A bustling resort, Garda is situated on the eastern shore of the lake. The resort centre is full of character, with beautiful historic building such as the Venetian Palace of the Captains, as well as sophisticated cafés and colourful ice cream parlours which line the promenade. As many of the streets in the centre are traffic-free, it is easy to wander around the cobbled streets at your leisure. There is a variety of shopping here and the large lakeside market held on Fridays is very popular.
As you would expect, the lake offers many excursions and boat trips to other villages and lakeside town dotted along the shoreline.
The delightful village of Sirmione, situated on a peninsula at the southern end of the lake, is often used as a base for our tours to this area.
The entrance to the village is via the bridge of the 13th century Scaligero Castle, with its 'inland dock'. The colourful narrow streets of the old town are traffic-free, and as you venture further into the village, the bustling streets become a peaceful landscape, green and luxuriant. A walk along the shore takes you past bathing beaches to the tip of the peninsula, where an old Roman palace, the Grottos of Catullo, have been excavated.
Sirmione is well-placed for excursions to Gardaland, the area's premier theme park.
... (distance) away, the graceful city of VERONA, sitting on the River Adige, was the setting of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The Casa di Giulietta (Juliet's House), a small Medieval home with a balcony and courtyard, attracts thousands of visitors.
The well-preserved Roman Arena, built in AD 290 takes more than 20,000 spectators nightly during the open-air opera festival. The 14th-century red-brick Castelvecchio, houses an extensive art museum, with important Renaissance paintings and sculpture from northern Italy. The city's most noted church is the lovely Romanesque San Zeno.
