My husband and I will be traveling to the Lake regions in northern Italy this spring. We have all our hotels lined up except Lake Garda.We want to stay in a mid range hotel right on the lake. Does anyone have any great suggestions?

Are you driving?

Yes we will be driving.

http://en.venere.com/hotels_gargnano...palazzina.html - - 84 euro per night, using arbitrary dates in April. This is (relatively speaking) at the "farthest" (depends on where you start, of course), least accessible side of the lake, but I think I would love staying here. I have never actually set foot in the hotel, but I have pulled off, and just looked out over the lake from their entry.

See this map, for relative location, vis-a-vis Sirmione, Garda, Torri del Benaco (ferry from here if you wish) and Riva - - http://en.venere.com/italy/lake_garda

With a car I much prefer the north end of the lake---Riva del Garda. Hotel Europa is a good 3 star option and Albergo Sole is a nice 4 star right on the water. Have fun !

We drove to Riva and after circling through every parking lot we could find and never finding a spot, we left, never getting out of the car. We were there in height of season, but it was not a town we'd have wanted to stay in then.

Meanwhile we did stay at Torri del Benaco at the wonderful Gardesana Hotel -- which I would call "midrange". That's a delightful little town and the boat landing is right there so you can even leave your car in their lot (which is about a block away) and take boats if you don't want to drive, or there is also a near by ferry landing if you want to take your car across the lake, which we also did.

http://www.hotel-gardesana.com

Hi - Like Bob I'd recommend Riva. Lovely setting, with mountains rising sheer out of the water.

http://www.u2m.org/ubiqum2006/Riva_del_Garda.jpg

Steve