Lake Garda? Or somewhere else? Summer 2026

There is useful information about watersports here
https://lakegardatravel.net/lake-garda-water-sports/
If your kids like windsurfing or kite surfing, the north of the lake is the place to be.

We stayed in Venice, Ortisei, and Malcesine (on Lake Garda) last June as part of a larger trip.

On Lake Garda we visited Limone and Riva Del Garda. Riva del Garda is the largest and I would think would have more options for lodging.

Ferrying between towns we saw lots of windsurfing.

If you want somewhere not on the lake but convenient to getting to Ortisei, we really enjoyed Verona. It has a compact historical historical center and is reminiscent of Rome with its arena but without the crowds.

I would also consider spending five nights in Ortesei and three at Lake Garda and Venice. This is how we divided our time and we felt it was optimal. The Dolomites really are special.

Like Lin C, I also recommend the northern part of the lake. That whole area is so pretty. Riva del Garda, Limone sul Garda are scenic and should offer lots of activities. Pretty Malcesine is nearby. You would not be far from Monte Baldone for hiking and the whole northern area is mountainous so there must be many hiking or biking trails. There are several castles in the nearby areas that you can explore. If you have any interest in WW2 history you could do a visit to Salo. Or take a ferry to see Sirmione and its beautiful castle.

A great daytrip from the northern towns would be a visit to Trento. Trento's historic center is very pretty and easily walkable. I am a big fan of Trento and have gone there there three times. It could be an alternate base. Close enough to Garda for a daytrip to the northern towns ( that is what we did, we hired a driver for a day to take us all around the northern part of the lake). Trento has good transportaion links, and is an interesting city, both very Italian and very Tyrolean. You could do a daytrip to Merano, or Vipiteno or to Bolzano from there.

Since you go on to the Dolomites and mountain activities, and you don't necessarily want a “generic-feeling lake vacation” have you considered staying in Verona? Great transportaion hub. Beautiful city with lots to see and do. Close enough to Lake Garda to do a daytrip there. I took a public bus from Verona to Sirmione and back. You could spend two or three days exploring Verona and then do a daytrip to Brescia or Mantova or Vicenza. Lots of towns are easily reachable by train from Verona.

I did 3 weeks in Italy in 2015. Lake Garda was one of our bases, chosen purposefully over Lake Como. I loved Garda. Vacation with middle class Europeans (lots of Italians, Germans, Brits). We stayed in Sirmione on the south end of the lake and liked it quite a bit, but Riva del Garda on the north end was lovely -- I would think about staying there if going back. Malcesine is a nice town on the east side of the lake -- that would be an option for me if I returned, too.

Thank you all so much for these thoughts! Is it relatively straightforward to get to the northern part of Lake Garda without a car? We’re on the fence about renting.

I was leaning more toward the southern part of the lake, since we are going on to the mountains after and I thought it would be a good contrast. But perhaps I’ll pay closer attention to those towns instead…

There is no train service to Sirimone or Riva del Garda. You have to rely on buses.

You can take a bus from Roverto station (train from Venice to Verona and then change trains) to Riva del Garda. We were going to Malcesine which is on the other side of the lake and required 2 buses. We ended up using private transport from the train station. It was about 100 Euros.

You can then take the train from Roverto to Bolzano. We caught a bus from there to Ortesei. This worked well on the way there but was miserable on way back. One bus did not show up and the bus we took was overcrowded. We stood. It was hot and someone fainted. With four of you, I would seriously consider private transport from Bolzano to Ortesei and back. Many people on this board have done so.

We did not miss having a car at all in the Dolomites itself or at Lake Garda.

Agree that Riva del Garda has vacation lodging. Arco is a quaint town not far from Riva.

hey hey uncpauper
see you are still up in the air about accomodations. since you got my private message couple months ago with some info about people, places, things. other accomodation to look at are aparthotels near bottom of lake:
aurora aparthotels
villa fasano
apparthotel san sivino
baia holiday at gasparina
brought up the "eurocamping" places for relaxing on the lake in a bungalow or mobilehome, more room to move, kids & parents loving all the activities offered, driving around lake (if you have car, with possibility of couple day rental) which is best to do at your own pace, traffic will be busy/crowded especially on weekends. services/tours/rentals offered at check-in,
stores/shops/restaurants/parking/laundry all in one place, bus or train to small towns or to verona day trip, walk or bike ride along the lakeside, take a boat ride on the lake (how far north or south do you want to go), walk the weekly/daily markets. we did have lunch in pescheira del garda city center outside the dock, we had a car and drove back to venice to spend few days before our greek island cruise
getyourguide.com (put your city in)
it is a third party reseller, see what is offered, scroll around to see the website that offers and maybe lower cost. i've used them in many different cities without issues, some agree others don't. we all have our own opinions and will not push the issue.
hoping all will come together for you & your gang, no stressing. a part of doing research and have the kids help
earthtrekkers.com things to do on lake garda
aloha

Hey princess purple! Yes I do have your message and appreciate all of the advice :) I tend to change my mind a hundred times while planning a trip, so appreciate all of the different perspectives!!

I originally was very much in favor of the camping resort idea. But having never been, my concern is whether we’ll still feel like we’re in Italy, if that makes sense! I can’t quite envision it. But also a lot of them have minimum stay requirements so we’ve hit a few roadblocks. But we’re still exploring all options!

I agree with everything BethFL said, with one addition: Sirmione is really special—at least for adults. I’m not sure how teens would feel about it, but it’s definitely worth a look.

Verona is wonderful: a Roman amphitheater, a lively central piazza with markets, beautiful Renaissance palazzi, and yes—twee but fun stops like Juliet’s house, balcony, and statue. The food is fantastic, and Lake Garda makes an easy day trip.

I especially agree with BethFL about how to parcel out your time. With an active family, I’d put the emphasis on the Dolomites.

Spending as much time out of doors in and around the mountains is the best. But seeing Ötzi the Iceman in Bolzano and spending a little time in Kastelruth is pretty awesome, too. BTW: you probably know that they speak German in the Dolomites; that suprised us on our first trip there!

Venice is extraordinary, but two nights is plenty. And I don't know if it's part of your plans, but Marco Polo is a very easy airport—an early-morning boat ride from the Grand Canal out to the airport is genuinely magical.