Advantages: ice cream, location as it is close to many other places
Disadvantages: can get pretty expensive

...If you want somewhere to go in Italy that has it all, then lake Garda is the place and best of all is the largest of the towns around the edge; Garda itself. This quaint little village is perfect for people of all ages to get away to. The village front is set onto the lake and is lined with little restaurants and cafes. there is seating outside opposite all these places so the spectacular views can be absorbed, of which there are many. from the promanade the opposite side of the lake is clear to see, as is the so called "crocodile" a small penisular with a great resembilance to a sleeping crocodile. it was apparently near here that churchill wrote some of his memroires. Throughout Garda there are many wonderful litle places you feel inclined to stop and look at. As you would expect of Italy the ice cream is delicious and usually rather... Read review

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Advantages: Good Wine, Good Food and beautiful scenery
Disadvantages: Holidays are too short

...Bardolino is a small town on the edge of Lake Garda, famous for its Bardolino Wine and Soave. The climate is mild and in the summer gets hot - the perfect place to eat the best icecream in northern Italy. Bardolino is a lively yet small and relatively traffic-free resort. There are plenty of street cafes and restaurants catering for the tourist and locals alike. There are lots of small good quality boutiques and gift shops and plenty of excellent hotels. We will shortly be visiting Bardolino for the 4th time. It doesnt have the gaudy nightclubs and bars of many European resorts - Its more a place to sit and people-watch, eat good food and drink good wine. We're in our late 20's but I'd recommend Bardolino for anyone up to age 150. The Lake itself is huge, - there are plenty of boat trips to explore the other Garda towns and villages... Read review

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Advantages: beautiful scenery, nice ice cream
Disadvantages: pricey

...I visted Lake Garda a couple of summers ago and must say it was one of the most people places I have ever visited. Lots of people do seem to complain about it being overly touristy but with scenery like this I can certainly see why. Although it is an extremely popular holiday destination and there are a few touristy gift shops about I still would not say that Lake Garda was too touristy. When I visited I stayed in the largest resort of Riva del Garda a wonderful little town at the north of the lake. Lake Garda has plenty to do with lots of little cafes and restaurants. It is also in walking distance of the next resort. Riva was a beautiful town with a pictureque square which was home to many forms of entertainment in the evening. Towards the end of the summer months the town is also home to a themed festival which was based upon... Read review

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Advantages: beautiful scenery
Disadvantages: can be expensive

...We flew to Verona and jumped in a taxi to Lake Garda(30mins drive, cost about £40). We stayed in the Hotel Continental in Sirmione. Sirmione is a beautiful old town which you have to enter through the castle. There is a few shops and restaurants and lots of snack bars selling pizza and icecream. The old part of town is mainly pedestrianised. From the dock you can get a boat to just about anywhere around the lake. The boats are fairly cheap and very efficient. The scenery around the lake varies tremendously. In the south, it is very green and flat and the north of the lake is surrounded by mountains. Riva in the north is spectacular. There are many pretty villages around the lake,all worth a visit for a couple of hours or a spot of lunch. There is also a couple of theme parks and a cable... Read review

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Advantages: Great scenery, beautiful towns
Disadvantages: All a bit too touristy

...it. I little further up the lake from Malcesine is Torbole, very popular with windsurfers but not a great deal to keep you there long otherwise. At the top of the lake is Riva. Riva is a nice town with some good eating places and some nice architecture. We didn't spend a great deal of time there but got the impression that there was a bit more to Riva than a few of the other towns around the lake. To sum up our Lake Garda experience, I would say that it is a very pretty area and well worth visiting if you've never been. The towns are very pretty, but many of them area very similar to each other and you almost get a bit of deja vu when you visit them. Overall, I found it all a bit too touristy. I like Italy very much and have been to quite a bit of it, but Lake Garda is one of the few places I've been in Italy that I wouldn't be bothered... Read review

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Advantages: Garda Town - great location for expliring other areas
Disadvantages: Bus between towns - never on time.

...Garda is an old town situated on the lake, it has a boat service and a bus service to most of the other towns and villiages on the lake.. The boat service is very reliable and mostly on time, the buses are always late (and I mean late -sometimes upto and hour. On the lake there are opportunities to swim, water-ski, para-sail (being toed behind an speed boat.) and there are lots of places to sunbathe. The town is very picturesque with plenty of opportunties for photographs. It has all the shops you will ever need with some designer ones thrown in. There are a vast number of restaurants which all sell pasta and ice-cream. A must in the midddle of the morning or afternoon is an iced-coffee or an iced-chocolate or for the really adventerous a hugh ice-cream. All of these are as you would expect are very refreshing, and only... Read review

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Advantages: Stunning scenery, great food, wine, German beers!
Disadvantages: Chaotic timetables, unexpected closing times, but that's Italy!

...and had a very unpleasant lunch at a place by the jetty called something like Buffalo Bills or something – avoid as it was indeed run by cowboys! (dodgy chicken and a bit of a scam with their desserts) – the town itself was VERY quiet and we couldn’t wait to get back to Torbole. We will definitely go back to Lake Garda at some point, but will probably stay in either Riva or Malcesine as they are bigger and livelier. We love Italy though and are currently planning our big holiday for September, hopefully fitting in Rome, Florence, Tuscany before going up to Milan for the Monza GP and finishing off in Venice – yikes! - that’ll be a review and a half!... Read review

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Advantages: Fantastic scenery
Disadvantages: Can be expensive

...I visited Italy for the first time in June 2003 and I know that I will go to Riva again. I originally booked the holiday as a couple of my friends were getting married in the northern town of Riva del Garda. I was pleasantly surprised! From the UK there are a lot of airlines who fly near to Riva. The closest airport is Verona which has daily flights by BA but can be expensive. A cheaper option is Alitalia. I flew from East Midlands airport to Bergamo (near Milan) which was less than £90 for a return flight (the earlier you book the cheaper it is) with BMI baby. I needed to arrange my travel to the resort so I chose the train to Verona. The cost of a 3 hour train ride was only 12 euros, that?s less than a tenner so I was extremely angry with the UK train operators when I got back for being extremely expensive. The nearest train station... Read review

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Advantages: tranquil and picturesque.
Disadvantages: Erratic bus service

...Torri de Beneco We booked this as the second resort in a dual centre holiday from Inghams Lakes and Mountains. Wading through the brochures there are many resorts around Lake Garda and very little information to help one choose between them so we were a little unsure what to expect when we arrived in Torri de Benaco on a brilliant hot sunny afternoon in July 2006. We were immediately impressed as we wandered around the cobbled streets and strolled on the promenade of this pretty harbour town. After the hustle and bustle of Venice the tranquillity was welcome, I was on holiday, it was time to unwind. Situation Torri de Benaco is situated half way along the Eastern shores of Lake Garda. Like all the resorts around Garda it is reached by the main road that runs North / South along the lake. From the road there is little to see... Read review

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Advantages: Good weather in August, great food, lovely people, lots to see and do
Disadvantages: It was a bit TOO hot in August

...My family and I have been to many different European resorts now, but last year we decided we wanted to go for something away from the norm. After a great amount of debating (most of it revolved around whether or not we'd eat the country's food!)we chose to drive to the small resort of Limone, Lake Garda. After two hard days of driving along many tedious motorways, we finally made it to Limone. Limone is not the easiest resort to drive through - there are many narrow tunnels to fight your way through, and hotels are signposted immediately before you get to them. That said, we had a fantastic time and I hope that we will go back some day. We stayed in the 4* Hotel Leonardo da Vinci, which was at the southern end of Limone. I might as well plug the hotel whilst I'm here, cos it was the best holiday I've ever been on! The staff were... Read review

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