mikster

Hello Fodorites,

My husband and I are off to Lake Garda at the end of this month....I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations in terms of going out on a private or small group catamaran or boat that maybe served lunch? We will be taking the ferry around the lake but i was thinking of doing something more special if it works. Also, I just got tickets for the opera in Verona. I'm not a huge opera person but it sounds like it's a great experience! Has anyone gone and do you think an afternoon in Verona is enough time followed by the opera? We will have a car but thinking of taking the train back and forth if it makes more sense.

Grazie mille!

bvlenci

Verona is an attractive small city. I particularly liked the old bridges over the Adige river. However, if there's nothing in particular you wanted to see there, an afternoon should be enough.

I've attended the opera in Verona once. We had the more expensive "poltrona" seats. I would not have liked to be way up on the stone steps. First of all, a lot of the people up there were chattering and taking (useless) flash photos, which would have interfered with my enjoyment of the opera. Also, in order to get a decent seat if you have unnumbered seats, you have to line up way in advance. Finally, you might appreciate a cushion. If you don't have your own, I believe you can rent one.

I'm not sure why it's a great experience if you don't enjoy opera.

bvlenci

We've recently decided at the last minute to take my granddaughter to Lake Garda in early July. I'd love it if you would post a brief report about the ferry trip. We wouldn't be taking a private boat, and I don't know anything about those.

Where on the lake are you staying?

massimop

Sounds like the opera in Verona is a better experience for people who aren't really opera people than it is for people who are and would be keen to hear the opera being performed.

mikster, the most scenic part of Lago di Garda is at the northernmost end of the lake. If you aren't staying at the northern end of the lake, the most "special" thing to do would be to take the hydrofoil to the northern end of the lake so you can see the scenery. I would recommend going early in the day and having in lunch in one of the towns. Or take the car and go exploring.

If you are already staying on the northern end of the lake then your hotel can probably hook you up with a private boat tour & maybe even one that serves lunch or has some special feature.

The other "special" entertainment on the lake is the amusement park of Lago di Garda, but if you aren't traveling with kids, you'd need to be a big fan of amuseument parks to want to see an Italian one.

Finally, if you have extra time in the lake area and you also have a car, you might consider exploring beyond the lake. Towns like Tenno and Arco can be quite interesting

http://www.gardatrentino.it/en/Canale-di-Tenno/

http://www.italythisway.com/places/arco.php

and of course the lovely town of Trento, which has a beautiful central piazza, nice restaurants and a swell castle.

Rubicund

Where are you staying on the Lake? The train is only available from Peschiera or Desenzano, nowhere else has a station.I'd certainly recommend the train to Verona rather than driving, but you'd need to check on train times after the opera.

If you're not opera fans, depending on what's on, you may be bored or entranced.

As far as dinner on board a lake cruiser is concerned, I'm not sure that there are any. I've never seen one at any rate. There are however, lots of restaurants dotted up and down that overlook the lake, so one of those may be suitable. Again, depends where you're staying.

mikster

Thank you. We are staying in Garda at the below hotel which i understand is about midway: http://www.hotellavittoria.it/en/location

We chose it from a receommendation on here as it seem to be short walking distance to all the ferries and it looks beautiful and gets great reviews. Re the opera, we took the cheap seats and figured if for some reason we decided not to go, it wouldn't be a big loss. I have heard others who are not huge fans say how much they enjoyed it so I thought I would give it a go. Thanks for all the great input.

Rubicund

Garda isn't that far from Peschiera, so you could leave your car there at or near the station and take the train into Verona. There's no need to book, just turn up, pay at the ticket office and away you go.

However, I seem to recall that the last train is around 9pm,(check this) so probably much too early for the end of the Opera. If that's still the case, you'll need your car.

massimop

There is really no point to driving to Peschiera del Garda to take the train to Verona. Parking in Peschiera del Garda is not likely to be any simpler than it is in Verona, and driving to Verona from Garda is only 15 minutes longer than driving to Peschiera del Garda.

However, you do need to do some googling about "where to park in Verona" and it would be best if you were carrying some kind of GPS.

If you are sightseeing in Verona + going to the opera you should think about how you are going to manage the day. It is likely to be hot, and the opera will not start until well into the evening and run long, so unless you want to visit the art museum, you should probably aim to be in Verona around 3.30pm to park your car, giving you a couple of hours in the cooler part of the day to stroll around sightseeing.

What might be nice is to drive from Garda to the scenic river village of Valeggio sul Mincio for lunch. It's about a 40 minute drive and there is easy parking in Valeggio sul Mincio and many good restaurants. From Valeggio sul Mincio it is about a 30 minute drive to Verona.

http://www.tourism.verona.it/en/our-...gio-sul-mincio

mikster

Thank you. Great tips and the gardens looks beautiful!