Lake Garda Tourist Information

Bardolino on Lake Garda is an amazingly picturesque town situated South of Garda Town and North of Lazise which has been well known as a tourist resort for over a hundred years, helped by the 'rosso' wine that bears its name. The wine being cultivated in the green hills behind Bardolino which itself is actually very flat and easy to walk around.

Located between Lazise and Bardolino on Lake Garda, Cisano di Bardolino is an attractive little village with a marina and a number of restaurants and bars. There is a lovely pathway around the lake between Cisano and Bardolino itself which is gives some great lake views and is also very popular with cyclists.

Lazise on Lake Garda has a wonderfully attractive harbour area and piazza, both featuring a plethora of restaurants, pizzerias and bars. Shopping is good at Lazise too with many clothing, shoes and specialist stores often selling good quality products and designer labels as well as some rather unique and unusual stores selling everything from candles to African art. You can rent a boat at the harbour or take a ferry to another town around the Lake, but there is plenty to see and explore at Lazise.

Cola Village near Lake Garda is situated between Lazise (4km) and Pacengo (3km) on the South East of the Lake and is a convenient base for visits to Gardaland, Movie Studios Park and Lazise. It is a small attractive village with approximately 1000 inhabitants in the hills slightly overlooking lake Garda. This is where the famous Villa Dei Cedri, the thermal spa Parco Termale del Garda is located.

Pacengo is a small village on the South East shore of Lake Garda positioned between Gardaland and Movieland. Which makes it an ideal base for guests who wish to visit the themeparks and also enjoy relaxing in the sun. It also has a small, attractive marina and wonderful views of the lake and a large beach area.

Peschiera del Garda is on the South East corner of Lake Garda and has the most amazing lake views, as well as many marinas, shops and restaurants,but the lake is just a wonderful sight to see at Peschiera. The second unique feature of Peschiera is the Lakeside walk, which has a definite curve to it, lined with trees. It is just the ideal place to promenade.

The Lake Garda town of Sirmione is in the centre of the Southern shoreline and is not to be missed. You can visit Sirmione castle or just walk around the narrow cobbled streets taking in the colour and atmosphere of this unbelievably picturesque town, including lakeside walks and the Grotte di Catullo which is the remains of a first century Roman Villa which also has fantastic views of the lake.

Desenzano is the largest town on Lake Garda and is situated on the South West corner of the Lake. It has one of the prettiest promenades and a night scene, with the paved area coming alive at weekends with young people enjoying a great night out. Desenzano also has great shopping.

Moniga del Garda is a small town on the South West shore of Lake Garda with a picturesque harbour and a massive castle on the hill above the town. The harbour area is particularly picturesque with a wide expanse of man-made beach. Desenzano, Salo, Portese, San Felice and Gardone are nearby.

Salo is on the South West shoreline of Lake Garda in a very attractive bay just North of Desenzano and Moniga del Garda and has the widest promenade on the lake. It is an elegant resort and extremely popular as well as picturesque and well served with shops, restaurants, bars, pizzerias and some very nice hotels and apartments.

Gardone Riveria on Lake Garda was Winston Churchill's favourite Lake Garda resort and is situated half way up the West shoreline, opposite Bardolino. It is a small resort town but with some very interesting botanical gardens and many other attractions to explore. A good base for the West side of the Lake.

Gargnano is a little North of Gardone and one third of the way down the West side of Lake Garda, Toscolano-Maderno are the twin towns slightly further North. They are small but very picturesque with some attractive bays to explore and a large beach at Toscolano.

Limone is found 9km South of Riva on the West Coast of Lake Garda and is a very pretty town, built for tourists. Limone is the main tourist centre on the North West shore of Lake Garda. It is a dramatic scene with a town nestling at the bottom of steep mountain slopes, as if the Lake was carved out from between the mountains.

Riva is the second largest town on Garda Lake at the very top of the lake. Its long beaches and summer breeze make it (and Nago Torbole) the main centres for windsurfing and sailing on the lake. The lake in this area is particularly beautiful but don't be surprised when you see how mountainous the scenery gets as you approach Riva by the Gardesana lakeside orbital road. Torbole is a more vibrant centre and popular with surfers.

Malcesine is the largest town on the North East shoreline of Lake Garda and is 16km South of Riva. This is a historic town with an labyrinth of small shopping streets and a lovely, picturesque harbour and a 13th Century Castle. There is a great range of interesting shops and restaurants and don't miss the cable car ride to the summit of Monte Baldo.

The town Lake Garda was named after, Garda, is on the South East shore of the Lake Garda a ten minutes North of Bardolino and about 15 minutes North of Lazise. Garda has a spectacular bay area and lakeside promenade which is where the heart of the town lies with hotels, ice cream parlours, shops, bars and cafes. Garda also has a lovely lakeside walk and a beach.

Gardaland, Italy's largest themepark is located between Lazise and Peschiera at Pacengo. With extensive rides for children (and adults) of all ages, shows and activities. Gardaland is an extremely popular destination for families with children.

Movie Studios Park is a great day out! It has an exciting combination of movie based rides, live entertainment including a short version of the Rocky Horror Show and an appearance by the Blues Brothers, quite incredible stunt shows and exhibitions and demonstrations. When you go to Movie Studios Park you really are part of the cast. Movie Studios Park is also known as Caneva World.

Aqua Paradise Park is the water fun park at Lake Garda. The park features a tropical island with exciting water attractions, an erupting volcano, an ancient lighthouse and an entire fishing village, with silky white sand, palm trees, sharks and even a ghostly Galleon.

Lake Garda has an excellent zoo at Pastrengo, close to the Verona Road between Lazise and Bussolengo. It consists of a self-drive safari park (or bus tour) and a more traditional zoo but where the animals are given a great deal of space and their natural habitats being simulated wherever possible. Best to go during the week as weekends get very busy.

Located on the road to Verona between Lazise and Bussolengo this indoor amusement centre features, go-karting, videogames, laser shooting range and a children's world, plus a pizzeria and bar. Unfortunately their website is totally in Italian.

If an adventurous day appeals to you and you'd like a day out resembling an army assult course then you might like to checkout the new Jungle Adventure park at San Zeno. The website is unfortunately all in Italian, but is still very descriptive.