Lake Garda - Which resort?
Jun 25th, 2007, 11:36 PM
#1
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Lake Garda - Which resort?
I have the opportunity to fly to either Milan or Venice at the beginning of September (from England). Rather than just going for a city break I thought I might extend my trip and spend a few nights at Lake Garda as well. Which resort would you recommend? OH and I enjoy walking and cycling and visiting local cultural attractions. Which guide book would you suggest to help me on my way? There are a few on amazon but many haven't been reviewed.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
Jun 27th, 2007, 02:46 PM
#5
hi, dmj,
yes, sirmone is lovely, but has the disadvantage of being at the end of the lake, not the middle, which means that the ferries take that much longer to get anywhere.
if you stay in the middle [ie half way up either side] you have more scope for boat trips.
we spent a week in garda itself and loved it. nice town with good bars, shops, restaurants, and very good for getting around the rest of the lake.
try reading HV morton - "a traveller in Italy" for a flavour of the lake and indeed Italy of years ago.
regards, ann
yes, sirmone is lovely, but has the disadvantage of being at the end of the lake, not the middle, which means that the ferries take that much longer to get anywhere.
if you stay in the middle [ie half way up either side] you have more scope for boat trips.
we spent a week in garda itself and loved it. nice town with good bars, shops, restaurants, and very good for getting around the rest of the lake.
try reading HV morton - "a traveller in Italy" for a flavour of the lake and indeed Italy of years ago.
regards, ann
Jun 28th, 2007, 04:35 AM
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I'm just back from Riva del Garda, which I would thoroughly recommend. Fabulous scenery, lots of great restaurants, tons of cycles and walks around as well as plenty of other activities.
We were there for a week and took a side trip to Malcesine which was a lovely town also on the lake but which doesn't get as much sun during the day due to the big tall mountain just behind it.
I didn't go to Sirmione so can't compare the two.
We were there for a week and took a side trip to Malcesine which was a lovely town also on the lake but which doesn't get as much sun during the day due to the big tall mountain just behind it.
I didn't go to Sirmione so can't compare the two.
Jun 28th, 2007, 04:51 AM
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We stayed in Hotel Luise www.feelinghotelluise.it
It was one of the few hotels I've ever stayed in that looked as good (or probably better) in real life as on the internet. I would stay there again. We chose it primarily because it has a pool and many of the other more central hotels do not have pools. It is about 10/15 mins walk from the town centre, more if you take the scenic route. There are bikes everywhere and you can bike to the centre of town in a couple of mins. The food there was disappointing so I would not choose the half board option; there are plenty of nice restaurants in town.
Pool area and the room itself were very nice - and we chose a "standard" room with balcony which was more than roomy enough for 2 adults and a baby. We had planned to upgrade to one of the bigger rooms on arrival (the standard was all that our travel agent could offer us) but once we saw the room we thought there was no need.
If you would like me to add anything just ask!
jane
It was one of the few hotels I've ever stayed in that looked as good (or probably better) in real life as on the internet. I would stay there again. We chose it primarily because it has a pool and many of the other more central hotels do not have pools. It is about 10/15 mins walk from the town centre, more if you take the scenic route. There are bikes everywhere and you can bike to the centre of town in a couple of mins. The food there was disappointing so I would not choose the half board option; there are plenty of nice restaurants in town.
Pool area and the room itself were very nice - and we chose a "standard" room with balcony which was more than roomy enough for 2 adults and a baby. We had planned to upgrade to one of the bigger rooms on arrival (the standard was all that our travel agent could offer us) but once we saw the room we thought there was no need.
If you would like me to add anything just ask!
jane
Jun 28th, 2007, 08:02 AM
#10
hi, dmj,
buses certainly go to garda; not sure about trains.
also lots of boats.
Riva is very nice, but suffers from the same problem as sirmone - it's at the extreme end of the lake [the north in Riva's case] so getting to other places takes longer.
regards, ann
buses certainly go to garda; not sure about trains.
also lots of boats.
Riva is very nice, but suffers from the same problem as sirmone - it's at the extreme end of the lake [the north in Riva's case] so getting to other places takes longer.
regards, ann
Jul 2nd, 2007, 07:05 AM
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The south end is more family orientated, with beaches, boating etc. To my mind the mid-section and North are prettier. I like Malcesine (obvious choice,really, but very pleasant to stroll around nonetheless) and although I've not visited it, I thought Limone (on the other bank) looked very attractive too.
Jul 2nd, 2007, 12:58 PM
#14
Hi, again, dmj,
if you look at a map, especially one with the bot routes on it, you'll see that it is easier to get around the resorts at the southern end of the lake, cos there are more of them and they are closer together.
the top end may be prettier, but it takes longer to get to [a factor in a short trip] and one you are there, there are fewer places you can reasonably get to.
hope this helps,
regards, ann
if you look at a map, especially one with the bot routes on it, you'll see that it is easier to get around the resorts at the southern end of the lake, cos there are more of them and they are closer together.
the top end may be prettier, but it takes longer to get to [a factor in a short trip] and one you are there, there are fewer places you can reasonably get to.
hope this helps,
regards, ann
