Shopping on Lake Garda splits neatly into three things. There are the weekly markets, one in almost every town on a set morning, selling leather bags, linen, cheese and porchetta from the same vans that do the rounds of the lake all week. There are the boutique streets, best in Sirmione, Salò and Desenzano, where the prices are Italian-resort prices but the leather and knitwear are real. And there is the food: olive oil from the mills above Bardolino and the Valtenesi, wine straight from the cantina, and lemons and limoncello from Limone. The designer outlet is not on the lake at all; it is at Rodengo Saiano near Brescia, half an hour from Desenzano.
We have shopped at every place on this list and we have stated market days only where we are sure of them; where we are not, we say so, and the tourist office or your hotel will confirm in ten seconds. The list is ordered by how much we think you will enjoy the morning, not by how much you will spend.
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Every Thursday morning the Bardolino lakefront turns into the biggest market on the east shore, running the length of the promenade and into the side streets from about 8am until 1pm. Half of it is clothes, shoes and leather bags at €20–60, the other half is food: wheels of Monte Veronese cheese, porchetta sliced into a roll, olives, spices and the Alpine cheese van that we always end up at. Park early or come by ferry. Everything else in town is in our guide to Bardolino.
Sirmione · Via Vittorio Emanuele and around Piazza Carducci, Sirmione
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The lanes between the castle bridge and the Grotte di Catullo, mainly Via Vittorio Emanuele and the streets off Piazza Carducci, are lined with small shops selling Italian leather bags and belts, linen dresses, ceramics, olive oil and the usual thermal-spa cosmetics. Prices are resort prices, but the quality of the leather and knitwear is genuine and the choice is the widest on the lake in a small space. The shops open late in summer, until 10 or 11pm. See our guide to Sirmione for the castle, the grottoes and the ZTL rules.
Rodengo Saiano, near Brescia, 30 minutes west of Desenzano by motorway
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The nearest designer outlet is not on the lake but half an hour west of Desenzano by the A4, at Rodengo Saiano just outside Brescia. It is a purpose-built village of well over a hundred shops, mostly Italian and international fashion, sportswear and homeware brands, at 30–70 percent off retail. It is open every day with free parking and a food court, and it sits in the Franciacorta sparkling-wine country, so a cantina visit on the way back makes it a full day out. Take the Ospitaletto exit off the A4.
Salò · Via San Carlo and Lungolago Zanardelli, Salò
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Salò is the west shore’s shopping town. Via San Carlo, the long pedestrian street behind the lakefront, has proper boutiques: Italian fashion labels, shoe shops, a good bookshop, delicatessens and one of the lake’s best gelaterie. The Saturday morning market takes over the lungolago with clothes, household goods and food stalls, and the town is big enough to have a real Saturday feel rather than a tourist one. Our guide to Salò covers the cathedral and the promenade.
Desenzano’s Tuesday morning market is one of the largest on the lake, stretching along the lungolago and around the old harbour with the full run of clothing, shoes, leather, kitchenware, plants and food. On the other six days the old town does the job instead, with chain stores on Via Roma and Via Santa Maria, independent shops in the lanes behind Piazza Malvezzi, and the Le Vele shopping centre on the edge of town for a supermarket and the big brands. Our guide to Desenzano has the rest.
#6 Olive oil from the mill: Cisano and the Valtenesi
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Bardolino · Cisano di Bardolino on the east shore; Soiano del Lago in the Valtenesi on the west
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Garda DOP olive oil is the lake’s best souvenir, light and slightly grassy, and the way to buy it is at the mill rather than in a gift shop. At Cisano, just south of Bardolino, the Museo dell’Olio d’Oliva is a free museum of old presses attached to a shop selling the mill’s own oil, with tasting spoons on the counter. On the west shore, the Manestrini mill at Soiano del Lago in the Valtenesi hills does the same with a shop, tastings and a small museum. Expect €12–20 for a half-litre of DOP oil.
Bardolino, Lugana di Sirmione, the Valtenesi and Custoza
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Buying wine at the winery costs half what the same bottle costs in a lakefront shop, and most cantinas around the lake have a shop open six days a week without an appointment. Zeni in Bardolino has a free wine museum next to the counter, Ca’ dei Frati at Lugana di Sirmione sells its whole range from a tasting room, and the big cooperative in Custoza is the cheapest place to buy a case. We rank the estates worth the detour in our guide to the best Lake Garda vineyards. Expect €7–15 a bottle for Bardolino, Chiaretto and Lugana.
Limone sul Garda · Old town lanes and the Limonaia del Castèl, Limone sul Garda
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Limone’s lanes sell everything that can be made yellow: limoncello, lemon soap, lemon pasta, candied peel, lemon-print linen. Much of it comes from Sicily, so the thing to buy is the produce from the Limonaia del Castèl, the restored terraced lemon house above the old town, which has a small entry fee of a few euros and sells its own limoncello, marmalade and dried peel at the exit. The old town’s shops open late on summer evenings, when the ferries have gone. Our guide to Limone sul Garda has the cycle path and the lemon houses.
Malcesine · Lake road by the bus station on Saturdays; old town lanes all week, Malcesine
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Malcesine’s market is on Saturday morning, set out along the lake road near the bus station and the cable car end of town, with the usual clothing and leather vans plus good local cheese and salami. The rest of the week the old town’s lanes, especially Via Capitanato running down to the harbour, are a mix of leather, olive-wood kitchenware, outdoor gear for Monte Baldo and gelato. It is compact and pleasant rather than a serious shopping town. See our guide to Malcesine for the castle and cable car.
Lazise’s market is on Wednesday morning along Lungolago Marconi outside the town walls, and because the town is surrounded by the east shore’s biggest campsites it is set up for families: toys, beach gear, sandals, inflatables, and food vans for lunch, alongside the standard leather and clothing stalls. It is smaller than Bardolino’s but easier, with the beach a few steps away when the children have had enough. The old town and the harbour are in our guide to Lazise.
The ones we are sure of: Desenzano on Tuesday, Lazise on Wednesday, Bardolino on Thursday, Garda on Friday, and Salò and Malcesine on Saturday. Peschiera's is on Monday. Riva del Garda holds its market on Wednesdays but not every week, so check the date. Smaller villages such as Limone, Torri del Benaco and Manerba have markets too, usually fortnightly; ask at the tourist office or check the day locally before driving over.
What time do the markets start and finish?
Stalls are up by 8am and packing away from about 12.30pm, so the useful window is 9 to 12. The food vans, especially the porchetta and cheese sellers, are the first to sell out. Markets run in every weather and all year in the larger towns, though in winter they shrink to a handful of stalls. Bring cash; some stalls take cards now, but not all, and cash gets you a better price on a bag.
Is there a designer outlet near Lake Garda?
The closest is Franciacorta Outlet Village at Rodengo Saiano, just outside Brescia, about 30 minutes from Desenzano on the A4. It has well over a hundred stores and is open every day. There is no outlet village on the lake itself, only shopping centres such as Le Vele at Desenzano and the large centre at Affi near the A22 junction, which are useful for supermarkets and everyday brands but not for bargains.
Which town has the best shops on Lake Garda?
Sirmione for boutiques in a small space, Salò for the most serious independent shops, and Desenzano for everything from chain stores to the Tuesday market. Riva del Garda at the north end has good outdoor and sports shops around Via Maffei and the old town. The smaller villages mostly sell the same souvenirs, so if shopping matters, base yourself in Desenzano or Salò.
What should I buy on Lake Garda?
Garda DOP olive oil in a tin, a bottle or three of Chiaretto or Lugana from the cantina, and limoncello from Limone if you like it sweet. Beyond food, the leather bags, belts and sandals at the markets and in Sirmione's lanes are the best-value souvenirs. Olive-wood boards and bowls are made locally and last forever. The wineries worth a stop for the wine are ranked in our vineyards guide.
Are the markets good for leather goods?
Yes, with a little care. The same leather vans do the circuit of the lake all week, and their bags, belts and wallets at €20–60 are decent Italian-made goods, not luxury. Check the stitching and the lining, and ask if it is vera pelle. For better quality you pay two or three times as much in the boutiques of Sirmione or Salò, where the labels are traceable and they will exchange if something goes wrong.
Can I visit the outlet and the lake in one day?
Comfortably. From Desenzano, Sirmione or Peschiera the Franciacorta outlet is 30–45 minutes on the A4, so a morning there leaves the afternoon free. We often pair it with the Franciacorta sparkling-wine estates ten minutes from the outlet, then come back to the lake for a swim. From the north end around Riva del Garda it is closer to an hour and a half each way, which makes it a full day.
Where do I buy olive oil directly from a producer?
On the east shore, the Museo dell'Olio d'Oliva at Cisano di Bardolino is the easiest, a free museum with a shop and tastings, and there are smaller mills in the hills behind Bardolino and Garda. On the west shore, the Valtenesi villages above Manerba and Salò have several mills with shops, including the one at Soiano del Lago. In the north, the Agraria cooperative in Riva del Garda sells Trentino oil alongside its wine.
Are shops open on Sundays on Lake Garda?
In the resort towns, yes: from Easter to October the tourist shops in Sirmione, Limone, Malcesine, Lazise and Bardolino open seven days a week and stay open into the evening. Supermarkets in the bigger towns open Sunday mornings at least. Out of season, expect Sunday and Monday afternoon closures, and a lunch break from 12.30 to 3.30pm in the smaller shops. Markets never run on Sundays.
Which market is best if I only go to one?
Bardolino on Thursday. It is the largest on the east shore, it runs the length of the lakefront, and it has the best food stalls. Reach it by ferry from Garda or Lazise rather than by car. On the west shore, Salò's Saturday market has a similar feel with a better boutique street behind it for afterwards.
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