What to do in Mantua: experiences, evenings, rainy days, seasons

Golden Suites Italy editorial team · Updated on 27 October 2026 · 4 min read

After the Gonzaga palaces, Mantua has plenty more to offer: you can cruise among lotus flowers, cycle around the lakes, eat one of the richest cuisines in Italy and, in September, the city becomes the capital of books. Here are the ideas we give our guests.

On the water

• A boat trip on the lakes: the tour boats leave from near San Giorgio Castle and in an hour or an hour and a half go around the lakes; in summer they cross the stretches of lotus flowers on the Upper Lake. Everything is in the guide to boat trips on the Mantua lakes.
• By canoe or SUP among the reeds, with qualified operators, on the lakes and in the Valli del Mincio Reserve.

By bike

• The lakes circuit: a walking and cycling loop over the city's two bridges, with the best view of the skyline. See the lakes circuit on foot and by bike.
• The Mantua–Peschiera cycle path: about forty kilometres along the Mincio to Lake Garda, passing through Borghetto. See the guide to the Mantua–Peschiera cycle path.

At the table

Pumpkin tortelli, risotto alla pilota, agnoli in brodo, braised donkey, pike in sauce and sbrisolona cake: Mantuan cooking is a journey in itself. We describe it in traditional Mantuan dishes, and in where to eat in Mantua you will find the restaurants we recommend.

Lesser-known museums

• Palazzo d'Arco, the house-museum of the Counts d'Arco.
• The Museo Virgilio, in the Palazzo del Podestà, dedicated to the great Latin poet born in Andes.
• The Museo Tazio Nuvolari, dedicated to the Mantuan racing driver.
• The Sonnabend Collection in the Palazzo della Ragione, with American and European pop art.
• The Museo del Tempo, the Museum of Time in the Torre dell'Orologio.
• The Norsa Torrazzo Synagogue, the only one left of the six in the old ghetto.
• The Fire Brigade Museum (Museo dei Vigili del Fuoco), which preserves vehicles and artefacts from the thirteenth to the twentieth century.

When it rains

A rainy day fills up with the Ducal Palace in the morning and Palazzo Te in the afternoon, with a stop at the Teatro Bibiena. The arcaded streets of the centre make it possible to get around almost always under cover.

In the evening

Evening life is concentrated around Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza Broletto and Piazza Sordello, with osterie, wine bars and outdoor tables in the warmer months. At sunset a walk along the Lungolago dei Gonzaga and over the San Giorgio Bridge rewards you with the sight of the city lighting up. For culture there are the Teatro Sociale and the Teatro Bibiena.

Season by season

• Spring: the best season for cycling and for the Mincio cycle path. At the end of May there is Trame Sonore, the chamber music festival.
• Summer: lotus flowers on the lakes and, in mid-August, the Fiera delle Grazie with the madonnari (chalk pavement artists).
• September: Festivaletteratura, five days of talks with authors from all over the world.
• Autumn and winter: the colours and mists on the lakes, pumpkin cooking and the Segni d'infanzia festival for children and young people.

Dates and tips are in the guide to events in Mantua; if you are travelling with children, read Mantua with children.

A day trip out of town

Sabbioneta, the village of Grazie with its sanctuary and the madonnari, San Benedetto Po with its abbey, Borghetto sul Mincio and Lake Garda: the ideas are in the guide to day trips from Mantua.