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.

Padua looks nice!!

@MintChocCat - I’m just resurrecting your thread as I’m about to head off to this hotel next week. How did your trip go ? I hope you enjoyed it. Any top tips ?

Following. In Lake Garda - Bardolino next week, with trips to Venice and Verona.

I’m thinking of going to lake Garda in April with my 10 year old son, is it easy to travel to Verona for the day? I don’t fancy driving

We loved it! We hired e-bikes and cycled around, it was so enjoyable. We stayed near Garda and cycled to Bardolino, Lazise, Peschiera del Garda and Sirmione! I actually really liked Lazise. It was really pretty. You can grab an aperol spritz at any of the many lake front bars and cafes and simply relax and people-watch.

The towns get super packed and it’s hard to find parking, so be prepared for that, but then we went in May so it might be less busy now. If you do drive around, be prepared to park in car parks a bit further away and walk. again could be different now.

We went to a lovely restaurant that I would recommend, I’ll have to find out the name of it.

Also heading to Lake Garda soon! North end of the Lake though, although we're thinking of heading to Bardolino for the day.

@DMJ45 depends where you're staying. We're flying in via Verona and getting the bus or train to the lake. If you stay at Peschiera/Sirmione/Garda/Bardolino (most people probably do first time) it should be easy enough.

Riva del Garda is worth a visit if you can (near the north) closer to the Dolomites

We enjoyed a day in Verona on our way home (flight was in the evening) and there was an amazing gelato place… Gelataria Verona just outside the Porta Bosari !! Amazing gelato!! they sell one flavour called Romeo and one called Juliet.

here’s ours (although different flavours to stated above) :) Verona is very pretty. We also visited Juliet’s house which was busy and full of tourist groups

restaurant recommendation:
https://cabilli.it/hoteldeville/ristorante-dehor/

Verona is wonderful. Check out the restaurant Tre Marchetti next to arena, the owner has a wonderful voice and will occasionally break out into a song whilst you eat.
sirmione is stunning and worth a visit.

@MintChocCat
Glad you liked Lazise. We have stayed there the last few times we’ve visited LG, plenty of restaurants etc and easy to get around (although not so much to the north of the lake).

@DMJ45There is a road which connects Lazise with Verona without going right to the foot of the lake so driving there is easy, and you can also get a train from Pescheira but I would also assume there is a bus. Hopefully the weather would be pleasant for you in April, but I would expect a bit chilly in the evening, early morning. Are you planning to visit one of the theme parks with your son?

@owlpassport
Do you have a car? I can remember when we stayed in the north that we visited a place called Molveno, very beautiful.

@ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea unfortunately not, last time we hired a car abroad we had a slight mishap so we've decided not to bother! We might hire ebikes and see Lake Tenno and/or Ledro for something a bit more off the beaten track. Also hoping to visit Limone.

Bardolino, Lazize in an evening and Sirmione are all fantastic places to visit. Go up Monte Baldo on the Cable Car, visit Verona, Milan or Venice (try Venice On Board if you do). Go to one of the local markets, use the water buses to get around. There are lots of small villages along the lakeside which are beautiful. I love Garda!

I loved Sirmione, very pretty and the little ‘beach’ nice to swim in.

I see Limone at a lot on social media and that looks beautiful (although extremely busy in peak season, not sure if that’s died down a bit now?)

Thank you @MintChocCat for coming back on and for all the ideas!

Updating as I'm at Lake Garda just now. We went to Limone yesterday. I have to say, I do not see the appeal. So many people and it didn't seem to offer anything that Malcesine doesn't. We've loved Riva best. We haven't visited the south of the lake but based on our journey through on arrival day, I'm not sure we'll bother. So many people seem to love Sirmione and Bardolino though.

Sirmione is really lovely. There are some Roman remains at the end of the peninsula and a castle to look around. I also recommend Gardone and the bonkers gardens at the top of the hill.

Boat trip