Lovely Lake Garda
It is the largest lake in Italy and the nearest airport is Verona. Once we had landed, our private transfer took 35 minutes to get us to our hotel in Garda, which is on the south east of the lake. This is one of the shorter transfers and if travelling to one of the other resorts on the lake, it is likely to take longer.
On our first full day we walked along the promenade from Garda to Bardolino. It is a flat 3km walk (just under 2 miles) but there are places to stop on the way for a refreshing drink if you want to. Known for its red wine, Bardolino is a lovely town to wander round and its traffic-free centre is home to numerous bars, restaurants and smart shops. Like Garda, it is also well served by the ferries that take you to other places along the lake.
On subsequent days, we made full use of the ferries. It’s best to pick up a timetable from one of the ticket offices to make sure you are not waiting around too long, and you need to buy tickets before you get on. There are reductions for seniors but on occasion they will ask for ID to allocate the discount. A supplement applies if you take one of the high-speed services.
Our boat trips took us to various towns along the lake including Sirmione with its medieval castle, Desenzano, Limone and Malcesine where we walked to the top of the castle for some great views and could have taken a cable car up to Monte Baldo for more wonderful views and hiking, but we ran out of time. Our last day out was to Gardone Riviera, where we visited some lovely botanical gardens with quirky sculptures. There is a mini train that runs to a schedule and takes you around the area for a small charge, and as some of the attractions are at the top of a hill, it is worth taking. One of these is Vittoriale degli Italiani, which was the home of an Italian poet and has lots of unusual things that he collected over the years as well as large gardens with a battleship in them! The surrounding area is also nice to wander round with a few restaurants and shops.
All the towns are picturesque and if you visit Lake Garda you won’t be short of things to see and do. As well as visiting other towns, there is also Gardaland, an amusement park with rides and rollercoasters if you want to do something different or you can take trips to Verona and/or Venice.
We had a great time and I’m sure we’ll be back.
If you need any more information or would like me to look into a suitable Lake Garda holiday for you, please get in touch.