Help planning Italy with family..

Great questions with so many answers likely to come your way based on other’s experiences. I would, however, highly recommend reading a great guide book to get you grounded, Rick Steves” Italy book was a terrific help to me our first couple of trips as I did not know what I did not know. So start reading the chapters pertinent to your plans.

Also, it would help to know how many nights you have in country and what time of year you are planning to be in Italy. Do you have airline tickets already?

You wouldn’t necessarily need a car for Lake Garda - you could take the train from Verona to Peschiera del Garda, then ferries to various towns around the lake. In the event you do decide to rent a car, are you familiar with the International Driving Permit? You would need to get one at your local AAA office for a small fee. Also, you need to be aware of ZTLs, which are zones within cities where bringing
a car is prohibited.

Do you already have flights booked? The reason I ask is because it's always best with timing in Venice to fly into Venice and out of Rome?

So we are landing in Rome June 21st and leave Venice July 2nd.

The only thing with renting a car is the I want to go to the town my family is from Biacesa di Ledro which isn’t on the lake. But maybe we could just take transportation there. How do you get around the lake? Is there trains? And then you take boats?

If you go to Lago di Garda I liked Sirmione on the southern side and then the towns around the very northern point are lovely: Limone sul Garda, Riva del Garda and Malcesine. The whole area is gorgeous. I like Verona very much. Make sure you walk across the Ponte Pietra and go up to Castel San Pietro for excellent scenic views of the city below. there is a funicular to get up there. Check to see if there are any concerts scheduled in the colosseum for your dates in Verona.

https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=2y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=Colosseum+tickets&utf8=%E2%9C%93

The above is a result of just one Search here. Once you type a topic, refine the Search by clicking "Travel Forum"
And then "Two Years and Newer".

You are fortunate- There is a wealth of info here on the Forum, as your questions comes up at least weekly. So I'd recommend reviewing the posts under Italy, watch the RS videos ( local library or PBS TV station), get an RS guidebook, review the Trip Reports posts under that section here on the Forum, and run Searches for specific questions. You will find dozens of personal recommendations, some of which may interest you, some not.

With you have some of that background info, then I think we can better help you, by answering more detailed questions.

Have a great trip and safe travels!

I agree that

Biacesa di Ledro is at the north end of Lago di Garda, very near Riva del Garda. There is a bus (214) from Riva, but a fun way to get there would be to rent bikes and ride the Strada del Ponale (an historic road now closed to car traffic) —it is only 3.6 miles, and billed as offering spectacular views of the lake. Or you can hike.

https://www.residencecentrovela.com/en/strada-del-ponale/

https://www.dangerousroads.org/europe/italy/3611-strada-del-ponale.html

Riva itself is a lovely town on the lake; if you can devote 2 nights to this part of your trip, this could end up being the highlight.

If you rent a car at Verona, you could drive to Riva del Garda, enjoy your stay there, then drive to Venice to turn the car in at Piazzale Roma, right in Venice itself (be sure to observe the speed limit as you drive over the bridge; there are 3 (!) speed cameras along there, and people have been know to get speeding tickets from all 3). We did this after a visit to Malcescine, and it worked out well.

I just checked with Auto Europe and you can rent a mid-size car at the Verona train station for 3 days/2 nights for
$390. Returning it at Venice instead of Verona will add $150. So you may want to drive it back to Verona and take the train from there to Venice—-check the cost of train tickets before you decide. And consider the convenience factor.

I would shave time off of Florence/Tuscany to have the 2 nights at Lago di Garda. You admit you are not museum people, and have no specific plans other than climb the Duomo, walk around, and take a cooking class somewhere in “Tuscany”. But Florence is IN Tuscany, so you don’t have to leave there to find a Tuscan cooking class.

We plan to do 3 nights at least in lake Guarda. And stay in Riva maybe. Any hotel reccomendations on places to stay?

Also I can’t figure out how to search the forums for past info. Please help 😊

This forum has a search, but you will have much better luck searching it with Google. I just Google search on Rick Steves Italy forum and then the topic.

As for the bikes, remember that the only flat area out of Florence is direction west (Sesto Fiorentino, Campi Bisenzio, not much scenic). On all the other sides Florence is surrounded by hills - direction south, beginning at Porta Romana, direction north, beginning at viale Volta. If you are used to pedaling uphill they are not much a challenge, but if you are not used the ride will be short. Have a look to photos on Google street view and make up your mind.

Three nights at Garda would be great. We have not stayed at Riva del Garda, but we spent 3 nights at Malcescine and that town would be great for an active family—-hiking and mountain biking on Monte Baldo (with or without the cablecar ride up from Malcescine), swimming in the lake, windsurfing, and more.

https://www.visitmalcesine.com/en

It is a 12-mile drive from there to Riva del Garda if you want to hike or bike to Biacesa from there, or you could drive all the way there (on a regular road, not the mountain-goat road hung on the cliffside).

My first choice for a hotel in Malcescine would be Hotel Castello, right on the lake below the castle, with a beach of its own.

https://www.h-c.it/en/

If that is unavailable, but you do want a hotel on the lake, take a look at Hotel Venezia, close to the ferry dock:

https://www.hotelvenezia-malcesine.it/en

Whatever you choose, make sure they offer a carpark (assuming you have a car).

Here is another, less expensive, option that just occurred to me:

https://en.lamadrugadamalcesine.com/contatti

They are above the lake with a nice view. They offer apartments at a very good price, and have a ver;y high rating on booking.com if you want to see reviews. Three night minimum.

We had a booking there in 2020, which of course had to be canceled. But I just received a nice Christmas card (e-card) from them, which reminded me to mention them to people thinking of staying in Malcescine..

There is a lovely bike trip out of Fiesole. He only takes four people at a time but you MUST be very comfortable on e-bikes. Easy to get to Fiesole on the #7 bus that leaves on the McDonalds corner across from the train station.

https://www.fiesolebike.it/e-bike-tours-in-fiesole-and-florence/

I have to add that my husband really liked it as did the other two. My e-bike experience was not good enough to allow me to participate-long story !! However, I did get to experience the olive oil and it is wonderful.

My husband said the the views of Florence were some of the best ‘we’ experienced on the trip.

So we are landing in Rome June 21st and leave Venice July 2nd.

By my count you have 11 NIGHTS on the ground in Italy. You are planning 4 locations. At best your itinerary would look like this:

Rome 3 nights
Florence 3 Nights
Lake Garda 3 nights
Venice 2 nights

A 3 night stay really means just 2 full days in that location. A 2 night stay is just 1 full day.
You need to account for travel time between your location choices, check out, get to train travel, get to lodgings, check in, get oriented, etc. Each move will use up at least a half a day. Your move from Florence to Garda with a stop in Verona to pick up a car will take the better part of a full day.

Since you don’t seem overly interested in Florence I would suggest you skip it this trip.

Rome 4 nights
Garda 4 mights
Venice 3 nights

We always use AutoEurope for our rentals. They are known for their stellar customer service.
All drivers must have an IDP- get at your local AAA- and be sure to do your homework regarding driving in Italy.

If picking up in Verona- you want Verona Porta Nuova Station. Europcar is near the satation- Be sure to note their open hours-
Closed on Sunday, closes around 12-1 Saturday, closed mid day weekdays 12-4ish.
You will need a car big enough for 4 passengers and 4 pieces of luggage- so travel light!

Thanks for all the help!! rented the car, got hotels, now time to plan time in each place. Decided the following schedule.. 2 full days Rome, 2 Days Florence, Lake Guarda 3 days, 1 day to Castelrotto, and 1 day Venice. The rest of time is travel days between cities.

Some other planning questions:
If you have gone on a Gonadalla ride in Venice is there one you suggest? any must see in Venice?
Lake Garada- staying in Riva and have a car. What are some suggestions- we like bike riding, hiking, seeing things

Any other must do/ sees in place I indicate above? Thanks! You all have been SO helpful

I don't think you're giving Venice, Florence or Rome nearly enough time. Italy is best savored, not rushed.

Decided the following schedule.. 2 full days Rome, 2 Days Florence,
Lake Guarda 3 days, 1 day to Castelrotto, and 1 day Venice. The rest
of time is travel days between cities.

Could you clarify your itinerary? tell us how many NIGHTS you will spend in each location.

Where will you get car and where will you drop car?

1 day in Venice is almost not worth the bother- it's really only going to be a half day if that.

I'm not a fan of Venice, but you need at least two days there.