Lake Garda attractions include a cruise on Lake Garda, Sirmione, Dolomites, Gardaland amusement park, and CanevaWorld Parco Aqua.
A cruise on the Garda Lake is an essential part getting to know the lake and the variety of villages of town surrounding it.
One way to cruise the Lake Garda is with public water transportation, which run from one end of the lake, from Riva del Garda, to the other end, at Desenzano, with stops in several towns in between.
Popular ways to do these cruises is to either buy a day pass for…
- the entire waterbus network (Desenzano-Riva, and Peschiera-Riva),
- the lower part of the lake (Desenzano-Gargnano and Peschiera-Gargnano), or
- the upper part of the lake (Riva-Malcesine).
Sirmione (www.sirmionebs.it/english), on the other hand, is a historic village, located in a unique, narrow peninsula within the southern end of the lake.
The village has been world-famous for its beauty since the 2nd century BC, when it was made famous by poet Gaius Valerius Catullus, who fell in love with the area…so much, in fact, that he build a house in Sirmione.
During the history of the ancient Roman Empire, the town was a major military base, with the example of this military history being the town’sScaliger Castle, built in the 13th century.
Sirmione’s main attraction, however, is the Grotte di Catullo, one of the most significant examples of the ancient Roman period private edifice in Northern Italy.
As top Lake Garda attractions, Dolomites start from the northern part of the lake, continuing to the north, all the way to the Austrian border…
…with the area being a popular tourist destination for summer and winter periods.
The mountains have received their name from French mineralogist Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu, who was the first to classify the dolomite rock in its own category…rock, that gives the mountain range its unique shapes and colors.
The mountains are especially popular as a winter holiday destination, especially for downhill skiing.
If you visit the mountains for downhill skiing, it is a good idea to take a “SuperSki Dolomiti” ski pass (www.dolomitisuperski.com).
The ski pass allows you to ski in different slopes in the area, including the world-famous Cortina d’Ampezzo, but also San Vito di Cadore, and Auronzo-Misurina.
During the summer period, it is especially popular to take a mountain walk on the Dolomites, along the via Ferrata walking trails, which were added to the mountains (originally for soldiers) during the First World War.
Gardaland amusement park (www.gardaland.it), on the other hand, open to visitors since 1975, is the 7th most popular amusement park in Europe, and located between Peschiera and Lazise, on the eastern shores of Lake Garda.
The amusement park includes, for example, six roller coasters (‘Blue Tornado‘, ‘Magic Mountain‘, ‘Sequoia Adventure‘, ‘Orto Bruco‘, ‘Mammoth‘, and ‘Escape from Atlantis‘), some of which are water roller coasters, and a total of 56 other amusement rides.
Gardaland is, in fact, one of the most important family attractions in entire Italy, together with the country’s biggest amusement park,Mirabilandia in Savio (Ravenna).
Finally, Lake Garda attractions include CanevaWorld Parco Aqua (www.canevaworld.it) water park, another important family amusement park in the region.
Highlights at the AquaParadise include…
- ‘Stuka’, a 32 meter (104 ft) long waterfall,
- ‘Twin Peaks’, a fast waterslide featuring peaks and valleys, and
- ‘Black Hole’, where the water slide goes (part of the way) through a tunnel.
The water park, one of the largest in Europe, also features venues for water sports, superslides, massive swimming pools, lagoons, acrobatic water show performances, as well as restaurants and bars.