Italian lakes- which one?

[Orchidflower1]

We are looking to go to the Italian lakes in the summer holidays- 2 adults and 2 children. However we can’t decide which area is best are even which lake! We are looking to stay in a quietish place. I know all areas will be busy but we’re looking for not hugely manic! We would like a transfer time of under an hour or certainly no more than an hour. It doesn’t matter which airport we fly into. So good people of mumsnet where do you suggest?

We swam in Desenzano in Lake Garda- there seemed to be a couple of areas where bathing was allowed. We also hired a pedalo and DD and DH jumped off it and swam in the lake.
Desenzano is handy as it has the train station taking you to Venice and Verona if you want a day out. Verona was lovely.

This is a lovely bed and breakfast in Riva del Garda, they have a family room in an annexe.

I also stayed in a fab family-friendly B&B on Lake Como but location not great without own transport so probably wouldn’t work for you.

Thank you all for the info- was really interesting to hear about Como too.

I really want the holiday to be fab so I do appreciate the input.

I go to Lake Como every year (family there)... and would recommend Garda. Como is gorgeous but, imo, a bit stuffy. There is much more family-friendly stuff to do at Garda although it does get very crowded in high season. FGS, avoid Gardaland if you possibly can.

Thanks lalalonglegs if we go to Garda we’ve no intention of going to Garda land. May be ok for some but not our cup of tea. If we wanted that we’d save the money and go to Alton towers!
We don’t have children in push chairs so would Como suit older children ?

We took young teens to Lake Como but tbh it was much quieter than Garda even in high season. Villas (including a Star Wars location), gardens and towns to visit by ferry, Como itself is pleasant small city with designer shops and Italian chic. Even finding minigolf took some effort. Trips in the mornings , pool in the afternoons. Garda is much busier, better connected by public transport and easier to resort hop.

Como definitely geared towards adults. I love the Lake Como resorts but as others have said, Garda resorts are just more resorty. Como resorts by and large have an air of faded chic about them.
Most of the fish and shellfish won't come from the lakes but from the med.

It depends how happy they are to admire the view. Lake Como is ravishingly beautiful but it is geared to sipping cappuccinos in lakeside cafes and wandering around pretty cobbled streets. There are beaches if you know where to find them but they are very narrow (they are nearly all man-made) and, as a consequence, very crowded. A very few people hire out paddleboards/kayaks etc but generally it really is very staid. The main tourist spot, Bellagio, is dead by about 8.

No shellfish but the local fish dish is called misultin and is a like a giant, dried anchovy... it is quite a specialist taste .

Thank you all for the updates. I think Garda may be more suited to us. Has anyone had any experience of Lake Maggiore?