Hello,
As I keep returning to this extremely useful site, I have finally decided to also post a question - we're travelling to Lake Garda end of March (I know, not necessarily the warmest season), and we'd like to stay in a town on the southern part of the lake (which is described as being more "Mediterranean"). We do, however, want to do a day trip up to the North/ mountains. Would you recommend we take a ferry up to Limone? Or Malcesine? Or even Riva?
Also, which town in the South would you recommend staying at (our trip is unfortunately limited to 2 nights only...)? I have been thinking about either Sirmione or Bardolino. What would you recommend (we are driving to Lake Garda, but ideally we will park the car at the hotel and not use it again until we leave)? We are looking for "charming", nice/ unique accommodation, good restaurants, and convenient public transport (i.e., ferries to the north/ other towns). Is there another town in the south (preferably eastern part) that we should consider staying at?
Thanks for any feedback and answers to my many questions! And thank you sooo much for this great site!
OK, firstly thanks for the kind comments about our website. Now lets deal with the different questions you raised:
1) If you are taking a ferry trip to the north of the lake, I would probably recommend Limone or Malcesine. This is partly because they are closer then Riva (and it takes a while on a boat) and also because I think they other a bit more unique and special experience. Malcesine is bigger and has more things to do, but Limone is very dramatic and more intimate.
2) Which town in the south or east? A tricky one to answer as it depends on your priorities. Sirmione is very special and I love it, however its location make bringing a car here more difficult than other towns. Driving right into the town to a hotel has time restrictions on it, as you have to drive over a draw bridge and through a very narrow part of town. Bardolino has good shops and restaurants, although to my mind the lake frontage is less impressive than other towns. I would perhaps consider Lazise and Garda as good alternatives.
Hope you have a great time,
Marcus & Sylvia