Hi, my wife and I are having trouble deciding on where to stay for the 4 night Lake Garda portion of our Italy trip in September. We'll be coming off a 5 day trek in the Dolomites and arriving by bus and train. We head to Venice after that for a night before flying out of VCE (also spending a night there at the beginning of the trip). We went to Norway a couple years ago and really enjoyed staying Aurlandsvagen instead of nearby Flam, if that context helps at all.
We're mid-30s. I don't think we'll want to hike much or take a cable car since we'll have just been in the Dolomites. We want to relax, swim, eat good food, enjoy the beauty/wander towns and not be too busy but not bored either. Obviously we'd like to avoid overly crowded spots (skipping Sirmione). With 4 nights, I'd like to stay 2 nights in at least one place so we're not traveling everyday. No car. Any thoughts? I'm probably being too picky and/or overthinking it.
My initial interests are Riva del Garda, Gargnano, and Torri del Benaco, but I'm open to others. I was thinking 2 nights in Riva because I think we'll just want to swim and relax after our trek. I'm also really interested in going to Canale di Tenno nearby or maybe Arco. Then the western shore is really intriguing because I think it'll be quiet and less touristy (hence being interested in Gargnano over Limone). Then Torri del Benaco because it'll be quieter than nearby Malcesine but still be a nice spot with good food and the aesthetic we expect. And it'll make getting to Venice easier than it'd be coming from the western shore.
Y'all have any thoughts? Is 2 nights in Riva, 1 in Gargnano and 2 in Torri crazy? Should we skip the West all together and just take a ferry from Torri or Malchesine for a half day?
I'd love to hear about your trips! Thanks