Hello my family and I (2 adults & 2 kids 11, 8) are travelling to Verona in August this year, from there we would like to go to Lake Garda and surrounding areas. We were going to stay in Verona for a coupe of days then go onto Lake Garda, for about a week maybe more. Has anyone got any recommendations for places to stay for families and places to visit. We like water sports and like to get away from the touristy areas, pretty much up for any thing really!!
Thank You
Just back from Verona last week. Been to Lake area from Verona by bus to Malesine
And another bus to Riva do Garda after about two hours. Nice view all the way along the lake. You may sit on the left side for lake view. I noticed many cars with D plates, which means tourists from Germany.
Can't recommend hotels as we spent one day and back to Verona on the same day .
Can't imagine how these places will be crowded in July and August.
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IF you want non touristy in August then don't go to Lake Garda the whole lake will be busy, for watersports Riva and Limone are probably the best places.Malcesine is ok. Get something booked as soon as possible i would imagine you would already be struggling to find places. It might be cheaper going through a TO and then add on Verona. Thomson and Inghams offer Lake Garda, as part of their Lakes and Mountains programme. If you want less touristy you might want to check out one of the smaller lakes, like Lake Iseo, it will still be busy but more of a domestic market.
Thanks for the info guys, I will check out the offers at the TO. Do you think it can be done on a budget or is it just expensive ?
In August it will be expensive as will flights be unless you have already booked them but the TO's might have some deals but it is really busy. If you cannot find the right deals, then look at flying into Bergamo with ryanair, it is not that far away and you can get a train to Verona, then train/bus to the Lake. Non need to hire a car as the main lake road is like a car park in August.
Lake Garda is a sure bet with children, it offers quite a lot: one of Europe's biggest amusement parks (Gardaland), other theme parks (Movieland, Zoo safari, Caneva Sport for swimming pools), beaches with clean water, a rotating cable car to Monte Baldo, to see the lake from high up, a waterfall in a deep well of rock (Cascate del Varone), the windsurfer' paradise in Campione del Garda etc etc etc.
But in August it WILL be crowded AND traffic will be hellish - the lakeside roads are narrow (though the western one is really spectacular) and traffic jams are the norm.
If you want to experience a lake in August, as Richiavo suggests, Lake Iseo would be far less crowded. Also even smaller Lake Idro could have a chance.
Just to comment that 2 weeks ago I drove past on the A22 Autostrada. There was a 5 km queue southbound and 4 km northbound trying to leave at the Garda south exit. If that's June, just think it will be twice as bad in August.
I don't live far from Lake Garda, but we absoluytely avoid going there on summer weekends. And while the A4 motorway in unfortunately an almost daily itinerary, we try to avoid it on summer weekends as well - the Peschiera exit leads to Gardaland and it's always blocked, and queues from Peschiera to past Desenzano are very common.
The railway has only two stops on lake Garda: Desenzano and Peschiera, both on the southern part, which is the less scenic. For the rest of the lake you must rely on car, boats are few.
Lake Iseo is smaller, but it has a bypass road on the western shore, a railway linking it efficiently to Brescia and running on the whole of the eastern side, and good, year-round boat service due to Monte Isola, a large inhabited island. Monte Isola is car free and could be a nice holiday place, almost away from it all but five minutes by ferry from the rest of the world.
