Hi all -
My mom and I are taking a trip to Lake Garda in a couple of weeks and staying for a few nights in Gargnano. We were wondering what other parts of the lake are worth going to, since its so big we know we wont be able to explore it all, but would love to go to one or two other parts that arent too hard to get to from Gargnano. We love beautiful mountainous views, cute italian towns and good food!
Thanks!
Gargnano is a cute lake town and it's in the north lake, which is my favorite part.
You don't say if you have a car, therefore I assume you don't have one and I'll give you the public transport information. With a car it's just easier because you don't have to worry about schedules.
Other towns to visit are (just giving you a few must see)
Limone and Riva (both are on the same shore as Gargnano, therefore faster by bus)
Malcesine (on the opposite shore, therefore maybe faster by boat, although you can go around the lake on the north side (via Riva) by taking two buses (change in Riva).
On the south side the most famous town is Sirmione. It's by far the most visited town on the lake, therefore expect Disneyland type of crowds on weekends, especially in Spring/Summer. However it's a must see, therefore if you can, at least avoid visiting on weekends to avoid the crowds. Sirmione is probably easier by bus, via Desenzano (a larger town on the south side).
The lake is serviced by 3 bus agencies. One for each of the 3 provinces surrounding the lake (Brescia, Verona, Trento). Gargnano is in the Brescia province and is served by the respective agency.
The bus schedules for all 3 agencies are below:
http://www.lagodigarda.it/Linee-autobus/1158-1.html
For boat transportation the ferry schedules are below. However also consider that in addition to these regular boat lines there are also several private boat operators that operate boat excursions for tourists. Prices vary but are not necessarily much higher than the ferry lines below:
http://www.navlaghi.it/eng/g_illago.html
Roberto, Thanks for your usual level of excellent and helpful detail.
Not my thread, but could I ask - perhaps for all of us who are interested - if one is going from Sirmione to the northern part of the Lake, like Riva, is it better to take the bus or the ferry?
Thank you so much! We actually WILL have a car (sorry for not mentioning that) which will make getting to those towns much easier, really appreciate your advice!
JTraveler.
It depends on what you consider better.
If by better you mean faster, then the bus is probably better.
From Desenzano (which is 10-15 min by bus from Sirmione) to Riva is less than 2 hours.
If by better you mean more enjoyable and relaxing, then the boat is probably better. Some runs are on a fast catamaran, but still over 3 hours:
http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/g_download/2015_Battelli%20e%20Servizi%20Rapidi%20ESTATE.pdf
