Desenzano del Garda. If you're arriving at Lake Garda by train or from the A4 Autostrada, Desenzano del Garda is where you'll probably catch your first sight of Italy's largest lake. Just west of Sirmione, it's a lively little town centered around a marina basin and the piers where lake steamers and hydrofoils leave for towns all around the lake.
There's not much left of the castle that once crowned its hilltop, but Villa Romana, a Roman villa, has been excavated near the old town center and has impressive mosaics. The parish church has a painting by Tiepolo. Most of the lake's best beaches are along this southern shore. Accommodation: Where to Stay in Desenzano del Garda. Several entertainment and theme parks cluster on the southeastern corner of Lake Garda, between Peschiera del Garda and Lazise.
Best known - in fact one of the best known in all Europe - is Gardaland, a multi-park complex that includes Gardaland Sea-Life , as well as the Gardaland Hotel. The well-designed park has all the expected rides, from story-book kiddy rides to adventure and adrenaline thrills. Blue Tornado is a steel, inverted roller coaster guaranteed to please thrill-seekers. New at Gardaland in was Peppa Pig Land , a fantasy village of kiddy rides.
Nearby Caneva World includes a movie-themed park with shows and features based on popular films, as well as the beautifully landscaped Aqua Paradise Park with palms, white-sand beaches, pools, waterslides, and splashing rides.
Farther from the lake shore, you can ride through Parco Naturo Viva to see African wildlife - lions, giraffes, and hippos up close. A dinosaur park has realistic models of prehistoric creatures.
Flowers blooming in Bardolino. A cluster of four pretty towns line the southeast shore, which rises on the gentle slopes of Monte Baldo in a landscape of olive groves and vine-cloaked fields. The southernmost town is Lazise , with medieval town walls and a castle built by the Scaligeri family from Verona in the 14th century.
See olives pressed into oil in neighboring Bardolino, at the Museo dell'Olio d'Oliva , and stop to admire the frescoes inside the church of San Severo , which dates as far back as the eighth century. From laid-back Garda , a footpath leads up the Rocca , on the site of an earlier castle, which gave its name to the lake. Between Garda and Torri del Benaco is the beautiful cypress-clad promontory of San Vigilio , with a popular although pebble-covered beach beneath a 16th-century palace.
Accommodation: Where to Stay in Bardolino. Castello Scaligero in Torri del Benaco. One of Lake Garda's prettiest towns, Torri del Benaco lies along the lake, its shore punctuated at one end by the imposing medieval Castello Scaligero , built in on the ruins of a 10 th -century castle; the west tower is all that remains of the original castle.
You can learn a lot about the region in the museum that fills several galleries in the castle. Rooms are devoted to olive oil with an olive press whose stones date to Roman times and the prehistoric rock engravings found in the region; on the south side of the castle is a lemon grove dating from the s and one of the few remaining in the area. The castle is worth visiting for the magnificent view from its battlements, encompassing the town with its harbor and the lake.
Torre del Benaco is at the eastern end of the cross-lake car ferry from Maderno on the western shore. As the long ridge of Monte Baldo stretches northward, it grows steeper, and on a spur beneath it, Malcesine perches above the lake.
At its top, a 13th-century castle - another Castello Scaligero - stands on a crag, its ramparts dropping directly to the lake below. The views are, of course, superb, as the opposite shore of the lake is even steeper, and in this northern segment, mountains rise on all sides. You can tour the castle and the museum inside. Narrow lanes climb to the castle through a jumble of medieval stone buildings and tiny squares. Inevitably, a town this picture perfect will have its share of temptations for tourists, which makes is a pleasant stopping place to wander, dine, and browse among artists' studios.
On the uphill side of the main road, where there is also a convenient place to park as you tour Malcesine, a revolving cable car takes you even higher to views and walking trails along Monte Baldo's scenic ridge. Accommodation: Where to Stay in Malcesine. Riva del Garda. At the northern end of Lake Garda, Riva del Garda sits between the mountains and the water, a pleasant combination of medieval old streets and sunny waterside parks and promenades.
Poised above the old center on the precipitous Rocchetta is a Venetian watch-tower, and below, in the arcaded square by the harbor, is a massive old clock-tower. To the east, by the lakeside, stands the old moated Rocca del Riva , yet another castle of the Scaligeri, built between the 12th and 15th centuries.
Inside is the excellent Museo Civico , with prehistoric and later artifacts, well displayed and interpreted. The beach at nearby Torbole is best known as a premier windsurfing spot because of steady winds, which also make the northern part of the lake a favorite for sailing. Lessons and rentals for both sports are available here. Accommodation: Where to Stay in Riva del Garda.
The Valle di Ledro…. Riva del Garda Riva del Garda. Located in the north-west of Lake Garda, Riva features some 15, inhabitants and…. Tenno Tenno. Dating back to the Bronze Age, the municipality of Tenno includes some 5 quarters:….
Camping al Lago Camping. Ledro - Pieve di Ledro. Da Elda Natural Retreat Hotel. Ledro - Concei. Hotel Savoy Palace Hotel. Riva del Garda. Residenza Le Due Torri Hotel. Add to my holiday's notes Share on facebook Share by e-mail. Tips and more infos all categories.
Mountain biking and cycling Mountain biking and cycling. Mountain biking and cycling. Winter sports. Kids and family. Desenzano is a good family based resort and Sirmione whilst overflowing with tourists in the daytime can be quieter during the evening. Whether you choose to stay in a hotel or you prefer camping or bed and breakfast there are hundreds of good hotels and camping grounds situated around the lake. However, one of the best ways to explore Lake Garda and its surrounding resorts is to use the ferry service.
There are ferry ports in all major towns and resorts. Various tariffs are available to explore most of the major attractions. It would be prudent to spend a little time working out the time tables as they can be a little confusing. Also there are good bus routes around the lake. Eoin M Dublin 28 contributions. Topflight DayTrip around Lake Garda. We travelled to Riva recently with Topflight and had a very enjoyable week.
One of the excursions they put on is Girolago, a tour of the entire lake. Travelling along the west coast our first port of call was Limone. Limone has to be the most picturesque town in all of Garda. I wonder is it transferable? From there we continued on our journey, travelling on part of the road where Quantum of Solace was made.
The west coast is not as pretty as its eastern counterpart and perhaps not as well known. Travelling in its many tunnels meant much of the scenery was obscured. However, the up side was we made good time. The tunnels were built by Mussolini, some are so narrow in places you can literally see the scrape marks on the walls where coaches pass. There are many anecdotal stories about these tunnels, that he built one for each of his mistresses, or that he had them constructed so that he could be home early for supper.
Of course the truth is somewhat different. They were built apparently in only three years, and took up to 10, men. Deep inside them and hidden from view aeroplanes and ammunition were constructed for the war effort; they were also the hiding place for soldiers at the end of World War We passed through Toscolano-Maderno where the oldest weapons factory in the world is located. Here the baretta is made. Another Bond connection. Our next destination was Salo where we stopped for an hour or more.
Salo has plenty of Mussolini connections. It was an independent republic between where Il Duce made his last stand. From there we caught a ferry to Sirmione, situated on the peninsula at the very south of Lake Garda, dating back to the Bronze Age.
Sirmione is probably the most famous town in Garda and very different in style and architecture to Riva. It is very pretty, and way too touristy. The main attraction is the well preserved Scaligeri castle with its fish tail battlements that circumvent it completely dating from the 15th century, and built on a Roman original. Apparently the castle was a wedding present from the Scaligeri to the Visconti family.
Beats getting a toaster I suppose! Definitely worth a visit, although I think it may be a little over-rated there are really only two main streets.
Worth a photo is the house of Maria Callas and the grotto of Catullus not the poet and lover of Lesbia. From there we set out on the east coast and headed north again, taking a little detour through Peschiera set within the walls of its 16th century fortress which you can still walk on.
Cool or what? The town has a kind of medieval feel, and even has its own little Venice! After that we past Gardaland, which is a kind of EuroDisney only smaller, and Movieland some kind of Hollywood theme park and what seemed the most interesting to me, Medieval-land.
Here apparently you eat in medieval surroundings, with your fingers of course, while knights have mock sword fights around you. Just the kind of thing yours truly would relish! Next we came to my favourite town on the east of Garda, Lazise pronounced Lat-see-zay. It too has a well preserved castle, beautiful streets and shops. Sorry we missed that. Bardolino is famous for its distinctive red wine. I tried a glass and found it enjoyable if perhaps a little sharp, it looks almost like a Rose.
Garda town itself is lovely, although apparently gets very crowded at weekends. Here we passed the house where Garibaldi signed the papers to go to war with Austria. Just before entering it look out for a mountain that resembles a crocodile, the tip of its snout is the part just going into the sea. It is really lifelike. It is here too that Monte Baldo begins. And as you journey ever further north the mountains get noticeably bigger and more brooding.
The town was originally called Benacus, as was the lake in Roman times, and the town immediately following is Torres de Banaco, or the towers of Garda. The story goes that if you spend the night with the person you love on it you will remain together forever. Sadly the bus driver would not stop. Not even when we hurled our sticks of rock at him. I think he was in a hurry home for his tea! Malcesine was also the former summer residence of Ingrid Bergman.
From the town you can get the cable car to the summit of Monte Baldo. Last town on our itinerary was Torbole, named because of the turbulence of the waves in that area which makes it favourable for a spot of wind-surfing.
Torbole is an old fishing village, and separated from Riva by the daunting Monte Brione. The northern part of the lake was once part of Austria, and the cultural and architectural influence is still noticeable. Lake Garda is a glacier lake, 15 million years old, and feet deep in places. Parts of the centre of it are very cold and every year tragically people lose their lives thinking they can swim across. Was the trip good value? Well, you must first ask how many ways are there to see Lake Garda.
Alternatively you can go by bus, but there is no service bus that I know of that circumvents the entire island. Which means you will have to change several times. Or you could tough it in the interminable traffic queues and drive.
Not a pleasant prospect! So, as you can see it is not easy to see all of Garda at a go. In light of that I feel the Topflight Girolago is excellent value. The 48e fee includes the ferry trip, but not meals. We all thought it was really good value. I once counted 19 major towns on Garda, we passed through 16 of them and stopped off in four. Not bad going at all. However, what really made this trip was our wonderful guide Tomas, from Denmark. Tomas was very witty, informative and helpful. RichardN28 Bushey, UK contributions.
Brilliant place for a family holiday. We had a 2 week holiday, staying in Peschiera Del Garda at the southern end of the lake. Plenty to do for all ages and for all types. The lake was warm, shallow and clean enough to swim in. The area was absolutely beautiful and we took a trip by boat to visit SIrmione and Liscine as well as driving around the lake to visit Malcesine whilst there.
A few tips: Weather. Do your home work - we went in August and whilst we had beautiful sunny weather for Garda is at the bottom of the Alps, and this must impact the weather and i think that the North of the lake just had rain for the bulk of our stay. Its surprisingly easy but the road around the lake is very, very busy expecially as you approach towns and villages.
Our drive to Malcesine was supposed to be c1 hr according to SatNav but took 2 hours each way. They were particularly bad after rain when it was particularly humid. We were bitten early on in the holiday - we weren't very prepared. It didn't spoil our holiday but you need to be prepared. In peschiera at least, it was not as expensive as i had expected. Overall, i would recommend going to Lake Garda - just do your homework. Melissa C Harpenden, UK 49 contributions.
Tranquil, interesting for exploring and romantic. Lake Garda will always be a special place for my now husband and I. We took a trip to Lake Garda in September and loved every minute.
Only 1. We holidayed with Inghams via last minute. This made the arrangements very easy, the coach transfers from the airport were excellent and the hotel was booked for us. The lake and town of Garda were lovely. Very clean, bustling with locals and plenty of restaurants to choose from serving freshwater lake fish, pastas and pizzas. We tried a few to see if there was a difference but found them all to be excellent. If you like to explore, there are nice walks either way you go along the lake side.
Right, towards the hill that looks like a sleeping crocodile, you'll walk for a couple of miles until you come to a hotel on the tip of the crocs nose, then you'll go a bit inland and return via the road. Left, a couple of miles walk, is the town of Bardolino. For a small fee, you're given your own wine glass in a neck pouch that you carry around with you, and try many different wines for a mere 50p a glass.
Good fun! Meanwhile, you can drink your wine by the lakeside sitting on huge smooth boulders which have been purpose made into seating. A bread market was there too where you can buy giant loaves of bread for a small amount of money. If you don't like to walk far, regular boat services run between lots of towns on the Garda shoreline. One evening, we discovered a restaurant serving 10 courses of freshly caught fish dishes. There was no menu, you just turn up, sit down, and your courses are brought to you without you really knowing what to expect!
I can honestly say, it was the most exciting meal we've ever eaten! The locals there chatting to us were friendly and encouraged us try try these weird but wonderful dishes raw prawns, octopus etc.. The restaurant was called Al Graspo and was owned by a chap called Luca.
After this meal, we took a stroll down to the lake side at around midnight, stepped onto the gazebo which juts out into the lake, and my now husband got down on one knee, offered me a beautiful ring and asked me to marry him!
Of course, I accepted immediately, so as you can understand , Lago di Garda will always be special to us. Thanks for reading, I hope it helps with your holiday planning. Alinamummy St.
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