Has anyone been to Lake Garda?

I was at Lake Garda several years ago and it is beautiful.
Here is a link with info on several towns around the lake.
Beautiful Villages

Has anyone been to Lake Garda?

Millions of people have been to Lake Garda. It's the largest and most popular lake destination in Italy. Several frequent contributors to this forum have as well, including yours truly.

Rick Steves doesn't cover it much, probably because Rick loves trains and Lake Garda is not well served by trains. The Milan-Verona-Venice railway goes to the south of it and stops in Peschiera and Desenzano, but the more beautiful north lake is served by boats and buses only.

My favorite towns are Limone, Malcesine, Torbole, Gargnano, Riva. The last one is a bit bigger town.
On the south side, between Desenzano and Peschiera, is Sirmione, which is a gem, if it weren't for the tourist crowds.

Lots of activities in the area. It's a wind surfer Mecca, but they have all kind of theme parks, like Garda Land, Natura Viva Safari Park, Mt. Baldo goldola with view on top. Once upthere you can come down with a parachute if you want. The official visitor site is below.

http://www.visitgarda.com/en/garda_lake/

Scully,

Yes, I've been to Lake Garda. It's a beautiful spot but as Roberto mentioned only the two larger towns on the south shore are served by rail. Getting to and from Sirmione can be a darn nuisance if the tourist hordes have descended on the area. I stayed in Peschiera del Garda and quite enjoyed my time there. It has good rail access and good boat access to the towns on the north end, so it's quite possible to take day trips to Malcesine, Limone sul Garda or other places.

While I enjoyed Lake Garda, it didn't have the same appeal for me as Lago di Como (Varenna) or Lago Maggiore (Stresa).

We were on lake Guarda for 2 weeks 2 years ago and for a week the year before, staying at a beautiful villa just next to a lovely little lake town called Lazise. It's an ideal family vacation spot in my experience. Gorgeous scenery, charming little towns around the lake (Sermione is a gem), very relaxed and accessible. Depending where you stay, it can be only 20 minutes to Verona as well. And if you are with kids, Guardaland is cool. don't think we ran into any other Americans while we were there, for whatever reason it's not as popular as its glamorous neighboring lakes for American tourists.

I stayed I lim one two years ago, it was lovely. Ferries will take you to most towns; there are also buses, but I didn't use them.

I was there last May. I only had time for a day trip from Verona. It was an easy bus ride to Sirmione. It wasn't too crowded, but I'm sure as summer gets underway that changes. I really enjoyed my day there and maybe some day I'll have the opportunity to spend more time there. When I originally thought I'd be able to spend a few days there I made reservations in Malcesine. I was disappointed to have to cancel.

It really seems lovely to me. I'm talking to a friend tomorrow who lives at Lake Como and has been to Lake Garda, for more info and suggestions.