Lago Di Garda, Italy

Lake Garda: Why the Town You Choose Matters More Than You Think

Lake Garda is 51 kilometres long, up to 17 kilometres wide, and the largest lake in Italy. Its northern tip is flanked by the Alps; the southern end opens into the Po Valley. The lake straddles three regions – Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino-Alto Adige – and the towns on each shore have genuinely different characters rather than simply different distances from Milan. Choosing the wrong town, or arriving in the wrong month, is the most common way to get Lake Garda wrong.

The opinionated version: Sirmione is the most photographed and most expensive and most crowded. Gargnano is where people who have been to Garda before tend to go. Riva del Garda at the northern tip is the most interesting town. August is when the southern and western shores become functionally unpleasant.

Sirmione

A narrow peninsula extending from the southern shore, with a 13th-century Scaligeri castle rising directly from the water and thermal springs feeding spa hotels. The castle is worth entering (around 8 euros, good lake views from the battlements). The old town is genuinely attractive. It is also the busiest destination on the lake by significant margin, with tour buses arriving continuously from April through October. If you want to be here without the crowd: April, October, or a February weekend.

Gargnano

The town locals and return visitors tend to prefer, quieter than the major resorts, with a 13th-century Franciscan cloister decorated with Moorish-influenced columns that reflects centuries of this shore’s trading connections. D.H. Lawrence spent 1912 and 1913 here and described the atmosphere as perfect peace; the main road between the lake and the village has disturbed that somewhat, but evenings and early mornings remain calm. The DOP olive oil produced from the western shore groves around here is sold directly from several small producers and the Oleificio Garda cooperative.

Riva del Garda

At the northern tip, with Austrian architectural influences (it was Habsburg territory until 1918), a working harbour, and consistent wind that makes it one of Europe’s best windsurfing locations. The Ponale gorge walk above the town goes through tunnels cut into the rock face with views over the lake. Less affected by the southern resort character; feels like a real town.

Malcesine

On the eastern shore, with a cable car to Monte Baldo (1,748 metres) that rotates 360 degrees during the ascent. The town’s castle (Castello Scaligero) is well-preserved; Goethe was arrested here in 1786 for sketching it, briefly, on suspicion of espionage. The eastern shore generally is less commercially developed and has better cycling terrain.

Eating

Lake fish – lavarello, trota, carpa, persico – appear on menus in preparations that reflect northern Italian cooking: butter and olive oil rather than tomato sauces, polenta rather than pasta. Bardolino on the eastern shore is the DOC wine zone. The red is light-bodied and works with the food; Chiaretto di Bardolino rosé is underrated internationally and inexpensive locally. The olive oil from the western shore (particularly around Gargnano) is DOP-certified and noticeably better than the generic version.

Getting Around

The lake has a car ferry (traghetto) between Torri del Benaco and Maderno, and a regular hydrofoil and ferry service connecting the main towns. Using the ferries is considerably more enjoyable than driving the busy lakeshore roads, and a day pass covers most connections.

When to Go

April through June and September through October are the most comfortable periods: warm enough to swim in later months, uncrowded relative to July and August, and with all attractions and ferries operating. August in Sirmione specifically is not recommended unless you regard queuing as a core holiday activity.