Gargnano: the Quiet Side of Lake Garda

Another excellent holiday from Inntravel. Hotel du Lac was charming, relaxing and peaceful; its setting right by the lake was suberb. Definitely try to have a lake view room. Breakfasts and all meals we ate there were first class. Gargnano itself, a short walk away, was delightful in that it was not a tourist lake town. There are plenty of restaurants there for the evenings. The Limonaia La Malora is a must visit. Likewise prebook to visit Isola del Garda. There is a market in Toscolano on Thursday mornings , before a fascinating trip around the Museo della Carta. Buses and ferries were reliable and a great way to view the amazing scenery on both sides of the lake. All in all a perfect holiday as there are walks, sightseeing, relaxing by the Lido and swimming in the lake.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Hotel du Lac which was small and friendly. Wonderful breakfasts on a balcony hanging right over the lake. (Wonderful weather too!) The walks in around Gargnano were lovely and interesting but be warned that if you want to do the Monte Baldo walk (Walk 5) the first 2 ferries to Malcesina often arrive full at Gargnano and if you wait for the large ferry at 12.13 that doesn't really leave you enough time to do the walk. (There is the possibility of getting an early bus to Limone and picking up the more frequent ferry to Malcesina from there?). The cable car was very busy even in the last week of September - we had to wait over an hour. We found that buses arriving at the Gargnano 'bus station' didn't always have the correct destination on the front - it's always worth asking the driver if one seems to arrive at about the right time! The trip to Isola del Garda was very worth-while but you do need to book in advance. We enjoyed a few swims at the little private beach along the road but this is very stony and rocky so water shoes are advisable. We didn't do the Sirmione or Limone/Riva trips. 

So glad we stayed at Hotel du Lac rather than the larger Hotel Gardenia! Villa di Gargnano is a delightful hamlet within the Gargnano region. 

The Lake Garda area is very beautiful and we had a wonderful time at Hotel Gardena, with its exceptionally kind and helpful staff and brilliant cuisine. We thought the walks were great, passing through varied and interesting countryside. We spoke to some people on this holiday who felt the uphills were more significant than they expected, particularly taking into account that the weather was quite hot. The grading and ascent/descent figures in the walk notes are, I would say, quite accurate. I would be very happy repeat this holiday another year.

The Hotel Gardenia al Lago was a very freindly, peaceful and wonderfully located hotel. The food was amazing, along with the local wines. Its location was perfect with amazing views over Lake Garda, and this coupled with the staff friendliness and helpfulness really made the holiday.

Excellent location and choice of hotel 

It was a beautiful holiday in every respect. The hotel, scenery, location, culture were all magnificent.

Going by train was so much nicer than flying. It made it feel more like travelling rather than simply relocating ourselves on the planet.

We really enjoyed the holiday. We loved the Hotel du Lac. The staff could not have been more helpful. We also visited the sister hotel for a couple of meals and found them equally charming. It was starting to get quite hot and humid with some thundery downpours. Wouldn't want to go walking in high season. Hotel beach was very nice, enjoyed swimming in the lake. Some areas touristy and busy but easy to avoid. Overall a lovely, relaxing time with delicious Italian food - what more could you want? Inntravel were great were travel plans home were disrupted due to industrial action.

A lovely base from which to explore Lake Garda, a much quieter, smaller town than some of the other tourist stops around the lake, but all the better for it and no shortage of places to eat. Early in the season, the boats are limited so you do need to plan your days carefully.

The introduction of the summer timetable for the Lake ferries made travel logistics easier. Telling this date to customers travelling in May might influence their decision about the dates of their holiday. The term Lake Paradise is very apt.

This is a delightful holiday - the location and scenery spectacular. The hotel was brilliant. We loved it all. But please do review the guidance on the walks.

Gargnano was a delight! So peaceful yet characterful, lots of great places to eat and drink and watch the world go by. The Hotel Gardenia al Lago, and in particular the staff, were exceptional and we would highly recommend. The visit to the owner's lemon garden was a complete delight, his passion really shone through and it was so interesting. So much to see and do around the lake, but do be aware that out of season the ferry services are somewhat limited, with fast ferries only operating at weekends. Walks around the area are wonderful, fabulous views and really off the beaten track routes. The Villa Bettoni, just a few minutes' walk from the hotel is well worth a visit, a special place. We'd also highly recommend Civico 20, tiny restaurant close to the hotel with the warmest of welcomes and delicious food. We'd love to return to visit the places the weather and ferries didn't allow on this trip and would highly recommend the holiday. We added a couple of nights in Verona too, which was a great end to a really wonderful holiday. Thanks again Inntravel!

INNTRAVEL NOTE: This customer did our Discovery Walking holiday 'An Italian Lake Paradise' followed by our city add-on in Verona.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Gardenia. Wonderful location, very friendly and helpful staff and very comfortable accommodation. We enjoyed our meals in the hotel, and would also particularly recommend the Trattoria San Martino in Gargnano. Our weather was mixed, but we enjoyed our trip to Monte Baldo even in poor visibility, and recommend a visit to the Heller Garden. Also recommend a stop for lunch at Risorante Bertansi on walk 2, but check opening days. With the help of hotel staff, we found the local bus service to be a good, quick option to travel around, particularly on days when the fast hydrofoil wasn't running. Inntravel organisation was great, with smooth transfers to and from Verona. 

Gargnano is a charming, quiet and elegant village. We thoroughly enjoyed staying there and the hotel Gardenia was beautiful. The staff, particularly the waiters, were very friendly and helpful. It was easy to catch the ferry to Limone and Malcesine but it does take a bit of planning as there only seemed to be one return ferry a day to the north (this might have been because it was early in the season).

The Hotel Gardenia was the outstanding highlight of this holiday

Brilliant choice of holiday location – Gargnano is totally charming, very quiet, minimal tourism, a proper little Italian town, much nicer than the tourist hotspots of Limone, Riva, Sirmione etc. Scents of orange blossom and jasmine on the air, tiny boat-filled harbours, cafés and restaurants and gelaterias everywhere. Hotel Gardenia al Lago is a wonderful find – comfortable, family-run, right on the lakefront, fabulously welcoming staff; ask to attend their weekly wine-tasting. We loved the walking, especially as Gargnano was our base – that meant we could choose easier walks if it was hot, rather than having to walk to the next hotel. During our dates the hydrofoil only ran at weekends, so our boat trips were slightly limited, but the buses were frequent and cheap. We couldn't believe how lovely it all was, eating outdoors by the lake, walking on the slopes, hearing nightingales and cuckoos, learning about all the local wines, practising our Italian. A really excellent holiday.

A great holiday with easy to follow walks and lots to see and do. Excellent hotel with friendly and helpful staff in a perfect location - views of the lake and short walk to local restaurants in Villa and more restaurants in the main village of Gargnano, recommended to book in advance for evenings especially weekends. The trip to Isola del Garda was really interesting and well worth it. The Monte Baldo cable car and walk was great - fantastic views down the lake with golden eagles, marmots and a chamois, plus spring wildflowers adding extra interest  

Overall it was a great holiday. The hotel staff were friendly and accommodating. Hotel very characterful. Good food. 

We thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of our holiday. We stayed in Hotel du Lac which is relatively small compared with the other hotel offered by Inntravel, but it has everything you need: good accommodation, excellent food, good views across the lake and, above all, very friendly staff. The town of Gargnano is peaceful with a relaxed atmosphere, none of the hustle and bustle of the more touristy destinations. We did more sightseeing than walking and would recommend a visit to Isola del Garda. And it goes without saying that Inntravel's organisation was perfect.

Beautiful setting, very friendly and helpful family hotel, felt comfortable and relaxed through our week there.

Very enjoyable cycling trip ('Medieval Mantova to Romantic Verona') around the Verona region, good spots to stop for drinks and lunch. We also enjoyed 'An Italian Lake paradise' - exporing Lake Garda on foot and by ferry. We particularly loved staying at Hotel Gardenia al Lago, great location and such friendly staff.

We had a very enjoyable holiday cycling from Mantova to Verona, mostly along well-marked cycle tracks. The boat trip at Grazie was good but it was necessary to book in advance. Borghetto was a highlight for us and we enjoyed dining in Hotel Faccioli's restaurant. There are lots of interesting buildings and churches to visit in Mantova and Verona. The electric bikes were excellent.

We ended the holiday with a couple of nights at Gargnano on the Italian Lake Paradise walking holiday. The hotel was delightful, with delicious evening meals. We enjoyed visiting Limone by ferry and walking in the area of Gargnano. Other than ferries, buses were very infrequent.

The Hotel Gardenia al Lago was a true gem in a great location where the staff provided amazing service and the quality of food of a very good standard.

If intending to travel to Monte Baldo via the cable car be aware that the queue to board the cable car can take up to an hour which can restrict the amount of walking time at the top. We caught the ferry from Limone to Malcesine and then from Malcesine to Gargnano to maximise our time in Mount Baldo.

We loved our holiday on Lake Garda, an area we had never visited before. We especially appreciated the quieter and less touristy atmosphere in Gargnano. Waking up every morning to a stunning view of the lake set us up for the rest of the day.  

We loved the Hotel Gardenia and Gargnano village, nicely bustling but not at all touristy. Visiting other villages/towns by ferry was fun. Also, the Heller garden at Gardone is excellent and deserves a couple of hours visit, not just tacked on to the end of a walk.

A combination of The Dolomites' Three Peaks and An Italian Lake Paradise walking holidays.

Dolomites outstandingly beautiful.  Hotel staff uniformly welcoming and friendly.  Garda lovely. Ferry timetable out of date and walk to Monte Baldo impossible. Inntravel as usual excellent.

A fabulous holiday where the sightseeing days also offer walking opportunities. We spent too much time on ferry journeys - some are very long. If we did it again we would stay more local, but perhaps on a first visit we needed to see other places. Gargnano is in a class of its own. 

This was our first holiday with Inntravel, and it won't be our last. Everything was exceptionalily well organised, and the company were very effective to deal with. I liked their honesty - if they were busy and knew it would take them a week to get back to you about a holiday, they explained this and then did get back with detailed and clear information. We booked a bit late and added our adult children in at a late stage too, and it was all sorted. The walking was wonderful and the routes were clear to follow. Hotels were well selected and lovely places to stat. Top tips: if there's a lake involved, take some water shoes as it's stoney and slippery. If you're vegan, take some protein with you and don't expect vegan food to be as available as it is in the UK. 

We highly recommend the hotel. It is so charming and individual. A far cry from so many anonymous bigger hotels. We particularly recommend the waiting staff. 

We would avoid the hottest time of year if we had that choice. For us, this trip was timed to fit in with the Verona opera season, but the sometimes steep hills would be so much easier if it were a little cooler. 

The entire holiday (excluding travel) was a delight.  

The highlight for us was the hotel itself and the incredible views from there and the local area. We were also impressed by the staff throughout the hotel. We ate a couple of times at the Lido restaurant near the beach which was excellent, and also the cheaper Osteria al Porto Di Villa by the harbour. Both to be recommended. Can also recommend the local wine Lugana.

A first holiday outside the British Isles for us since the start of Covid. A very relaxing holiday with an excellent hotel - just what we needed.

Very well organised holiday to two lovely hotels. Worth upgrading at Gardenia hotel for lake view and really enjoyed breakfast on the terrace only feet from the lake. The walks were not too strenuous but in the hot weather conditions they were appropriate. Good city style hotel in Verona and staff at both hotels could not have been more helpful. Cannot think of any improvements and we are seriously considering repeating the holiday next year as there were several walks and towns we would still like to visit.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our Italian Lake Paradise holiday with the Hotel Giuliette e Romeo in Verona.

We loved all of the Iseo trip, but the Rivelago was superb and we couldn't get enough of Monte Isola. Don't miss the Trattoria Cacciatore and their casoncelli!

On Lake Garda, one favorite was the hydrofoil to Riva del Garda. It was fabulous to be able to see so much of the lake and the limonaias from the boat. The other favorite was the Heller Botanical Garden in Maderno. One of the absolutely best gardens we've ever visited, for plants and sculpture.  

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our Secret Lake Iseo walk with An Italian Lake Paradise

HIGHLGHTS: Above all, the fantastic hotel. Other highlights were the Limonaia la Malora, trip to Isola del Garda and the Paper Museum at Toscolano. The castle at Malcesine was well worth a visit, both for the castle itself, its local/natural history museum and the views. In Gargnano, the food at Civico 20 restaurant wasn't very appealing, Osteria al Porto di Villa was much better and had a great atmosphere. We also enjoyed Aeolus. However, you would be hard pressed to improve on the Gardenia's evening meal.

Hotel Gardenia al Lago is an absolute gem of a hotel with lovely attentive staff and a stella location.  We particularly enjoyed our breakfasts and dinners seated in the garden at the lakeside. The Arosio family has a fascinating and proud history dating back from the mid 1800's and there is a museum quality display of old photographs on the corridor walls. Villa and Gargnano are delightful and quiet locations, steeped in history and tradition.  In short, a welcome oasis away from touristy hot spots.

We were delighted to be directed to Sacre Mont d'Orta & Orta St Guilio on our Lake Orta walk, the Sacre Mont was such a surprise to us and the island of St Guilio so beautiful. We loved all our walks but other great surprises were the  paper makers valley in Toscalano and the suspended walkway outside Limone. INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers did both our Lake Orta to Lake Maggiore as well as our Italian Lake Paradise holidays.

Tourism in Italy is getting expensive. The ferries on Lake Garda and cable car were very expensive. Where possible, it is much cheaper to take the buses, which are regular and generally timely. We particulary enjoyed the Valle Cartiere walk (Walk 3) and the Tignale walks (Walk 4). We split the latter by doing route A on one day and then from Gardola back to Gargnano on another day. Perhaps these should be offered as 2 separate walks that can be joined together, rather than a short and a long walk option. The Verona card is worth buying if you want to visit several historical sites - start early in the morning with the Arena and Juliet's balcony to avoid the crowds.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our walk An Italian Lake Paradise with our Verona City add-on