Key Post: Lake Garda

B

BANTAM

Guest
Is anyone familiar with the Lake Garda area of Italy.
We're considering holidaying there this year.

Any tips on best resorts to stay, restaurants, activities etc.?

Title changed from all capitals to mixed case.
 
Strongly recommend Lake Garda

Bantam, last year was my first holiday in Italy, strongly recommend Lake Garda. Book your site yourself over the web and then go through Al Italia for great value in flights and good flight time. Brace yourself for great food and wine at great prices.

Here's a few notes I did for someone else....

Lake Garda is located about 150kms from Milan, that's about an hours drive time if you drive like the Italians!!!

Verona is a beautiful city to visit fantastic shopping areas and the infamous open air amphitheatre where you can take in the opera Il Trovatore, Aida or Tosca.
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There are plenty of places for kids near the lake, those who love the water will enjoy Canevaworld whilst Gardaland provides super entertainment for all the family except fathers who get fed up being forced to go with the kids up 100ft slides.


Sirmeone is located on the lake which is an old town complete with castle on the shore. Known as "the pearl of Lake Garda" here you'll find the best ice cream in Italy and that's saying something! You can use the ferry to travel around the lake visiting various small towns. One of the nicest is Malcasine which boasts a cable car ride to the top of a mountain - well worth a visit.



There are markets in all local towns each week - you just need to check the schedule for your local town.
A day trip to Venice is highly recommended with beautiful basilica at St. Mark Square, home to over 4000 feet of mosaic artwork, covering every surface of the interior with rubies, diamonds, emeralds, precious marbles, and gold. Beside this from the Campanile you can look out at Napoleon's retreat of St Helena. Eating in the square at night time you can enjoy the music provided by the string quartets playing Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" and other classics in the balmy summer evening. Although quite expensive the gondola tour is a must especially for the more romantic IBMers.

All in all, Lake Garda is a must. It offers opportunity to see a lot of historical and cultural sites. For those who just want to chill out it's a great spot and for kids who enjoy terrorising the parents, well they can be accommodated too!

Useful websites
Lake Garda [broken link removed]
Opera www.gardalake.it/arena-verona/
Gardaland www.pegacity.it/viaggi/pa...ardal.html
Canevaworld www.canevaworld.it/INGLES...index.html
Sirmione [broken link removed]
Venice www.concierge.com/venice/
Camping Fontanelle www.gardalake.it/camping-fontanelle/
 
Lake Garda

Mac - Thanks very much for the detailed information. Much appreciated.
 
lake garda

Does anyone know if Ryanair fly anywhere close by??

Thanx, m
 
Ryanair and Lake Garda....

Not sure to be honest ... I was recommended to travel AlItalia and at the time got a great deal.... flying lunchtime Saturday mid summer return to Milan for c. €190 return ... great service.

MAC
 
Re: Ryanair and Lake Garda....

Hi Mac,

what resort area would you recommend around lake Garda and do you have any links about where you stayed.

Thanks again
 
Resorts....

JJ,

I stayed in a place called Moniga Del Garda which was very enjoyable.... but it depends what you want. A large town nearby was Desenzano (plenty of restaurants etc.) A really nice place a little further away is Sirmione which is a lovely place to go. At the top of the lake is Riva which I believe is great for water sports etc. really does depend on what you want, but you need a car because the eating out is so good that you'll want to try loads of different stops along the lake with beautiful scenery and great prices.

Oh another lovely spot is Salo! (near Moniga)

MAC
 
Lake Garda

Mac, I see that Ryanair fly to Milan (Bergamo) from Stansted. Is that convenient to Lake Garda? Would I need to hire a car - there will be 2 adults,3 kids - and is car hire expensive there?

Overall would you recommend a trip there?

Thanks, M
 
Bergamo...

Mickey,

To be honest I am not sure exactly how close Bergamo is to the Lake. What kind of cost would it be to go via Stansted??? I suspect that when you take in the inconvenience you won't get better than direct flights with Al Italia from Dublin to Milan (especially with 3 kids).

Bottom line is that you really do need a car - roads are fantastic and there are parks eg. Gardaland and a waterpark which I can't remember the name of. But then you can drive into Milan or Verona which is about an hour....well worth it... beautiful city, shops, culture etc.

Venice is a trip I took by train from Desenzano - quite expensive because of the touristy effect but is a must - especially St Mark Sq. in the early evening. But brace yourself for negotiations on the gondola ride.

Strongly recommend Garda - restaurants are very kid friendly and prices.... now I'm getting depressed again. BTW I recommended this to a friend of mine after I came back. He went with his 3 kids and was even more bullish about the place than me.....

MAC
 
Some other posts

Swoon0
Registered User
Riva Del Garda, Lake Garda, Italy.

Hi, Will be going here in June, anybody neen there ? Do you know if one can take a trian from here direct to Venice or.... ? I have tried the Italian nationals train's website but all in Italian with no english option so.... !

An help about the area/resort would be great

Thanks in advance

VeryBrokeStudent
Riva Del Garda, Lake Garda, Italy

Stayed in Riva back in the good old days when the parents used to pay for holidays! Its a beautiful village, loads of little old winding streets to explore. Situated right at the north of the lake, its warm but the breeze off the lake keeps the air fresh. Surrounded by tall mountains on three sides. (If i remember, most of the beach is stony - it didnt bother us). You can take a boat out onto the lake, in a nearby village theres a cable car up the mountain. Somewhere around is Mussolini's summer house.
We went on a coach tour so they organised the trip to venice. Its only about 2 hours away - i dont know about local transport. To be honest, we wouldnt go again. We went in June, the sun was incredibly hot, the canals smelt of sewage, the Bridge of Sighs couldnt be seen through the swarms of Japanese tourists taking photos, a cup of coffee in the Square cost the equivalent of £10 and the price of a gondola would have fed a family for the entire holiday.
I suppose its something you have to see just once, dont be too bothered if you miss it. Riva more than makes up for it. Will you take me along?????

Grizzly


Heading there on Saturday. I will let you know how I get on.

MAC
Train to Venice

I know you can get the train from Desenzano to Venice - this is located at the south of the Lake. You can get the ferry from Riva but you'd be better driving to the train station. Venice is 2 hours by train, make sure to visit Verona!

Enjoy!
MAC

Swoon0
Registered User
Thanks

Many thanks to you all for your advice, Broke student, if you are small I have a holdall that you might just about get in to !!!

Can you by any chance remember if theres a pub that might have sky sports one in Riva ?? Very Important West Ham United got through to Play off final and its a must-see for me

Thanks

Swoon0
Registered User
Grizzly

Well Grizzly,

have you the low down for me as promised ???

Thanks

Swoon0
Registered User
GRIZZLY come on !!!!!

Lets have the low-down, I'm going Saturday !!!!

Grizzly
Lake Garda.

Only got back on Saturday so I am probably too late. Here goes anyhow.
About an hour and a half from Verona airport. Riva del Garda is absolutely beautiful. Set between two mountains. This however means that the sun is gone in the early evening. Lots of narrow streets, coffee shops, ice cream parlours, restaurants (cover charge for sitting down). Good shopping. Lots of pasta, olive oil, mixed herbs type shops. (supermarkets about 20% cheaper, two in the town). Two interner cafes. Very busy during the day but incredibly quiet in the evening. A few pubs with Television. Lots of Brits and Germans. You can walk to nearest town Torbole, about an hour an a half without ever leaving the lakeside. Torbole has a younger windsurfing crowd, good camping sites etc. From Riva del Garda you can hop on a bus boat and visit nearby Limone, really lovely and worth a couple of hours, costs about €5.50 return. However Malcesine at €11.50 return is even more beautiful if that were possible. More narrow streets, interesting shops etc.
Riva del Garda can have and did have torrential rain. Bring a fold up umbrella and a sweater as it can get cool especially with the wind coming off the lake. This unfortunately caused sunburn on our second day. We visited Venice, a long journey 2.5 hours by organised coach. You also have to pay a visitors tax to enter the city. Packed with tourists. Visited Verona, not hugely impressed, it's o.k. but I wouldn't go back. I stayed in the Hotel Liberty in Riva, if anyone is thinking of going I can give details of this hotel. The good, bad and ugly.

onway
Registered User
Lake Garda

Hoping to go to Lake Garda for a week in August - can anyone recommend a good town to be based in and any other tips from people who have been there??Thanks.

Grizzly
Unregistered User
Lake Garda

Riva del Garda at the top of the lake is a great base. Nice sized town with narrow streets/shops/coffee shops etc. You can hop on a ferry to nearby Malcesine, Torbole and Limone. You can also walk along the lakeside from Riva Del Garda to Torbole, about an hours walk. Malcesine is absolutely beautiful and is on the sunny side of the lake. Even narrower streets plus a castle to explore as well as a cable car up the side of the mountain. The town of Garda is very pretty and you can travel to another larger town called Bardolino nearby where a weekly market is held. Sirmione is lovely but pricey and very touristy. The east side of the lake stays sunnier longer as the west side has mountains and is shaded in the early evening. For water sports/ bicycle hire/younger crowd stay in Torbole, otherwise Riva Del Garda plus day trips from there to the other places mentioned above.
Olive Oil/Pasta flavourings very cheap so leave some room in the suitcase to stock up.

Swoon0
Registered User
Riva Del Garda

Yeh would highly recommend Riva too, was there in June, handy for a trip to Venice or Verona if you wish. WOuld recommend going to Arco near Riva (if you stay there), climb to the top of the castle - views are spectacular. The restaurant in Rive is defoo "Leon D'Ora" Class food, and the owner, like a Mamma Mia is very welcoming.

onway
Unregistered User
Lake Garda

Thanks for all your help.Decided to go to Malcesine - late August!

Swoon0
Registered User
Ferry

Malcesine is a lovely place too, you can take the ferry from there to most towns on the lake, worth looking at riva and limone. You can take a cable car from Malcesine to the top of Monte Baldo - well worth it for the view (if not cloudy).

Diamond
Lake Garda

Just back after a fabulous week in Lake Garda. Based ourselves (a couple) at Peschiera at Hotel Garden right beside the train station which was very handy. Chose this spot because the train stops here and the ferrries leave for all other towns on the lake if you want to visit them. Malcasine has a cable car up to the top of the mountain and Riva at the very north of the lake is set between 2 mountains and lovely to visit. Ferry goes from Peschiera to Riva stopping at all the towns along the way picking up & dropping off so it's a lovely way to spend the day "cruising the lake". You have to go to the Opera in Verona - got to see Madame Butterfly - absolutely fabulous - went back to Verona for a day and did a walking tour - it was only 15mins on train. Public transport very accessable and very cheap. If you have kids (or not!) Gardaland is very popular and courtesy buses take you there & back all around the lake. Food & wine nice - shopping expensive - you're better off bring all your needs (especially clothing with you). It was very hot 33-35C and at night time about 27C. Make sure your accommodation has air conditioning. What's really nice is that it's where the Italians go on hols so it's got a very local feel to it rather than touristy feel. There are no high-rise apartments and all the buildings are typical Italian.

I'd love to be going back next week - enjoy.
 
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