Family Holiday to Lake Garda, Italy
We flew from Dublin to Verona and the flight was less than 2 and half hours and I can now see exactly why families with young kids always look for a short flight. When we arrived in Verona airport I had pre-booked a private transfer to take us to Peschiera del Garda. This transfer took us less than 15 minutes which again I think is a great advantage when travelling with young kids.
We arrived at our destination, Camping del Garda where we were staying in a Vivaldi 3 bedroom mobile home. This was my first time to experience an Al Fresco holiday and I have to say we really enjoyed it. The mobile had 3 bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen area, a lovely decking area and a BBQ with everything you could need.
Camping del Garda is in ideal location less than 10 minutes’ walk to a great supermarket and approx. 15 minutes’ walk into the beautiful resort of Peschiera del Garda. Here you can wander around the streets with lovely cafes, restaurants and plenty of ice cream shops. It is a very laid back resort but we really loved it and I would highly recommend it for families and couples. The weather in September was good for young kids; sunny with temperatures in the mid 20's so perfect as I did find we did a huge amount of walking on this holiday.
Approx. 15 minutes’ walk again from Camping del Garda you will reach the train station where you can get trains to Verona, Milan and Venice. We spent one day in Verona and it is a city I would love to return to. It is a gorgeous city and we got to see the Amphitheathre where they do open air operas. We also got to wander through the many streets again with beautiful restaurants and cafes. The train took approx. 20 minutes and cost approx. €5 per person so very good value. There are frequent trains to Verona and also to Venice.
From the train station you can pick up the free bus to Gardaland which is a fantastic theme park for families less than 15 minutes’ drive away. Gardaland is well worth a visit and even with our kids being so young they still had a super day there. Other family attractions are a waterpark and aquarium.
What else can I say about Camping del Garda itself only that we loved it! The choices of pools, restaurants and bar area were perfect for our needs; there was a kid’s playground to keep the little ones happy too. There is also a sandy beach here right by the lake so again I found that a great advantage.
I walked one day from Camping del Garda around the lake to where Bella Italia is located which is another really popular campsite. This again is in a fantastic location and I would recommend this site more for families with older kids. Camping del Garda is great for families with young kids.
You can also take boats from the harbour in Peschiera which will bring you to many other stunning resorts on the lake such as Malcesine, Riva and Sirimone. This is definitely a must but unfortunately something I didn't get to do. We spent 7 days here and I feel that 10 days would have been just perfect.
Before we went on this holiday I would not really have actively recommended Lake Garda as a family destination but now I always recommend it to families and couples who are looking for something a little different to your typical Spain and Portugal options.
I loved the freedom of sitting outside on our huge decking and not having to worry about balconies with kids etc. it is a very relaxed laid back holiday and suited our needs perfectly.
If you would like more information on Lake Garda or Verona please let me know and I will try my very best to help you out.