Lake Garda - 3 days

[MintChocCat]

Hi!

We travel to Lake Garda for 3 days tomorrow - just myself and the hubby (newly weds)

Has anyone been before? Any recommendations or tips? We are staying at Hotel Madrigale. We have rented e-bikes all day Monday. Just fancy a nice relaxing break really. Thought about checking out Milan for the day on Tuesday.

We found Milan pretty boring honestly…

We travelled to Venice and Verona for days out and also went to Gardaland and a few towns around the lake.

Ah really? How come? That’s a shame.

we have already been to Venice, which is lovely.

We are going to check out Verona on our final day as flying home from there.

Verona is lovely, Venice I hated. Place sinking into the sea that no one cares about, it’s dilapidated and sad. We went to a vineyard near to Garda that I can’t remember the name of but it was amazing - plus obviously make good use of the lake crossings and go and visit that place that sounds like Limoncello! Sorry can’t remember many details as it was 20+ years ago but it was a great place.

You may want to get your thread moved to another section @MintChocCat

Milan is further away. Boat trip around lake stopping off at towns, Sirmione is nice, Malcesine has a lift up to mountain for walks, Riva has waterfalls. Which resort are you in, the lake is pretty large

Oh wow, I’ve no idea how it ended up in this section. How do I move it?

We are staying at Hotel Madrigale. Right by Garda!
have heard good things about Sirmione - boat trip sounds good :)

Verona is fab, and Sirmione is glorious - boat rides around the lake and castle are excellent value and really enjoyable.

Report it and ask mnhq to move it

Thank you!

Bardolino is lovely. I'm sure most of it is. Just stunning!

Bus from Garda to Arco. Castle there and some lovely walks .vGreat pizza and gelato too.

Thanks for the recommendation!

Hi @MintChocCat - we've moved it over for you

Many thanks 🩵

Second Bardolino. It's lovely.

Stay on the lake. Go to Malcesine, jump in the lake, go up on the cable car to Monte Baldo for a grappa espresso and hang with the alpaca. Ferry to Limone for the day. Gardone for the best botanical garden if it’s not too hot. Zeni vineyard in bardolino is fantastic if you like wine tasting.

Aside from that get in the lake and potter about drinking wine. Don’t try to fit in too many road trips, you’ll miss out on what the lake itself has to offer.

Milan is miles away!

I assume you have a car? Sirmione is definitely drivable. Bardolino is definitely walkable. Malcesine as well I would say is good as well.

Yes - that’s right we have hired a car!
We’ll definitely check out Bardolino & Sirmione!

You can get a day pass (well we did a few years ago) to criss cross the lake and hop on hop off the little ferries at places mentioned above. The whole place is just gorgeous so don't kill yourself trying to see everything.

If it's only one place, for me that would be Sirmione for sure. Then Bardolino, Malcesine, Limone, Riva, oh look, they're all gorgeous and look even nicer viewed from the water.

Have a fab time. I wish I was there now!

Oh I see you have a car. Well in that case, I'd do one day driving around the lake, and another to go to Bolzano and see the Dolomites. 1,5 hour drive. Absolutely stunning. Then rest up and enjoy your gorgeous hotel.

Congrats on the marriage/wedding.

Lake Garda is stunning. Why would you go there and then go elsewhere?

The best way to see the lake is to take the ferry. Malcesine, Sirmione and Gardone are particularly wirth visiting and you would need a day for each.

Top tips include :.
Don't get up at 6am
Don't let your dh eat McDonald's
Don't let him stay in bed all day..
Follow these guidelines and have a great time!
😁

I love Milan but would agree that it's a long way for a day trip. We've stayed in Milan and taken day trips to Lake Como before now - that's a very easy train trip - but we decided it was too far to go to Lake Garda and back in a day. That said, we've never driven in Italy, only used public transport so not sure how it would be in a car. Personally I don't think I'd be very keen on driving in central Milan.
I would think you could fill your trip fairly easily around the lake itself but if you wanted somewhere else to visit how about Padua? Admittedly I particularly enjoyed it because of the Anatomical Theatre which might not hold the same fascination for everyone, but it's a lovely city for those without an interest in medical history too!

@AgeingDoc I loved Padua also. Really enjoyed the anatomical theatre, but I went especially to see the Giotto fresco series in the Scrovegni chapel. I wasn't disappointed. And only half an hour on the train to Venice too. Charming city, totally underrated, but probably better for that! Oh and I had to go to the St. Anthony basilica to give him a few bob after all the things he found for me over the years!