Italy is one of my favorite places in the world, and while I love the busy city breaks of Milan, Venice and Rome, nothing quite beats a week exploring the beautiful Italian lakes. Out of the lakes I have visited so far (Maggiore, Como and Garda), Lake Garda is my favourite. Whilst it is the biggest lake and naturally comes with plenty of tourists, it also offers plenty of activities and attractions to keep you busy, as well as the beautiful lake front to just sit and take a breather from time to time. If you want to plan a bit before you go I found this explore Lake Garda page on the Thomson Lakes site that was pretty useful. There’s enough to do in Lake Garda that you could go back year after year and never get bored but if you’re just after the basics, here are my favourite things to do.
Hire a Car & Road Trip Around the Lake
There are so many towns and fishing villages to explore in Lake Garda, I think it’s a shame to not see or visit as many as possible during your trip. The distance around the lake is around 100 miles long, meaning that driving from town to town doesn’t actually take too long (although watch out for traffic in peak summer!). The last two times I’ve done this, I’ve booked hotels in three towns per week stay; that way I got at least a full day in each town, plus I had time to stop off in smaller villages during the drive. As well as experiencing the different quirks of each town, road tripping allows you to see the lake from every angle, including a beautiful close up view of the Dolomites which you wouldn’t get if you stuck to the east.
Take a Cable Car up to Monte Baldo…
Malcesine is one of my favourite towns on the east side of the lake. It’s a small town but very picturesque, with its medieval streets and very own castle, Castello Scaligero. Malcesine lies on the lake shore, and behind is the beautiful Mount Baldo ridge which can be reached by cable car from the town. Once you’re at the top, you can explore the trails to the left and right, both which have unbelievable views of Lake Garda and its surrounding mountains. There are also a few cafes to stop at if you want to rest and soak in the scenery.
And…Paraglide Down!
There are many sports which Lake Garda hosts but paragliding has to be my absolute favourite! With a wide selection of mountains to paraglide down (we went with a company called Fly2Fun) but Monte Baldo has to be my absolute favourite for the views. It’s a 1,700 metre drop which is terrifying but completely exhilarating; there is honestly no other feeling like it. If you’re an expert paraglider you can choose to do it alone, but for novices like myself, tandem paragliding (with an instructor) is still an unbelievable experience.
Enjoy a Gelato on the Lake Front
While there is tonnes of things to do in Lake Garda, one of my favourite pass times is simply to enjoy the peace with a book in one hand and an authentic Italian gelato in the other. My favourite gelato place in Bardolino is Gelateria Cristallo as it is literally on the lakeside, and there is a huge range of delicious flavours of ice cream to choose from – I’ve tried most and genuinely can’t choose a favourite! If you arrive in the early afternoon and want to spend a few hours or so watching the world go by, their pizzas are also incredible.
Enjoy the Rides at Gardaland Park
Although Gardaland Park can be massively overcrowded; if you go outside of June and July you’re in for such a fun day! The rides are brilliant – much better than any theme park I’ve visited in the UK, and there’s a huge variety, with enough loops, steep drops and water rides to suit everyone’s needs. They also have an app that, if you’re happy to use your phone abroad, gives you the real life queue times for each ride so you can pick and choose on convenience, and the park is open until around 10.30pm so you can easily fit all the rides in in one full day.
Have a Picnic in Brenzone
Most Lake Garda towns are extremely tourist-oriented, which is why I love driving and spending a day in the district of Brenzone. Many of the towns are quiet, peaceful and tourist free as they lack accommodation, making it the perfect day trip out away from crowds. The district is on the east, bordering on to Mount Baldo and as such has some of the most beautiful wooded mountain trails I’ve visited. The beaches in Brenzone are beautiful too, made of beautiful contrasting white sand and sparkling emerald water. My favourite thing to do is grab some Italian meats, bread and olives from local shops and spend the morning hiking, then have a picnic in the afternoon on the beach when it gets too hot to move.
Surf the Wind
After paragliding, my favorite Lake Garda sport has to be windsurfing. The conditions are perfect and if you do fall into the water, it’s at least warm and you’ll dry off pretty quickly. There are plenty of water sports businesses around the lake, so you can pretty much go wherever you’re staying, and depending on your skill level you can take a class, go as a group, or just hire the equipment. A few hours windsurfing really builds up an appetite, meaning you can find a good quality restaurant and splurge on pizza and dessert no matter what time of the day it is.
The above post was provided by guest partner Thompson Lakes.
Photo credits: https://pixabay.com/en/
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
