Where To Stay In Lake Garda

Tips And Tours: How To Make The Most Of Your Visit To Lake Garda

Touring Lake Garda:

• Savor the scenery and sights of Lake Garda on a four-hour Afternoon Sightseeing Cruise from Sirmione. Board a comfortable boat and sail along the lake’s western shores past islands, towns, villas, and more. Glide by the Roman villa of Catullus, lakeside mansions, and islands, stopping for an optional swim before strolling along the marina at Salo.

Touring nearby Attractions:

• Lake Garda lies at the foot of the Dolomites, Italy’s most beautiful mountain range and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can explore these lofty peaks and their charming mountain villages on an 11-hour Dolomites full-day tour from Lake Garda, with pickup points in various lakeside towns. Travel with a knowledgeable guide in an air-conditioned coach as you follow the Great Dolomite Road across the 2,240-meter Pordoi Pass. Stop to explore villages, including Ortisei, famed for its wood-carvers and beautiful Alpine architecture.

Day Trip to Venice:

• Make the most of your trip to Northern Italy with a visit to its most famous city, on a Venice full-day tour from Lake Garda. The 11-hour day trip begins with a ride through the Italian countryside on an air-conditioned coach, before arriving in Venice. Board a private boat and float through the canals to see the city’s most famous sights, including St. Mark’s Basilica, the Bridge of Sighs, and the Rialto Bridge. Enjoy free time in the afternoon to explore Venice on your own or take an optional gondola ride.

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Places to Visit near Lake Garda: Seeing the dramatic mountains around the lake may inspire you to see more of the mighty Dolomites to the north. They are easy to reach on day trips from Bolzano, itself interesting for its blend of Italian and Germanic cultures. While visiting Lake Garda it would be a shame not to see the attractions of historic Verona, with its Roman arena and Renaissance landmarks. Just to the west of the lake, you can visit more Roman sites in Brescia.

Exploring Northern Italy: Lake Garda is only the beginning of northern Italy’s spectacular lakes. For more ideas of things to see and do around the lakes that lie just to the west, check our pages on Visiting Como Town & Lake Como and Lake Maggiore attractions and day trips.

Lefay Resort & Spa Lago Di Garda

Lefay Resort & Spa Lago Di Garda is another star of the best hotels in Lake Garda Italy which offers stunning views. Now, Lefay Resort is on the coast of Lake Garda in Gargnano, and its surrounded by foresty mountains, and olive groves. The accommodation offers a lovely wellness center with panoramic views, free shuttle to the town center, and spacious, beautiful rooms.

Each of the rooms at Lefay Resort have lake-view balcony or terrace, which is another perk for those who are traveling to recharge themselves. If youre booking at Lefay Resort, the spa access is included in your accommodation, as well as the pools. You can get also generous breakfast buffet at the restaurant which also offers beautiful panoramic views overlooking the lake.

Lefay Resort & Spa Lago Di Garda address: Via Feltrinelli 136, 25087 Gargnano, Italy

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More Tips For Your Hotel In Lake Garda

• If you stay in Lake Garda for more than 4 days, I suggest splitting your trip. Choose two different locations for your trip. Stay a few days on the southern shore before you move up north .
• Yes, it sounds stressful to some of you. But if you stay a few days in totally different Lake Garda areas, you will see a lot more, and getting around is much easier.

Play At Gardaland And Nearby Theme Parks

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 2018 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

Address: Via Derna 4, Castelnuovo del Garda

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Best Day Trips From Lake Garda

If youre staying for longer in Northern Italy, I highly recommend visitingsome of the surrounding cities. The lake is beautiful, but you may alsowant to visit some cities or get into the mountains. Here are a few reallynice places to visit near Lake Garda.

• VeniceRecommended Before going to Lake Garda, we spent a few days in Venice.If you dont have enough time to stay longer, I definitely recommendat least doing a day trip to experience this truly gorgeous city.
• Verona Famous for being the location of Romeo and Juliet, thisgorgeous Italian city has beautiful views and delicious food. Its alsomuch less crowded than many popular tourist locations.
• Dolomites The main natural attraction in the region. If you lovenature, definitely see if you can fit a trip to the Dolomites intoyour itinerary.

If you dont have a car or want to join a tour where youll get moreinformation about the city, here are the top-rated tours you can takefor each of the three excellent day trips recommended above:

Lake Garda Holidays & How To Get To Lake Garda

We had the pleasure of arriving in Lake Garda from Verona which is also along the same train line as Venice. So if you are exploring Venice or Verona, or looking for easily accessible airports then Verona and Venice are great.

Our flight arrived in Verona and from there we took the train to Desenzano. We then based ourselves here first and explored the Southern towns on Lake Garda before moving to the northern side of the lake. To check train times and prices check out Omio which is fast becoming my go-to site for transport information.

While I organise my trips from start to finish myself, that may not be the travel style of some of my readers. For itineraries and Lake Garda holiday packages, check out Exodus Travels which offers Headwater From the Dolomites to Lake Garda Self-Guided Cycling option. Check out Lastminute, Expedia and EasyJetHolidays for deals on flight and hotel packages.

Worry not if you are a solo traveller. Just Go Holidays and Riviera Travel have amazing package holidays for Italian Lakes and Lake Garda in particular. Check out this 4-day tour of Lake Garda and this 8-day tour of Italian lakes from Riviera Travel while Just Go Holidays are offering a 10-day Magnificent Maggiore & the Italian Lakes tour and this 8-day Lake Garda & Verona for the Single Traveller. For more package tours in Italy .

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Best Places To Stay In Lazise

Hotel Bella Lazise Enveloped in lush farmland and boasting a huge serving of rural charm, staying at Hotel Bella Lazise means youll have time to relax amidst the tranquility of nature. The family-friendly outdoor pool complete with snack bar makes for a great place to entertain children, plus theres an indoor pool. Rooms have a down to earth elegance and everything is run professionally, with staff keen to help guests in whatever way they can. For a slice of history, the castle of Scaligero di Lazise is just two kilometers away.

From Sumptuous Art Nouveau Mansions And Luxurious Wellness Retreats To Family Friendly Boutique Hotels And Quirky B& bs These Are The Best Luxury Hotels In Lake Garda

Just picture yourself wandering a pretty promenade by a beautiful lake, enjoying a gelato and a relaxed pace of life. Thats what visiting Lake Garda is all about!

Lake Garda is Italys largest lake and one of the countrys most popular travel destinations. Surrounded by pretty promenades, colourful towns, epic mountains, and pebble beaches, the glorious lake is the perfect place for a relaxing holiday. Theres plenty to do in the area too, from exploring ancient castles and medieval villages, to mountain biking, wine tasting and of course, getting out on the lake to enjoy the glittering water at its best!

Lake Garda knits together three distinct regions of Italy: Lombardy, Trentino and Veneto, meaning that each corner of the lake has a slightly different identity. Step back in time in historic Sirmione, enjoy Mediterranean cuisine in the pretty town of Peschiera del Garda, or enjoy the buzz of Riva Del Garda. Wherever you stay in Lake Garda, its easy to visit other towns using the ferry services, so base yourself in one town and use it as a jumping off point to explore the rest of the lake!

Theres a vast array of places to stay, from chic, luxury hotels in Lake Garda, to relaxed B& Bs and rustic farmhouses, so time to find out my top picks

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Best Places To Stay In Riva Del Garda

luxury

Hotel Lido Palace An exquisite and unique mix of old world charm and modern day chic, the Hotel Lido Palace is a place you wont forget. High tech amenities at this 5-star hotel including a state of the art spa give this place an edge, aside from being a beautiful Bell Epoque era building. The restaurant is great quality too its chef is Michelin starred. The beach is a five-minute walk away, which is perfect in summer when you want to lounge next to the lake.

midrange

Du Lac Et Du Parc Grand Resort This hotel calls itself a Grand Resort and its not hard to see why. Set in parkland, the outdoor swimming pool at this hotel comes complete with beautiful mountain views. The room design is understated and modern, meaning youll be able to really soak up the surrounding greenery through the big windows with no elaborate decor stealing the limelight. You can take out one of the bikes here and pedal around to really amongst the beauty of it all.

budget

Hotel Canarino Set between mountain scenery and the vibrancy of Riva del Garda, this hotel is just a few minutes walk from Lake Garda. Theres a variety of rooms on offer here, with enough choice to suit anyone from single travelers and couples to families. Theres a large outdoor pool, sun terrace, and a bar, so you can sip on your favorite drink whilst surrounded by beautiful views. The spa here features a hot tub, a Turkish bath, and a sauna, so you can take some time to unwind.

What Is The Main Resort In Lake Garda

MALCESINE.

Why? Located in the perfect sweet spot, Malcesine is a beautiful renaissance town on the north-eastern shores of Lake Garda. Compared to other lakeside towns on the east side, Malcesine is larger and has several popular tourist spots. Castello Scaligero di Malcesine is one of the main tourist attractions on Lake Garda and the cobbled pedestrianised streets are a joy to wander. But another reason many choose Malcesine as their Lake Garda base is because of direct access to incredible hiking trails in the Monte Baldo mountain range that looms over Garda. There is a cable car a 5-minute walk from the centre.

PROS

• Its the best town to stay in Lake Garda if you want to hike in the mountains but also explore the other lake towns too.
• If views from your hotel are important, they dont come much nicer than Malcesine because youre closer to the opposite side of the lake.
• If youre taking a romantic break in Lake Garda and want to stay in one place, Malcesine has enough going on that you could easily spend a few days there. There are several tourist attractions.
• It has easy access to the opposite side of the lake via the ferry which docks here.

CONS

• Many other popular spots on Lake Garda are over an hours drive away.

Our Malcesine Hotel Suggestion

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Travelling To Lake Garda Via Train Best Places To Stay Without A Car

If youre deciding on the best place to stay in Lake Garda without a car, you should probably consider a town along the southern edge near one of the train stations. The towns of Desenzano and Peschiera both have excellent transport links to Milan and Verona airport via train and day trips to major cities, including Venice, are very easy to achieve. From these towns you can also hop on and off the local buses to many other lakeside towns.

Desenzano would definitely be our top choice out of the two. Its historic centre and neat little port are so picturesque and we loved getting lost in the winding streets of the old town. Its known as the Gateway to Garda and in view of that there are plenty of lovely accommodation options and so many lovely bars and restaurants the town really comes alive at night!

PROS

• Only 23 minutes by train from Verona.
• Gateway to both the east and west of the lake, either by car or public transport.
• A beautiful medieval old town

CONS

• Harder to find hotels with lake views as the town is set back from the Lake in many respects.
• The sun sets behind you so evenings can be chilly.
• It can get VERY busy!

What To Do In Lazise

Time to spend in Lazise: 2hrs

If you are looking for the best villages to visit in Lake Garda, Lazise was another place we really liked. I dont know about the official sizes, but Lazise felt smaller and more compact than some of the other villages. However, it has a long promenade which is ideal for cycling, walking, rollerskating and dog-walking along the lake. The tree-lined coastal path offers plenty of shade and has benches all along to stop and enjoy a picnic. We also saw people jumping into the water from the rocks and peacefully fishing.

Once you hop off the ferry, the port and harbour has a pretty seating area with cafes along the water. We decided to go to Lazise in the morning but I would actually recommend Lazise around lunchtime as it seemed less populated with tourist groups and there were lots of restaurants that looked ideal for lunch but we were not hungry enough! The one I really fancied was called Ristorante La Terrazza del Boff which had a terrace and a delicious looking menu. One for next time!

The following day we decided to drive and explore the northern part of the lake. The drive from Desenzano to Riva del Garda was just under 1hr 30 mins and there were plenty of places to park.

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Best Airbnb In Sirmione: Chic Apartment With An Ideal Location

Soak up the history of one of the most authentic places in the region. This ancient little island is only connected to the mainland by a small road. The apartments got a cool Greco-roman vibe going on, and with so much going on on this bustling island youll be hard-pressed to find a reason to leave.

The Hotel Mavino Sirmione

Sirmiones old town is charming and the 28 room Hotel Mavino is right in the heart of this ancient town and near the castle and Roman villa. You wont find many Garda hotels or hotels in Italy with friendlier staff. Rooms are clean and have internet, satellite television, mini bar, air con etc. For more reviews of this hotel and booking details click here. None of these hotels quite right for you? Why not try the hotel finder below…

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Getting To & Around Lake Garda

Another major consideration when planning a Lake Garda itinerary is how you plan to get to and around the lake. Contrary to a location like Lake Como, Lake Garda isnt as accessible via public transport and it can be a bit of a challenge to plan a route around the towns of the lake without your own vehicle.

While the town of Sirmione at the south of the lake is home to its own train station, it isnt easy to get anywhere else on the lake by relying on public transit. Yes, you could just visit Sirmione as a day trip destination, but it is going to be very difficult to get around the lake if you were planning on relying solely on public transport.

Parking is prevalent in most of the towns and driving in this area is easy. Having your own car will allow you to visit a number of towns on your own schedule and also have a bit of flexibility. When relying on buses or ferries, you will have to be beholden to inconsistent timetables and that wont be an issue with your own vehicle.

If youre looking to hire a car for your Lake Garda trip, we suggest browsing through RentalCars.com to find deals across a number of different car rental companies.