Lake Garda, Italy

Richard33

Travelling to Lake Garda in May with my wife & 10 month old baby, just looking for some accommodation and 'things to do' recommendations.

Running Balance

Hijacking alert!!

wife and I are looking at honeymooning there in July, but the cost seems a bit crazy for the standard of hotel.
Malesecine seems like the nicest of the resorts on the lake.

Richard33

Thanks, I'll have a look at Malesecine.

Richard33

Richard33 wrote: »

Travelling to Lake Garda in May with my wife & 10 month old baby, just looking for some accommodation and 'things to do' recommendations.

There are loads of really nice villages and towns around the lake, so really it depends on what you're looking for and how you're travelling, but my recommendations for places to stay would be Lazise, Garda, Riva del Garda and Peschiera del Garda. Riva d/G is really nice, but it is right at the top of the lake which means it takes longer getting anywhere else from there compared to the others which are at the southern end of the lake.

We've rented apartments and stayed in mobile homes, but we haven't tried any of the hotels - an apartment would be my preference and might be the most comfortable option for travelling with a baby.

Car hire is a wise idea, if only because public transport around the lake stops very early and taxis are expensive. We flew into Milan and hired a car from there, and it's not too long a run over the A4 to the lake - and if you're flying to an airport a bit closer (e.g. Bergamo) the trip would be even easier. Having said that, I much prefer Milan (either Linate or Malpensa) to Bergamo despite the extra driving - I thought Bergamo airport was a kip.

Two really obvious things to do with a car are (1) take a spin around the lake to the various towns and villages, and (2) take a ferry or two across the lake with the car. It's lovely being out on the water on a nice day, and the ferry is a relatively cheap way to cruise the lake. But keep in mind that it's a big lake, and some of the ferry crossings take ages, so choose carefully. All of the towns/villages I mentioned above are worth stopping off in, as are Bardolino, Limone and Torbole.

Visit Sirmione - it's lovely. It can be crowded, but it's worth the visit, IMO.

You should also consider putting aside a day to go to Malcesine, from where you can get the cable car up 1,700 metres to Monte Baldo.

Another spot worth visiting (if you're driving) is the Parco Giardino Sigurtà. If you like gardens, this is highly recommended. It's in Valeggio Sul Mincio, which is about 9 km to the south of Peschiera d/G at the southern end of the lake.

http://www.sigurta.it/index.php

Further afield, you should consider taking spins to Verona and Venice for day trips. From the southern end of the lake you can drive to Verona in half an hour and Venice in maybe 90 minutes. Or you can get to the station in Peschiera d/G and take a train to either.

Hope this is helpful.

munchkin_utd

i have to say that having an apartment with a baby is much the better option. The baby will want to sleep for a lot of the time so if you have separate bedroom and living quarters then you can rest the baby in there and you can sit out front on the terrace supping wine without disturbing him/ her.
Been to garda now a few times and anywhere you go is spot on
Places like peschiera or Garda have plenty of restaurants and apartments.
Bardolino is really nice but a little more upmarket, so good for a honeymoon.

Richard33

Looking forward to the holiday now! I agree about the apartment, especially with our baby. This is really going to be a chill out holiday. We plan on hiring a car, so we can visit the places mentioned above when it suits over the week.

Calmsurrender

Hope it's ok to bump this, am also hoping to travel to Garda with a young child soon. Would any one have some recommendations of websites to look for apartments?
Cheers

Balmed Out

Just a quick note, I spent a few nights in Sirmione while travelling about Italy last summer and there is no way I would recommend for anyone travelling with a buggy as its just too crowded, lovely spot but not with a buggy.

Richard33

Calmsurrender wrote: »

Hope it's ok to bump this, am also hoping to travel to Garda with a young child soon. Would any one have some recommendations of websites to look for apartments?
Cheers

Probably a bit late now, but we used Airbnb.ie