Breath-taking Lake Garda
We flew into Verona airport, from Birmingham, unfortunately there is only one option of flight carrier, which was Ryanair, not my first choice but for a 1hr 50min flight I’m not going to complain.
We stayed between Desenzano del Garda and Sirmione which is the south side (the flatter side, if you like), the north of the Lake is spectacular with a hilly back drop which is of course the tail end of The Dolomites. We chose not to hire a car due to the cost and the narrow, winding roads around the Lake, we instead used our legs, bikes or local transport, which is regular and relatively straightforward to use.
Our hotel, Palace Hotel Desenzano, was a 4* and had a ground floor pool, set within a lush garden, outdoor bar and jacuzzi. It also had a rooftop pool which, although small was perfectly formed, very quiet and enjoyed the breath-taking scenery over the lake and mountains beyond.
The average dinner, in a traditional Trattoria or Pizzeria is around €70 - €100 for a couple, including alcoholic drinks, however if you look hard enough, you can find fabulous pizzeria’s that will charge you €10 for a pizza and €6 for 500ml of wine……….not bad for a delicious meal within walking distance of our hotel.
There is plenty to do around the Lake, for children there is, of course, the famous Gardaland, which proports to be the Italian version of Disneyland. With the amusement park, aquarium and Legoland water park, this is definitely a whole day out for the family. It is perhaps worth purchasing your tickets before you leave, as an average day ticket is €39 per person but walk up tickets could be as high as €51 (prices are for summer 2025). If you would rather keep the kids away from sugar fuelled theme parks, you can use the facilities on the lake, boat trips are aplenty, either guided or individual, there are also purpose built beaches around the lake with roped off swimming areas which keep you safe from passing boats. Every town you enter is filled to bursting with gelateria’s, mountainous cones can be purchased in any flavour you desire and they are usually the last eateries open of an evening! Whether you are treating the kids or having a romantic walk with your beloved, you would be silly to miss the chance to sample the gelato!
Sirmione is one of the most beautiful little towns I have ever been to, its narrow cobbled streets, traditional stone buildings, over-hanging wisteria and manicured parks, I could have spent all of my time there. Be warned, you cannot drive into the centre of Sirmione, it sits on a narrow spit of land and the old town is only accessed through an old castle portcullis. If you are staying within the city walls, and parking outside, there are golf carts that transport travellers to and from their hotels with luggage so be advised to ask your hotelier, or Travel Counsellor to investigate the options. Parking is a ‘paid for’ privilege and spaces are not in abundance, so bear this in mind when you start your journey to the next town.
Desenzano is also beautiful in a different way, most of it faces the water, with town squares centred around inlets for boat moorings, lots of gorgeous cafés to watch the world go by whilst drinking prosecco and nibbling on the abundance of snacks which are a staple at every café or bar!
Desenzano has it’s own train station which will carry you to Verona for the day, where you can photograph the famous Romeo and Juliet’s balcony. Also Venice, if you want to venture further afield, however, this is a 6hr round trip, so perhaps arranging a 2 night stay in Venice might be a better idea.
Ferry’s around the lake are possibly the easiest mode of transport, you will be given a timetable by your hotel or any information centre, but bear in mind that the times shown are guaranteed times but there will be many more times which are advertised at the Pier when you purchase your tickets. A single trip, say from Sirmione to Garda will cost you approx. €10 per person but if you are looking for more flexibility, you can also purchase one-day or multi-day ‘hop-on-hop-off’ style tickets.
My recommendation is to take the time to visit other towns around the lake, Sirmione to Garda takes between half and hour to 50mins, depending on which ferry you take. Malcesine is also worth the trip, although be sure to take the fast ferry as the slow ferry can take up to 3hrs. Malcesine is famous for its Monte Baldo cable car which has spectacular views over the lake from the top station. If you are staying outside of a town, consider hiring bikes, there are lots of vendors, even your hotel might have this service. Between Desenzano, Sirmione and beyond, there are excellent cycle paths so you won’t be cycling on main roads, it is fairly flat so no big hills to climb and bicycle parks are everywhere you look. The most surprising thing was the cost of taxis, a 10-15min trip was costing between €20 and €25, depending on the time, a hefty price tag for such a short journey but if you weigh up the price of car hire and parking, it was probably still the cheaper option.
I can’t wait to go back to this region of Italy and experience some of the other lakes, Como, Lugano, Maggiore or perhaps some of the less visited lakes like, Orta and Iseo but first I must re-stock the piggy bank and work off some of that Italian pizza and Aperol spritz!!