Lake Garda - Italy's Largest Lake

For many of us, Lake Garda is the first taste of Italy: four hours from Munich, and suddenly there are cypresses, olive trees and oleander by the roadside. There is a reason people jokingly call it “Lago di Bavaria – Munich’s southernmost lake”. On a summer weekend you will hear more Bavarian than Italian in places along the promenades of Torbole or Malcesine.

In the north a fjord-like strip of water between steeply falling rock faces, in the south a wide, shallow lake with swimming bays, wine villages and theme parks. In this post I’ll take you once around the lake and show you the places that are really worth it, plus a few tips I would have liked to have beforehand.

Overview

1. Getting there – by car or by train
2. Where to stay – from campsite to small hotel
3. Must-see spots around the lake
4. Gardaland – the classic with kids
5. A day trip to Verona
6. Insider tips

Getting there – by car or by train

Getting there by car

By car, Lake Garda is a one-day destination from southern Germany. From Munich you take the A8 and A93 into the Inn valley and continue on the A22 Brenner motorway towards Verona. Depending on where you are staying, you take the Rovereto Sud/Lago di Garda Nord exit for Riva, Torbole and Limone, Affi for Garda, Bardolino and Malcesine, or Peschiera or Sirmione for the southern part.

Without traffic jams you will be standing at the water after a good 4 hours. Plan for the Austrian motorway vignette, the Brenner toll and the Italian motorway toll. On weekends during the holiday season you will need plenty of patience at the Brenner Pass. Set off before breakfast and you will save yourself most of that.

The two lakeside roads in the west (Gardesana Occidentale) and in the east (Gardesana Orientale) are spectacular in terms of scenery, but narrow, winding and full of tunnels. With a camper van or a trailer you need to take it easy there, and in high season you will barely get anywhere in places on the western side.

Getting there by train

By train it works surprisingly well. On the Brenner line there are direct trains from Munich to Verona Porta Nuova. The journey takes around 5 hours. From Verona it is another 15 to 20 minutes by regional train to Peschiera del Garda or Desenzano del Garda, both of which are right on the southern shore. If you want to go north, get off in Rovereto and take the bus to Riva del Garda, which takes just under 1 hour.

You don’t need your own car once you are there. The boats of the Navigazione Lago di Garda connect the towns around the lake. On top of that there is a fairly dense bus network along both shores. The ferry is the nicest way to explore the lake anyway.

Where to stay – from campsite to small hotel

Campsite

The cheapest way to stay is at a campsite. There are dozens of them around the lake, many right by the water, especially on the eastern and southern shores between Lazise, Bardolino and Peschiera. Whether tent, camper van or a permanently sited mobile home: for families this is the most relaxed and by far the most affordable option. And the best part: in the morning you are the first ones in the lake, before the day visitors arrive.

The most popular base is Bardolino. The town has a long lakeside promenade, lives from the wine of the same name and is conveniently located: Gardaland and Verona are each just under half an hour away, and the north is reachable via the Gardesana. It is correspondingly busy in summer, but you will find everything here from the pizzeria to the boat rental.

Hotel

As a contrast, a hotel in one of the small towns around the lake is worth it. A room in the old town or a little higher up on the hillside, breakfast on the terrace and a walk down to the harbour in the evening. Why that pays off especially in the evening is in the insider tip below.

Must-see spots around the lake

Monte Baldo

From Malcesine the cable car runs in two sections up to almost 1,800 metres. The cabins of the upper section slowly rotate around their own axis during the ride, so you get to see the whole lake without any jostling. At the top, hiking trails in every direction await you – or simply a great view.

My tip: go up early, the longest queues at the bottom form in the late morning. And take a jacket – it is easily ten degrees cooler up there than down by the lake. You can also stop for a bite at a small hut near the mountain station.

Malcesine

Malcesine is the place most people picture when they think of Lake Garda. Narrow lanes, a harbour basin, and above it the castle on the rock. From the castle tower you get the view across the rooftops all the way to Monte Baldo. Fun fact: in 1786 Goethe was taken for a spy here while sketching the castle.

Limone sul Garda

Limone literally clings to the western side between rock and water. It is named after the old lemon gardens, of which the restored Limonaia del Castèl can be visited. This is also home to the most spectacular cycle path on the lake, partly running along a walkway fixed directly to the rock face above the water.

Sirmione

Sirmione sits on a narrow peninsula in the south. Through the gate of the Scaliger Castle you walk into the old town and right out to the tip of the headland. Among the olive trees lie the Grotte di Catullo, the ruins of a Roman villa with a view over the lake. Add to that the thermal springs the town was already known for in antiquity. Sirmione is no secret, though. Come early in the morning or in the late afternoon, because during the day the crowds squeeze through the few narrow lanes.

Riva del Garda and Torbole

The northern tip belongs to Trentino and feels almost alpine. Two winds shape the day here: the Peler from the north in the morning, the Ora from the south in the afternoon. Because both blow so reliably, Torbole is one of the most popular surfing spots. Riva del Garda has the nicer old town with the Piazza III Novembre and the Torre Apponale right by the harbour. But neither town is especially spectacular.

Gardaland – the classic with kids

With kids there is no way around Gardaland at Lake Garda. Italy’s largest theme park is in Castelnuovo del Garda right next to Peschiera and combines roller coasters and themed worlds with the neighbouring Sea Life aquarium.

Handy: Peschiera del Garda has a station on the Milan–Venice line, and in season a shuttle bus runs from there to the park. If you come by car, you pay a parking fee and on summer weekends you first queue at the entrance. Go in right at opening time and do the big rides first, as waiting times are longest in the afternoon.

A day trip to Verona

Verona is the best rainy-day plan at Lake Garda, but it is worth a day in sunshine too. From the southern shore you are there quickly: from Peschiera or Desenzano the regional train takes around 15 to 20 minutes to Verona Porta Nuova, and from the station it is a good 20 minutes on foot into the old town. By car it takes about the same.

The centrepiece is the Arena, the Roman amphitheatre on Piazza Bra, where opera is performed under the open sky in summer. From there the shopping street Via Mazzini leads to Piazza delle Erbe with its market stalls and frescoed façades. Then there is the Castelvecchio with its crenellated bridge, the Ponte Pietra across the Adige and, of course, Juliet’s balcony.

My tip: walk up to Castel San Pietro. From the terrace you have the perfect view of the old town.