Anyone been to Lake Garda in Italy?

RE: Fantastic place Mossy

Cheers Paul, good advice there. The resort is Garda itself, which I understand from Dirk above to be a bit Granified, also not sure if Garda has a beach (trying to find out). I'm after relaxation as well as exploration so am not fussed personally, but will have a 12 and 15 year old in tow and don't want to bore them too much, but if there's a beach they'll be fine.</p>

Saw you after the Wembley game but was too despondent to shout you! What you doing back up North then? Have you jumped ship from the London Tykes to the Penistone Reds? I can't see Molly tearing himself away from the smoke, but it would be good if he did. </p>

Cheers fella!</p>

 

RE: I was mulling over a deal there other week, lol, bet it was same one.Thomas Cook???

Not sure who the tour op is, it was on a clearing website, only two rooms left and that's what I need so am not saying which one yet as I think I'm going to book it in the morn if it's still there

 

RE: Fantastic place Mossy

Didn't make it to the Penistone Reds bbq the other day, although was going to. Having said that, I'm planning on getting along to the Supporter's Society meetings, as well as meeting up with the London Reds at away matches, so our lass might stamp her foot down at the Penistone Reds too.

Never thought I'd move back to Barnsley to be honest, but our little girl is coming up to 3 and we didn't want her growing up in North London. She'll probably hate us for it in 10 years or so though. It's nice round Oxspring/Penistone though and Jules and Aimee have settled in well. I'll make Yorkshire lasses out of them yet.

And don't discount Molly coming back. He was 80% definite when he was up here last week...

 

RE: Here's a short guide to the lake

So far I've been to Lake Garda 5 times in the last 10 years. Have stayed in Maderno, Riva, Garda twice, and Bardolino. My wife & I love it.

I'm not an expert on the place and everybody has different tastes, but here's some info on the main tourist towns and other useful stuff:

Riva del Garda
This is at the very top of the lake, near a cliff face. There are quite a few shops & cafes, but it seems quieter than other towns on the lake, probably because it's less accessible for people staying towards the south end of the lake. For them, Malcesine and Limone are usally higher priorities for visiting. You can walk along the front to neighbouring Torbole which caters mainly for windsurfers.
Most of the main tourist parts of the town are near the lake and are fairly flat, although some shopping streetd do have some steeper slopes.
Towns at the South end of the lake such as Sirmione, Peschiera & Desenzano are a long ferry journey away.

Limone
Just down from Riva at the North end of the lake, and on the West side, Limone is a beautiful town with a number of more expensive boutique shops. All top stuff though, my wife likes it because it's stuff typically not seen in the UK, and a bit cheaper than proper dsigner clothes in the UK, even London.
Some scenes from the next Bond film were shot here earlier this summer (you may have heard one stuntman died).
The main tourist parts of the town are near the lake and are fairly flat.
Towns at the South end of the lake such as Sirmione, Peschiera & Desenzano are a long ferry journey away.

Malcesine - North end of lake, East side, just across & down from Limone
Malcesine is a beautiful town, as has been said earlier in this thread. It is built on a slope, being at the bottom of a mountain. You can take the fenicular (that's a cable car to you & me) to Monte Baldo at the top of the mountain - which is essentially a large cafe/shop - where you can take long or short walks with breathtaking views - weather permitting. Malcesine has quite a few twisting streets with decnt shops... quite a lot selling good leather products at reasonable prices.
Malcesine is hilly, with more slopes up & down that I thought possible!
Towns at the South end of the lake such as Sirmione, Peschiera & Desenzano are a long ferry journey away.

Torri del Benaco
Torri is one of my favourite places, halfway down the lake on the East side. It has a stunning little harbour and one main shopping street with decent variety. Quite a few cafes for a small town too, but not many restaurants. A 5 minute walk north along the lake-front and a right turn 'at the end' takes you to the beach (unless the lake is full like it was in June 2008). The large hotel/restaurant on the harbour is world famous - apparently - for its Bellini cocktail... white peaches of the harvest, plus champagne... my wife luves 'em but the're not available all-year-round.
The main tourist parts of the town are near the lake and are fairly flat.
The main drawback with Torri is that very few ferries stop here, for whatever reason. Garda is only 5km away so it can be walked/cycled, or you can catch a bus. Alternatively you can catch the small car ferry from a ferry point 300yds south of the town... this takes you only to the smaller town of Maderno which is much better served by the ferries that go elsewhere on the lake.

Gardone
Gardone is a very small town, halfway down the lake on the East side. Popular due to its big hotel and for those who want a quiet getaway. There's a small square with a few shops & cafes.
This is also where the alleged death from food poisoning happened a few weeks ago.
The main tourist parts of the town are near the lake and are fairly flat.
Gardone is well positioned halfway up the lake to access all the main resorts to the North & South.

Garda
Garda town is halfway up the lake on the East side. The average age of tourist here is over 50, as has been stated earlier in this thread, so it's quieter on a night. Many nice restaurants line the lakeside which is very pretty especially on an evening. Just off the lake is a tight maze of streets crammed with shops. There's a fantastic fish & chip shop just off the lakeside down a side-street... potato wedges, all kinds of fish & seafood.
There's a nice 45 minute lakeside walk South to Bardolino. One option is to catch the last ferry to Bardolino, eat & drink there for a change, then walk back... although there are more midges after dark.
The main tourist parts of the town are near the lake and are fairly flat.
Garda is well positioned halfway up the lake to access all the main resorts by ferry.

Bardolino
Bardolino is halfway up the lake on the East side, just South of Garda. It's a bit more lively than Garda as the average age is more like 35. No nightclubs or boom-boom pubs though, nor people puking in doorways... it's still civilised.
Loads of shops, cafes & restaurants, wine bars (rustic ones that serve wine & beer rather than the neon ones in the UK that serve vinegar & urine). This is probably my favourite place to stay.
There's a nice 45 minute lakeside walk North to Garda. One option is to catch the last ferry to Garda, eat & drink there for a change, then walk back... although there are more midges after dark.
The main tourist parts of the town are near the lake and are flat.
Bardolino is well positioned halfway up the lake to access all the main resorts by ferry.

Lazise
Lazise is a picturesque smaller town, nearly halfway up the lake on the East side. A small fort (now a gallery) dominates the pretty harbour, leading to a large main square with quite a few shops & cafes leading off it. Looks great at sunset, so Thomson/Crystal sometimes run a "Lazise By Night" tour at least from Garda & Bardolino, by boat.
The town is fairly flat with hardly any gradients.
Being towards the South of the lake, the town is flat with hardly any gradients.
Lazise is well positioned nearly halfway up the lake to access all the main resorts by ferry.

Sirmione
Sirmione sits at the end of a mile-long narrow peninsula (man-made) at the South end of the lake. Very busy with tourists, as it has loads of good shops & cafes, a fort to explore, rustic old fortified walls, and huge gardens to walk around to the north up to the lake, with stunning views. One of my favourite places to visit.
Being at the South of the lake, the town is flat with hardly any gradients.
Towns at the North end of the lake such as Riva, Limone & Malcesine are a long ferry journey away, which is the only reason I've not looked into staying here.

Peschiera
Very pleasant little town to visit, with a maze of shopping streets to the East and a 10 minute lakeside walk to the West towards extensive beaches hidden around a peninsula. The main river outlet from the lake is in Peschiera, and the riverside Cafe is good.
Being at the South of the lake, the town is flat with hardly any gradients.
Towns at the North end of the lake such as Riva, Limone & Malcesine are a long ferry journey away.

Desenzano
Small town at the South end of the lake with quite a few upmarket shops. We found service in the shops & cafes to be unfriendly - maybe this town is more for locals!
Being at the South of the lake, the town is flat with hardly any gradients.
Towns at the North end of the lake such as Riva, Limone & Malcesine are a long ferry journey away.

Getting Around The Lake
The ferry service is the most obvious way to get around the lake, some stunning views. Pricing depends on the distance to the town you're travelling to, which is split into 6 standard fares. The shortest journeys cost E2.20-ish, whereas the longest are more like E10.00 but are a good cooling way to spend a few hours on the hotter days. There are also fast ferries called "service rapido" - shown in red on the timetable - that cost an extra supplement. They can cut journey times if you're travelling from the North end of the lake to the South end, which would otherwise be a few hours, but you can't site outside. I tend to stay halfway up the lake (e.g. Garda, Bardolino) to avoid excessive ferry times.

Outdoor Markets
There are market days in some of the resorts around the lake. When I visited last monh the market days I knew of were Pesceria on Mondays, (((Limone on Tuesdays?))), Lazise Wednesdays, Bardolino on Thursdays, Garda on Fridays. Not sure about Limone/Tuesdays!

Weather
Lake Garda has its own micro-climate, due to the mountains around the northern half of the lake. This sometimes means rain falls on the high ground instead of the lake so you have better weather than even Verona a few miles away, but it can still rain and rain hrd too. 2008 hs seen mixed weather so far and as of June te lake was very full... the pebble/shingle/sand beaches at Torri Del Benaco were underwater! A local did tell me that this is the "normal" level though, and my visits in 2005 and 2006 were drought years.
The north end of the lake is usually atleast a couple of degrees cooler than the south end, which can get well into the 30's.

Food & drink
"Una birra, por favor" will get you a beer. Nuff said.
Lake Garda is where a few wine regions converge and you can get good wine cheap. House wine at most restaurants is pretty decent.
If you stay half-board at a hotel, the food there will be more like you'd get back home than traditional Italian fare. There are plenty of restaurants that serve good pasta/pizza and local fish though.
As a rule, a cafe will probably serve sandwiches, a trattoria has a more varied menu, a restoranti can cater for full meals. All of them probably serve ice cream sundaes though (dribble)

Johnny Foreigner
Italians tend to visit Lake Garda off-peak, e.g. September. At other times Lake Garda is popular with Germans, Austrians (who speak German), and the Dutch. In fact it used to be part of Austria until WWII (I think). Look out for beachtowel warfare... We will fight them on the sunbeds! ff
There are typically/historically more Germans than British there, so don't be surprised if English is only a 3rd language for some locals. Most staff at most places (including outdoor markets) speak easily enough English to get by though, so don't worry.

Some Useful Links
Official Lake Garda tourism site http://www.visitgarda.com
Lake Garda online magazine http://www.lagodigardamagazine.com/
Maps of Lake Garda http:/www.gardalake.it/download_garda_map.php
Weather on Lake Garda #1 http://www.lagodigardameteo.it
Weather on Lake Garda #2 http://www.arpa.veneto.it/bollettini/htm/meteo_garda.asp

 

Nice one cheers. nt

 

RE: Yer Welcomio (get used to the lingo) nt

 

Grazie....

Not been to the lakes before. Well impressed with Italy though - went Amalfi Coast last year - scenery/towns/people absolutely top notch. If lakes are half as good then I've got a problem as to where to buy my holiday home he said lying to himself.</p>

</p>

 

So

No intention of buying a holiday home in, say, Norway for example?

 

RE: So

If it pisses any lunatic Scandinavians off any more then i'd consider it.

 

RE: Grazie....

My wife & I love Italy too. Had our honeymoon in Sorrento, did the "Amalfi drive", it's a fantastic place. If we win the lottery, I'll be flying back to the UK only on matchdays.

We've also stayed in Florence a couple of times, Tuscany, and Rome - all were brilliant. I was fortunate in having worked a few months in Rome in the last few years, so I have some insider info... friends who have been say they didn't enjoy Rome so much as they couldn't find decent food... there are places to avoid on the main tourist streets/squares.

It sounds like you'll get on well with Lake Garda.

 

RE: Grazie....

Looking forward it. Can see Italy being main Hols destination for a year or two. Lottery numbers kick in then I'm on lake Como with Mr Clooney and his friends.