Best Things to Do in Garda

Things to do in Garda

1. 

   01 Outdoors

   Walk out to Punta San Vigilio

   • Lungolago, 2 km north of the harbour
   • 1–2 hours
   • Free

   The flat path north around the bay from the harbour reaches Punta San Vigilio in about 25 minutes: a cypress-covered headland with a tiny stone harbour, a 16th-century villa, a small church and one of the most photographed views on the lake. The Locanda San Vigilio on the point serves drinks and lunch on the water at hotel prices, and there is a free path around the headland. It is the opening leg of the longer shoreline walk in our pick of the best Lake Garda walks.

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2. 

   02 Outdoors

   Climb the Rocca di Garda for the view over the bay

   • Path starts from Via Rocca, above the old town
   • 2 hours
   • Free

   The wooded hill behind town once carried the fortress that gave Garda its name, and a marked path climbs from the edge of the old town to the flat top at around 290 m in 40 to 50 minutes. Almost nothing is left of the castle, but the viewpoint on the lake side looks straight down over the bay, Punta San Vigilio and across to the western shore. Wear proper shoes; the upper section is rocky and slippery after rain.

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3. 

   03 Family

   Spend a beach day at Parco Baia delle Sirene

   • Punta San Vigilio, 25 min walk from the harbour
   • Half a day
   • €13 adults in high season, €10 in September (2026)

   Tucked into the south side of the Punta San Vigilio headland, this paid beach park has lawns under old olive and pine trees, a pebble shore that shelves gently into clear water, a bar and a small restaurant. Entry is €13 per adult in high season (10 May to 1 September 2026) and €10 in September, cheaper after mid-afternoon, and the shade is the reason it is worth paying for with children. It features in our pick of the best Lake Garda beaches.

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4. 

   04 Sightseeing

   Wander the old town lanes and Palazzo dei Capitani

   • Old town, behind Lungolago Regina Adelaide
   • 1 hour
   • Free

   Behind the promenade the old town is a tight grid of lanes, Via Spagna and Corso Vittorio Emanuele the main ones, with a clock tower gateway, Venetian-era houses and the 15th-century Palazzo dei Capitani facing the lake with its Gothic windows. The parish church of Santa Maria Maggiore at the top of town has a quiet 15th-century cloister that most people walk past. Best done before the shops open, when the lanes are empty.

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5. 

   05 Markets & shopping

   Browse the Friday market along the lakefront

   • Lungolago Regina Adelaide and the old town
   • Morning
   • Free

   Garda’s Friday market is one of the largest on the lake, running from about 8am to early afternoon along the lakefront and the streets behind it. There is a strong food section with cheese, salumi, roast chicken and olives, then the usual mix of clothes, leather and household stalls. Bring cash and expect the bus to run late that morning. More on the lake’s market days in our Lake Garda shopping guide.

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6. 

   06 Culture & history

   Visit the Eremo di San Giorgio hermitage

   • Via Eremo, on the Rocca above Bardolino
   • 1 hour
   • Free (donation welcome)

   On the plateau of the Rocca, between Garda and Bardolino, a small community of Camaldolese monks has lived at this 17th-century hermitage since 1663. The church and a courtyard are open to visitors in the daytime, there is a little shop selling the monks’ honey, herbal liqueurs and olive oil, and the silence is the point. You can drive up the lane from Bardolino or reach it on foot from the Rocca path.

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7. 

   07 Food & wine

   Eat lake fish and Garda olive oil at a trattoria

   • Lakefront and the old town lanes
   • 2 hours
   • €30–50 a head

   Garda has more restaurants per metre of lakefront than almost anywhere on the eastern shore, and the best of them still cook the local menu: lavarello or trout from the lake, bigoli with sardines, and the peppery olive oil pressed in the hills behind town. Prices run €30–50 a head with wine on the lakefront and a little less in the lanes behind. We keep a running list in our pick of the best Lake Garda restaurants.

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8. 

   08 Evening

   Join the evening passeggiata on Lungolago Regina Adelaide

   • Lungolago Regina Adelaide
   • 1–2 hours
   • €5–9 a drink

   From about 6pm the promenade fills with families, dogs and couples walking the length of the bay, and every bar puts tables out facing the water. The sun sets behind the mountains of the western shore, so the light on the bay is at its best between 7 and 8pm in summer. A spritz or a glass of local Chiaretto runs €5–9, and there are gelaterie every few doors. For bars worth seeking out around the lake, see our pick of the best Lake Garda bars.

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9. 

   09 Beach & lake

   Paddle the bay by kayak or stand-up board

   • Beaches either side of the harbour
   • 1–2 hours
   • €15–25 an hour

   The bay is one of the calmest stretches of water on the lake, sheltered from the afternoon Ora wind by the Rocca and the San Vigilio headland, so it is a good place to try a kayak or paddleboard for the first time. Hire stands on the beaches either side of the harbour rent boards and pedalos by the hour from late spring to September, and the paddle around to Punta San Vigilio and back takes about an hour. For motorboats and longer hires see our guide to Lake Garda boat rentals.

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10. 

    10 Culture & history

    Catch the Sardellata al Pal del Vo in July

    • Bay of Garda and the lakefront
    • An evening
    • Free to watch, a few euros for a plate

    One July evening each year the town’s fishermen row out to the Pal del Vo, a marker pole off Punta San Vigilio, fish for sardines through the night in the old way and cook them on the lakefront the next day with polenta and local wine. Boats are lit with lanterns and the bay fills with spectators. Dates are set by the town each spring, so check locally.

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11. 

    11 Outdoors

    Walk or ferry to Bardolino for the wine

    • Lakeside path south from the harbour
    • Half a day
    • Free (ferry a few euros)

    The lakeside path south from Garda reaches Bardolino in about 4 km of flat, mostly shaded walking past small beaches and villas. Bardolino is the wine town of the eastern shore, with cellars and a wine museum a short walk uphill from its harbour, so a morning walk, a tasting and the 15-minute ferry back makes a very easy day. Our full guide is in things to do in Bardolino, and the cellars are in our pick of the best Lake Garda vineyards.

    Ferry timetables Map

Garda in pictures