Lake Garda – a magical mix of la dolce vita, adventure, spectacular nature, picturesque villages, castles and a Mediterranean climate in the middle of the mountains. We’ll show you hidden beauties on Italy’s largest lake that you definitely don’t know yet.
It was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who made Lake Garda known as a wonderful place. The Frankfurter visited Torbole almost 240 years ago at the beginning of his “Italian trip” and enthused: “How I wish my friends could sit next to me for a moment so that they could enjoy the view that lies before me.”
Even today, anyone who drives down the serpentine to Torbole via the northern town of Nago is still filled with a feeling of happiness – the magic of Lake Garda. This also includes a variety of leisure options, ranging from water sports to hiking, climbing, cycling, drinking wine, eating well, shopping, visiting romantic mountain villages or simply doing the famous sweet idleness “il dolce far niente”. We present eight insider tips around Lake Garda.
The idea is ingenious, the goal is ambitious and the execution can already be experienced: Ciclopista del Garda is the name of the cycle and footpath, which should be completed by 2026 and run 140 kilometers around Lake Garda. The special thing about the “Garda by Bike” project, which is supposed to be the most beautiful cycle path in the world: The route is partly anchored in rugged rock and protrudes out onto the water, creating spectacular views.
Between Capo Reamol near Limone and Riva you can test what it feels like to float, or rather walk or cycle, more than 50 meters above the deep blue of the lake. This particularly impressive section is around two kilometers long.
We stay in the northern part of the lake, which is up to 364 meters deep, or more precisely in the extreme north, in Arco. The small town, hidden behind Monte Brione, was once the winter residence of the Austrian imperial court and has been popular with climbing athletes since the 1980s. The free climbing world championship “Rock Master Festival Arco” takes place here every year in September.
But amateur athletes and beginners will also find a variety of options around Arco and its striking castle ruins on a rock above the town. A little further on the east side of the lake, in Polsa di Brentonico, the Family Adventure Park with six different climbing courses invites families, even with smaller children, to enjoy some action, including archery or mini golf.
There are many spectacular viewing spots around Northern Italy’s largest lake, such as from Monte Baldo or Punta Larici above the mountain village of Pregasina. But the Terrazza del Brivido terrace in the mountain village of Pieve de Tremosine tops them all: with its concrete platform hanging over the edge of the rock and the vertical view of more than 400 meters down to the water, it is not for people with a fear of heights.
If you enjoy thrills, you can enjoy a drink here on the terrace of the Hotel Paradiso – and the most breathtaking view of central Lake Garda. And then stroll through Pieve de Tremosine, which has already been voted one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.
It is not easy to reach, but the effort of walking a bit along the five-kilometer-long peninsula of the fortress town of Sirmione or arriving by boat or stand-up paddleboard is worth it. Because at its northwestern end, you can experience a Caribbean feeling – at Jamaica Beach.
Large, smooth white stones offer comfortable lying areas and easy access to the lake – sometimes up to 100 meters away. The water here is crystal clear and shines in light turquoise tones. And the entire beach has been awarded the “Blue Flag” environmental seal of quality since summer 2023. The bar of the same name contributes to the ultimate Jamaica atmosphere, offering cocktails, Aperol spritzes and “gelati” for beach guests. With the view from the extreme south over the entire lake, you can celebrate exactly what many vacationers in Italy dream of: La Dolce Vita.
Honestly, who hasn’t dreamed of cruising across the sparkling lake on their own boat? After all, Lake Garda is considered one of the most beautiful motorboat areas in Europe.
In the southern part of the lake, this vacation dream can quickly become a reality – in four days. And it is not necessary to buy your own boat. It is much easier and cheaper to purchase a boating license, which is offered, for example, by the German-speaking ab sports boat school in the bay of Manerba del Garda.
With the “inland” sports boat license you can steer high-horsepower sports boats across the lake. This project, which of course also involves cramming theory, is often easier in combination with a hotel vacation. The Lake Garden Eden Reserve Hotel
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Colorful mix on the west bank: In Gardone Riviera, the Austrian artist André Heller has immortalized himself with his paradise garden. He calls the extraordinary botanical garden with 3,000 plants and sculptures from all over the world “a sample collection of the world’s regions”. Including Indian and Moroccan art as well as works by well-known artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Susanne Schmögner, Mimmo Paladino and Keith Haring.
Here, visitors breathe in the “air of happiness,” as Heller calls the combination of love for nature, art and climate. A beautiful example of this is the traditional Japanese garden with bridges, ponds and carp, aquatic plants, fountains, water features and waterfalls. “A magical place that conveys feelings of joy” – one can only agree with these words from the creator of the garden in amazement.
It is ruby to garnet red, slightly fruity with scents of strawberry, raspberry, clove and cinnamon, sometimes slightly tangy and is best drunk young and cool: wine lovers’ hearts warm at the word Bardolino. This is the name of the typical Lake Garda wine and the small town on the so-called Olive Riviera between Garda and Lazise.
In the southeastern hinterland, the wine-growing areas extend from Torri del Benaco in the north and Vallegio sul Mincio in the south to the River Etsch. The 70-kilometer-long Strada del vino also runs along here – past hills, olive groves and vineyards and more than 40 wineries that invite you to taste. That’s why the recommendation is: first visit the wine museum in Bardolino and then go on a tour. If you prefer to drink white wine, head further south to Sirmione, where the Lugana wine-growing region begins.