Lake Garda is 52 kilometres long and it crosses a climate boundary. The northern end sits between cliffs in a Trentino valley, narrow and mountain-fed, with wind that funnels down it every day. The southern end opens into the Po plain, wide and shallow, with beaches and warm shallow water.
That difference is why lemons were grown at the northern end in structures called limonaie — stone pillars and beams that were roofed and glazed each winter to keep the trees alive at a latitude they should not survive at. Several survive at Limone and Gargnano.
Three shores
The western shore, the Riviera dei Limoni, runs from Salò through Gardone and Gargnano to Limone under a mountain wall, with the road cut into the rock in tunnels. It has the belle époque villas, the grandest hotels and the least sun in the late afternoon because the mountains cut it off.
The eastern shore, the Riviera degli Olivi, runs from Torri del Benaco down through Bardolino to Peschiera. It is gentler, planted with olives and vines, gets the afternoon sun and has the wine.
The southern shore around Sirmione and Desenzano is flat, warm and shallow, with the thermal springs, the Roman villa at the tip of the Sirmione peninsula and the beaches families want.
The northern tip at Riva del Garda and Torbole is in Trentino, with mountains straight out of the water and the best windsurfing in Italy — the Ora wind blows from the south every afternoon in summer with a reliability that sailors plan around.
The eleven below run from north to south.
The northern tip
Trentino. Mountains, wind and sailing.
Hotel Lido occupies a restored 1899 building on the Riva del Garda waterfront with a rooftop pool over the lake, a spa and the best position at the northern end.
Hotel Lido
Riva del Garda · 5★ · $$$$
An 1899 building with a rooftop pool over the lake
Search hotels in Lake GardaDu Lac Et Du Parc Grand Resort sits in a park at Riva with several pools, tennis and full family facilities among mature grounds.
Du Lac Et Du Parc Grand Resort
Riva del Garda · 4★ · $$$
Several pools and tennis in mature parkland
Check availabilityThe western shore
The Riviera dei Limoni. Villas, lemon houses and the grand hotels.
Villa Riva occupies a 1892 villa at Gargnano in its own park with fourteen rooms, a swimming platform on the lake and interiors restored to an extraordinary level. It is the finest hotel on any Italian lake.
Villa Riva
Gargnano, west shore · 5★ · $$$$
An 1892 villa with fourteen rooms and a swimming platform
Search hotels in Lake GardaLefay Resort & Spa Lago Di Garda sits high above Gargnano on a hillside estate with an infinity pool over the water, a very large spa and a wellness programme. It is the best spa hotel in northern Italy.
Lefay Resort & Spa Lago Di Garda
Above Gargnano · 5★ · $$$$
Infinity pool over the water with the best spa in northern Italy
Check availabilityGrand Hotel Fasano occupies a belle époque building at Gardone Riviera with terraced gardens, a private beach and a long history as the western shore's grand hotel.
Grand Hotel Fasano
Gardone Riviera · 5★ · $$$$
Belle epoque terraced gardens with a private beach
Check availabilityEALA My Lakeside Dream - Adults Only sits at Limone under the cliffs with a contemporary interior, a pool over the lake and the lemon terraces above it.
EALA My Lakeside Dream - Adults Only
Limone sul Garda · 5★ · $$$$
Pool over the lake beneath the lemon terraces
Check availabilityThe eastern shore
The Riviera degli Olivi. Olives, wine and afternoon sun.
Villa Cordevigo occupies an eighteenth-century villa in a vineyard estate at Cavaion, a short drive inland from Bardolino, with a starred restaurant and a pool among the vines.
Villa Cordevigo
Cavaion, east shore · 5★ · $$$$
An eighteenth-century villa with a starred kitchen in the vines
Check availabilityAqualux Hotel Spa Suite & Terme sits at Bardolino with a large spa, several pools and a contemporary design. It is the family answer on this shore.
Aqualux Hotel Spa Suite & Terme
Bardolino · 4★ · $$$
Several pools and a large spa on the sunny shore
Check availabilityHotel Caesius Thermae & Spa Resort occupies a thermal property at Bardolino with its own spring-fed pools, a park and a lakefront.
Hotel Caesius Thermae & Spa Resort
Bardolino · 4★ · $$$
Its own spring-fed thermal pools and a lakefront park
Check availabilityThe southern shore
Sirmione and the shallow warm end.
Villa Cortine Palace Relais Chateaux occupies a nineteenth-century villa on the Sirmione peninsula in a private park running to the water, with a pool and a beach. It is the most peaceful hotel in the south.
Villa Cortine Palace Relais Chateaux
Sirmione peninsula · 5★ · $$$$
A private park running to the water with a beach
Check availabilityGrand Hotel Terme Sirmione sits at Sirmione with thermal water piped from the lake-bed spring, a spa and a position minutes from the Roman ruins and the castle.
Grand Hotel Terme Sirmione
Sirmione · 4★ · $$$
Thermal water from the lake-bed spring by the castle
Check availabilityWhat we have left off
The apartment and campsite accommodation around the southern shore is excluded, and around Peschiera and Lazise it is an enormous industry serving the German and Dutch families who have come here for generations. They are apartments and campsites rather than hotels.
What to do
Take the ferries. The lake has a good boat network and the crossings between Malcesine on the east and Limone on the west are the best way to see it.
Go up Monte Baldo on the rotating cable car from Malcesine, which climbs to 1,760 metres and has paragliders launching from the top.
See the Vittoriale degli Italiani at Gardone, the estate of the poet Gabriele d'Annunzio, which includes a warship built into the hillside. It is one of the strangest places in Italy.
Visit a limonaia at Limone to understand the lemon industry that gave the shore its name.
Verona is 40 minutes from the southern shore, and the opera season in the Roman arena runs through summer.
Practical notes
Verona is the closest airport at 30 to 40 minutes from the southern shore; Bergamo, Milan and Venice are all within two hours. Trains reach Desenzano and Peschiera.
May, June and September are ideal. July and August are busy and hot, and the lake is at capacity with Italian and northern European holidaymakers. Many hotels close from November to March.
The western shore road is narrow and runs through tunnels; it is slow in season.
Explore 4 & 5 Star Lake Garda Hotels
Questions people actually ask
Which shore should you pick?
West for the grand hotels and the drama, east for afternoon sun and wine, south for beaches and warm shallow water, north for mountains and sailing.
Is Garda better than Como?
Garda is larger, more varied and cheaper, with beaches at the southern end. Como is more concentrated and more glamorous.
When does the wind blow?
The Ora comes from the south every afternoon in summer at the northern end, which is why the sailing there is reliable.
How many nights?
Four. Enough for two shores and a boat day.