After 8 days in Venice-Florence/Tuscany, we plan to spend the final 4 days of our 12-day trip in either Lake Garda or Maggiore, joining another family who's coming from Switzerland. Which lake offers more for both adults & kids? We each have 2 kids (ages 10, 6, 4, 2) and would like to find a town on either lake that has enough to keep the kids occupied (park, promenade or greenspace, places to stroll) and parents (good restaurants, touring, hiking, shopping). Our priorities for accommodations are a small B&B/hotel or apartment with a pool within walking distance to a town/village. Would love your ideas & suggestions for which lake, which town and lodging.

We spent 4 nights on lake Garda in 2002. While we didn't go there, there is Gardaland, an Italian theme park. Would be neat for the kids.

We took the hydrofoil to Malcinse (sp? that's not right!), and found it a great town to explore. There's a neat castle over the lake that kids would hve fun discovering. There is also a cable car up Monte Baldo (again, not sure if this is right, is from memory!), it wasn't running when we were there, but got rave reviews from friends we know who had taken it.

We found Garda, both the town and the lake a great base, and I don't think you'd go wrong staying there with kids.

We stayed at Hotel Excelsior, great pool and walking distance to town. We didn;t do the board, but had dinner there one night and found it great.

happy planning! Trav

We've stayed at the Conca Azzurra hotel (http://www.concazzurra.it/default.htm) on Maggiore with kids a couple of times. We've been pleased because there seems to be a good mix of families and adults without kids there. Good restaurant, big breakfast, pool, boats to take out.

The hotel itself is in a small village, Ranco (playground by lake), which is near the (slightly)larger towns of Angera and Ispra, both with nice green areas / playgrounds and sites. There are convenient ferries (in both Ranco and Angera) to Stresa and the Borromean Islands.

In Ranco there is another very fine restaurant / hotel -- Il Sole.

A few years ago we travelled with our kids 2 & 4 year olds and stayed in Stressa, Lake Maggiore. We stayed at the Hotel Des Ile Boromee, the rooms were impressive as well as the grounds. The view from the hotel inspired Hemmingway to write "The Sun Also Rises". It was pre-euro, so everything was relatively cheap at the time. Depending on the season the hotel can still be a bargain if you like an old world style grand hotel.

I have the best picture collection of my kids from that trip. There is a formal garden in VILLA TARANTO just north of Stressa (in Pallenza?)and also on the Borromean Island. By Lake Orta there is Sacro Monte which is like an outdoor "station of the cross" on a large garden hill with a great family restaurant (very memorable pastas) and terrific view of the island on Lake Orta (not far from Lake Maggiore). Younger kids are so much easier to entertain during travel. The Italians are always so delighted by kids so they are so welcoming and your kids will always get a lot of attention in general.
We like Lake Garda too, but we went there without kids so I can't give you specific ideas for travelling with kids other than Gardaland. Sirmione in the south is a fun place to stay since it is an island connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus & a draw bridge complete with a fort. Riva in the north is also very scenic.
Have a great trip.

Riva on Lake Garda is indeed beautiful, although windy. There is a very long lakeside promenade with lots of benches and green space. I also remember a large kids' playground near (but not right on) the water. Malcesine, with it's castle and cable car up to Monte Baldo are a short ferry ride away. We have kids, 2 and 4 (who stayed at home for this trip), and we kept saying how much they would have enjoyed it there. GardaLand amusement park is perhaps and hour (90 minutes?) from Riva by bus.

I haven't been to the other lakes so I can't compare.

Thanks everyone. The other family, who lives in Switzerland and is driving from there with 2 toddlers, would prefer Lake Garda & base ourselves in southern shores somewhere on the lakeshore arc from Garda to Desenzano. Can anyone make hotel recommendations?