Dream vacation at Lake Garda - Italy's most popular lake to offer
The Lake Garda, Italy's largest and most popular lake, attracts millions of visitors from around the world every year. The Mediterranean landscape, turquoise water, culinary delights, and picturesque towns offer a perfect holiday. Besides famous attractions such as Verona, only about 30 kilometers from the southern shore, and the medieval town of Sirmione, the lake in northern Italy has even more to offer.
Lemon Riviera on Lake Garda
The Lemon Riviera on the western shore of Lake Garda is a delight with its lemon groves, which stretch picturesquely along the mountain slopes. In Limone sul Garda, the center of lemon production, you can enjoy fragrant citrus fruits in all forms and variations, especially with the traditional lemon liqueur Limoncello. The production is an art passed down from generation to generation.
A visit to the Limonaia del Castèl, the lemon tree house, is a must for every visitor. The current museum spans several terraces and offers a view of the old town below. In the summer, there are guided tours with lemon cake and the local Limoncello. The garden is also open outside of business hours until 11 p.m. Guided tours are offered in various languages and cost up to five euros including tasting. By boat, the magnificent lemon groves are best admired. Ferries connect most places around the lake, so a car is not always necessary.
Bardolino: Charming Old Town with Flair
Bardolino on the eastern shore of Lake Garda is a charming town with a beautiful old town surrounded by a medieval town wall. Narrow lanes, colorful houses, and the Italian atmosphere along the promenade promise a holiday feeling pure. Numerous restaurants, ice cream parlors, and bars invite you to linger. The pedestrian zone with its many side streets excites shopping hearts.
The market on Thursdays at the lakefront is especially popular. From local delicacies over fruit and vegetables to leather goods and fashion - both locals and tourists benefit. Relaxation from shopping stress can be found in many hotels with pools, spas, and wellness areas, such as the four-star "Aqualux Hotel Spa Suite & Therme", which is conveniently located near the old town. Highlights include a Mediterranean garden with SPA, saunas, and fitness center, as well as the Aqua-Experience with eight heated indoor and outdoor pools in various sizes and a pool bar. The in-house restaurants are Italian and regional. The house values a sustainable and ecologically-green orientation in terms of construction, cuisine, and applications.
Wine Region Lake Garda
The region around Lake Garda is known for excellent wines. Numerous wineries such as Avanzi, Ca del Frati, Lamberti, Masi, Zenato, Zeni, or Ca Maiol produce regional specialties like Bardolino Classico, Lugana, Chiaretto, Valpolicella, or Amarone. Wine tastings, cellar visits, and sales directly from the farm are almost everywhere possible.
Part 1: Wine Museum at Kellerei Zeni in Bardolino
Particularly worthwhile is a visit to the Wine Museum of Kellerei Zeni in Bardolino. To be seen are the Oenotheque, the Olfactory Gallery, and the Barrel Cellar. Historical treasures as well as themes around wine cultivation, grape knowledge, harvest, aging in oak barrels, and filling are to be marveled at. Since 1991, the collections amassed by the Zeni family have been publicly and freely displayed, providing evidence of the Veronese wine-making tradition and Italian wine culture. Not only at the lake, but also in the hinterland, wonderful wine estates can be discovered. For interested connoisseurs, a tour through the vineyards is offered, such as a Tasting Tour along the Wine Road. Winemakers, gastronomes, and gourmets have joined forces and offer along the route new impressions of Lake Garda. One of the most important European wine fairs, Vinitaly, takes place annually in Verona, with winemakers from all over Italy.
Monte Baldo: Panoramic View from the Peak
Monte Baldo, with its 2,218 meters, is the highest mountain on Lake Garda and offers breathtaking panoramic views of the lake and the surrounding landscape. The summit is easily accessible by cable car, tickets can be purchased online. Hiking, paragliding, climbing, bike trails, or other sporting activities are possible all year round, and mountain huts invite to linger.
Since 2017, there have been three different riding trails above 2,000 meters in various difficulty levels. The regions Veneto and Trentino are connected over approximately 110 km in length: the riding trails are divided into a blue route (Monte Altissimo di Nago), a red route (Madonna della Neve), and a yellow route (Malga Ime). On the back of the animals, one can easily unwind with the rhythm of their hooves and the rustling of the wind. On the mountain massif, there are a total of four climate zones, each with its typical vegetation. Up to 700 meters, the Mediterranean zone, and from 700 to 1,500 meters, the mountain zone. Then follows, up to 2,000 meters, the boreal zone, and above 2,000 meters, the alpine zone.
Isola del Garda: Green Island in the Lake
Isola del Garda is the largest island in Lake Garda and is in private ownership. A botanical garden with exotic plants and the stately Villa in the neo-Gothic-Venetian style are popular excursion destinations. The park stands out with magnolias, magnificent agaves, and numerous other plants, in which many birds find a home. The palms next to the Villa come from the Canary Islands, and fruit trees such as pomegranates, as well as citrus trees, grow excellently here.
From May to October, guided tours are available, and during a Cultural Summer, regular concerts take place. The island is also a popular hotspot for weddings. Only the bride and groom are not allowed to stay overnight. Accommodation is available in the 200-meter-distant San Felice del Benaco, for example, at the Hotel Villa Luisa Resort & Spa.
Summer Temperatures until Late August
The ideal travel time for a vacation at Lake Garda is from April to October. The Lake Garda bathing season begins no later than June. Urlaubers can enjoy summer temperatures and plenty of sun until late August. With the onset of autumn in September, the Lake Garda low season begins.
- For nature lovers planning a dream vacation in Northern Italy, Lake Garda's Lemon Riviera on the western shore is a must-visit, famous for its fragrant lemon groves and the traditionally produced Limoncello.
- Visitors to Bardolino, a charming town on the eastern shore of Lake Garda, can relax in luxury at the "Aqualux Hotel Spa Suite & Therme," offering a Mediterranean garden, SPA, saunas, fitness center, and Aqua-Experience with indoor and outdoor pools.
- Wine enthusiasts should consider visiting Kellerei Zeni's Wine Museum in Bardolino for a taste of the region's rich wine-making tradition and Veronese culture, showcasing historical artifacts and wine cultivation and aging processes.
- Mountain lovers may enjoy a cable car ride to Monte Baldo, Lake Garda's highest mountain at 2,218 meters, offering breathtaking panoramic views and year-round Sports like hiking, paragliding, and bike trails.
- Isola del Garda, the largest island in Lake Garda, is a popular excursion destination for its botanical garden, exotic plants, and historic Villa, hosting guided tours, concerts, and weddings from May to October.
- Travelers planning a dream vacation at Lake Garda should consider visiting between April and October, when the lake's bathing season begins and guests can enjoy sunny summer temperatures until late August before transitioning into the autumn low season.
