Lake Garda guide
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Lake Garda trip planner

A vacation guide to Lago di Garda, Italy—Sirmione, Riva, Limone, and more

Lago di Garda (Gardasee)

If Lake Maggiore has the primo sights and Lake Como is the postcard prettiest, Lake Garda, largest of the Italian lakes at 143 square miles, is the one with a bit of everything for everybody, from ancient ruins to lakeside promenades, historic villas to tiny villages, and medieval castles to adrenaline sports.

Best stops on Lake Garda
Sirmione
Riva del Garda
Limone sul Garda
Gardone Riviera
MalcesineIn fact, Garda is the most sporting of the Italian lakes—with some of Europe's best windsurfing up at the lake's north end around Riva del Garda and Torbole—which goes a long way to making it a bit more family friendly than the others (I can tell you that, when I was 12, I dug the peacocks Lake Maggiore's Borromean Islands, but otherwise the lakes were a giant snore)—to say nothing of Gardaland, Italy's greatest theme park. It isn't quite Eurodisney, but can be great fun for the younger kiddies.

Lake Garda also has more refined pleasures as well: villas and gardens, Roman ruins and medieval castles. Lake Garda has long been a haven for intellectuals, and counts among its earliest Grand Tour aficionados the likes of DH Lawrence (who lived in Limone for spell), Lord Byron (who loved Desenzano), and Goethe (who spent time in Malcesine)—not to mention the larger-than-life 20th century Italian writer Gabriele d'Annunzio, who built an incredible villa, Il Vittoriale, at Gardone Riviera that ranks among the lake district's most popular destinations.

The castle in Sirmione. (Photo by yilmaz ovunc.)Starting in the 13th century, much of the lake's eastern shores fell under the dominion of Verona's Scaglieri family, who fortified Sirmione (a postcard resort town with Roman ruins as well), Torri del Benaco, and Malcesine (where Goethe was once arrested) with terribly atmospheric medieval castles.

Lake Garda also covers the history of Italy in a nutshell, from Roman villas at Desenzano and Sirmione to medieval castles at Arco, Sirmione, and Malcesine; and from Renaissance art to the fall of Fascism and rise of the Republic. All of which just goes to show: the Italian Lakes are about more than just fun in the sun and pretty vistas.

What to see on Lake Garda

Garda has an interesting geo-political situation. It actually borders on three very different Italian regions:

Lombardy rules the lake's western and southern shores, including the postcard peninsular town of Sirmione, guarded by a medieval castle and the ruins of a Roman villa (pictured at left); more Roman remains in the gateway town of Desenzano; the old resort of Limone; the villas and gardens of Gardone Riviera; and the site of Mussolini's last stand at Salò.
Trentino Alto-Adige at the northern tip includes the solidly Teutonic town of Riva del Garda, where beer and sausage replace wine and pasta; the water sports Mecca capital of Torbole; and the Romantically ruined castle of Arco (on the left) with scraps of medieval fresco remaining.
The Veneto to the east covers the stony town of Malcesine, with a fine castle (pictured to the left) but perhaps more famous as the village that once arrested the writer Goethe as a spy; and the tiny but famous wine town of Bardolino.

Planning your trip to Lago di Garda

Hotels on Lake Garda (Venere, Booking)

• Hotels in Sirmione (Venere, Booking)
• Hotels in Riva (Venere, Booking)
• Hotels in Limone (Venere, Booking)
• Hotels in Torbole (Booking)
• Hotels in Malcesine (Venere, Booking)
• Hotels in Desenzano (Venere, Booking)
• Hotels in Bardolino (Venere, Booking)
• Hotels in Gardone Riviera (Venere, Booking)
• Hotels in Salò (Venere, Booking)Lake Garda tourist info: There are tourism information offices all along Lake Garda—but they are divided up based on the Italian region in which they happen to fall.

For western and southern shores in Lombardy (www.bresciatourism.it and www.rivieradeilimoni.it), there are offices at Sirmione (in the parking area just before the bridge into the old center, Viale Marconi 2, tel. +39-030-916-114 or +39-030-916-245), Desenzano (Via Porto Vecchio 34, tel. +39-030-914-1510), Gardone Riviera (Corso Repubblica 8, tel. +39-0365-20-347), Limone sul Garda (Via IV Novembre, tel. +39-0365-954-720), Gargnano (Piazzale Boldini 2, tel. +39-0365-791-243), Tignale (Via Europa 5, tel. +39-0365-73-354), Toscolano Maderno (Piazza San Marco 1, tel. +39-0365-641-330), Tremosine (Piazza Marconi 1, tel. +39-0365-953-185), and Valtenesi (Via Gassaman 80, tel. +39-0365-552-786).

For the northern tip in the Trentino (www.gardatrentino.it and www.visittrentino.it), there are offices at Riva del Garda (Largo Medaglie d'Oro al V.M 5, tel. +39-0464-554-444), Torbole sul Garda (Lungolago Conca d’Oro, tel. +39-0464-505-177), and Arco (Viale delle Palme, tel. +39-0464-532-255).

For the eastern shore in the Veneto (www.veneto.to), there are offices at Malcesine (Via Gardesana 238, tel. +39-045-740-0044), Brenzone (Frazione Porto, tel. +39-045-742-0076), San Zeno di Montagna (Via Ca' Montagna, tel. +39-045-62809296), Torri del Benaco (Viale Fratelli Lavanda, tel. +39-045-722-5120), Garda (Piazza Donatori di Sangue 1, tel. +39-045-627-0384), Bardolino (Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, tel. +39-045-721-0078), Lazise (Via Francesco Fontana 14, tel. +39-045-758-0114), and Pescheria del Garda (Piazzale Betteloni 15, tel. +39-045-755-1673).
Take a tour: If you'd prefer an expert to take a day trip from Milan, to visit the Italian lakes, consider booking one through our partners at Viator.com:

• Verona and Lake Garda Day Trip from Milan
How to get to Lake Garda: Verona is the closest major city, and luckily Desenzano del Garda, at the southwestern corner of the lake, is a stop on the main Venice–Milan train line.
How to get around Lake Garda: If you don't take a tour or have a rental car (recommended), the easiest way is by bus (www.trasportibrescia.it covers the western and southern shores from Desenzano to Riva; www.atv.verona.it covers the eastern shore from Verona to Riva) or—less frequently but far, far more scenically—by boat (www.navigazionelaghi.it).

Other major Italian lakes: Como, Maggiore
Smaller Italian lakes: Iseo, Orta, Lugano, Idro, Varese
The Lazio lake district (just north of Rome)
Other destinations in Lombardy
Other destinations in the Veneto
Other destinations in the Trentino Alto-Adige

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This material was last updated Feburary 2012. All information was accurate at the time.

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Copyright © 2008–2012 by Reid Bramblett. Author: Reid Bramblett

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Lake Garda trip planner

A vacation guide to Lago di Garda, Italy—Sirmione, Riva, Limone, and more

What to see on Lake Garda

Planning your trip to Lago di Garda

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