After visiting Venice for a few days, we took the trains and buses to Lake Garda. Do you know when you see a beautiful place? You feel your heart squeeze a little bit. You want to do a little happy dance or jump up and down while clapping your hands and looking ridiculous. That’s Lake Garda for us. It has it all: outdoor adventure, culture, food, people, escape, and the hustle and bustle. It all depends on where you are and when you go. Luckily, we experienced a bit of everything. Not that we’ve extensively traveled Italy, but it’s one of our favorites. It’s right up there with Cinque Terre.
If you’re not familiar with Lake Garda, it’s massive. It’s the biggest lake in Italy, clocking in about 50 km (31 miles) long and 20 km (~12 miles) wide. Plans are in place to create a 140km pedestrian/bicycle path along the lake, estimated to be completed around 2026. We can only imagine how awesome the final product will be! It’s a hot spot destination for Italians and those from nearby countries, especially Germany.
Getting to Lake Garda
On our last morning in Venice, after some Bonafacio (of course), we took the train to Verona and caught a bus to Lazise in Lake Garda. No, we didn’t stop to do any sightseeing in Romeo and Juliet’s city. Most of what we saw was walking out of the train station and across the street to stand at the bus stop praying we’d get on the right bus.
If you’ve not traveled by bus internationally, it’s not so different really from how anyone rides a bus in the states, except for purchasing and validating tickets. However, we’re not used to having such well-oiled public transportation in places we lived back in the states. So, when buses pull up to your bus station every several minutes for different routes, maybe on or behind their scheduled time, you get a little unsure of yourself! You feel this even more if departure times are only a minute or two apart. It does pay to travel prepared and have an expected route planned. However, quickly adapting and knowing how to read timetables in foreign languages has felt most beneficial. It’s allowed us to pivot if a better route comes along that we weren’t expecting. This situation has happened multiple times for us, even in Verona.
Lazise was a quaint welcoming party city for us to start our Lake Garda adventures. Celebrating our arrival at Lake Garda, we devoured our mezza kilo of gelato. With each bite, sitting on a lake-side bench we squealed like school kids marveling over the view. Many of the Lake Garda towns have lakeside promenades that blend into one long path. After that, we began our walk along the promenade.
Between Lazise and Garda runs a continuous promenade along the lake. In our romanticized planning, it sounded fun to undertake a hybrid version of backpacking along Lake Garda to get to our different destinations. We made a pact to only travel with our two Osprey Porter 30L backpacks and small backpacks for the kids in Europe. Traveling with hands-free luggage opens the possibilities up. Day-one real life didn’t allow us to finish our backpacking trek. The kids wanted to stop and look at rocks, trees, flowers, etc. Eventually, we had to call it so we could catch the last ferry out to our Airbnb in Limone Sul Garda. Luck on our side allowed us to cut over into one of the cities we got to and catch a bus.
Everyone jokes about being on Italian time – but it’s different to live it. We waited five minutes past the estimated arrival time for the bus. Google said we missed it even though we made it on time (sometimes they’re good at stalking everything as it’s happening). The next bus didn’t come for an hour, no point in waiting. Forlornly, we started walking back to the promenade, praying we’d still catch our ferry. We didn’t want to bus around the whole northern lake. Casting a last look over my shoulder, I saw the bus coming around the corner! This was like some movie scene #hi!t. It felt like slow motion and all that jazz. I yelled at Kevin to turn around in the middle of the crosswalk with the kids and run back. We caught the bus!
By the time we reached Malcesine, our bus was obviously behind schedule. Running through the city center with Kevin shouting where to turn, dip, dive and dodge, we tried to make the last ferry. Thank goodness for tourist season! The long line to board gave us some cushion to get on the ferry. We rode on the upper deck, enjoying the breeze and the view of approaching Limone Sul Garda. Limone Sul Garda sandwiches itself between the mountains and the lake. That’s part of its charm.
Limone Sul Garda
We loved Limone Sul Garda. It receives a lot of day tourists and quiets down at night and in the mornings. Experiencing both vibes is the sweet spot for us. It allows us to see and appreciate the beauty of an area in different ways. Waking in the morning, Lil Fox and I explored the town. With no tourists, and a small handful of staff preparing outdoor tables for the day, we felt like we reserved the city for ourselves. A lot of the city maintenance happens for the day at this time, like collecting rubbish. Small and hilly cobblestone streets comprise Limone. Therefore, people move things by hand with large wheelbarrow-like carts or teeny-tiny trucks that you might see at a golf course. It also allowed us to get some great pictures of the town without the throngs of people!
Limone Sul Garda Cyle Path – Day 1
Once everyone woke up we went to explore a market where they have one or two vendors selling produce and the rest selling a variety of gizmos and gadgets and clothes. The person working at the produce stand was absolutely funny and nice as I tried to order produce. Because I spoke the memorized phrases for things like “I would like” “please,” etc. in Italian he must have thought I spoke it. He then started encouraging me to try saving every word of the item I wanted in Italian unassisted. This got difficult because I honestly had no clue. No signs adorned the variety of produce for me to try to sound anything out either. He also give us plenty of tastes of different things like cherries and apricots and said a lot things in Italian that I did not understand. Between my minimal Italian and his English it worked out! It feels a little scary and overwhelming to try to communicate with someone who doesn’t fully speak your language but it feels good when you come out the other side.
Later we walked through old town Lake Garda. It has little paths leading to part of the cycle path we mentioned earlier. That was a wonderful surprise because I thought we had to take a bus to get to it, but there was a little brochure sharing the walking path to get to it. We couldn’t find much information about the details of getting to it online (if you weren’t driving). Anyways, the cycle path walk was beautiful! You can tell when you get to the windier section where the wind and water sports lovers reside.
Once we reached the end, we turned around and walked back. We stopped to get some gelato and Limoncello (the latter for the next day). When we got back, it was dinner and time for bed. One of the fun things about staying in older Europen buildings is the experience of closing the windows for the night. Europe doesn’t have screens. They have heavy wooden solid shutters. You lean out of the window to grab them. Then, folding them towards you, you cover the window and slide the hatch shut. It is like the OG blackout curtains! Every morning I wanted to thrust open the shutters and yell “Bonjour” like in Beauty and the Beast. Yes, I know we’re not in France.
Hiking Sentiero delle Busatte – Day 2
The next day we took the ferry to Torbole so we could appreciate the north view of Lake Garda from the water. It was breathtaking! Originally we were going to hike the Ponale Trail but decided to do something different. I can’t remember why. We did a hike called Sentiero delle Busatte – Tempesta. It had gorgeous views and segments of metal staircases built into the cliffs so you could ascend and descend the trail as needed. The physical path itself was okay. Not too technical, pretty groomed. The kids loved spotting these little green lizards everywhere. After finishing, we got our best gelato on the trip (in Torbole). Sitting by the lake, we ate every last drop.
Afterward, we did a little R&R at a pebbly beach in Torbole. The kids played in the water. We chose to start by lying in the pebbles drinking limoncello. It was our first actual downtime of the trip. It served as a good recharge for everyone. Overall, views from that beach in Torbole were my favorite beach views of the trip. Also, the pebbly beaches are growing on me. They’re great for quick beach stops during the day without getting sand EVERYWHERE. I feel like it’s different having a sandy beach when you intend to spend all day at the beach.
Heading to Malcesine
We left our Airbnb power walking to catch the bus only to realize it was actually an Italian holiday. Because it ran on a different holiday timetable, the bus wasn’t coming for a while longer. We probably looked hilarious sprinting across the street to buy the bus tickets at the tourist office. Then frantically pooling our change together to see if we had enough to purchase tickets. The Arriva bus system is cash only, unless you want to use the poorly reviewed app where your tickets may or may not show up in the app?! To top it off, the lady said Lil Fox may or may not need a ticket (based on his height). She said it’s up to the bus driver, and if the bus driver stops Lil Fox we can come back and buy one. This resposne confused us because did that mean we’d have to catch the next bus or would the bus wait for us? Anyways after politely trying to rush the conversation saying we didn’t want to miss the bus, she finally mentioned it’s a holiday and so the timetable would be different. I hope we were entertaining in all our madness!
The people we interact with on these adventures are the best. Our Airbnb host was everywhere all the time. Seriously, we ran into her at the grocery store, the market, and other places. She was great with the kids and was sad to hear we left without saying good bye. She even RAN to the bus stop to say goodbye to us. How sweet! I mean so sweet becasue you climb the steeped terraced streets to get to the main road where the bus runs. It’s no joke. We thanked her again and told her she was one of the best Airbnb hosts (she was). It was our first experience with an authentic Italian goodbye where you get the kiss kiss on each cheek. I didn’t know what I was doing. Do you do the left cheek or right first? Is there a rule? Anyways, it was awkward, like going in for a first kiss. Ha!
We got off at the town of Riva, found some bakery and ate by the water. After filling our bellies with nothing that would prepare you nutritiously for a long day of waking, we started another of our faux backpacking treks to our next stop, Malcesine. We walked along the Riva promenade and toward Torbole, a distance shy of three miles. Along the way, we stoped at different beaches, finished our bottle of Limoncello (yay for lighter backpacks!) and ate pizza. Because of the holiday, it was crowded but tolerable. Most people were just beach chilling on the lawns and pebbles. To end the trekking and rest before catching the bus to Malcesine, we rested at the beach in Torbole where we stopped earlier in the week.
Malcesine
Once we arrived at Malcesine, we dropped off our belongings and bought some food at the grocery store to make a fun dinner to eat on our patio overlooking the mountains. It was Kevin’s birthday! We needed a grand finale to the pizza, limoncello and beaches.
I will say that our patio really had amazing views. We didn’t even feel a need to go out to eat when we had that view to eat. Plus it is easier on the budget when you buy so much gelato! That night after the kids went to bed, Kevin and I sat outside and could faintly hear a concert. It was a busy day!
We also stopped at a gelateria that we went to for three days straight. Lil Fox became fast friends with the staff every day. They were proud of their gelato and even had one made with flowers from Mt. Baldo. We thoroughly vet the gelato shops we go to, ha!
Mt. Baldo Hike
The next morning we took the Gondola up to Mt Baldo to do our Mt Baldo hike. It offered lots of great views and a mix of easy and moderate technical climbing. We reached the summit of Cima delle Pozette but it was short lived because so many flies were at the top. It was a bit of a nuisances. The trail continued and we could have kept going to the next summit, but turned around. We didn’t want it to take longer than anticipated with the kids. That would mean we would miss the last cable car and have to walk all the way back to Malcesine after the hike. No thanks.
Exploring Malcesine and Shopping
The next day was rainy and cooler temps; we didn’t do much. We stopped at a bakery that had the best calzone pizza type of thing. It wasn’t a calzone, but it was like a stuffed croissant of pizza ingredients. It also wasn’t a croissant. I can’t remember the proper name, but it was delish! We walked near the castle and strolled the shops. I found a gorgeous necklace at Vestopazzo made by Italian artists using recycled metal (brass in this case). We also purchased some lavender oil-infused rocks from a lavender store. Lavender grows well in the Mt. Baldo area. Kevin bought some wine from Tradizioni Malcesine. That store sells products from the Lake Garda region and Italian specialties.
We had the beach to ourselves as we let the kids play at a nearby beach in the rain. While the beach wasn’t anything to write home about, (yet here I am, including a picture and everything)….it had a great view of the castle. After that, we all had enough and went back to the Airbnb, after getting gelato of course.
Our final destination was Bergamo, where we had our flight home. We were going to spend the day exploring Bergamo. Sadly, the forecast showed heavy rain there. We pivoted and went to Sirmione, a touristy spot in southern Lake Garda. You could feel it. You felt it when you were squashed like a sardine on the bus and with the crowds of people everywhere. We didn’t realize the bus didn’t take you ALL the way to Sirmione. You had to catch a shuttle to get into old town. However, everyone else and their mom was waiting for the shuttle that ran only every half hour.
With no interest for engaging in a Gladiator fight to get on the shuttle, we decide to walk. It was a long walk, maybe 1.5-2 miles. We didn’t really do much sight seeing (and why you won’t see much photos of the town) because we were carrying everything we brought as it was a travel day. We were drained from the crowds and several bus transfers to get to here from Malcesine. Ugh why you gotta be like that weather?! Ruining our Bergamo plans. So we went to Jamica Beach at the tip of Sirmione. We read good things about it. Totally worth it. Aside from the Spring Break vibe, the kids loved the set up of the beach. There’s lots of shallow rocks off the shore. That makes it more like a maze of flat rocks in shallow water and fun for kids to play in. It also made it easy to find an off-shore rock to set your stuff out.
We notice people in Europe are less body conscious or reserved. People change into and out of bathing suits and clothes anywhere. Most adults try to be discreet doing it under a towel, but I’m sure if you closely watched you might see a little junk in the trunk. Others have bolder strategies. Obviously, everyone holds decorum because this is the way here. We both have had experience discreetly changing outfits. You feel a bit weird at first. Then again, it’s only as awkward as you make it. You have to be confident, or you WILL stand out!
Stopping at Jamica Beach was a nice way for everyone to end the Lake Garda experience. We walked to the ferry – but not before stopping for gelato. We caught the ferry to catch our train to Bergamo. After spending the night, we flew back home the next day full of pizza, pasta, gelato, and excited for more adventures!
[…] able to do a lot of exciting traveling this past six months. We feel so fortunate we could! We saw Lake Garda and Venice in Italy, Bremen and Cologne, Germany, several places in Croatia, Naxos and Santorini, […]