Lago Di Garda, Italy

Lake Garda: Italy’s Largest Lake and What Actually Differentiates Its Towns

Lake Garda (Lago di Garda) is 51 kilometres long and up to 17 kilometres wide, making it the largest lake in Italy. Its northern section is flanked by the Alps, which give it a microclimate mild enough for olive groves and lemon trees on the western shore; the southern end opens into the Po Valley and has a more conventional northern Italian climate. The lake straddles three regions – Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino-Alto Adige – and the character of each shore reflects its region.

Most visitors congregate on the southern and western shores, where the main resorts are. The eastern (Veronese) shore is less commercially developed and has some of the better cycling terrain. The northern end is the windiest, which is why it attracts windsurfers and kitesurfers from across Europe.

The Towns

Sirmione is the most photographed and most visited. A narrow peninsula extending from the southern shore, topped with a 13th-century Scaligeri castle that rises directly from the water, surrounded by thermal springs that feed several spa hotels and the large public Terme di Sirmione. The old town is genuinely attractive and the castle is worth entering (around 8 EUR, with views across the lake). It is also extremely crowded in summer, with tour buses disgorging visitors all day. Go in April, October, or on a February Saturday when the castello is yours to explore at a sensible pace.

Riva del Garda at the northern tip is a compact town with Austrian architectural influences (it was Habsburg territory until 1918), a working harbour, and consistent wind that makes it one of the best windsurfing locations in Europe. The Ponale gorge walk above the town is excellent. The town is less touristy than the southern resorts.

Limone sul Garda on the western shore has the terraced lemon groves that give it its name and a village centre with a satisfying maze of steep lanes, though the lakefront road is heavily trafficked. The Cipriani family who ran the Cipriani Hotel in Venice once had a property here; the ghost of that heritage is visible in the slightly more considered quality of some of the lakefront establishments.

Gargnano is the western shore village that locals and repeat visitors prefer, quieter than Sirmione or Limone, with a 13th-century Franciscan cloister decorated with Moorish-influenced columns. D.H. Lawrence spent time here in 1912-13 and wrote about it extensively; the atmosphere he described as “the perfect peace” has since been disturbed by the main road running between the lake and the village, but evenings are still quiet.

Malcesine on the eastern shore has a cable car to Monte Baldo (1,748 metres) with views across to the Alps. The gondolas rotate 360 degrees during the ascent. The town’s castle (Castello Scaligero) is well-preserved; Goethe was briefly arrested here in 1786 for sketching it, suspected of espionage.

Eating and Drinking

Local fish from the lake (lavarello, trota, carpa, persico) appear on the menus of restaurants around Garda in preparations that reflect northern Italian cooking – butter and olive oil rather than tomato-heavy sauces, polenta as the carbohydrate rather than pasta.

Bardolino on the eastern shore is the DOC wine zone for the lake. The red wine is light-bodied and straightforward (no shame in that, particularly with lake fish); Chiaretto di Bardolino is a proper Provencal-style rosé that is underrated internationally and available cheaply locally. Several producers have tasting facilities around the town.

Olive oil production from the western shore (particularly around Gargnano) is DOP-certified and good; the Oleificio Garda cooperative in Gargnano and several other small producers sell direct.

Getting Around

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

Cycling the Ciclabile del Garda (the lakeside cycle path) is partially complete; the most scenic section runs on the eastern shore between Torri del Benaco and Malcesine, largely traffic-free. The northern section above Riva del Garda also has good cycling paths.

When to Go

April to June and September-October are the most comfortable periods: warm enough to swim in later months, uncrowded relative to July-August, and with the full range of ferries and attractions operating. August is genuinely crowded on the main southern towns; Sirmione in August is not recommended unless you enjoy queuing.