Lake Como or Lake Garda?

[Anonymous]

Trying to decide whether to go to Lake Como or Lake Garda. It will be with older teens. We've all been to Italy before but not to either place. Suggestions for which you liked better, towns, rentals, etc. appreciated! This will be for early June 2027.

[Anonymous]

It's easy to do both, they're not far from one another. I prefer Garda over Como but they're both worth a visit. In the general area, if you're open to it, Lugano is also worth a visit (quite close to Como) and Lake Lucerne tops them all (a few hours train ride away). Public transport in Italy is ok, trains are fairly reliable between major stops like Como/Milan and Verona, but more local transport can be a challenge whereas public transport in Switzerland is uniformly excellent.

[Anonymous]

Sirmione is a nice place to stay on Lake Garda.

[Anonymous]

Como is much more expensive. Garda is bigger. Not that much to “do” in either place, though they are lovely. What does your family want to do on vacation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Como is much more expensive. Garda is bigger. Not that much to “do” in either place, though they are lovely. What does your family want to do on vacation?

+1

[Anonymous]

Garda

[Anonymous]

We went to Como. It’s BEAUTIFUL, but we didn’t enjoy it. Crowds were insane. In fairness, we only did a day trip from Milan. Maybe if we had stayed there, we would have enjoyed it more? We definitely did the nickel tour of Como, which may have affected our experience.

We also went to Venice, which is also crowded, but had a good time. The difference from Com, is we stayed in Venice a couple days and could explore more and the crowds weren’t bad in the mornings and evenings.

[Anonymous]

I have been to Como and thought it was beautiful, but that was 20 years ago. A couple of years ago, I visited Garda with my family, including two teens and a younger child, and we absolutely loved it. It is beautiful and laid-back and there are a number of little towns around the lake to explore. We definitely were not bored and could have stayed much longer than the four days we were there.

[Anonymous]

I love Lake Garda. Check out Limone and Malcesine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love Lake Garda. Check out Limone and Malcesine.

This. I'm Italian-American and my dad was from Verona, so we've spent a lot of time in the region since I was a child. I totoally disagree with the PP who said there is not much to do there! Lago di Garda is surrounded by gorgeous mountains that you can hike, take a cable car up, mountian bike, etc. The lake itself is one of the most popular for wind-surfing. The Valpolicella Valley is close by with beautiful vineyards and wine tastings. I highly recommend stopping by this winery for a tasting: https://www.seregoalighieri.it/en It's been in the family for over 500 years and they're direct descendants of Dante Alighieri. PPs have already mentioned beautiful towns such as Limone, Malcesine, Sirmione among others. And Verona is a wonderful city to visit.

Lake Como and many of its towns is also beautiful but my heart will always be with Lago di Garda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love Lake Garda. Check out Limone and Malcesine.

This. I'm Italian-American and my dad was from Verona, so we've spent a lot of time in the region since I was a child. I totoally disagree with the PP who said there is not much to do there! Lago di Garda is surrounded by gorgeous mountains that you can hike, take a cable car up, mountian bike, etc. The lake itself is one of the most popular for wind-surfing. The Valpolicella Valley is close by with beautiful vineyards and wine tastings. I highly recommend stopping by this winery for a tasting: https://www.seregoalighieri.it/en It's been in the family for over 500 years and they're direct descendants of Dante Alighieri. PPs have already mentioned beautiful towns such as Limone, Malcesine, Sirmione among others. And Verona is a wonderful city to visit.

Lake Como and many of its towns is also beautiful but my heart will always be with Lago di Garda.

I'm the OP, and want to thank everyone who responded, especially this response! We're into hiking and that was on our list, along with mountain biking. I'm not sure how much the teens will enjoy wine, but that is on my list - lol!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love Lake Garda. Check out Limone and Malcesine.

This. I'm Italian-American and my dad was from Verona, so we've spent a lot of time in the region since I was a child. I totoally disagree with the PP who said there is not much to do there! Lago di Garda is surrounded by gorgeous mountains that you can hike, take a cable car up, mountian bike, etc. The lake itself is one of the most popular for wind-surfing. The Valpolicella Valley is close by with beautiful vineyards and wine tastings. I highly recommend stopping by this winery for a tasting: https://www.seregoalighieri.it/en It's been in the family for over 500 years and they're direct descendants of Dante Alighieri. PPs have already mentioned beautiful towns such as Limone, Malcesine, Sirmione among others. And Verona is a wonderful city to visit.

Lake Como and many of its towns is also beautiful but my heart will always be with Lago di Garda.

I'm the OP, and want to thank everyone who responded, especially this response! We're into hiking and that was on our list, along with mountain biking. I'm not sure how much the teens will enjoy wine, but that is on my list - lol!

So happy to help! Try the Amarone - a lovely red from the region. There's also great risotto in the area.

[Anonymous]

We stayed in a gorgeous hotel on Garda - I’m a PP who said there wasn’t much to do and I guess I meant: there wasn’t much we wanted to do! We’ve been to much of the region before and didn't want to do a day trips to Verona or into the Dolomites, we did do some fun boat trips on the lake, but mostly we were very happy relaxing in our hotel and enjoying the view!
Definitely get a car if you’re going to Garda - you will feel very stranded without it

[Anonymous]

I think what do you like to do at Garda was a good question. If you want to windsurf I’d head north to Riva. If you want to hike then Malcesine has a cable car with access to the hills. If you want to walk along the lake from town to town then the southern end is better. If you want to visit crowded but cute towns you can see Sirmione or Limone. Or maybe you just want to chill on a lakeside terrace or restaurant. But understand that the lake is big and traffic is bad so whether you use a boat or a car it takes time to get anywhere.

[Anonymous]

My teen loved Bellagio