Lake Garda. Travel tips

As a continuation to the previous post about Venice, I will upload several others, following the itinerary of our latest trip to Italy. After Venice, we made a road trip to Lake Grada- the biggest lake in Italy and a spectacular place. The small towns located around the lake are simply charming, and the variety of attractions to see and the activities to do on the lake is huge.

Cities

We visited three towns in the south western part of the lake by car: Sirmione, Salo and Desenzano. Sirmione is a particularly famous destination, because of its geographical position, partly on a peninsula, which makes the sight especially alluring. But though it is an important cultural and social centre on the lake, it was way too crowded for us, which is why I would say: visit it, but do not think of remaining there, if you want some privacy. You may want, in turn, to visit Salo– one of the largest and the most important cities on the west shore of Lake Garda. You can have an enchanting promenade on the longest lakeshore on the whole lake, enjoy the charming view, or have an idyllic dinner on the bay (I have been waiting for a spectacular sunset, but is is barely visible from this part of the lake, because of the mountains around). If, in turn, you want some diversity, and you want to feel young, Desenzano is your destination. Our host at the accommodation recommended it as “the city for young people”. But even if you are not a nightlife person, Desenzano does not lack cultural attractions. The impressive buildings in Venetian style, the medieval castle, as well as the Archaeological Museum and the ruins of Roman villa with the rest of mosaic floors are making the city particularly worth visiting.

P.S. Wherever you stay, make sure to rent a bike and explore the surroundings.

Where to eat

As sad as it sounds, I cannot really recommend a specific place to eat. We had some good meals, but, honestly, not good enough to be recommended here. What I do recommend instead is to do your research in advance, find some well-reviewed places, and mandatorily make reservations. It is something we did not think about, which is why we couldn’t eat in the places we wanted to. As always, for a good meal, avoid the crowded places, maybe even the places on the bay, as they are usually tourists’ traps.

P.S. Just as I recommended in the previous post about Venice: forget about diets and eat Gelato! I doubt there is a place in this world where ice-cream is as good as in Italy.

Boat trip on the lake

Lake Grada has a wide range of activities to offer: from cultural sights to fun parks and various water sports. And though we did not have too much time to enjoy many of them, we undertook a must-do activity: rented a speedboat. The weather was perfect, the lake was calm and the trip was simply delightful. We’ve enjoyed the views to most of the cities in the southern circle of the lake and had a fantastic day. We also took the chance to take some beautiful pictures.

See Also

Your second-timers guide to New York City

I was wearing: Bum und Pferdgarten dress

The boats can be rented from Sirmione port, and for those who wake-up early, there are special morning prices. I would advise renting it for at least 3 hours or even whole day. Take your swimsuit, a camera, and some snacks and enjoy the freedom. Do not forget the sun protection cream, as the sun is burning even more on the water.