What to see in Lac de Garde ?

Lake Garda operates by its own logic: each shore has its own character. In the north, Riva del Garda stands up to the Alps with constant winds that draw windsurfers. In the south, Sirmione juts into the water like a peninsula outside time, bearing the Roman ruins of the Grotte di Catullo at its tip. Between them, dozens of villages compete for attention without ever resembling one another.

Allow at least four days to move between the shores without rushing-ferries are the logical transport, more practical than a car in high season. June and September strike a balance between heat and reasonable crowds. Avoid Sirmione on an August Sunday: the village becomes a pedestrian corridor where moving forward becomes an ordeal. Lakeside hotels charge prices that bear no relation to what's offered-look instead in the hills above.