Maria's Lake Garda Accommodation & Travel Guide

My Lake Garda accommodation and travel guide discovers a few of our family's favourite places on Italy’s biggest lake. From medieval villages through to the best beaches Lake Garda can offer.

Lake Garda is the second most important tourist attraction in the Veneto – after Venice of course. Not all of it is in Veneto though; the north is in Trentino Alto Adige while the west is in Lombardy.

I focus mainly on the places in Veneto while still featuring some of the best towns, sights and beaches in the west and north.

Lake Garda is ideal for family holidays and is the perfect place for children.

My bambino (that's him in the photo near the bottom of the page) never wants to leave and keeps trying to convince me and my hubby to move to the lake.

Aren't convinced about the Italian lakes and Lake Garda in particular? Well it's official - the Italian lakes were voted amongst the Top 10 destinations in the world by a major travel site and Lake Garda is in many ways the most popular of these lakes.

For more Garda Photos click here.

Superb though Lake Garda is for a family holiday or a relaxing getaway and however much I love Lake Garda I honestly suggest, if you are looking for a romantic lake holiday, then Lake Orta is the better choice.

Well let’s get on with exploring the lake…

Click on the highlighted links for more information about a particular place.

Map of Lake Garda

Visit our Map of Lake Garda page for the location of the towns, beaches and other attractions mentioned on this page.

Best Garda Beaches

Garda has some lovely beaches. We have put together a selection of the five best Lake Garda beaches here. It was not an easy choice and some of the other beaches are equally as lovely although often very inaccessible.

Having a young son our preference tends to be for sandy, rather than shingle beaches. I also don’t like dents in my posterior which rules out a lot of pebbly beaches.

Garda Boat Trips

Boat is by far the best way to see the lake. Unless you are in a real rush take a slow one and enjoy the ride. Click here for the various boat options.

Best Natural Sights

Around Lake Garda there is some spectacular scenery. Monte Baldo and the Varone Waterfall are two of the highlights but there is lots more besides. For more on Monte Baldo, The Varone Falls and other sights click here.

Gardaland

Gardaland is often excluded from many foreign tourists’ itinerary. If you have children then it is well worth spending a day or two here and even if you are just young at heart you will enjoy yourself.

This is one of the largest theme parks in Europe and together with the nearby Water Park and Movie Studios there is a lot to do – just don’t go on the Blu Tornado whatever you do. Read more on Gardaland here.

Lake Garda Weather

Despite Lake Garda being relatively far north the lake has a moderating effect on the climate. Read our Lake Garda weather guide for more.

The Six Best Lake Garda Towns

Lazise is top for us because of the many happy memories it holds. Sirmione, in second place, would no doubt be preferred by many. Click on the each towns name for more.

Lazise

Our favourite town on Lake Garda, a maze of narrow streets, churches, a castle, a lovely promenade and home to not only to the best pizza maker and pizza restaurant in Veneto but the apparently the entire world.

Sirmione

Sirmione is a magical little town with a medieval castle, famous spas and the most important Roman Villa in northern Italy. The villa was once home to the poet Catullo.

Malcesine

Malcesine is a splendid place with the feel of a seaside fishing village and many people consider it the best Lake Garda town. It is popular for those wanting to take the cable car up Mount Baldo but there is much more to see. Some of the highlights in the vicinity include a monastery, a castle and some pleasant churches.

Garda Town

Lake Garda’s most famous golf course is located near here and the town is an attractive base to use for exploring the lake. Boats leave Garda Town to every corner of the lake and the town itself is full of good restaurants, shops and perhaps the best promenade of any lake town. The atmosphere in Garda on a warm summer evening is enchanting.

Peschiera del Garda

Peschiera has a great location for exploring the lake, beaches, a long promenade and an old town with canals which makes it feel just a little like Venice. Free buses run from here to Gardaland and the other theme parks.

Desenzano del Garda

I had to think long and hard about this one. Maria loves the town but I am not wild about it. The good points are that it is easily accessible by road or rail, has great shopping, restaurants, some of the best Lake Garda accommodation options and one of Lake Garda’s best beaches nearby.

Lake Garda Accommodation

Of all the Lake Garda accommodation options a few really stand out and deserve a special mention on this page:

The Palace Hotel between Desenzano and Sirmione

Excellent value - a very well run and friendly hotel, definitely one of the best Lake Garda accommodation options.


Relais Sant'Emiliano - Conference & Leisure near Padenghe The perfect place to relax in the most beautiful of settings. Very impressive indeed.

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