We stayed at Hotel Bellrive by the marina in Saló and at Hotel Xatello in Malcesine later in the trip. I recommend both family owned hotels.

We are also planning a stop at Lake Garda, 3 nights in September 2016. We have chosen to stay in Garda for its mid-lake location. We will have a car but would like to take the ferry to other towns along the lake. It appears that Garda is connected by ferry to the places we might like to visit.

http://www.lake-garda-revealed.com/l...a-ferries.html

weekend_celebrations - I think that a stay in one place for a few days will be far more restful than hopping about, and communications are so good in the area that you should be able to get about enough to fill every day.

I second the suggestion to go to Malcesine and go up the cable car to Monte Baldo, and to hop over to Salo/Gardone Riviera, from where you can walk up to the Vittoriana deli italiani, which was the home of Gabriele D'annunzio, a prominent fascist of the 1920s and 30s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vittoriale_degli_italiani

You have said you are coming from Germany, and will have a car -- but if it is a car rental (rather than your own car), have you considered dropping off the car in Germany and taking the fast train to Verona to spend a night or 2 there -- and then going off for your lakeside idyll? Despite the added hotel change, it might prove to feel like less rushing about.

Your plan to daytrip to Verona is limiting your options for where to stay on the lake. If you could get Verona out of the way, might make it easier to stay in Limone sul Garda. I've never been there, but if I went there, I would be sure to taste the local olive oil, which is legendary in Italy (where people seldom compliment someone else's olive oil!)

Even if the car is your own or you don't want to take the train, spending at least a night in Verona could make sense. If you arrive in the late afternoon, spend the night, and then leave around 5pm the next day for a lakeside location, might be the simplest way to enjoy a day in Verona.

In case it wasn't clear, I was suggesting dropping off the car in Germany, taking the fast train to Verona (5 hours from Munich), spendin the night, but renting another car in Verona around 4/5pm the next day and heading off to the lakeshore.

You really do not need a car if just doing the lake - the boats are better because you can see both sides of the lake at once and some of those towns like Sirmione can be awfully crowded - parking may be hard - don't know because I took the train to the lake then boats the next few days - now if going to places off the lake then a car of course would be useful.

We did take a bus to Brescia from some lakeside town - Brescia is often overlooked but the typical old town center - quite nice and sans huge crowds of tourists - could take train there of course from Lake Garda's two railheads.

@Sandralist it's going to be a rental car (from whatever airport we would be arriving from the US, might be Zurich) and we would rather not part with it as it will be a multi-day budgeted deal. now, I agree that Verona is sort of "in the way" so I may just take it out of the consideration for where to stay on the lake itself and possibly visit it on our way out of Garda and onto the next destination (but that is how we ended up having a couple of one-nighters on this year's trip which I am trying to avoid for next year...)



@HappyTrvlr could you share a bit more about your trip- how many days in each town and whether it was a part of a road trip or a designated holiday on Lake Garda

@2010 thanks for the link (do I need to install the "app" to see the schedules?)

Hi weekend_celebrations,

Here's a link that appears to have an app:

www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/index.asp

We stayed on Lake Garda going to and returning from the Dolomites so it wasn't the primary destination. However, after arriving in Saló, we wished we had booked even more time there at Hotel Bellerive.. And Hotel Castello in Malcesine wasn't as luxurious but the owners were so warm and friendly; we enjoyed our time there, and it has beautiful views. The town was more touristy than Saló.
We have spent a lot of time on Lake Como and Lake Maggiore and found Lake Garda just as wonderful, but different too.

@HappyTrvlr Thanks for more details about your trip. I am a bit overwhelmed with all the choices at the moment, but will process in due time:) I will look at your hotel recs but was thinking about an apartment for the 4 of us if it is an option...Where in Dolomites have you stayed if you don't mind me asking? the exact route of out road trip is not finalized and I am looking at all the options around a few "determined" stops

One highlight for us was renting a small motor boot and spending the day on the lake. It was divine.

I just noticed you had asked this question above and not sure if anyone answered:

>>>"after time on Lake Garda and moving along on our trip, would it make sense to stop on Lake Como for a few days (or would it be just more luxurious version of Garda?). Lakes are my thing these days, having thoroughly enjoyed all the Bavarian lakes on the trip this past summer but wondering what others think about visiting both Garda and Como on same trip".<<<


Lago di Como is one of the beautiful situations I've seen in Europe. It can be very crowded with tourists at that time of year, and I don't know much more effort it will be for you to incude it if, coming from Germany, you are also planning a visit to certain areas of the Dolomiti plus Verona. I don't know where you are going later in your trip. But if lakes are your "thing", Lago di Como is the most beautiful Italian lake I have seen.

@sandralist thanks for your comment. I was tentatively planning to fly to Zurich, visit Lake Constance then Munich and Lake Garda (possibly stopping somewhere in Austria or Dolomites to break the drive and for other reasons:) then circling back to Zurich - so COMO IS on the way it seems.