First time in Lake Garda

We stayed in Saló which is across the bay from where you are staying. Saló was full of Europeans, Italians, Germans mostly and it was quite toney, very nice shops. It has a nice waterfront promenade. We didn’t see other Americans which was fine with us. It was recommended by an Italian cousin of a friend.

Could you clarify the town on Lake Garda that you'll be staying in? I wasn't able to find the location you mentioned on the map.

Are you reffering to Via Porticcioli near Salò? Because there is no villiage with that name at Lake Garda. Looks a bit off the track and no idea if doable without a car.

There is no train that goes up the west side of Lake Garda. However there are stops in Desenzano and Peschiera del Garda. You will have to travel by bus, ferry, or car from there

Yes, the town is across the bay from Salo near Via Porticcioli on the lake. I figured we could take the train as close to Lake Garda and then take the bus to our BnB. Sound right? What are your favorite places on the lake?

Looks like you could take train from Venice to Brescia then a 2 hour bus

Why that location?

Christine, it was an Air BnB we found that had good reviews and looked lovely. What do you think about it? Would you suggest somewhere else?

The train will get you from Venice to Desenzano on the lake at the southern end. There are direct trains departing Venice at 8 M and 10:48 am. Other times you will change trains in Verona.

You could take a bus or ferry tomSaló from there, and then might need a taxi to get to the house itself. You should ask the AirBnB owner for advice on arrival.

As for places on the lake to visit, we loved Malcescine and the cablecar up Monte Baldo. And Sirmione is worth a visitfor the Roman ruins, although the town itself is very crowded and “touristy” ( the main pedestrian street is lined with trinket and T-shirt shops).

I’d look for somewhere easier to get to that has train, bus and/or ferry service
You’d need a car for the location you are looking at-seems a bit remote

You need a car to stay at that location. Bus service is generally limited outside of commute time, and it's also too far to walk to the nearest ferry dock (Portese or Salò).

Without a car it is best to stay at or very near major ferry and bus stop towns such as, counterclockwise: Desenzano (also train stop), Peschiera (also train stop), Garda, Torri del Benaco, Malcesine, Torbole, Riva, Limone, Maderno, Salò.

What do you think about staying in Desenzano?

Desenzano and Peschiera are bigger towns and popular destinations since they have many accommodations and are along the railway line Milan-Venice. Desenzano is also an easy place to visit the very popular Sirmione.

Generally I prefer the northern side of Lake Garda, because of the majestic mountains dropping onto the lake (the south side is flat), but many prefer the south because of the logistics, given the availability of trains (at Desenzano and Peschiera) and the ease to reach Verona and Sirmione from those two big towns. Also accommodations are more plentiful.

It is up to you, but if you change your mind decide on the north side, I suggest Malcesine or also Riva. Torbole and Limone are also great choices albeit small and with fewer accommodations. The north side can be reached by bus from Verona (generally a change required at Garda town)

We had a pleasant 2-night stay at Hotel Park in Desenzano last September. But for a longer stay I would much prefer Malcescine, as the northern part of the lake is much more scenic. When we rode the ferry from Desenzano to Sirmione and back, I kept gazing at the lake and mountains to the north and wishing we were there instead.

We were originally planning to stay in Malcescine, taking the ferry there from Desenzano. We booked a hotel near the ferry dock, and then noticed that they would arrange transport to Malcescine from the Verona train station, or Roverto, which was a nice option. Then British Airways canceled our flight and the re-booked flight meant we had to cut a day from Lago di Garda. The hotel has a 3-night minimum in summer, so we could not go there, and changed to Desenzano.

kathy,

Thanks for the additional information. As the others have mentioned, the location of the B&B doesn't look too convenient in terms of transportation.

I found that Peschiera del Garda was a very convenient home base as it's right on the rail line and also easy access to the ferry dock. As others have said, Malecesine is also a good home base location. Travel time from Peschiera to Malcesine by bus is about 1H:20M. You could also travel that route by ferry.

As I recall, it's about a 15M walk from the rail station to the ferry dock, but there are usually taxis available that's a good option when hauling luggage.

I’m so glad I asked for your opinions on where to stay and all of you agreed the area we had chosen was too remote. We have decided to stay in Descenzano and feel much happier with this choice. Because we will not have a car, it will allow us to be at our lodging from the train in 15 minutes as well as be close to the ferry. When we leave Lake Garda, we will take the train to Florence where we will pick up our rental car to spend time in Tuscany.
Roberto, I would love to stay in Riva some time as it looks stunning. We are planning to head up that way on the ferry for a visit.
Thank you for your help as always, and Happy New Year.

For Desenzano, take a look at Park Hotel—-we were very happy there, in a nice room facing the lake. They have a rooftop pool and a garden with seating for breakfast and dinner. The location is great—right on the edge of the town square and pedestrian zone, and a short walk to the castle.

https://www.parkhotelonline.it/en/

hey hey kathy
glad you decided to change accomodations, stay near a transportation hub. it will be so much easier and not be out in the "boonies" without a car.
we were in venice few years ago, rented a car for 2 days, double booked room in bardolino at hotel nettuno right on the lake, to attend their annual wine festival (late sept/early oct) having bardolino wine
it's a gorgeous lake with lots to do with sporadic bus/taxi service. since we had the car we took a ride a ways up the main road SR249 with not much transportation. we were at a ferry stop that you could hop on and see the lake, it's towns/villages. we stopped in peschiera del garda town center to roam around and have lunch. it was a nice area with lots of places to stay, trains, ferries and buses, restaurants, shops, cafes.
the hotel Lola mentions looks great. it's so nice to see you staying on lake garda and most talk about lake como.
what are your plans or things to do and see?
rossiwrites.com/ lake garda
a blog about towns and things to do on the lake
duetigarage.com/ noleggio - trike
take a tour on a "tricycle" around the lake, any question email them
getyourguide.com/ lake garda
many different ideas, things to do
santuario madonna della corona, church built into sheer cliffs of mountain near mt baldo
crowdedplanet.com/ lake garda
things to do in lake garda plus the towns along lake and what they offer.
hope this gives you some insight for the lake. please do come back and let us know how your time was spent.
aloha

Here is another option from Desenzano—-take the ferry a short ride across the bay to Sirmione, and visit the Grotte di Cattulo:

https://visitbeautifulitaly.com/the-archaeological-site-of-grotte-di-catullo/

Another website with more photos ( and unfortunately lots more ads):

https://luxeadventuretraveler.com/sirmione-italy/

We walked there on a mostly-lakeside path from the ferry landing. After explore the Roman archeology for over an hour, we exited the site toward the lake so my husband could take a swim at Jamaica Beach.b see that area of what appears to be sand in the main photo of the top link, with people and beach towels? That is Jamaica “Beach”. Not a Sandy beach but a shelf of soft white rock that extends out into the water, inviting a swim. The water is very clean here as there is no fine sand or dirt suspended in it. But careful—the wet rocks are very slippery!

I am not quite as enthralled with the place as the writer of this blog, but it was a fun thing to do on a hot September day.

https://rossiwrites.com/italy/lake-garda/jamaica-beach-italy-spiaggia-giamaica/

This is an interesting photo from a link in that blog, with an aerial view of the whole Grotte di Catullus site, and the surrounding rock shelf.

https://www.facebook.com/BelvedereVillage/photos/a.10154101241610257/10166137462575257

The ferry from Desenzano and back was only €6 each roundtrip. The admission to the the Grotte di Catullus site was more, but well worth the price for the quality of the experience, the signage explaining everything, and the wonderful views.

We walked back through the town to look for a place for lunch, but the street was crowded and every place appeared full. Then we took a turn off the main path and discovered this place, which had free tables inside by an open window. The meal was excellent.

https://www.tavernettamariacallas.it/en/

We will be staying in Desenzano for 5 nights in May. We chose that location for its proximity to the train station and to the lake's ferry system. We booked a few months ago and had trouble finding 5 nights in a room category that we wanted in hotels located lakefront around the small marina - so don't wait too long to book for May.

Lola and Princess,
Glad you agree with our change. We haven’t planned our Garda itinerary yet as this was a recent location change. Your recommendations and links will be a lot of help. Any place that you feel wasn’t worth the time?

I booked an Air BnB yesterday for our 3 night stay. We are only using apartments so we can have 2 bedrooms.

Here we are in Desenzano for 3 nights. We have tomorrow and the next day to visit towns around the Lake. We plan on going to Sirmione tomorrow but need your advice on our itinerary. My friend wants to take the fast boat to Riva del Garda which is 4 hours by boat one way, and would only allow us 2 hours there in order to catch the boat back here. Is this worth it? We would also like to see Limione. Please help us figure this out.

Looking at the current schedule, it appears there is no direct boat to Riva from Desanzano; all Insee is routes that have you change twice.

https://www.navigazionelaghi.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Orari-Battelli-Web-Primavera-2023.pdf

Were it my choice, I would take the 8:05 ferry that goes as far as Moderno, changing there for the boat to Malcescine, arriving at 10:25. You can decide when you get there and have a look around whether you want to ride another boat further up the lake, to Limone and beyond. Or maybe you will want to stay in Malcescine and take the gondola up Monte Baldo and hike around.