With their mild, sunny climate and glorious Alpine views, the Italian lakes have drawn visitors to northern Italy since Roman times. Today they’re an outdoor playground for all kinds of travellers, from couples who love the glam grande dame hotels and villas – which have drawn the likes of George and Amal Clooney to these shores – to families who want fun in the great outdoors.
Italian lakes holidays truly have something to please everyone. The hiking is fabulous, as are the water sports, and there are 120 beaches that make the lakes a great freshwater alternative to the seaside. Lots of lovely gardens to visit also make this a paradise for plant-lovers, for whom our tour of the Italian lakes, including the Borromean Islands, Villa Taranto and Villa Balbianello, is ideal.
What are the eight Italian lakes to visit?
The major Italian lakes in their rough geographical order from west to east are Orta, Maggiore, Varese, Lugano, Como, Iseo, Idro and Garda. They’re spread across the Italian regions of Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, with Maggiore and Lugano also extending into Switzerland.
Some of the Italian lakes are within day-trip distance of fantastic cities, including fashion capital Milan and Verona with its outdoor opera hosted in the old Roman amphitheatre. But to really immerse yourselves in these stunning landscapes, a longer stay is never a bad idea, and hiring a car is the best way to make the most of Italian lakes holidays.
Which is the biggest of the Italian lakes to visit?
Garda is the largest lake in all Italy, while next down in size are Maggiore and Como – all three cover more than 100 square kilometres. The smallest of the northern lakes, Orta, extends over just 18 square kilometres.
Which is the best of the Italian lakes to visit?
Between them, the Italian lakes offer hiking, swimming, water-skiing, windsurfing, sailing, canoeing, cycling, mountain-biking, horse-riding and aerial adventures in the treetops (zip-wiring and the like). Which one you choose might depend upon what you want to do and see, with the larger lakes tending to attract more families for their water sports and other facilities. But, of course, you can always visit two or more lakes in one holiday and mix it up a bit.
Garda is the most developed and sportiest lake but it’s no less charming for it, with sparkling waters perfect for windsurfing, sailing and canoeing. There’s also horse riding, mountain biking, hiking on the eastern and western shores, and medieval castles to explore.
Other sights around Garda are Il Vittoriale, a fantastical villa, and the town of Sirmione with its Roman ruins, while the 19th-century resort of Riva del Garda is a paradise of pastel-painted hotels and authentic trattorie, bars and gelaterie. And then there are two great theme parks: Gardaland (Italy’s largest) and CanevaWorld (movie-themed).
Lake Garda can also be combined with the epic cities of Verona and Venice on our Northern Italian Adventure.
Many people think Como, where peaks soar up virtually from the shoreline, is the loveliest of the Italian lakes. And indeed it oozes charm, with its old-fashioned steamboat rides and the beguiling low-key resorts of Menaggio, Varenna and Bellagio – all great bases for hiking, swimming, water skiing, mountain biking and horse riding. There’s also an 18-hole golf course nearby, and superb beaches in Como’s northern towns of Gravedona and Domaso. And you might enjoy a trip into Switzerland from Lake Como, aboard the iconic Bernina Railway.
As the second largest lake, Maggiore is another great spot for water sports, mountain biking and hiking, as well as being home to the Borromean Islands. Don’t miss Isola Madre with its gorgeous gardens and bewitching puppet theatre.
Dubbed 'Cinderella Lake' by locals, Orta is perhaps the best of the smaller lakes – an often-overlooked gem where you’ll find the magical 19th-century island-village of Isola San Giulio, which sits atop placid waters. You can visit this – along with Como and charming alpine resorts of Locarno and Zermatt – from a base on the scenic banks of Maggiore with our tour of the Italian lakes and majestic peaks of Switzerland.
What are the best gardens in the Italian lakes?
The mild, sunny climate of northern Italy makes for some superb, even romantic, gardens, especially around Como and Lake Maggiore, which draw horticultural enthusiasts from around the world. At Maggiore, Isola Bella and Isola Madre have wonderful, very different gardens – you can compare them by taking the ferry that plies the lake, stopping at both.
Around Como, meanwhile, standout gardens include the lakeshore Villa Melzi, the Villa del Balbianello, the Villa Carlotta and the Villa d’Este. And as well as the gardens you can visit in the Italian lakes, you will glimpse many more during boat trips on the different bodies of water.
Explore the Italian lakes on a no-fly adventure, or get to know Garda alongside Verona and Venice with Good Housekeeping this year.
