Lake Garda

First Impressions

Lake Garda felt very different to southern Italy.

After weeks in Puglia where life revolved around slow coastal towns, quiet beaches, and relaxed routines, arriving at Lake Garda felt far more active, polished, and built around tourism and active lifestyles.

The lake itself immediately stood out.

Massive mountains dropping straight into the water, colourful historic towns wrapping around the shoreline, ferries moving constantly across the lake, cyclists everywhere, and people out walking, running, swimming, and exploring from early morning until late afternoon.

It felt alive in a completely different way to southern Italy.

We stayed near the southern end of the lake in a place called Piani di Clodia, which ended up being a really good base for exploring the region. We met a bunch of other families here as part of a Worldschooling Hub and it was the perfect place.

What We Found at Lake Garda

Lake Garda is Italy’s largest lake and has been attracting visitors since Roman times. Over the centuries, little fortified towns, fishing villages, and trading ports developed around the lake, many of which still retain their historic walls, narrow laneways, harbours, and old centres today.

That became one of our favourite things about the area.

Every town around the lake had a different feel.

Peschiera del Garda felt lively and practical, surrounded by canals and old fortress walls dating back to Venetian rule. Lazise had a relaxed atmosphere with beautiful waterfront paths, medieval walls, and one of the best weekly markets we came across in Italy. Every Wednesday the town completely transformed with huge markets stretching through the streets selling clothing, food, leather goods, produce, and all sorts of random bits and pieces.

Bardolino felt a little more polished and resort-like, while Garda itself had that classic lakeside holiday feel with ferries, waterfront dining, and busy piazzas full of people late into the evening.

Even though tourism was everywhere, the towns still felt historic and full of character rather than purpose-built holiday spots.

Highlights

Exploring the Historic Towns

One of the best parts of Lake Garda was simply moving between towns.

Some days we rode bikes along the waterfront. Other days we caught ferries or drove around the lake stopping wherever looked interesting.

Every town seemed to have another little harbour, old church, castle wall, or lakeside promenade to explore.

Lazise was probably one of our favourites overall. The old medieval walls, waterfront restaurants, and huge Wednesday markets gave the town a really cool atmosphere.

Verona

One of the standout day trips from Lake Garda was catching the bus into Verona.

Verona honestly surprised us with how beautiful it was.

Historic buildings, massive piazzas, Roman history everywhere, little laneways filled with restaurants and shops, and the famous Verona Arena sitting right in the middle of the city.

The whole place felt elegant and incredibly well preserved.

Movieland

One of the biggest surprises for the kids was Movieland.

We honestly didn’t know what to expect, but it ended up being epic. The park felt much more interactive and chaotic than a normal theme park, with stunt-style attractions, movie-themed rides, live shows, and some genuinely wild experiences.

The kids absolutely loved it.

The whole southern end of Lake Garda is actually packed with attractions too. Gardaland and the big water parks were nearby as well, but we never ended up making it to them because there was already so much going on around the lake itself.

Family Bike Rides and Ferries

Lake Garda was one of the easiest places we’d been to stay active as a family.

The bike paths around the southern lake were unreal and quickly became part of our routine. We rode everywhere, along the waterfront, through towns, to playgrounds, bakeries, coffees, and dinners.

The ferries were another highlight and gave an entirely different perspective of the lake and surrounding mountains.

Looking Back

Lake Garda ended up being one of the easiest places to enjoy day-to-day life during our travels.

It combined dramatic scenery with beautiful historic towns, outdoor lifestyle, and enough infrastructure to make long-term family travel feel comfortable.

It was active without feeling chaotic.

Touristy without feeling overwhelming.

And scenic without needing huge effort to experience it.

For us, Lake Garda felt like one of those places where life naturally settled into a really good rhythm.

Explore Our Time in Lake Garda

👉 Read our full Italy isn’t what we expected story
👉 Follow our day-to-day experiences in our Lake Garda daily journals
👉 View our Lake Garda photo gallery