Lake Garda
Lake Garda vs Lake Como: Which Should You Choose?
Garda for beaches, families, sport and variety; Como for villas, gardens and a short, scenic break from Milan. An honest side-by-side comparison.
This is the question we are asked most by people planning a first trip to the Italian lakes. Both are worth the journey, and they are close enough to combine, but they suit different holidays.
A word on bias: this site is about Lake Garda, and Garda is where our detailed knowledge lies. We have tried to be fair to Como here, and we say plainly below when Como is the better choice.
Our verdict
Choose Lake Garda if you want a full holiday of a week or so with beaches and swimming, things for children to do, cycling, sailing or hiking, and a choice of very different towns and budgets. Choose Lake Como if you want a shorter, quieter break built around scenery, historic villas and gardens, and travelling by boat between a handful of small towns, especially if you are arriving through Milan.
If you cannot decide and have a week, do both: they are about two hours apart by car or by train with one change in Milan.
Lake Garda and Lake Como side by side
Prices are described in words on purpose: they move every season, and we will not put a number on them that we cannot stand behind.
| Compare | Lake Garda | Lake Como |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Italy's largest lake: about 370 km², 51.6 km long, up to 16.7 km wide | 146 km², 46 km long, at most 4.5 km wide, in the shape of an upside-down Y |
| Nearest airports | Verona is the closest; Milan Bergamo is the usual low-cost alternative. Milano Centrale to Desenzano is 51 minutes by Frecciarossa | The Milan airports: Malpensa, Linate and Bergamo. Milano Centrale to Como is about 40 minutes by train |
| Getting around | Ferries link most towns but the lake is long: end to end takes 3 to 5 hours. A car or the buses help | Compact central lake: short ferry hops between Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio. A car is more hindrance than help |
| Beaches and swimming | Stronger. Many public pebble beaches and lidos, especially in the south and around Riva and Torbole | Fewer and smaller beaches; swimming is mostly from lidos and hotel pools |
| Scenery | Varied: wide, open and Mediterranean in the south, steep and fjord-like in the north | Stronger for drama per mile. Steep wooded mountains close on both sides almost everywhere, and historic villas and gardens are the main sights |
| Towns | More of them and more varied: Sirmione, Lazise, Malcesine, Limone, Riva, Salò | Smaller and more polished: Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio, Tremezzo, plus the city of Como |
| Family attractions | Stronger. Gardaland, LEGOLAND Water Park, other theme and water parks, and the Monte Baldo cable car | No theme parks on that scale; days out are boat trips, villas and funiculars |
| Hiking and sports | Stronger. Windsurfing and sailing in the north, mountain biking, climbing around Arco, Monte Baldo | Good walking on old mule tracks and in the hills; water sports at the northern end |
| Typical prices | Wide range, from campsites and simple family hotels to five-star resorts | Generally dearer in the central lake, with fewer budget options and no real campsite culture there |
| Season | Roughly Easter to October. In 2026 to 2027 the full ferry network stops from 2 November to 12 March | A similar spring-to-autumn season; many hotels and villas close in winter |
Sizes from the Wikipedia entries for each lake; train times from a Trenitalia journey search for Wednesday 14 October 2026; ferry dates from the Navigazione Laghi Lake Garda timetable. The rest is our judgement. · Checked October 2026. Prices and times change — confirm with the operator before you travel.
Travelling between Lake Como and Lake Garda
Every rail route goes through Milan. Times are from a Trenitalia search for a midweek morning in October 2026.
| Leg | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Como S. Giovanni to Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione | Train, change at Milano Centrale | 2 h to 3 h 12 min |
| Como S. Giovanni to Milano Centrale | Direct train | 39 to 46 min |
| Varenna-Esino to Milano Centrale | Direct regional train | 1 h 04 min |
| Milano Centrale to Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione | Frecciarossa | 51 min |
| Milano Centrale to Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione | Regional train | 1 h 23 min |
| Como to Desenzano del Garda | Car, about 163 km | About 2 hours without traffic |
| Bellagio to Desenzano del Garda | Car, about 134 km | About 2 hours without traffic |
Train times: Trenitalia search for 14 October 2026, morning departures. Driving distances and times are route-planner estimates and do not allow for traffic around Milan and Bergamo. · Checked October 2026. Prices and times change — confirm with the operator before you travel.
Choose Lake Garda if…
- You are travelling with children. Garda has the theme parks, including Gardaland and the LEGOLAND Water Park, shallow beaches in the south and a deep supply of family hotels and campsites.
- You want to swim. There are public beaches all round the lake, and you rarely need a hotel pool.
- You want to be active. Windsurfing and sailing at Torbole, climbing at Arco, mountain biking, and the cable car up Monte Baldo from Malcesine.
- You are staying a week or more. The lake is big enough that the south, the middle and the north feel like separate places, with Verona and the wine country close by.
- You are watching the budget. The range of places to stay is much wider, from pitches to palaces.
Choose Lake Como if…
- You have two to four days. The central lake is compact. You can base yourself in Varenna, Bellagio or Menaggio and reach the others by a short boat ride, with no car.
- You are flying into Milan or adding the lake to a city trip. Como is about 40 minutes by direct train from Milano Centrale.
- Villas and gardens are the point. Como’s lakeside villas are its headline sights, and Garda cannot match them for number.
- You want quiet glamour over activity. Como is the better choice for a honeymoon-style break of long lunches, boat trips and views, and you do not mind paying more for it.
- You prefer mountains pressing in on the water everywhere. Only the northern third of Garda looks like that; nearly all of Como does.
Where Como is weaker: beaches, things for younger children, and choice at the cheaper end.
Can you do both?
Yes, comfortably, if you have a week or more. By train, every route runs through Milan: Como S. Giovanni to Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione takes from 2 hours with one change at Milano Centrale when you connect with a Frecciarossa, and up to a little over 3 hours using regional trains only. From Varenna, the direct regional train to Milano Centrale takes 1 hour 4 minutes, and you change there for Desenzano or Peschiera. Our Milan to Lake Garda train guide covers the second half of that journey in detail.
By car, Como to Desenzano is about 163 km, mostly motorway, and about two hours when the roads round Milan and Bergamo are moving.
The order matters less than the split. We would give Como the shorter share, then move to Garda for the longer, lazier part of the holiday. A day trip from one lake to the other is not worth it: you would spend four hours or more travelling to see one town.
How many days for each
These are our rules of thumb, not hard limits.
- Lake Como: two or three full days cover the central lake at an easy pace, with a fourth for the city of Como or a walk in the hills.
- Lake Garda: four days is the minimum we would suggest for one end of the lake. A week lets you see two areas properly, for example Sirmione and Lazise in the south and then Malcesine or Riva del Garda in the north.
- Both: seven to ten days, with two or three nights on Como and the rest on Garda.
For ideas on where to base yourself on Garda, see our hotel picks and holidays for couples.
Good to know
Is Lake Garda or Lake Como better?
Neither is better outright. Lake Garda is the stronger choice for families, swimming, outdoor sport and longer stays; Lake Como is stronger for villas, gardens and a short scenic break near Milan. Our Lake Garda attractions list shows the range of things to do on Garda.
Which is bigger, Lake Garda or Lake Como?
Lake Garda, by a wide margin: about 370 km² against 146 km² for Como. Como is the deeper of the two at 425 m, against 346 m. The full figures are on our Lake Garda length and size page.
How far is Lake Como from Lake Garda?
Como to Desenzano del Garda is about 163 km by road, around two hours without traffic. By train it takes from 2 hours to just over 3 hours with a change at Milano Centrale.
Is Lake Como more expensive than Lake Garda?
Generally yes, particularly in the central lake around Bellagio, Varenna and Tremezzo, where there are fewer budget places to stay. Garda has a much wider spread, from campsites and simple family hotels to luxury resorts, so it is easier to match to a budget.
Which lake is better for families?
Lake Garda. It has the theme parks and water parks, more beaches with shallow water, and far more family accommodation. Start with Gardaland and the southern towns around Peschiera del Garda.
Which lake is better for swimming?
Lake Garda. Public beaches line much of its shore and the water in the southern basin is shallow near the edge. Como has some lidos and small beaches, but swimming is a smaller part of a holiday there. See our Lake Garda beaches map.
Can you visit Lake Como as a day trip from Lake Garda?
You can, but we would not. The train takes two to three hours each way with a change in Milan, which leaves little time on the lake. If you want to see both, stay at least two nights on Como.
Do the same ferries run on both lakes?
The public boats on both lakes are run by the same state operator, Navigazione Laghi, which also covers Lake Maggiore. Tickets and timetables are separate for each lake. For Garda, see our ferry guide.