Hello again!
The Italian Lakes are a must see!
Lake Garda is full of beauty and has lots of things to do.
We spent 2 days in Lake Garda with our main base and hotel being South of the Lake in Desenzano. We stayed in 'Villa la Desenzano' which was a lovely hotel a short walk away from the port and water front views.
Day one:
We got the boat to Sirmione from the port in Desenzano. Tickets can be bought at the ticket desk 20 minutes prior to departure and are very cheap; we paid €6 each for a return ticket to Sirmione and the journey is approx 20 minutes each way.
Sirmione is on a peninsula at the South of the Lake, giving views North, East and West of the lake from its end point. There are lots of things to see within this town along with many restaurants and bars. All of the Lakes and their towns boast scenic walkways and pretty lanes to walk through. If you walk though the lanes in Sirmione towards the church- 'Di Santa Maria Maggiore' you will emerge at a viewpoint towards the East side of the lake and a beach. At this viewpoint you will see the 'Kiss Please" sign which is there as a tribute to a poet who was a beloved citizen in Sirmione. Many now share passionate kisses under this sign.
The furthest point North in Sirmione is 'Jamaica Beach'; a beach made of huge flat rocks the spread across the entire end of the peninsular. This spot is great for a little dip in the lake in the Summer months and shows views of the lakes and back at Sirmione, with ancient Roman Villa remains a little higher up from the beach.
Other must see things in Sirmione is the castle (Castello Di Sirmione), the port and the lanes of shops and ice cream parlours!
We finished the day with go karting at 'South Garda Carting', one of the biggest outdoor go karting circuits. Going away with my car enthusiast boyfriend made this place a must. After this went back into Desenzano for dinner. There are so many places to eat in Desenzano. The Old Port is highly recommended by locals for good restaurants, unfortunately most were closed when we headed out for dinner.
Day 2:
Instead of boat, we opted to take a bus from Desenzano Station up the Western side of the lake. The bus routes all follow the main road around the lake, offering great views and are very cheap. The only downside to the boat and bus service is the schedules weren't very regular (whether this was because we were there out of season?!)
We were on line number 27 which stopped at Gargnanno, where you then had to wait 1.5 hours till the next bus was going to pass through to be able to head further North by bus.
We stopped here in Gargnanno for some breakfast on the waterfront before opting to take the boat across to Malcesine. Malcesine is a large-ish town in Lake Garda that has a lot of things to see and do. Theres a cable car that can take you up to the top of Mount Baldo, a castle with an unmissable viewpoint, a beach and some lovely little streets to explore.
The cable car was on our list to do but we failed to book in advance and the wait time on the day was over an hour just to get a ticket and get into the line to wait for a car. We decided to leave it and having looked at the clouds at the top of the mountain, maybe it was a blessing...I don't think we missed any views on that day!
The castle (Castello Scaligero di Malcesine) is an old castle that you can explore the grounds of and head up its bell tower. The bell tower shows off some great views of the lake and the town, a must see if you're in Malcesine.
After Malcesine, we got back on the boat (which we ran for may I add), to get over to Limone.
Limone is a very hilly town in Lake Garda, if you're happy to wonder up away from the water front you will be rewarded with some great views down the streets looking back at the Lake. There is not a lot else within the town, but all the towns within Lake Garda are worth a visit for their beauty, and there's many spots to grab a drink and a pizza!
We only had 1 hour to wonder around Limone before we had to be back at the port to get the next boat. This time we stayed on the boat for the rest of its route all the way up to Riva Del Garda. FYI- unless there's a fast boat option, all boats stop at every single town!
By the time we had arrived in Riva the sun had gone behind the mountains, leaving us feeling a lot cooler. We walked through the town and saw some of its shops and waterfront views on our way to the bus stop.
From there it was time for our return journey back down the lake, venturing along the Eastern side. The latter part of our day felt like a race against time to make the last buses/boats back to Desenzano as the schedules are so sparse and they do not continue late. Fortunately, our bus was on time arriving in Garda and we had time to wonder through the town on our way to the port for the last boat to Desenzano.
As we had a late lunch we opted to take some snacks back to the hotel and have a chilled night in. We then woke up and had breakfast down at the water front before we caught the train onto our next location.
I really enjoyed Lake Garda and all it had to offer and I would highly recommend taking a visit. Day trips can be made here from Verona and Bergamo.
Stay tuned for my other blogs relating to my adventures around the North of Italy, including Lake Como!
As always, any further questions or information wanted on these locations please message me and I'd be happy to help.
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