Lake Garda recommendations
Discussion
Looking at booking at a holiday camp for the first week on June, 2 adults and an 8 year old.
First time we will have visited. Ideally in walking distance of the lake or we hire some bikes, although we have just had a quote of £38 for a day….
We’ve heard it’s not worth hiring a car so as close to the lake we can would be ideal.
I’m not sure this is a good location?
https://www.campingfossalta.com/solutions/mobile-h...
First time we will have visited. Ideally in walking distance of the lake or we hire some bikes, although we have just had a quote of £38 for a day….
We’ve heard it’s not worth hiring a car so as close to the lake we can would be ideal.
I’m not sure this is a good location?
https://www.campingfossalta.com/solutions/mobile-h...
BertyFish said:
Looking at booking at a holiday camp for the first week on June, 2 adults and an 8 year old.
First time we will have visited. Ideally in walking distance of the lake or we hire some bikes, although we have just had a quote of £38 for a day….
We’ve heard it’s not worth hiring a car so as close to the lake we can would be ideal.
I’m not sure this is a good location?
https://www.campingfossalta.com/solutions/mobile-h...
I haven't camped at Garda, but have been there plenty of times.First time we will have visited. Ideally in walking distance of the lake or we hire some bikes, although we have just had a quote of £38 for a day….
We’ve heard it’s not worth hiring a car so as close to the lake we can would be ideal.
I’m not sure this is a good location?
https://www.campingfossalta.com/solutions/mobile-h...
The site you are considering is at the south of the lake. I would PERSONALLY prefer the north for a first visit; somewhere near to Malcesine. This is especially true if you aren't hiring a car. It is beautiful, if busy in the summer, and a good introduction to Garda. Also Monte Baldo is there, which is entertaining - a cable car ride and a bit of a hike. Watch the paragliders hurl themselves like lemmings off the mountain.
Also in Malcesine there is a kite beach. A short journey further north and you've Torbole, which again is a big water sports area. Bikes hired there too IIRC. This area seems to have more going on - arts, concerts etc - than anywhere else.
You'll probably want to visit places by boat and all the northern end is accessible easily from Malcesine - Torbole, Limone, Riva Del Garda etc. Beware, the boats won't get you from the north to the south or vice versa in a single day. Or rather they will, but you won't get back.
The south of the lake is great, but we've found the interesting areas further spread out. If you want to get a feel for the place, and you're not driving, the north is the place to be.
Other random thoughts - do your research and take the necessary precautions regarding mosquitos. They thrive near Garda. We typically find that each Italian place we go to has one anti-mosquito spray that works best - ask the locals. Mozzy bites can be quite an annoyance.
If you go to Malcesine there is an abundance of restaurants, ice cream places etc. But seek out this little place: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g194... It's little more than a hole in the wall but serves great pizza by the slice.
Despite how it may appear, I am not employed by the Malcesine tourist board, my preference for it really is just borne out of experience.
Edited by Louis Balfour on Monday 8th May 09:26
Louis Balfour said:
I haven't camped at Garda, but have been there plenty of times.
The site you are considering is at the south of the lake. I would PERSONALLY prefer the north for a first visit; somewhere near to Malcesine. This is especially true if you aren't hiring a car. It is beautiful, if busy in the summer, and a good introduction to Garda. Also Monte Baldo is there, which is entertaining - a cable car ride and a bit of a hike. Watch the paragliders hurl themselves like lemmings off the mountain.
Also in Malcesine there is a kite beach. A short journey further north and you've Torbole, which again is a big water sports area. Bikes hired there too IIRC. This area seems to have more going on - arts, concerts etc - than anywhere else.
You'll probably want to visit places by boat and all the northern end is accessible easily from Malcesine - Torbole, Limone, Riva Del Garda etc. Beware, the boats won't get you from the north to the south or vice versa in a single day. Or rather they will, but you won't get back.
The south of the lake is great, but we've found the interesting areas further spread out. If you want to get a feel for the place, and you're not driving, the north is the place to be.
Other random thoughts - do your research and take the necessary precautions regarding mosquitos. They thrive near Garda. We typically find that each Italian place we go to has one anti-mosquito spray that works best - ask the locals. Mozzy bites can be quite an annoyance.
If you go to Malcesine there is an abundance of restaurants, ice cream places etc. But seek out this little place: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g194... It's little more than a hole in the wall but serves great pizza by the slice.
Despite how it may appear, I am not employed by the Malcesine tourist board, my preference for it really is just borne out of experience.
I’ll second the Malcesine recommendation as we’ve been numerous times - it’s very special and one of my favourite places in the world. I’ve never camped though but be aware that it can get extremely hot in the summer - I’ve seen 40c over a few days. Swimming in the lake is magical. The site you are considering is at the south of the lake. I would PERSONALLY prefer the north for a first visit; somewhere near to Malcesine. This is especially true if you aren't hiring a car. It is beautiful, if busy in the summer, and a good introduction to Garda. Also Monte Baldo is there, which is entertaining - a cable car ride and a bit of a hike. Watch the paragliders hurl themselves like lemmings off the mountain.
Also in Malcesine there is a kite beach. A short journey further north and you've Torbole, which again is a big water sports area. Bikes hired there too IIRC. This area seems to have more going on - arts, concerts etc - than anywhere else.
You'll probably want to visit places by boat and all the northern end is accessible easily from Malcesine - Torbole, Limone, Riva Del Garda etc. Beware, the boats won't get you from the north to the south or vice versa in a single day. Or rather they will, but you won't get back.
The south of the lake is great, but we've found the interesting areas further spread out. If you want to get a feel for the place, and you're not driving, the north is the place to be.
Other random thoughts - do your research and take the necessary precautions regarding mosquitos. They thrive near Garda. We typically find that each Italian place we go to has one anti-mosquito spray that works best - ask the locals. Mozzy bites can be quite an annoyance.
If you go to Malcesine there is an abundance of restaurants, ice cream places etc. But seek out this little place: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g194... It's little more than a hole in the wall but serves great pizza by the slice.
Despite how it may appear, I am not employed by the Malcesine tourist board, my preference for it really is just borne out of experience.
Edited by Louis Balfour on Monday 8th May 09:26
Edited by MarkJS on Monday 8th May 09:41
Another vote for Malcesine here too. It is lovely. The access by boat to other towns and Monte Baldo give plenty of options. The other thing to bear in mind is the east of the lake gets sun into the evening, whereas the western side such as Limone are in shade from mid afternoon due to the mountains.
Been to Lake Garda many times over the last 10 years or so, in fact this our normal go to place for a yearly holiday.
We always stay at Porto Portese which is on the west side of the lake. very close to Salo which is a lovely town with plently to see and do.
We stay here https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Camping+eden/@...
Beautiful site with a mixture of lodges/villas, camper vans and tents. Has its own private beach. Salo is a good 45 minute walk away, cycle there if you can.
We always stay at Porto Portese which is on the west side of the lake. very close to Salo which is a lovely town with plently to see and do.
We stay here https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Camping+eden/@...
Beautiful site with a mixture of lodges/villas, camper vans and tents. Has its own private beach. Salo is a good 45 minute walk away, cycle there if you can.
Thanks for all of the replies,
Yes we will be taking our 8 year old boy.
So from what people are saying north is good for views etc, i presume this area is more hill/mountains as people say. See below map.
I dont think its worth getting a car as we will hopefully get boats to different areas, maybe in the East / West middle is the best option?
In an ideal world a nice campsite with a good poool but walking/riding distance to the lake.
Yes we will be taking our 8 year old boy.
So from what people are saying north is good for views etc, i presume this area is more hill/mountains as people say. See below map.
I dont think its worth getting a car as we will hopefully get boats to different areas, maybe in the East / West middle is the best option?
In an ideal world a nice campsite with a good poool but walking/riding distance to the lake.
BertyFish said:
Thanks for all of the replies,
Yes we will be taking our 8 year old boy.
So from what people are saying north is good for views etc, i presume this area is more hill/mountains as people say. See below map.
I dont think its worth getting a car as we will hopefully get boats to different areas, maybe in the East / West middle is the best option?
In an ideal world a nice campsite with a good poool but walking/riding distance to the lake.
It's more mountainous in the north, yes. But there is also more to do.Yes we will be taking our 8 year old boy.
So from what people are saying north is good for views etc, i presume this area is more hill/mountains as people say. See below map.
I dont think its worth getting a car as we will hopefully get boats to different areas, maybe in the East / West middle is the best option?
In an ideal world a nice campsite with a good poool but walking/riding distance to the lake.
There is a water park near Fossalta, so if you're big on water parks maybe that's a good choice. It very much depends what you want from a holiday, as a family, and what Junior enjoys doing.
Personally, I'd avoid being in the middle. You'll struggle to find anywhere around the lake that isn't pleasant, but from an East or West central location you're travelling a lot. The boats last year seemed to be becoming quite pricy.
You can hire speed boats from a number of places around the lake, but you need to plan carefully where you want to go. Places are surprisingly far apart when you've only got a 35hp outboard.
Louis Balfour said:
It's more mountainous in the north, yes. But there is also more to do.
There is a water park near Fossalta, so if you're big on water parks maybe that's a good choice. It very much depends what you want from a holiday, as a family, and what Junior enjoys doing.
Personally, I'd avoid being in the middle. You'll struggle to find anywhere around the lake that isn't pleasant, but from an East or West central location you're travelling a lot. The boats last year seemed to be becoming quite pricy.
You can hire speed boats from a number of places around the lake, but you need to plan carefully where you want to go. Places are surprisingly far apart when you've only got a 35hp outboard.
Agreed would rather have a car than a boat. It’s a bigger lake than it looks, and boats are slow and dull for the most part, unless you have a gin palace to yourself. There is a water park near Fossalta, so if you're big on water parks maybe that's a good choice. It very much depends what you want from a holiday, as a family, and what Junior enjoys doing.
Personally, I'd avoid being in the middle. You'll struggle to find anywhere around the lake that isn't pleasant, but from an East or West central location you're travelling a lot. The boats last year seemed to be becoming quite pricy.
You can hire speed boats from a number of places around the lake, but you need to plan carefully where you want to go. Places are surprisingly far apart when you've only got a 35hp outboard.
OP, why no car hire? Cost?
Potentially less helpful if you're not hiring a car... but we stayed at Lake Ledro last year, up in one of the smaller valleys to the north of Garda. We stayed in Best Ledro Camping in one of their safari tents and it was ace - kitchenette/self contained with lake views. Bike hire etc all from the clean, modern campsite. Lake beach just across the road with a couple of bars/restaurants walking distance. We also hired bikes (cheap from the campsite) and rode around the lake to Pieve di Ledro which is a small town. Lovely little bakery on Via C. Battisti!!
Malcesine is really really lovely and would recommend the rotating gondola too - Monte Baldo cableway. We took it up then walked back down into town. You can walk half way down though and catch the cable car back down to the lake.
Malcesine is really really lovely and would recommend the rotating gondola too - Monte Baldo cableway. We took it up then walked back down into town. You can walk half way down though and catch the cable car back down to the lake.
You guy's have me looking at "Malcesine" for a nice 4 night's away.
How do you transfer from Verona ? I checked https://www.suntransfers.com and it's like £ 300.-- ? for a Taxi ?
Advise appreciated
How do you transfer from Verona ? I checked https://www.suntransfers.com and it's like £ 300.-- ? for a Taxi ?
Advise appreciated
N4LLY said:
You guy's have me looking at "Malcesine" for a nice 4 night's away.
How do you transfer from Verona ? I checked https://www.suntransfers.com and it's like £ 300.-- ? for a Taxi ?
Advise appreciated
Ask the hotel to get a taxi quote for you. It's about an hour from Verona.How do you transfer from Verona ? I checked https://www.suntransfers.com and it's like £ 300.-- ? for a Taxi ?
Advise appreciated
If you don’t get a hire car you’ll miss being able to recreate the first min or so of this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtJBLevKK6g
Admittedly it wasn’t quite the same in a hired Ford focus, but stunning location.
If you do venture round the lake, this is a great place for pizza
https://maps.apple.com/?address=Via%20San%20Michel...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtJBLevKK6g
Admittedly it wasn’t quite the same in a hired Ford focus, but stunning location.
If you do venture round the lake, this is a great place for pizza
https://maps.apple.com/?address=Via%20San%20Michel...
N4LLY said:
You guy's have me looking at "Malcesine" for a nice 4 night's away.
How do you transfer from Verona ? I checked https://www.suntransfers.com and it's like £ 300.-- ? for a Taxi ?
Advise appreciated
Me too!How do you transfer from Verona ? I checked https://www.suntransfers.com and it's like £ 300.-- ? for a Taxi ?
Advise appreciated
I checked a few hotels too and many have a Verona Airport transfer facility that works out cheaper than just getting a taxi. It's about 65 km so it will not be cheap anyway.
As an aside, Verona is our most favorite Italian city...been there four times and thinking already of the next time.
R.
The Leaper said:
N4LLY said:
You guy's have me looking at "Malcesine" for a nice 4 night's away.
How do you transfer from Verona ? I checked https://www.suntransfers.com and it's like £ 300.-- ? for a Taxi ?
Advise appreciated
Me too!How do you transfer from Verona ? I checked https://www.suntransfers.com and it's like £ 300.-- ? for a Taxi ?
Advise appreciated
I checked a few hotels too and many have a Verona Airport transfer facility that works out cheaper than just getting a taxi. It's about 65 km so it will not be cheap anyway.
As an aside, Verona is our most favorite Italian city...been there four times and thinking already of the next time.
R.
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