Lake Garda With Kids – Planning the Perfect Family Trip
Is Lake Garda worth visiting?
The land of crystal clear waters, backed by mountains, with pristine villages and towns that run down to the water’s edge, Lake Garda sure packs a punch for impressive scenery and is a place you should add to your bucket list. Not only is it spectacular, but it’s also an incredibly family-friendly destination, with so much there to keep children entertained, you’ll probably want to return time and time again, to experience all this place has to offer.
If you love sightseeing there are charming towns to explore, surrounding Lake Garda, amusement and water parks, historical sites including castles, and even a cable car going up the Monte Baldo mountain range. If outdoor adventure is more your style, take your pick from water sports on the lake, mountaineering and paragliding, to beautiful walks and bicycle rides. For families who want to relax, sit on a beach and let the kids play, Lake Garda has numerous beaches kitted out with sun loungers, swim areas and lifeguards.
So let us guide you on Lake Garda, from when to go, where to stay and top things to do with kids.
How big is Lake Garda?
Lake Garda is the biggest of the Italian lakes, being 32 miles long and 10 miles wide and takes on average 3 hours to drive around.
How many days to spend in Lake Garda
When you see the huge list of things to do in Lake Garda, you’ll probably agree that a 2-week break would be needed to see a lot of the area, however, if you’re short on time, then a week’s stay would also be great, staying in a refined area and exploring locally. Due to the size of Lake Garda, we’d recommend visiting a different region each time.
If you’ve only got a few nights’ break, it’s still worth going but maybe stay within one of the picturesque towns and simply take in the charm of the place, relax, let the kids enjoy the water and play on the lake shore and take your time mooching around.
Best time to visit Lake Garda
Different times of year offer different opportunities in Lake Garda, so the time you choose to visit will depend on your activity preferences. Summertime (July to August) is peak season when large crowds flock to the area to enjoy the hot weather, which can reach 29°. It’s a perfect time to enjoy the lake’s beaches, and all the water sports on offer, due to the temperature of the water being at its warmest. It may however be too hot to sightsee comfortably, especially with children.
If you want to explore, spring (March to June) is perfect, when temperatures are cooler, but still warm enough to enjoy nice sunny days. If you aim for the later end of spring, Lake Gardas water will be warming up, so swimming will be possible, but March and April, although sunny, see bitter cold water.
The slightly cooler months (September to November) see wonderful autumn colours emerging, fewer crowds and lower prices, so this would also be a great time to visit.
Winter in Lake Garda (December to February) although cold with a higher chance of rain, sees snow on the peaks of the Monte Baldo mountain range, so it is the perfect winter wonderland for skiing and snowboarding.
How to get around Lake Garda
If budget allows, we’d recommend hiring a car and completing a self-drive trip. Not only is this the most convenient form of transport, allowing you to go wherever you want, wherever you want, but it’s also really child-friendly. Throw all the bags in the boot, have a separate seat for your little one, so they’re not crawling all over your lap and be able to stop off for toilet breaks whenever you need, with peace and quiet for naps on the road. Lake Garda is a dream to drive around, with smooth, well-signposted roads and stunning views of the water and surrounding mountains.
If you’d prefer to sit back and relax while someone else takes care of the driving, the bus is a good choice. The bus network around Lake Garda is extensive and efficient, and will conveniently get you from one stunning town to the next.
For those who love to cycle with children responsible enough to control a bike safely, cycling is a fantastic way to see the area. We’ve vowed to return to Lake Garda when our kids are older and complete a cycle tour, as we were so impressed with the cycle paths.
Last but not least, the option to sail around Lake Garda should be considered, and will undoubtedly offer enchanting views across the water, with a unique perspective compared to travelling on land. You can hire a private boat or jump on board a public boat connecting the main towns.
Where to stay in Lake Garda
Where you choose to base yourself for your trip should be determined by what you want to do whilst there. If fun days out are your family’s preference and amusement parks sound good, aim to stay on the south coast of Lake Garda, where Legoland Water Park, Gardaland and Movieland are located. If you prefer outdoor adventure activities, the northern region is best, with great hiking and cycling trails, rock climbing, water sports and winter sports opportunities along the Monte Baldo mountain range.
We chose to stay in Malcesine on the northeast shore of Lake Garda. We stayed in Panini Country Apartments, which is a 10-minute drive up the mountain behind Malcesine town, offering incredible views over the town and lake. The location was quiet and the accommodation offered self-catering apartments, which we always prefer when travelling, for the convenience of making food for days out. There was also private parking and a lovely swimming pool with the best views. A 5-minute walk from the apartment is San Michele’s playground, (more on this on ‘Top Things To Do In Lake Garda With Kids’).
Best towns in Lake Garda
Malcesine
This is our favourite town in Lake Garda, and we loved having it as our base to stay. It’s quaint, with cobbled streets, a town hall, a main square and a beautiful lakefront, with restaurants lining the water’s edge. There is a fantastic kids’ play area in the town centre, and Malcesine is also home to the Monte Baldo cable car, which is the gateway to some incredible hikes, paragliding and winter sports.
Riva Del Garda
The second largest town in Lake Garda and a good one to explore on foot, with its beautiful town centre, brightly coloured buildings and main square – Piazza 3 Novembre. The harbour is lined with restaurants and coffee shops and has pedalo boats, some with slides. Due to its strong winds, the town is a popular spot for water sports activities, especially windsurfing.
For things to do in the town itself, why not take the glass bottom lift to Bastione, or climb Riva Del Garda’s medieval watch tower, which offers amazing views over the town and Lake Garda? For those with older kids who enjoy hiking, there are a few that are very close to Riva Del Garda: Make your way to Chapel Santa Barbara or Punta Larici, or how about hiring bikes and cycling the Old Ponale Road?
Villa Canale
This small medieval village can be found a further 18-minute dive north from Riva Del Garda and has made it onto several lists of the top villages in Italy. It’s full of charm, with stone houses, built hundreds of years ago and narrow cobbled streets, which can be explored in under an hour.
Sirmione
Located on the southern shore of Lake Garda, on the thin Sirmio peninsula, this place is magical and definitely worth a full day exploring or even staying there. Sirmione is surrounded by water, with a beautiful old town and a magnificent castle, which will impress anyone with how well it’s been preserved. Kids will love walking across the draw bridge to get into the old town and if you explore Scaligero Castle, they’ll be able to climb the watch tower, patrol the fort walls and be able to see right over the town.
Sirmione has two beach areas which we’d recommend visiting in summer, Jamaica Beach and Lido Galezzi Beach.
Lastly, many visitors choose to visit Sirmione to be pampered and go to one of its thermal spa hotels, fed by the underground springs there. If you visit for the day, especially out of the high season when the weather is cooler, you should go to Aquaria Thermal Spa to access their thermal pools (both indoor and outdoor). Children aged 2.5 and over are allowed in with an accompanying adult, which we think would make for the perfect rainy-day activity.
Lazise
Boasting a 14-century castle, a scenic lengthy lakefront promenade and one of the best sandy beaches in Lake Garda, Lazise located on the eastern shore, makes for a worthwhile day trip. Cobbled streets, lined with shops and eateries give this place a quaint, elegant charm and the fact there is no traffic allowed inside gives parents more piece of mind when exploring with kids.
Limone sul Garda
This is the most northern town on the western shore of Lake Garda and is only a 15-minute drive away from Riva Del Garda. You don’t need a car to explore Limone as it is a very small town, so it’s a good idea to visit Limone via boat ride, as a day trip from either Malcesine, Sirmione or Garda if you are not staying in situ.
There isn’t an enormous amount to do there, but its mountainous location and very pretty town, with a lakefront promenade, is enough to attract visitors all year round, especially from April to November. Within the town there is a good selection of shops and eateries, two small children’s play areas, Via Capitelli playground and Via Fasse playground and a lovely beach ‘Spiaggia Fonte Torrente San Giovanni’. In high season Limone has a Tuesday morning market and those interested in how the town got its name can visit Limonaia del Castel, which is a small open-air museum, demonstrating how they grow lemons, which the area is famous for.
Now you’re seriously considering going to Lake Garda, check out our recommendations on ‘Top Things To Do With Kids’
