8 picks
Planning
Best Lake Garda Car Hire in 2027
Where to pick up a hire car for Lake Garda, ranked by location: Verona and Bergamo airports, stations and lake town offices.
Tried & tested
Best Lake Garda Guides
Our ranked guides to the best of Lake Garda — tried, tested and updated every season.
Every guide on this page is ranked, tried and tested by us around the lake — from lakeside trattorias to the quietest swimming spots. We revisit each one every season, so the list you see is the list we’d give a friend today.
8 picks
9 picks
Outdoors & Water
Best Lake Garda Bike Hire in 2027
Nine bike rental shops around Lake Garda, from Torbole and Riva to Peschiera and Desenzano, with what they rent and published day prices.
8 picks
Planning
Best Lake Garda Holidays for Couples in 2027
Eight Lake Garda breaks for two, from a Sirmione spa weekend and belle époque Gardone to Malcesine, Limone and quiet Gargnano.
8 picks
Planning
Best Lake Garda Airports in 2027
Eight airports ranked by how easily they get you to Lake Garda, with transfer times, fares and the shore each one suits.
10 picks
Family & Days Out
Best Lake Garda Attractions in 2027
Ten Lake Garda attractions worth your time and money, from Gardaland and the Monte Baldo cable car to castles and Roman ruins.
10 picks
Outdoors & Water
Best Lake Garda Boat Tours in 2027
Ten Lake Garda boat tours ranked by route and value, from the 25-minute Sirmione loop to Isola del Garda and the north-lake day trip.
9 picks
Outdoors & Water
Best Lake Garda Cruises in 2027
Nine longer days and evenings on Lake Garda, ranked: the full-lake ferry cruise, sunset sails on historic ships, wine cruises and private charters.
10 picks
Outdoors & Water
Best Lake Garda Walks in 2027
Ten walks we do again and again, from the Ponale ledge above Riva to the Monte Baldo ridge, with distances, ascent and times.
10 picks
Shopping & Nightlife
Best Lake Garda Shopping in 2027
Market days town by town, the Franciacorta outlet, Sirmione and Salò boutiques, and where to buy olive oil, wine and lemons from the producers.
10 picks
Where to Stay
Best Lake Garda Villas in 2027
Where to rent a villa on Lake Garda, area by area: lakefront privacy, pool villas in the wine hills and houses for hikers.
10 picks
Food & Drink
Best Lake Garda Vineyards in 2027
The wineries we keep going back to: Bardolino and Chiaretto, Lugana on the south shore, the Valtenesi hills, Custoza and the Trentino north end.
9 picks
Where to Stay
Best Lake Garda Luxury Hotels in 2027
The five-star villas, spa resorts and adults-only hideaways on Lake Garda that actually justify their prices, ranked by us.
10 picks
Shopping & Nightlife
Best Lake Garda Nightlife in 2027
The honest guide to Lake Garda after dark: the Desenzano and Lonato clubs, late harbour bars, jazz in Riva and summer nights at Gardaland.
10 picks
Family & Days Out
Best Lake Garda Parks in 2027
Theme parks, water parks, gardens and nature reserves around Lake Garda, ranked by how good a day out they actually give you.
10 picks
Outdoors & Water
Best Lake Garda Boat Rentals in 2027
Where to hire a licence-free motorboat on Lake Garda, what it costs by the hour and day, and the ferries and island tours that need no skipper at all.
11 picks
Where to Stay
Best Lake Garda Camping in 2027
The lakeside campsites and glamping resorts on Lake Garda we would pitch up at again, from big family parks to quiet windsurf bases.
10 picks
Planning
Best Lake Garda Holidays in 2027
Ten ways to do Lake Garda, from a first visit on the east shore to car-free Malcesine, family weeks in Lazise and quiet hill villages.
10 picks
Food & Drink
Best Lake Garda Bars in 2027
Where we drink our spritz around the lake: harbour cafés, Chiaretto wine bars, a beer garden in Malcesine and the surf bars of Torbole.
10 picks
Outdoors & Water
Best Lake Garda Beaches in 2027
Ten beaches we swim at every summer, from Riva's family-friendly Sabbioni to the flat rocks of Jamaica Beach in Sirmione.
10 picks
Outdoors & Water
Best Lake Garda Bike Rides in 2027
Ten rides we have pedalled ourselves, from the cantilevered Limone cycle path to the Monte Baldo descent, with distance, climb and time.
10 picks
Where to Stay
Best Lake Garda Hotels in 2027
Lake-view rooms worth the splurge, and a few places that give you the lake without the grand-hotel price.
10 picks
Food & Drink
Best Lake Garda Restaurants in 2027
Where we actually eat around the lake, from a family tavern in Bardolino to the terraces that earned their Michelin stars.