Lake Garda during COVID-19

I don’t need to explain why 2020 didn’t turn out to be the year any of us had expected or planned for. The holidays we’d planned for the year all had to be rescheduled, but we were still keen to get away for a holiday if possible. Italy was the perfect choice as they were managing Covid well and it was unlikely we’d have to quarantine on our return to UK. We chose Lake Garda, an area we first visited nearly 40 years ago.

Visiting in early September we were hoping the weather would be good and we weren’t disappointed, beautiful blue skies and sunshine every day. English visitors are very much in the minority in this part of Italy as it’s so easily accessible for much of western Europe. Whilst Lake Garda does have beaches, at best they’re pebbly, but that certainly didn’t stop the sun worshippers, (of which there were many)!

For us it was about walking, cycling, relaxing whilst enjoying the good food Italy is famous for. We visited local towns on foot and used buses and ferries to reach those further afield. We visited Verona, which is worthy of a short break on its own. The lakeside towns offer many opportunities for enjoying the view with a cold drink or a meal and a promenade to walk off the calories. There are museums, historical sites, wineries and stunning scenery.

We stayed in a lovely hotel on the southern part of the lake between the popular towns of Sirmione and Desenzano. Both towns offer a ferry service to other parts of the lake and on one occasion we hired bikes from the hotel, cycled to Sirmione and took a ferry across to Bardolino, on the eastern side. Many ferries (although not all), are able to accommodate bikes. After visiting a winery and the olive oil museum in Bardolino we spent the remainder of the day cycling back to our hotel, about 20 miles. Lake Garda is exceptionally well set up for cycling, most towns have a beach area and promenade open for walking and cycling. Outside of the towns we used the main roads, however as there were cycle paths on most roads, it was easy to enjoy the ride without cars passing close by.

The holidays we had already planned for 2020 didn’t include Italy, but I’m so glad we had the opportunity to visit again. Although we went for 10 days this time, it’s only a couple of hours flight, so well within the reach of a long weekend. Beware though, I guarantee you’ll just keep wanting to go back!