We are going to be in Lake Garda on the afternoon of the 8th and all day on the 9th of October, 2015. There are 4 adults and no children.
Would like opinions on a hotel selection and sights to see during our short vist.
Any information would be helpful.
Jerry
Jerry,
My mom & I were in beautiful Lake Garda this past October but we stayed in Verona.
We purchased the day ticket for the ferry boat (at Peschiera) & we cruised the lower lake and visited some of the
villages along the lake such as Garda, Bardolino & Lazise.
We did not have a car, but if you do, you could drive to the northern part of the lake and visit, Limone Sul Garda & take a ferry across to Malcesine.
You could also visit Sirmione, but we chose not to because I'd read that it's very touristy.
This is the website for ferry schedules (click on the name of lake top left): http://www.navlaghi.it/eng/index.asp
Here is a thread you might like to read where Roberto gives excellent info regarding Lake Garda:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/lake-como-vs-lake-garda-area
Edit: Here is another thread with Lake Garda info by Roberto: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/desenzano-del-garda-self-catering
Jerry,
If you're travelling via train, it would be a good idea to stay in either Peschiera or Desenzano, as those are the only towns with rail stations. Sirmione is more difficult to access as you'll have to rely on Bus or Taxi. I agree with a previous comment that it's "touristy" and when I was there last September I found that to be a problem.
I'd recommend staying in Peschiera as it's a beautiful town with canals, and also a convenient location for accessing the boats (I believe they're based there), should you want to explore towns at the north end of the lake such as Limone or Malcesine.
For hotels in Peschiera, I stayed at Hotel Garden which is just a few steps from the station, and would definitely recommend it. It wasn't posh but the room was clean, the staff were great and the food in the restaurant was good (at least IMO). If you'd like something a bit more on the posh side, have a look at the Enjoy Garda Hotel which is also not too far from the station. It's easy to walk into town or to the boat docks from either hotel (I timed the walk from the hotel to docks at about 13 minutes).
