Suspaul

Hello. We will be spending 5 nights in an apartment in Riva del Garda, norh shores of Lake Garda Italy in mid September. Have the Fodor Northern Italy book but was wondering if anyone had any special "don't miss" experiences to pass along. We will have a rental car as we are coming from Germany and returning there also. Thanks in advance for your time.
Susan

franco

I'm so sorry, but I only have a "do miss" experience to share. Riva del Garda actually is a German village, so if you're coming from Germany, it's not worth the moola going all the way down to Lake Garda to stay in Germany anyway. The common language is German. The food is German. Riva del Garda is a place I wouldn't even go back to if they paid me for it. If you have any chance to get out of that rental contract, do yourself a favour and make use of it. The west and east shores of Lake Garda are fine (the east side perhaps even more so, less traffic, better views, but that's a matter of personal preference). Sirmione, in the south, is a tourist disneyland like Riva, but at least not a German disneyland (plus it has some interesting sights, which is not the case with Riva).

bobthenavigator

I always respect Franco's candid comments but do not agree with this one.
Riva is a beautiful location to explore the lake and more. Of course, you will want to ply the lake by ferry stopping in villages---especially Malcesine and Sirmione.
For day trips, do not miss Trento and perhaps even Verona if time allows. I doubt if you will have time to go as far as the Dolomites. The wind surfers at the north end are an amazing sight. Have fun !

Suspaul

thanks franco and bobthenavigator for your opinions even if they are totally different. We won't cancel this portion of our trip and I'm sure we can find plenty to do but was just wondering about any 'must dos'. btn, we will take a closer look at Trento and yes, we will do the lake, also would like to take a trip to Bolzano. I appreciate the interest and opinions.
Susan

littlejane

Stayed in Riva a couple of years ago and did not feel at all that it was overly "German", so hope you will enjoy it.

We just enjoyed chilling out, walking by the lakeside, walking up the hill I think to a little church for magnificent views back over Riva, getting the boat from Riva to Malcesine to explore for the day. We had a small child with us so were quite restricted but there were tons of good sporting activities on offer around Riva.

Hope you enjoy.

Suspaul

thanks littlejane, not at all concerned that Riva will be 'overly German' as we love Germany and will begin and end our 3 week in Germany, btw, we return to Germany 1-2 times per year after having lived in northern Germany 18 years ago.
Thanks again,
Susan