mymatemarmite

We're halfway through an Italian backpacking trip, currently in Bardolino which is not quite what I was expecting. We're letting the children spend all today in the lake and hotel pool as they need some R&R between Rome and Venice but I'd like to explore a little tomorrow (we leave Saturday).

Thinking getting the ferry to one of the other towns, any recommendations? We have a 5&8yr old with us but they're good with walking so long as there are plenty of gelato stops etc

I'd like to get out of what feels a bit costa del sol for my liking - it doesn't even really feel like Italy anymore! Is Pescheria a good idea? Are there any castles/villas etc we should make an effort to see? Any towns where we can get a decent meal (maybe we've just been spoilt on the rest of the trip but the food we've had here so far has been insipid at best)

Any thoughts or tips would be wonderful - thank you

Rubicund

I*'m not sure why Bardolino feels like the CDS, as it's one of the smaller towns on the lake. However, try Malcesine and take the cable car up to the top of Monte Baldo to watch the base jumpers throw themselves off the top of the cliff!

Rubicund

For good restaurants, go up to Riva del Garda and try one of the lake view restaurants there, the food is usually very good at most of them.

kmb1116

Seconding Malcesine and Monte Baldo. The castle there is beautiful, too.

mymatemarmite

Granted I'm being a bit rude *Rubicund*, apologies - maybe it's the hotel that's rubbed me up the wrong way

Awesome reca so quickly, thank you! I was assuming we'd go to the southern part of the lake but the children have done their fair bit of wandering round towns and cobbled streets, a castle might be better for them variety wise

bvlenci

We've just returned from three days on Lake Garda. (I have good intentions of writing a trip report.)

Near Bardolino, in the village of Pai, we had a very nice meal at Da Stefano, right on the lake. I suggest reserving, especially on weekends. We lucked out and got a table, but it wasn't the best available. They don't seem to have a web page, but here's their TA review page.

https://www.tripadvisor.it/Restauran...na_Veneto.html

I have a warning about Monte Baldo: it's very popular and the lines to get the cable car are horrendously long in the morning. When we got there, around 10, there was a two-hour wait. At the information desk, they suggested we return in the afternoon, around 2, or even better, at 4. So we walked to the ferry dock at Malcesine Centro and took a boat to Riva, at the very northern tip of the lake. I highly recommend this boat ride for the scenery.

We had lunch in Riva and returned to Malcesine at 4 PM. At that time, there was almost no wait for the cable car. However, returning to Malcesine at 6 PM, there was quite a long queue for the cable car, but not as bad as the one going up in the morning. I think it might be best to go up at 3 PM, and return at 5 PM to avoid long waits in both directions.

There are actually two cable cars. At the halfway point, you change cars (with another short wait). The second car rotates as it goes up, so you can see the views in all directions.

Since we had our granddaughter with us, we spent one day at Gardaland, which she enjoyed immensely.

bvlenci

There's a castle in Malcesine, but living in Le Marche, we have castles so close together that you can usually see several from any hilltop. The one in Malcesine was not very large, and we didn't visit it.

bobthenavigator

You have not seen Lake Garda until you have seen the north end.