Where to Stay on Lake Garda: 8 Towns Compared

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Stay on the south shore (Desenzano, Peschiera or Sirmione) if you arrive by train or have two or three nights, and in the north (Malcesine, Riva del Garda or Limone) if you come for mountains, hiking or sailing. For five nights or more, take one base at each end.

At a glance

Easiest without a car: Desenzano del Garda and Peschiera del Garda. Both have a station on the Milan to Venice railway.
Best-known old town, crowded by day: Sirmione.
Families and theme parks: Peschiera, Lazise and Bardolino.
Cable car and mountain walks from the door: Malcesine.
Sailing, windsurfing, climbing and cycling: Riva del Garda, with Torbole and Arco next to it.
Small and quiet in the evening, awkward to reach: Limone sul Garda.
A lived-in town with a long lakefront: Salò, with Gardone Riviera beside it.
Book ahead: any hotel for July, August and holiday weekends, and parking or car access if you choose Sirmione.

How the lake is laid out

Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy, with a surface of about 370 square kilometers and a length of 51.6 kilometers from north to south. Three regions share it. The south-west and west shore is in Lombardy (province of Brescia), the east shore is in Veneto (province of Verona) and the northern tip is in Trentino. The Lake Garda guide covers the sights.

The southern basin is wide and low, with the motorway and the railway. Further north the lake narrows between mountains. Two shore roads run up it: the Gardesana Occidentale (SS 45 bis) from Salò to Riva on the west side and the Gardesana Orientale (SS 249) from Peschiera to Riva on the east side. Both pass through the towns, so drives take longer in summer than the map suggests.

Still choosing a lake? See Lake Como or Lake Garda and Lake Garda or Lake Maggiore.

The eight bases

Sirmione

Sirmione suits a first visit of one or two nights and couples who want the best-known old town on the lake outside the door. The historic center sits on a narrow peninsula that divides the southern basin. On foot you have the Scaligero Castle, begun in 1277 and still surrounded by water, the Roman villa known as the Grotte di Catullo at the tip, and the thermal baths. See the Sirmione guide.

There is no railway station. The nearest is Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione, and the Brescia to Verona bus (Arriva line LN026) and the lake boats link the two towns. The drawback is access and crowds. The old town is a limited traffic zone where number plates must be authorised in advance, so ask your hotel before you arrive whether and how it can register your car. In 2026 the summer rules ran from 23 March to 13 October, and on listed weekends and holidays the center was closed to all vehicles from 14:00 to 19:00. Day visitors fill the lanes in the middle of the day. Hotels in the Colombare and Lugana districts are easier to drive to but are not in the old town.

Desenzano del Garda

Desenzano suits travelers without a car and short stays. It is the largest town on the lake, with about 29,400 residents. The old harbor, the castle above it, the Roman villa and the main boat pier near Piazza Matteotti are all in the center.

The station is on the Milan to Venice line and the town has its own exit on the A4 motorway. See how to get from Milan to Lake Garda for the train options. Boats leave for Sirmione and the rest of the lake from the port. The drawbacks: the station is on the south-western edge of town, not on the lakefront, and the mountains are at the other end of the lake.

Peschiera del Garda

Peschiera suits families and anyone combining the lake with Verona. The old town stands inside Venetian fortress walls where the river Mincio leaves the lake. The walls have been part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site of Venetian defense works since 2017. The station opened in 1854 on the Milan to Venice railway, which makes Peschiera the other easy base by train.

Gardaland, the largest theme park in Italy, is a short distance north, on land shared by Lazise and Castelnuovo del Garda. ATV buses run from Peschiera up the east shore to Malcesine, and Verona is a short train ride to the east. Borghetto sul Mincio is a common half-day outing down the river. The drawback is the setting: this is a flat and busy corner of the lake, with campsites and holiday parks nearby and heavy traffic on park days.

Bardolino and Lazise

These two neighboring towns on the Veneto shore suit families and a relaxed week with a car. Lazise, about 20 kilometers from Verona, still has its medieval walls of 1329, with three gates and a Scaliger castle. Bardolino, about 25 kilometers from Verona, gives its name to the Bardolino DOC wine. Both towns are on the low southern part of the shore. The hot spring at Colà, a district of Lazise, and the theme parks are a short drive away.

There is no railway. ATV buses connect both towns with Verona (lines 162 to 165 and 185) and with Peschiera and Malcesine (line 483). Boats stop at both. The drawback is that this is package-holiday territory: large hotels and campsites, and a low shore without the cliffs of the north. For wine, see the Valpolicella and Amarone guide.

Malcesine

Malcesine suits walkers and couples who want mountain scenery and an old town together. It is the northernmost town on the Veneto shore. The old center is built around the Castello Scaligero, and the Monte Baldo cable car starts from the town. The cable car reaches Tratto Spino at 1,760 meters in about 20 minutes, with rotating cabins on the upper section. Its 2026 summer season ran from 4 April to 1 November, with a maintenance closure from 2 November to 25 December. See the Malcesine guide and the best hikes on Lake Garda.

Malcesine has no railway. You arrive by ATV bus, by boat or by car on the Gardesana Orientale; Verona is about 40 kilometers to the south-east. The drawbacks are the long transfer on arrival day and the steep ground: ask the hotel about parking.

Riva del Garda

Riva suits active trips: sailing, windsurfing, climbing, cycling and hiking. It sits at the northern tip of the lake in Trentino and was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918. It has about 17,000 residents. Afternoon breezes keep summers mild and are the reason Riva and Torbole, the village directly to the east, are known for sailing and windsurfing. See the Riva del Garda guide and the pages on via ferrata routes, climbing at Arco and paragliding.

The nearest station is Rovereto, on the Brenner line. Trentino Trasporti buses run from the station to Torbole, Riva and Arco, and tickets cannot be bought on board. Trento is also linked by bus. The drawback is distance: Sirmione, Verona and the theme parks are a long day out from here.

Limone sul Garda

Limone suits a quiet stay of two or three nights. It is a village of about 1,200 residents on the west shore, under steep mountain walls. Until the road to Riva was completed in 1932 it could be reached only by boat or over the mountains. On foot you have the small harbor, the lanes of the center and the first stretch of the Ciclopista del Garda, a shared path for walkers and cyclists that opened in 2018 north of the village.

There is no railway nearby. The Arriva bus between Salò and Riva (line LN027) stops here but does not run every hour, so boats are the practical link to Malcesine and Riva. Day visitors arrive the same way, and the center is crowded around midday. With a car, check that your hotel has parking.

Salò and Gardone Riviera

Salò suits return visitors and anyone who prefers a town where local life goes on around the tourism. It has about 10,500 residents and the longest lakefront promenade on the lake. From 1943 to 1945 it was the seat of Mussolini's Italian Social Republic. The town museum, MuSa, opened in 2015. The main sight of Gardone Riviera, the next town north, is the Vittoriale degli Italiani, the estate that the writer Gabriele d'Annunzio built from 1921, with an outdoor theater and a park of about 10 hectares.

Neither town has a station. Arriva buses link Salò with Desenzano, where the trains to Brescia and Milan stop, and boats stop at both Salò and Gardone. The drawback is that this shore takes more effort without a car. The car ferry from Maderno, further north on the same shore, crosses to Torri del Benaco and saves the drive around the lake.

Which base for which trip

Two nights, no car: Desenzano or Peschiera. The two-day Lake Garda itinerary works from either.
Three or four nights: one southern base, with a day by boat to the middle of the lake. See the three-day and four-day plans.
A week: split it between a southern base and Malcesine or Riva.
Opera in Verona: stay on the Veneto shore or in the city. Compare where to stay in Verona and the Arena opera guide.
On the way to the mountains: Riva or Malcesine, then north. The Verona, Lake Garda and Dolomites itinerary shows the route.

For hotel search by town, use the Lake Garda hotels page.

Areas to think twice about

Sirmione old town with a car. Plates must be registered, and on the pedestrian afternoons you cannot drive in or out. The general rules are in the guide to ZTL permits in Italy.
Addresses that use a town's name but are well uphill. On the steep northern shores, check the walking route to the lakefront, not only the distance.
The north for a first short trip by train. Riva and Limone need a bus or boat connection after the train.
Any small town from November to March. The Monte Baldo cable car has a maintenance break and the boat timetable is reduced. Check that your hotel is open.

Getting between the towns

Boats are run by Navigazione Laghi, the state operator. Its ticket search lists about 30 stops, including all the towns on this page. In 2026 the summer timetable was valid from 16 May to 4 October and the winter timetable runs from 5 October 2026 to 25 March 2027, with fewer sailings. Cars are carried only on the Maderno to Torri del Benaco ferry. The operator advises arriving about 20 minutes early in summer; routes can be suspended in bad weather.

Buses are split by shore. ATV runs the Veneto side from Verona and Peschiera, including a seasonal line to Verona airport (see the Verona airport guide). Arriva runs the Lombardy side from Brescia and Desenzano. Trentino Trasporti runs the north from Rovereto and Trento. Check the operator's site for your dates.

With a car, read the guide to driving in Italy first.

Booking and tourist tax

July, August, Easter and the long weekends around 25 April, 1 May and 2 June are the busiest dates, and the spring holidays are also Sirmione closure days. Book those well ahead.

Each municipality on the lake sets its own tourist tax, normally charged per person per night and paid at the accommodation. We could not verify the 2026 rates for each town, so check the municipality's website or ask the hotel before you compare prices.

Questions travelers ask

Which Lake Garda town is best without a car?

Desenzano del Garda or Peschiera del Garda. Both have a station on the Milan to Venice railway, a boat pier and buses along the shore. Sirmione has no station and is reached from Desenzano by bus or boat.

Is it better to stay in the north or the south of Lake Garda?

The south is flatter and closer to the railway, Verona and the theme parks. The north, around Riva del Garda and Malcesine, has mountains on both sides, steady afternoon wind for sailing and the Monte Baldo cable car, which climbs to 1,760 meters.

Can you drive into Sirmione's old town?

Only if your number plate has been authorised in advance. Ask your hotel before you arrive. In 2026 the summer traffic rules applied from 23 March to 13 October, and on listed weekends and holidays the center was closed to vehicles from 14:00 to 19:00.

Is there a car ferry across Lake Garda?

Yes, one. Navigazione Laghi carries vehicles between Maderno on the west shore and Torri del Benaco on the east shore. All other boat services on the lake are for foot passengers.

Sources

Author: the TourLeaderPro.com editorial team, a network of tour leaders and registered tourist guides in Italy.

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Where to stay on Lake Garda: eight bases compared town by town