfo.
See the day
On the waterFour guided outings from the beach club on Lake Albano, all the same length and the same price: on a paddleboard along the Francigena shore, aboard the club's sailing boat, on f…
See the day
On the waterA lakeside beach club on Lake Albano at Castel Gandolfo.
See the dayBest fit for this section first, then whatever you can book today. Closest to Rome breaks a tie. Never by who pays us.
On two wheelsThe train tickets are in the price. You ride the Castelli, Castel Gandolfo to Nemi.
See the day
On two wheelsAn eight-hour private e-bike day out of Rome: Caffarella park, the Park of the Aqueducts, then a 30-minute train ride from Capannelle station up to the Castelli Romani.
See the dayBest fit for this section first, then whatever you can book today. Closest to Rome breaks a tie. Never by who pays us.
With your handsGuests are welcomed with a glass of prosecco, then split into groups that take turns preparing dishes chosen by the hotel's chef.
See the day
With your handsA tasting devoted to three wineries of the Castelli Romani, served with artisan focaccia, mixed cheeses and cured meats, on a terrace looking over Lake Albano.
See the day
With your handsA bistrot two steps from Piazza della Libertà, run by the team behind the Michelin-starred Sintesi.
See the dayBest fit for this section first, then whatever you can book today. Closest to Rome breaks a tie. Never by who pays us.
On the trailThe Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo was opened to the public in 2014.
See the day
On the trailA ten-kilometre easy walk from Castel Gandolfo to Nemi between the two crater lakes, through woods and past the villages on their rims.
See the day
On the trailDay one walks from Castel Gandolfo to Nemi between the two lakes, with a brunch stop at a farm bistrot and a floating aperitivo on the lake at the end; the night is spent in ten…
See the day
On the trailThe gardens of the Ville Pontificie at Castel Gandolfo are open as the Borgo Laudato Si', a working site of integral ecology.
See the dayBest fit for this section first, then whatever you can book today. Closest to Rome breaks a tie. Never by who pays us.
Off roadA guided Vespa ride out of Rome into the Castelli Romani.
See the dayBest fit for this section first, then whatever you can book today. Closest to Rome breaks a tie. Never by who pays us.
In the old stonesA Baroque collegiate church at Castel Gandolfo, built by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Free — nothing to pay
Just turn up
See the day
In the old stonesA Baroque monastery at Castel Gandolfo, from the fourteenth century.
Free — nothing to pay
Just turn up
See the dayGetting there
The day stays yours: you leave when you want, stop where you want, and come back when the light goes.
Affiliate link — you pay their price, never more, and they pay us. You book with Localrent, and anything about that booking goes through them.
See prices on LocalrentNo parking to find, no wrong turns, and you leave when the day is done.
Affiliate link — you pay their price, never more, and they pay us. You book with Welcome Pickups, and anything about that booking goes through them.
See prices on Welcome PickupsLinks marked affiliate pay us a commission — you pay the operator's own price and we never take your money. How we rank