The Italian Lake Your Itinerary is Missing

Every client asks for Lake Como. I get it: name recognition, Instagram, Clooney, beauty. I’d never talk anyone out of it.

But here’s what I tell my most discerning clients: if Como is the lake you know for its fame, Garda is the lake you’ve been missing for its variety and unique experiences that Como doesn’t offer.

Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy, three times the size of Lake Como. It spans three regions, and each feels completely different. That’s what makes it so special. And so overlooked.

The Southern Shore: Roman history, thermal springs, and a slower pace

The south end is warm and open, almost Mediterranean. Sirmione juts into the water, guarded by a 13th-century castle. At its tip, Roman ruins rise from the lake. Thermal springs have drawn visitors for thousands of years and still do.

Your room is steps from the promenade. The ruins are a short walk in one direction, the spa another. Most destinations make you choose. Sirmione doesn’t.

Where to Stay on the South Shore

Hotel Sirmione, right on the water near the old town, offers lake views, terrace dining, and access to a thermal spa. It’s quieter than Como’s big-name hotels, which is exactly the point for some travelers.

The Western Shore: grand hotels and hillside retreats, and old-world charm

Follow the western shore north: cliffs drop into deep blue water, and narrow roads connect villages carved into mountainsides. There’s old-world glamour here, but with a more relaxed, unhurried feel than Como.

Where to Stay on the Western Shore 

Grand Hotel Fasano has been sitting in Gardone Riviera since the 1800s — built as a retreat for Austrian nobility, and it still carries that feeling. The park it sits in looks older than the building, the kitchen is serious, and the lake is right there at the end of the property. The pace here makes it almost impossible to rush anything, which is exactly the point. It’s Como without the circus that follows Como everywhere now.

Lefay Resort & Spa Lago di Garda sits above Gargnano in the hills, and the first thing you notice is how far the lake stretches below you. It’s an eco-focused property, serious about it and not just marketing, with a spa that takes up more square footage than most hotels. Olive groves, infinity pools, meditation paths. Clients who arrive wound tight leave a different person. It’s where I send anyone who uses the word “burnout” in our first conversation.

The Northern Shore: Alpine edge and active days

At the north tip, Lake Garda goes alpine. The lake is much narrower, the mountains are a bit higher, and cool air dominates. Riva del Garda and Malcesine attract windsurfers, sailors, and hikers. The energy is electric and different from Como.

Where to Stay on the Northern Shore

Here, the best hotels are “base camp in style”—Belle Époque buildings with spas and lake access. Spend mornings hiking or on the water, return for a heated pool, massage, and wine. It’s a more active and dramatic Italian luxury.

The Eastern Hills: Design-forward wellness with uninterrupted views

On the eastern shore above Torri del Benaco, Cape of Senses is an adults-only wellness resort with nonstop lake views. Interiors use warm woods and linens. Infinity pools, spa gardens, and yoga terraces create a restful, design-driven retreat with easy access to the village.

Why Lake Garda belongs on the itinerary

Garda isn’t meant to replace Como; it simply delivers more variety and unique experiences than Como offers.

Few places in Italy offer so much variety so close together: spa towns, historic sites, grand hotels, retreats, wellness escapes, and Alpine adventure. You can spend a day in thermal waters, the next in lemon gardens, and another sailing or hiking—all near the shore.

The memories here stick: sunrise over Malcesine with still water; lunch at an agriturismo above Salò with everything grown nearby; pushing off in a sailboat to see the lake’s vast, sea-like beauty.

Most of my clients have seen Italy before. Many have tried Como. But very few have experienced Garda, so when they do, it feels fresh and undiscovered—a rare feeling in a country where well-known places like Como can feel crowded or familiar.

If your next Italian itinerary includes a lake, look a little further east. You’ll thank me later.