Sun, pasta & Aperol Spritz … we were especially looking forward to that. However, the short trip to Lake Garda also convinced us in other areas.

We were well aware that we were in Italy, but I had the feeling that we could also be on an Austrian lake. The mountain panorama on the lake of Riva del Garda was simply beautiful. We spent the first afternoon doing nothing and enjoying the sun.

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From a gastronomic point of view, it was crystal clear that we were in Italy. They simply have the very best Aperol spritz, pasta & tiramisu 😋

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To digest we strolled through the streets of Riva and inspected stores and specialty shops.

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To get rid of the excess calories, we jogged every day after sunrise up to the Santa Barbara Chapel and Bastione. From there you had a wonderful view over Riva del Garda and Lake Garda.

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Since, as you have probably already noticed, lying around during the day quickly becomes too monotonous, we liked to walk or cycle along the lake in the afternoon and enjoyed the panorama.

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On our last day in Riva, the weather forecast was rather bad. We therefore decided to take a trip to Verona, which is about 1 hour away. Since we only had a few hours in Verona available, I googled the highlights beforehand so that we didn’t run around too haphazardly. We chose the Arena di Verona, Casa di Giulietta and Piazza delle Erbe.

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One last pizza in Verona and we were already on our way back to Austria. Fortunately, our Italian neighbors are only a few hours away… there is so much more to see 😉

Our personal opinion about Riva del Garda:

• very nice old town
• excellent restaurants
• great panorama

Best travel time:

The best travel time for a beach holiday on Lake Garda is from June to September, although we would recommend the off-season. If you don’t necessarily have to swim in the lake, you can also consider spring and autumn, there are fewer tourists and still it is relatively mild due to the Mediterranean climate.

Hotel recommendation:

Hotel Mirage – Riva del Garda

More tips & recommendations:

Hike over the slope of Monte Rocchetta up to the bastion and the Santa Barbara chapel. The roundtrip walking time (at a leisurely pace) is just under 2 hours – always follow the signs 404. The hike is very sweaty, but you will be rewarded with fantastic views over Riva and Lake Garda.

Verona is just over an hour’s drive away. The city is absolutely worth a visit.