Camping is how a huge share of visitors, especially German, Dutch and Italian families, actually do Lake Garda, and the campsites here are not muddy fields. The big ones on the south-east shore between Peschiera and Bardolino are resorts with water parks, several restaurants and rows of air-conditioned mobile homes and glamping lodges alongside the tent pitches. The Valtènesi around San Felice del Benaco has terraced sites in olive groves with views of Isola del Garda. The north around Torbole and Riva is simpler, windier and full of windsurfers.
We have stayed at most of the sites on this list, in a tent, a camper and a mobile home at different times, and we rank them on the things that matter once you are there: whether you can walk into the lake from your pitch, how good the pools are, whether the site is quiet after 11pm, and how far it is to a town you would actually want to walk to. The order is ours; a family with teenagers might swap the top two.
Some booking links on this page are affiliate links: if you book through one we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend or the order of the list. How we choose
Peschiera del Garda · Via Bella Italia, Peschiera del Garda, on the lakefront west of town
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A small town of a campsite on the lakefront just west of Peschiera del Garda, with a long pebble beach, several pools including a big slide complex, restaurants, a supermarket and hundreds of mobile homes and lodges among the tent pitches. It is enormous and it is not quiet, but it is superbly run, and Gardaland is a ten-minute drive. Walk to Peschiera along the lake in 20 minutes.
Lazise · Località Fossalta, Lazise, on the lake road south of town
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On the lake between Lazise and Peschiera, Piani di Clodia is famous for its pool complex: lagoon pools, slides, a wave pool and a lazy river, plus a pebble beach and a huge pitch area under mature trees. Mobile homes range from basic to the sort with a private hot tub. The walled old town of Lazise is a 30-minute walk along the shore path, or ten minutes by bike.
Bardolino · Località Mezzariva, between Bardolino and Garda, on the lakefront
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A family-run lakeside site between Bardolino and Garda, with its own beach, two pools, a restaurant on the water and a more relaxed feel than the giants further south. The lakeside promenade runs straight from the gate into Bardolino in 15 minutes and to Garda in 25, so you can leave the car parked for a week. Mobile homes, bungalows and glamping tents sit alongside the pitches.
Bardolino · Località San Pietro, Bardolino, on the lake between Bardolino and Garda
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La Rocca sits on the lake between Bardolino and Garda, on eight hectares of garden, olive grove and vineyard sloping down to more than 400 metres of grass-and-pebble beach with its own pier. There are about 300 pitches in eight grades, from simple 6-amp plots to ones with a private hot tub, plus mobile homes, apartments and a handful of glamping domes in the olive grove.
Three heated pools stay open for the whole season, one of them an adults-only hydropool added for 2026, and there is a spray park for small children. Dogs are allowed on every pitch and in several of the mobile homes, which is not a given on this shore: Bella Italia does not take pets at all. Bardolino is about 20 minutes on foot. Our full La Rocca review has the pitch types and the booking small print.
San Felice del Benaco · Via Vallone della Selva, San Felice del Benaco, above the lake
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Terraced up the hillside above the harbour at San Felice del Benaco, Weekend looks straight across to Isola del Garda from its pool and from most pitches. It is smaller and calmer than the south-east shore sites, with olive trees for shade and a steep path down to the beach. Lodges and chalets are well kept, and the wineries of the Valtènesi are a short drive.
Torbole sul Garda · Via Gardesana, Torbole sul Garda, on the lake south of the village
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On the flat shore at the southern edge of Torbole sul Garda, right where the Ora wind comes in every afternoon, Maroadi is the site the windsurfers and kiters use: rig up on the pitch, walk 50 metres to the water. There is a pool, a bar and the cycle path into Torbole and Riva runs past the gate. Pitches are simpler and cheaper than the southern resorts.
Toscolano Maderno · Via Religione, Toscolano Maderno, on the lakefront
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The west shore has surprisingly few lakeside campsites, and this one at Toscolano Maderno is the pick: pitches and mobile homes under trees beside the lake, its own stretch of beach, a pool, and the car ferry to Torri del Benaco a ten-minute walk away. Toscolano’s wide public beach and the Valle delle Cartiere paper-mill walk are both close.
San Felice del Benaco · Via Fornella, San Felice del Benaco, on the lakefront south of the village
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Set in olive groves running down to a private bay south of San Felice del Benaco, Fornella has put its money into lodges and glamping tents with decks and, in some cases, private pools, alongside a large lagoon pool and a beach with boat moorings. It is upmarket for a campsite and priced accordingly, but the setting is one of the loveliest on the south-west shore and the site is calm at night.
A terraced, family-run site above the little harbour of Portese, north of San Felice del Benaco, with a pool, a small beach at the bottom of the hill and views across the gulf to Salò. It is a fraction of the size of the big resorts and feels like it: you will know the family who run it by the second day. Mobile homes and pitches only; no water park.
Desenzano del Garda · Rivoltella, Desenzano del Garda, on the lake road towards Sirmione
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On the lake at Rivoltella, between Desenzano del Garda and Sirmione, San Francesco has a big pool, a long beach, mobile homes and shaded pitches, and one thing the others lack: Desenzano station is a short bus or taxi ride away, so you can arrive by train from Milan or Verona. The lakeside cycle path runs east to Sirmione in 20 minutes.
Riva del Garda · Via Brione, Riva del Garda, below Monte Brione
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Tucked under Monte Brione on the edge of Riva del Garda, this is a simple, tidy site with a pool and shaded pitches, a ten-minute cycle from Riva’s old town along the flat lakeside path and the same to Torbole. It is not on the water, which keeps it cheaper and quieter, and the Sabbioni beach is five minutes by bike. Ideal for climbers and cyclists who spend the day out.
What is the best campsite on Lake Garda for families?
Camping Bella Italia in Peschiera and Piani di Clodia in Lazise are the two we would choose with children under twelve: water parks, beaches, kids' clubs and enough going on to fill a rainy afternoon. Both are within 15 minutes of Gardaland and the other theme parks in our guide to the best Lake Garda parks. For a quieter family site, Serenella in Bardolino.
Can we camp in a tent, or is it all mobile homes?
Every site on this list still takes tents and campervans, though the pitches are a shrinking share of the big resorts as lodges take over. Tent pitches are cheapest and often best placed under the trees by the water. If you do not own a tent, mobile homes and glamping tents come fully equipped with kitchen, bathroom and usually air conditioning, and are much cheaper than a hotel for a family of four.
When do Lake Garda campsites open?
Most open around Easter and close in early October; a few of the larger resorts run into late October. Pools open from May, and the lake is warm enough for most people to swim from mid-June to mid-September. The shoulder weeks in May and late September are the best time to camp: warm days, cool nights, half-empty sites and prices well below the July and August peak.
How much does camping on Lake Garda cost?
A tent or campervan pitch for two adults with a car is roughly €35–60 a night in high season at the resort sites and €25–40 at simpler ones like Maroadi or Brione, plus a few euros per child and tourist tax. Mobile homes for four run €120–250 a night in August and half that in May. Lodges with private pools at Fornella or Bella Italia can pass €400 a night.
Do we need to book a campsite on Lake Garda?
For mobile homes and lodges in July and August, yes, months ahead; the lakefront rows go first. Pitches are easier, but the big south-east shore sites fill completely in the first three weeks of August, when German and Dutch school holidays overlap with Italian ones. In May, June and September you can usually turn up, though a phone call the day before saves a wasted drive.
Can we swim in the lake from the campsite?
At most sites on this list, yes: Bella Italia, Piani di Clodia, Serenella, Maroadi, Toscolano, Fornella and San Francesco all have their own stretch of pebble beach. Camping Weekend and Eden have a path down to the water, and Brione is a five-minute cycle from the beach. Lake beaches are pebbles rather than sand, so water shoes help. Our guide to the best Lake Garda beaches covers the public ones nearby.
Which campsite is best for windsurfing and cycling?
The north, without question. Camping Maroadi in Torbole puts you on the water where the afternoon Ora wind blows most reliably, and Camping Brione in Riva is the base for road cyclists and mountain bikers heading up Monte Brione or the Ponale road. Further south, the sites around Malcesine serve the windsurf launches at Navene. See our guide to the best Lake Garda bike rides.
Are there campsites near Gardaland?
Yes, the whole south-east shore is within 15 minutes of Gardaland, which sits between Peschiera and Lazise. Camping Bella Italia and Piani di Clodia are the closest on this list, and both run or connect to shuttle buses in summer. Staying at a campsite here and buying park tickets online in advance is the cheapest way for a family to do the theme parks, and the beach is there for the days in between.
Can we wild camp or park a motorhome overnight on Lake Garda?
Wild camping is not allowed anywhere around the lake and the fines are real, especially in the Trentino north. Motorhomes are welcome at the campsites and at dedicated sosta areas in most towns, usually €15–30 a night with water and electricity, but overnighting in ordinary car parks is banned in the lakeside towns and enforced in summer. The campsites are honestly better value once you add a pool, showers and a beach.
Which side of the lake is best for camping?
The south-east shore from Peschiera to Bardolino has the most sites, the biggest pools and the flattest cycling, and it suits families. The Valtènesi around San Felice is quieter and prettier, with terraced sites and island views. The north is for sports. The west shore between Gardone and Limone has very few campsites because the mountains come straight down to the road; if you want that side, our guide to the best Lake Garda hotels is more useful.
Our top pick
