Town to use as base at Lake Garda?

I prefer the north lake (basically from Garda north on the eastern shore, or Salò and north on the western shore) as it is surrounded by majestic mountains while the southern half is on flat land.
My favorite towns on the north side are Malcesine, Riva, Limone, Torbole, but also Garda and Salò, to name some, but any town will do since you have a car and can travel around by car. Malcesine and Limone are popular places for boat trips from one to the next (they are sort of across the lake from each other and numerous boat excursions cover that crossing). The choice in the end might be dictated by where you can find the accommodations that suit your needs and your budget, since you are traveling in high season.

Here's a link for reviewing what many others in this forum have written about Lake Garda towns.

https://search.ricksteves.com/?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=Lake+garda+towns&button=

Feel free to use a different phrase in the Search bar at the top of the website. In your list of search results, you can "Filter by Type" to narrow the list to forum results and narrow those further by timeframe.

Happy trip planning!

Thank you very much everyone who has shared their knowledge, experiences, and preferences! I know ultimately it is personal; however, your recommendations do help fill in the gaps in our information. You're the best!

hey hey tiramisu
everyone has their own town/village they like on lake garda. we stayed in bardolino late september/early october for the annual wine festival (festa dell'uva), was fabulous and a gorgeous town with shops/restaurants. it was an eat drink and be merry gathering right on the lake. we rented car at venice (piazzale roma next to train station) and drove to lake garda. we double booked room at hotel nettuno for wine festival, had lunch in city center of pescheira del garda, drove back to venice to return car and spend 4 more nights in venice before a greek island cruise.
you are traveling during high summer season and will be busy/crowded all over italy plus HOT HOT. prices have skyrocketed so book ASAP. if you are renting a car, make sure all drivers obtain an IDP (aaa.com/IDP) before flying, it is mandatory. read the laws, rules, ZTL zones, parking can be a PITA all over. charging can be high per day if you find a place, hopefully you reserve a hotel that has parking.
earthtrekkers.com
lake garda bucket list: 25 things to do. a list of the many villages around the lake. roads can get to be bumper to bumper/slow moving so pack alot of patience. we would pack a picnic basket with drinks and stop along the way to enjoy the mountain and lake views. sirmione is very pretty but so so touristy with many tours/tourists day tripping, so crowded. go to another smaller town
check out some of the farmers markets, fun to just roam around, take a ferry ride around the lake. look at getyourguide.com that offers things to see and do. it is a reseller sire, just scroll around and see company offering and look their site up directly for better offers.
eatwith.com
put in lake city/town with offers of dinner, lunch, classes in residents homes to have a good time
hope you find great things to see and do plus enjoy it.
aloha

We are on the lake every year a few times and always about 2 weeks. Next time in 10 days for the carnival parade in Bardolino.
If you want to explore the lake then Bardolino or Garda Town are the best choices. From there you can explore the whole lake easily by bus or ferry. Don't rent a car, it is only a hindrance. You would not find a parking space, and roads are cramped, it is high season everywhere.
Both towns, Bardolino and Garda Town, have a nice lakeside promenade with lots of caffees and restaurant. You can walk along the lake from one to the other town, about 1 hour. And in both town you can enjoy the tipical italian feelings.
The towns in the northern part are scenic, but from there it is a bit difficult if you want to see more of the lake. So better make a daytrip to the north by ferry/bus from the middle lake, Bardolino or Garda town.

I have not been to lake Garda after Covid, but the times I’ve been in the past 20 years I’ve always driven a car and I was always able to easily find parking. The only place where I had more difficulty was Sirmione, near the city center, but it was a busy July weekend, but even then a spot freed up in the metered parking lot very close to the pedestrian center. I would not have had any problem if I had parked farther down the isthmus and if I had been willing to walk a longer distance. And the last time I had a VW Passat station wagon, so a rather long car. So unless things changed dramatically in the past couple of years, I don’t think you will have a problem finding parking except for maybe on a weekend at some locations like Sirmione, which is super popular with day trippers and bus tours. Considering your travel plans, in your case renting a car makes perfect sense because you plan to go to lake Garda and subsequently to drive to the Dolomites and ultimately to Tirano (Bernina Express) presumably through the Tonale Pass or even the Stelvio Pass. You can’t easily do that without a car.
To find parking use GoogleMaps and search for PARCHEGGIO in the area you plan to park. If you prefer to use public transportation, like ferries, you can still do that, simply leave your car at your hotel or a public parking lot in the town where you are staying, then hop on a ferry or even a bus. I recommend that you find accommodations with parking on their premises or arrangements with local garages.

Roberto, it seems there has a lot changed since you where here. But anyway, let the OP decide.