This may be a bold statement, but I think Lake Garda is the best Italian lake to visit. Not only is it spectacularly beautiful, with a wonderfully unhurried vibe, it is also blessed with plethora activities and things to do which will appeal to every kind of traveler and budget. Be it families, couples, history lovers, foodies, and even adrenaline junkies, you have your hands full here. Choose from pasta cooking classes in Lazise, wine tastings in Bardolino, romantic boat trips in Sirmione, outdoor activities in Riva del Garda, a bike ride around the lake, or a relaxed wander around any of the region’s adorable lakeside towns.
And in case you thought the Italian lakes were out of your budget, think again, because Lake Garda is the most affordable, despite its jaw-dropping natural beauty. It’s easy and cheap to get around via the regular ferry services, or by renting a bike or car. All in all, Lake Garda, Italy makes for a great slow travel destination, as it exudes calm, connects you to nature and demands a slower pace of being. Its ridiculously blue waters will lull you into a new, phone free you, apart from when reaching for it to take yet another photo. But, anyway, enough of the adoration (for now), let’s dive in and discover what makes Lake Garda so worth visiting…
Lake Garda Italy
Where is it?
Lake Garda, or Lago di Garda in Italian, is a glacial lake in Northern Italy. It’s nestled between the regions of Lombardy to the west, Veneto to the east, and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol to the north. As Italy’s largest lake, it’s around 50 kilometers (30+ miles) long and 17 km (11 miles) at its widest. Characterised by picturesque towns & villages, vineyards, and olive groves, the lake is also surrounded by mountains and hills, including the towering peaks of the Italian Alps to the north. It’s within easy reach of some of northern Italy’s most important cities, including Milan, Verona and Venice, and is popular with tourists from all over the world, but especially Germany and Austria.
How to get to Lake Garda
The best way to get to Lake Garda from the nearby cities of Milan and Verona is without doubt, by train. If you’re flying in, Verona is comfortably the closest airport to Lake Garda, followed by Milan’s Linate and Bergamo airports.
There are two train stations on the south side of the lake: Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione station at the south western corner, and Peschiera del Garda station at the south eastern corner. Onward busses or taxis to your accommodation can then easily be taken, or you can rent a car from Desenzano del Garda. Here are the details for each of the most common train routes…
There are several daily train journeys from Milan to Lake Garda from either Milan Centrale station or Milan Porta Garibaldi station. Journeys from Milan Centrale stop at both Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione station, and Pechiera del Garda, while Milan Porta Garibaldi station serves only Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione. These direct trains take around 55 minutes, give or take a couple of minutes, depending on where you get on and off.
It’s a really short hop from Verona to Lake Garda. Take a direct train from Verona Puorta Nuovo station in less than 15 minutes to Peschiera del Garda, and around 20-25 minutes to Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione. Check full schedules and book you tickets in advance.
From Venice Santa Lucia and Venice Mestre there are several direct trains to Lake Garda each day. To Peschiera del Garda, these take 1 hour and 15 mins from Venice Mestre and around an hour and a half from Venice Santa Lucia, just a few minutes more to Desenzano del Garda.
This isn’t quite as straight forward, but gives you the chance to enjoy a slower train ride that takes you through the Italian countryside. First, jump on a local bus/shuttle from the airport to Bergamo train station. From there, get a train to either Brescia, Rovato, or Treviglio and then change for Desenzano or Peschiera. The Treviglio connection is usually the quickest, and will get you there in around an hour and a half from Bergamo train station.
When is the Best Time to Visit Lake Garda?
Obviously, the best time to visit Lake Garda is completely subjective, but I visited in April and I certainly wouldn’t have wanted things to have been much busier. Sirmione, Bardolino, and Garda in particular were already pretty packed with visitors, so do keep this in mind if your primary reason for coming is to get away from it all. Anyway, here are some things to consider for each season:
1. Spring (March to May) is a lovely time to visit. The weather starts to warm up, and the landscape comes alive with blossoming flowers. The temperatures are generally mild from April onwards, making it suitable for hiking, cycling, and exploring the quaint lakeside towns without the bigger crowds that summer brings.
2. Summer (June to August) is peak tourist season, with warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine. It’s an excellent time for water sports like swimming, sailing, and windsurfing, but like pretty much everywhere worth visiting, it gets crowded, especially in July and August. Be prepared for higher prices, and longer queues at popular attractions and your favourite gelato place.
3. Autumn (September to November) is another good time to visit Lake Garda, as the weather remains pleasant, and the crowds start to thin out. September is especially nice as the summer heat starts to wane, but the water is still warm enough for swimming.
4. Winter (December to February) is much quieter compared to other seasons, making it an ideal time for those looking to experience the lake in all its natural glory, without instagrammers stinking up the joint. While the weather can get freezing, especially in the mountainous areas up north, it’s still possible to do some local wine tastings and other activities, and you get to wander around places like Sirmione without the crowds. Some towns around the lake also host Christmas markets.
How to Get Around Lake Garda
Getting around by ferry
Lake Garda is served by a comprehensive and cheap ferry network. Most of its major towns are serviced by slow and high-speed ferries alike at various times of the day, and no matter which you are travelling on, almost all ferries have bike storage capacity. This makes travelling around the lake by a combination of ferry and bike a feasible, green and endlessly picturesque way to get around. Furthermore, Lake Garda is perfect for cyclists, due to its many well-maintained cycling paths around its perimeter. You can purchase your ferry tickets directly from various ticket booths located at each town port. These are very easy to find and do not require any additional advice. Do be aware, however, that each ferry has limited capacity, so you may want to arrive earlier at the port to secure your tickets in advance of your scheduled departure (rather than just before), otherwise you may need to wait until the next one.
Getting around by bike
I was somewhat lucky, in that a bike came with my accommodation, so with only a 15 minute ride to Peschiera del Garda, it was super easy to ride into town, board a ferry, and then explore further afield. One day I took the ferry to Bardolino, walked around there for a bit, and then cycled up to Garda to explore some wineries, before taking an evening ferry back to Peschiera. This combination alone can get you to most places around the lake, although be aware that as you veer inland or further north (towards Riva del Garda), it can get pretty hilly, pretty quickly on a bike, so you’ll need a decent set of wheels. Had I been a little more ambitious with my itinerary, I would certainly have preferred a sturdier, zippier specimen between my legs!
My advice, is to first check if your accommodation offers free bikes, and if they do check the quality before going out on a long ride, as these can often be pretty old and poorly maintained. If that’s not really a big deal for you, or you’re just planning a short ride, then no worries, but if it is, I’ve compiled a list of the highest rated bike rental shops around Lake Garda below. And if you’re a cyclist at all, you’ve got young kids, or you need to venture further around the lake, then you can also hire a car from Desenzano.
Bike hire places
Garda: Bella Bici have a selection of family bikes and e-bikes, and they also offer a bike delivery service which you can arrange with them via Whatsapp.
Peschiera del Garda: Garda South Cycling – these guys are part of the Garda slow travel movement, linking with other businesses in the area who promote sustainable travel, so check them out if you are staying nearby.
Lazise: Velolake have a bike shuttle service, and plenty of biking itineraries for you to consider. Prices from 20 EUR for a city bike.
Desenzano del Garda: at Zebra E-bikes they do exactly what it says on the tin: E-bikes! They also offer some biking tours.
Things To Do In Lake Garda Italy
Exploring Sirmione
To be honest, I don’t think it really matters much where you stay or visit around Lake Garda, as it’s surrounded by picture-postcard villages. Take your pick from Sirmione, Desenzano del Garda, Peschiera del Garda, Bardolino, Riva del Garda, or Lazise. All are people watching heaven, especially from a lakeside cafe, with a gelato, cappuccino, and/or a glass of local vino in your hand.
The most well-known of the Lake Garda towns, however, is Sirmione. This tiny enclave located towards the end of a narrow peninsula which juts out far into the lake, has a wonderfully dramatic entrance, via crossing the moat of the grand old 14th century Scaligero Castle. The town is sandwiched between this and the Grotto of Catullus, a former roman villa (now a ruin), dating from around 150AD. Under these ruins on the lake bed, thermal waters were discovered by a local diver back in 1889, so Sirmione has also become somewhat of a mecca for spa lovers. The peninsula was also home of legendary opera singer Maria Callas in the 1950’s.
For those of you who love a walking tour, with a boat ride, some free time, and an exploration of the Grotto of Catullus thrown in too, then you may want to consider this 3.5 hour walking tour of Sirmione for a complete picture of the town.
Pasta cooking class in Lazise
Located in the charming village of Lazise on the south-eastern side of the lake, I tried out a very fun pasta making workshop. This cooking class, operated by two lovely brothers, Ivan and Mirco, runs from March til October every year. The class began with a brief introduction from Ivan, the big boss man, and moved pretty quickly onto mixing and then kneading our pre-measured portions of flour and egg, into a rather legitimate looking lump of pasta dough. It was very much like being back at school, as we were then given the choice of mixing in a bit of optional charcoal powder to add some colour. We were shown how to fold little pockets of ravioli, as well as the considerably more forgiving tagliatelle strands. I personally found the ravioli a little too delicate and fiddly for my sausage fingers to handle, so it was good to have the more industrial option of Tagliatelle. We then moved on to the ridiculously simple task of making gnocchi, which, assuming the right kind of potato, must surely be one of the easiest fancy meals to impress with!
The pasta making class was brilliant for several reasons. Firstly, the vino (included in the price) was flowing throughout. And as you may imagine, it was very good local wine, sourced from the vineyards and hills located just a few hundred meters east of Lazise. Italy really does farm-to-table produce amazingly well. Secondly, it reminded me of school; looking around the class and seeing some beautifully crimped raviolis from the pasta boffins, only to look down at your own sorry plate of inconsistent mess. Anyway, the slightly tipsy laughing fits that our feeble efforts provoked were worth the admission fee alone.
It then was time to for Ivan and Mirco to cook up our little bundles of joy and serve them to us in a wonderful Sage butter sauce for the Ravioli and Taglietelle, and a rich tomato sauce with the Gnocchi. I was completely stuffed by the end of it, and with the class coming to an end, I found myself trying really hard to convince myself to bring a pasta roller home. Were it not for my tiny kitchen worktop, it would be proudly adorning my kitchen (most likely unused), such was the quality of the local wine. I did however leave with an apron. Overall, the cooking class provided loads of laughs, applied knowledge of pasta making, and a renewed understanding and appreciation of the simplicity of Italian cuisine.
Classes run every day of the week (apart from Sundays), from mid-March until the end of October, at either 10am or 5pm. Book your class here.
Lake Garda Wine tours & tastings
Visit a Bardolino winery
The south eastern side of Lake Garda, around the towns of Lazise, Bardolino, and Peschiera del Garda is home to the Bardolino and Custoza wine region. So if you have an interest in wine, this is the area that you will want to visit.
In the hills above Lazise, the family owned and operated Bardolino winery, Bergamini Vini, offer 2 hour tours and tastings, with at least 6 different local specialties, including all the big hitters from the region (Bardolino, Custoza & Chiaretto). You get to wander the vineyards, the cellar, and then back to the tasting room, where they also hit you with a charcuterie board (that’s cold cuts, not a medieval Italian torture method), local cheeses, bread and home grown olive oil to complement the wines. It’s fantastic value, but they only open on limited days, even during the peak summer season. But fear not, because if they’re closed when you’re in town, join the equally highly-rated Lazise wine tasting at Marco Ruffato’s Le Ginestre estate, just around the corner.
If, on the other hand, seeing the vines and the cellar aren’t as important to you compared with the convenience of staying in the village center, then check out the Lazise historical center wine tasting tour instead. Located at the ZF4 cellar, a minimum of 6 wines, including white, Rose and reds are presented, and again, these are accompanied by cold cuts, cheeses, bread, and locally produced olive oil. I always prefer seeing where the grapes actually grow though.
If you’re looking for a spectacular location for a romantic wine tasting, the small village of Pastrengo plays host to a restored Austrian fortress from the 1800’s, which has panoramic views over the lake. Here you can organise an intimate wine tasting, featuring exclusively organic wines, paired with artisanal Foccacia breads as well as the usual meats, cheeses & olive oils.
Of course, you can also do your own DIY bike/wine tour into the hills around these villages. I visited the Bardolino winery, Guerrieri Rizzardi above Bardolino, although I found it to be a little stuffy there, and more akin to a museum. I missed learning about the terroir and the connection with local nature, so I’d recommend you join one of the above tours instead. Anyway…
Valpolicella wine tours
The Valpolicella hills are located just east of the lake, around half an hour by car from either Bardolino, Lazise, or Peschiera del Garda. Valpolicella is the home of Amarone wine – the legendary tipple made from semi-dried grapes that have been left to concentrate their flavour for months before being pressed.
The Valpolicella method is so rare in the wine making world, so anyone with a genuine interest in viticulture, will certainly appreciate the wonderfully named ‘Tenuta Santa Maria Valverde winery‘ (phew!). I had to mention them here, not only because they offer an Amarone wine tasting experience, but also a truffle hunting experience through local forests, with a dog included as part of the package! If you’re mot convinced already, you also get a guided truffle & pasta tasting, along with home-grown wines, cheeses and meats. It’s hard to imagine a tour that better connects people with nature, while promoting farm-to-table local produce than this. Check them out directly here…
For those of you staying in Verona with a laser focus on the wines, then check out this Valpolicella tour from Verona, which visits three different wineries, and includes lunch in a traditional wine cellar, and plenty of Amarone and Recioto to enjoy.
Lake Garda boat trips
Once you’ve you’ve seen the amazing blue water, a boat trip will seem like the most obvious thing to do here. In Sirmione, you’ll find operators perched on the lake edge selling tickets directly to the public. Taking about 40 minutes, these boat trips provide a unique vantage point of the old Roman ruins, and who doesn’t love being on a boat. Most also provide a little background history (although not a great deal).
If you prefer having everything planned beforehand, my recommendation is either this 45 minute sunset tour with a cheeky glass of Prosecco, or a private boat tour of Isola del Garda, a beautiful, tiny island just off the western lake shore.
If you want to be a little more active out on the water then consider taking a sunset kayak tour from Garda or a 2 hour stand-up paddling tour around the calm waters of Peschiera del Garda instead.
Outdoor activities in Lake Garda
Lake Garda is the perfect destination for adrenaline junkies and outdoor activity enthusiasts…
You could try canyoning as a great way to explore the mountain gorges and pools around the lake. There are two areas to choose from, canyoning around Tignale on the western side of the lake or canyoning in the Rio Palvico gorge close to Riva del Garda, to the north.
Family-friendly activities around Lake Garda include rafting trips on the Adige River, and a family friendly canyoning trip.
For climbers and those not afraid of heights, then check out the half-day via ferrata climb, which starts close to Riva del Garda at the northern tip of the lake, or for something totally unique, try a tandem paragliding flight for breathtaking views over the region.
Is Lake Garda Worth visiting? Outro
Lake Garda has so many pretty villages, a host of worthwhile outdoor activities and a food culture that is hard to match. So whether you’re a wino, a foodie, an adrenaline junkie, a cyclist, or a people watcher, you now have some fresh ideas of things to do in Lake Garda which complement this north Italian gem. This rings especially true when you also consider the best time to visit Lake Garda based on your interests and tolerance for both people and weather!
The best thing about visiting this region though, is that just being there and doing nothing really is enough, so however you travel, I hope you fall in love with the lake, just as I did.
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