Holiday rentals and lettings in Lake Garda

• Four shores, four characters: The mountainous north around Riva del Garda contrasts with the gentle southern bays, the vine-covered eastern shore and the olive groves of the western Riviera dei Limoni.
• Homes with lake views: Most lettings come with a terrace or balcony, parking, air conditioning and Wi-Fi, and many sit within walking distance of a promenade or a shingle beach.
• Easy to reach: Fly into Verona, Bergamo, Milan or Venice, or take the train to Desenzano del Garda or Peschiera on the Milan–Venice line, then hop between towns by ferry.
• A real season: Ferries, cable cars and many attractions run roughly Easter to October, with July and August the hottest and busiest months of the year.
• Things to do for everyone: Windsurfing at Torbole, the Grotte di Catullo in Sirmione, the Monte Baldo cable car, Il Vittoriale and a family day at Gardaland.

Lake Garda spreads across Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino, so the choice is unusually wide for one lake. You will find lakeside flats above a promenade, stone rustici in the olive terraces, roomy villas in Lake Garda for larger parties, self-catering apartments in Lake Garda in the old town centres, and family-friendly holiday resorts around the lake near the southern beaches. Whichever shore you pick, a few features come up again and again.

• A terrace or balcony facing the water or the Monte Baldo ridge
• Private parking, which matters in the narrow lanes of the old towns
• Air conditioning for the hot, humid weeks of high summer
• Wi-Fi and a full kitchen for longer self-catering stays
• A garden or shared pool, handy for last-minute breaks at Lake Garda

Together these turn a simple base into somewhere you will happily spend whole afternoons.

What are the best areas to stay in Lake Garda?

For a first visit, Sirmione in the south is hard to beat: it is central, walkable and close to the motorway and the railway. The table below details regions for specific interests:

What do our guests say?

Guests staying around Lago di Garda consistently score their homes above 9.0+, and the reasons repeat across the shores: the view from the terrace, a host who left local tips, and how quickly they could reach a beach or a ferry pier. Homes in the smaller villages above the western shore score particularly well for peace and quiet.

Here are our top-rated holiday lettings in Lake Garda from the past year:

1. Perla Azzurra mit Seezugang - 10.0+: A five-person flat with lake view, garden and direct water access at Toscolano-Maderno on the western shore.
2. New Casa Di Tino - 9.9+: A Star Host house for five at Brenzone on the eastern shore, with a garden and wide views over the water.
3. Rustico Spagnol 1 - 9.8+: A rustico for six above Tignale in the western hills, with a pool and a lake view from the terrace.

Lago di Garda is Italy's largest lake, stretching from the Alpine cliffs of Trentino down to the gentle bays of Lombardy and Veneto.

✈️What is the best way to get to Lake Garda?

For most British travellers the quickest route is a flight to Verona, then a hire car or transfer to the shore you have booked. Here are the most common ways to get to the lake:

• Plane: Verona Villafranca is the closest airport, roughly 30 kilometres from the southern shore. Bergamo Orio al Serio, Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate and Venice Marco Polo all serve the lake too, with flights from a good spread of UK airports. From any of them you can pick up a hire car, book a private transfer or take a coach and train combination; journey times to the southern towns range from about 30 minutes to two hours.
• Train: Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione and Peschiera del Garda both sit on the Milan–Venice main line, so they are simple to reach from Milan, Verona or Venice, and from London via Paris and Milan if you prefer to travel overland. Regional buses and the lake ferries connect both stations with Sirmione, Salò and the eastern-shore towns, which makes a car optional if you plan to stay put.
• Car and ferry: The A4 motorway runs past the southern end with exits at Desenzano, Sirmione and Peschiera, while the A22 approaches the northern tip near Rovereto for Riva del Garda and Torbole. Once you have arrived, the Navigazione Laghi ferry network links the main towns across the water, so you can leave the car at your accommodation and cross between shores by boat.

🥗Where to eat in Lake Garda?

According to Google Maps data and reviews, Ristorante Vecchia Malcesine is the best rated restaurant in Lake Garda. Below is a table showing the top 5 highly-rated restaurants hand-picked by our travel experts.

⭐Our guests' recommendation: Our guest traveller Charlotte recommends the Bar Gelateria Cristallo in Lake Garda: it sits on the Riva del Garda waterfront, scores 4.4/5 on Google, and is the obvious stop for an ice cream after a walk along the northern promenade.

☀️When is the best time to visit?

Lake Garda has a genuine season. Many ferry routes, cable cars, lidos and attractions run from around Easter to October and wind down over the winter, so May, June and September tend to give the best balance of warm weather, open services and manageable crowds. July and August are hot, humid and by far the busiest months.

Spring (April to June)

• Best for: Walkers, cyclists and anyone who wants the towns to themselves before the summer rush.
• Weather: Mild and changeable, warming steadily, with the lake still cool for swimming until June.
• Atmosphere: Ferries and attractions reopen around Easter and the promenades fill up gradually.

Summer (July and August)

• Best for: Families, beach days and the full run of festivals, markets and evening events.
• Weather: Hot and humid, with warm water and the occasional dramatic afternoon thunderstorm.
• Atmosphere: Peak season, so book early and expect busy car parks and lively lakeside squares.

Autumn (September and October)

• Best for: Wine lovers, couples and walkers heading up into the hills.
• Weather: Warm, settled September days cooling into a crisp October, with the lake still swimmable early on.
• Atmosphere: Vineyards are harvested around Bardolino and services thin out as the season closes.

⭐Our Hosts' recommendation: Our Lake Garda local expert, the team at Perla Azzurra mit Seezugang recommends coming to visit the western shore between Toscolano-Maderno and Limone sul Garda. Take the old lakeside road past the terraced limonaie, the glasshouses where lemons were grown for centuries, then carry on to Gardone Riviera for the gardens and the terraces of Il Vittoriale above the water. You can read more about local tips on the team's page.

1. Wander Roman Sirmione
2. Ride the Monte Baldo cable car
3. Windsurf at Torbole and Riva del Garda
4. Taste Bardolino wine on the eastern shore
5. Cross the lake by ferry

1. Wander Roman Sirmione

   Sirmione sits on a long, narrow peninsula reaching into the southern lake, guarded by the moated Rocca Scaligera castle. Walk in over the drawbridge, climb the tower for the view along both shores, then follow the lanes to the Grotte di Catullo, the sprawling ruins of a Roman villa set among olive trees at the very tip. The thermal springs that made the town famous still feed its spas, and the little beaches below the ruins are perfect for cooling off before an ice cream on the way back.

2. Ride the Monte Baldo cable car

   From the harbour at Malcesine, the rotating cable car lifts you almost 1,800 metres to the ridge of Monte Baldo in about ten minutes, turning slowly so everyone gets the panorama over the lake and across to the Brescian shore. At the top there are meadows of wild flowers in early summer, marked ridge paths and launch points for paragliders. Keen walkers can carry on into the mountains, and the same range links up with hiking in the Dolomites further north.

3. Windsurf at Torbole and Riva del Garda

   The northern tip is one of Europe's great windsurfing spots, and the reason is the wind itself: the Peler blows from the north in the morning and the Ora comes back up the lake from the south each afternoon, dependable enough to plan a day around. Torbole is the classic base for windsurfing and kitesurfing, while Riva del Garda leans towards sailing, with schools, board hire and beginner courses along the shore. Rock climbers and mountain bikers use the same cliffs and trails behind town.

4. Taste Bardolino wine on the eastern shore

   The hills behind Bardolino and Lazise are covered in vineyards producing the light red the town is named after, plus crisp Chiaretto rosé. Cellars along the wine route welcome visitors for tastings, and the olive groves nearby press a delicate oil with its own museum in Cisano. Time your stay for the autumn harvest and the lakeside festivals, or simply spend an evening on the promenade with a glass and a plate of lake fish. Verona is only about 30 kilometres away for a day in the city.

5. Cross the lake by ferry

   The ferry network is the most enjoyable way to travel here. Regular boats, along with faster hydrofoils and a car ferry between Toscolano-Maderno and Torri del Benaco, link Desenzano, Sirmione, Salò, Gardone Riviera, Limone sul Garda, Malcesine and Riva del Garda, so you can breakfast on one shore and have lunch on another. Services run most heavily from Easter to October. Families often pair a boat day with the rides at Gardaland near Peschiera, or a longer trip east towards Venice.