Water
Six of the lakes near Rome are dead volcanoes filled with water, and you can be back in the city for dinner.
52 things to book16 placesthe nearest is a 37 min drive from Rome
Lazio has more lakes than anywhere else in central Italy, and almost all of them are craters. Bracciano and Bolsena are the two big ones; Albano and Nemi are a pair of small deep ones inside the same volcanic complex south of Rome; Vico sits in a forest at the foot of Monte Fogliano. Two more, Turano and Salto, are man-made reservoirs in the Rieti hills and look like Norwegian fjords by accident.
What matters if you are booking a day: private motorboats stay off Bracciano, which is why it is the cleanest and quietest of them; Albano and Nemi are steep-sided and small, so the day is about the towns on the rim as much as the water; Bolsena is big enough to have islands and a real horizon. Everything below is on or beside one of them.
The practical difference between them is size and what is allowed on the water. Bracciano is big and quiet — sailing, paddling, electric boats and one scheduled passenger boat — so it is where the sailing and paddling schools are and where the water is cleanest. Bolsena is bigger still, warmer by August and has the least built shore. Albano and Nemi are small, deep and steep-sided, so the day is as much about the towns on the rim as about the water. Vico is enclosed by forest and the quietest of the lot.
Two of them are not craters at all. Turano and Salto in the Sabine hills are reservoirs that flooded valleys under medieval villages, which is why the shoreline is all inlets and headlands with castles above them. They look nothing like the volcanic lakes and almost nobody goes.
A lake day and a sea day are different animals, and in this region the lake usually wins on a weekday. There is shade, there is no surf, the water is flat in the morning, and the towns on the shores serve freshwater fish that never went near a lorry. In July and August the lakes are also cooler than the coast, because they sit up in the hills rather than at sea level.
Rome's drinking water, which is why nothing with an engine is allowed on it. Sailing, kayaking, paddleboarding and swimming, with three towns on the shore — Bracciano under its castle, Anguillara on a promontory, Trevignano at the northern end.
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 waterA course of four lessons on the lake, board and wing included, with the club that runs them.
€400 per booking
Books on Sporting Club Sabazia
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On the waterNinety minutes on Lake Bracciano with an instructor: board, paddle, dry bag.
€15 per person
Books on Sporting Club Sabazia
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On two wheelsA guided 7 km ride on the Ciclovia dei Laghi, inside the Bracciano-Martignano regional park, with panoramic points over the two lakes, the Monti Sabatini, the Monti della Tolfa …
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On two wheelsMountain bike rental in the old town of Anguillara Sabazia, on Lake Bracciano, run by the In Itinere cooperative.
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On the waterA guided canoe outing along the shores of Lake Martignano, run inside the regional park programme of naturalistic events.
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On the waterA water sports centre on the Bracciano lakefront, affiliated to the Italian Sailing Federation.
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On the waterA sailing centre on the Bracciano lakefront with courses for children aged 6 to 16 in camp or daily format, an adult sailing school, and canoe and kayak courses.
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On the waterScheduled navigation on Lake Bracciano linking the three lakeside towns of Bracciano, Anguillara Sabazia and Trevignano Romano.
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Off roadA guided quad ride from a base at Bracciano.
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Off roadThe long version of the guided quad excursion from the Bracciano base, sold as a whole-day ride.
See the dayTwo craters of the same volcano, twenty minutes apart. Albano is the deep one below Castel Gandolfo, with the papal palace on the rim; Nemi is the small one the Romans called the mirror of Diana, ringed by woods and wild strawberry fields.
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
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On the trailThe Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo was opened to the public in 2014.
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On the waterKayak rental on Lake Albano below Castel Gandolfo.
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On two wheelsThe train tickets are in the price. You ride the Castelli, Castel Gandolfo to Nemi.
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Off roadA guided Vespa ride out of Rome into the Castelli Romani.
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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.
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On two wheelsA guided e-bike ride that leaves central Rome on the Appian Way past Cecilia Metella, Villa dei Quintili and Santa Maria Nova, climbs to Albano Laziale, Ariccia — where there is…
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On the trailThe museum was built between 1933 and 1939 to hold two enormous ships of the emperor Caligula recovered from Lake Nemi, destroyed by fire in 1944.
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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.
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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 dayBig enough to have two islands in it and a horizon you cannot see across on a hazy day. Warmer than the others by August, and with the least developed shore.
Best fit for this section first, then whatever you can book today. Closest to Rome breaks a tie. Never by who pays us.
With your handsTasting inside the cellar of a Montefiascone estate, with the winery's award-winning wines served alongside regional cheeses and cured meats.
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On the trailThe papal fortress above Montefiascone, overlooking Lake Bolsena.
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Under the groundAn underground early-Christian cemetery cut into the tuff beneath the basilica, with roughly 1,600 burials used between the third and fifth centuries.
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On the trailAfternoon guided visit of Bisentina Island led by an authorised tourist and environmental guide, departing by boat from Bolsena.
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On the trailA guided walk on the private island in the middle of Lake Bolsena, reachable only by boat from Capodimonte or Bolsena.
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With your handsA natural-wine estate above Lake Bolsena runs two tour formats.
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With your handsAn organic estate on the Gradoli side of Lake Bolsena opens its cellar for guided visits with tasting, by appointment.
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With your handsThe town's co-operative winery runs guided tastings of its own wines at its shop on Via Grilli, paired with local food products.
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On two wheelsBike shop in central Bolsena renting electric and muscle mountain bikes, gravel bikes and kids' e-bikes, seven days a week.
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On the waterA first scuba dive for people with no certification, run by a diving instructor.
See the dayA nature reserve, a beech wood that comes down to the water, and Caprarola's pentagonal palace on the ridge above it. The least visited of the northern lakes and the most enclosed.
Best fit for this section first, then whatever you can book today. Closest to Rome breaks a tie. Never by who pays us.
With your handsA family farm below Caprarola on the Cimini hills that grows hazelnuts and makes creams, spreads, mostarde and biscuits in its own laboratory.
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In the airFourteen rope courses strung through an oak wood inside the Lake Vico nature reserve: six for children from ninety centimetres tall, eight for adults, the last four of them high…
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On the trailEntry to the pentagonal Renaissance palace built for the Farnese family in Caprarola, with the Scala Regia and the frescoed state rooms.
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On the trailThe thirteenth-century Orsini fortress above Soriano nel Cimino, a massive crenellated block joined to an older tower-palace, with its original walled courtyard.
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On the trailA full-day guided walk in the UNESCO-listed old-growth beech forest of Monte Cimino, led by a certified environmental hiking guide.
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On the trailShort walk in the beech forest of the Monti Cimini, a UNESCO site, with a falconry demonstration and a stop at the Sasso Menicante, the balanced boulder Roman authors already wr…
See the dayTwo reservoirs in the Sabine hills that flooded the valleys under medieval villages, so the shorelines are all headlands and inlets with castles above them. An hour and a half from Rome and almost nobody there.
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 waterA guided outing in six-seat Canadian canoes to reach the hidden corners of Lake Turano.
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On the waterA tour of Lake Turano aboard the electric boat Thiora, which carries up to fourteen people.
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On the trailA guided visit to Borgo Antuni, the abandoned medieval hamlet on the promontory in Lake Turano, run by the local operator that also manages the lake activities.
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On the waterSingle and double kayaks on Lake Turano at Castel di Tora, supplied with paddles and buoyancy aids.
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On the trailGuided walks in the Monte Navegna e Monte Cervia regional nature reserve, the mountains that enclose Lake Turano and Lake Salto, offered by the same operator that runs the lake …
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On two wheelsGuided e-bike rides on gravel roads and trails around Rieti province.
See the dayOver the Umbrian border: a narrow lake under wooded hills, and half an hour away the Marmore waterfall, which the Romans dug and which is still switched on and off to a timetable.
Best fit for this section first, then whatever you can book today. Closest to Rome breaks a tie. Never by who pays us.
Under the groundA guided visit to the rooms under the former convent of San Domenico: a frescoed church, a Roman cistern and the cell used by the Holy Office, whose graffiti are still being res…
A sports club — you join them for the day
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On the trailThe Roman-built waterfall on the border between the Rieti basin and Umbria, with marked paths on two levels and the Balcone degli Innamorati, a viewpoint reached through a short…
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Under the groundInside the Lacus, a vaulted thirteenth-century room under Piazza Garibaldi, an indoor adventure course with rope bridges, a zip line and an artificial climbing wall, built with …
A sports club — you join them for the day
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On the trailA climbing session with instructors on the crags near the Marmore falls.
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Down the riverTwo routes: a base descent in the Mola canyon in the Valle del Salto, reached with ten minutes of walking, where the descent can be stopped at any point; and an advanced one in …
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Down the riverThe put-in is right under the Marmore falls, on the Nera.
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Down the riverEach person rides the rapids alone, lying on a moulded float with fins, following the guide down the lines of the river.
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Down the riverA walk-and-swim route through the gorge below the falls with jumps and natural slides, done in a wetsuit with a guide.
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On the trailThe park sells four themed guided visits: the Balcone degli Innamorati under the falling water, a walk on the park trails covering history, flora and fauna, an animated visit fo…
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Down the riverThe rafting centre licensed to operate under the Marmore Falls, running class-4 descents from the Papigno base and gentler family descents and children's trips from the Arrone b…
See the dayDriving time from the middle of Rome, on the road network and without traffic. It tells you whether the day stands up; it is not a timetable.
Getting 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 PickupsAll the big ones have public shore and swimming beaches — Bracciano, Bolsena, Albano and Vico among them. Bracciano and Bolsena are the two with the most shoreline open to the public. Check the operator's page for the specific stretch you are booking.
Bracciano if you want water and a castle in the same afternoon, and it is the closest lake with a real town on it. Albano and Nemi if you would rather the day be about eating and walking with the lake underneath you.
Six within easy reach, and most are craters: Bracciano, Bolsena, Albano, Nemi, Vico and Martignano. Two more, Turano and Salto, are reservoirs in the Sabine hills. Piediluco, over the Umbrian border, is the seventh most people add.
Bracciano and Bolsena have the most public shoreline and the most beaches, and Bracciano keeps private motorboats off the water. Albano has shore access below Castel Gandolfo. Whichever you pick, the crater lakes go deep quickly a short way out.
Albano, below Castel Gandolfo, at around half an hour's drive; Nemi is a few minutes further round the same volcano. Bracciano is around an hour. Every card carries the drive time calculated without traffic.
Bracciano and its lake towns and the Castelli above Lake Albano are on lines out of Rome. Where an operator has told us they can be reached without a car, their activity page says so. Bolsena, Vico and the Rieti reservoirs are car country.
Sail, windsurf, wing foil, kayak and paddleboard; walk or cycle the shore paths; visit the castle at Bracciano, the papal gardens above Albano and the ships museum at Nemi (closed for restoration until 7 September 2026 — check before you go); take a boat to the island in Bolsena; and eat lake fish in any of the shore towns.
For walking the shores and the rims, yes, and the craters hold the winter light in a way the coast does not. The water sports mostly wait for spring — each card carries the operator's own season where they publish one.
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