Intro Guide to Italian Lakes Holidays: What you CAN’T Miss!

Italian Lakes Holidays are definitely some of the best and most memorable of a person’s life.  The Italian Lakes are a favorite vacation spot for travelers from all over the world, and it’s not hard to see why.  It has some of the world’s most beautiful natural scenery.  This area has been attracting people as a vacation spot since the Roman times!  While some Americans are not familiar with the Italian lakes, many celebrities consider it a popular destination for their holidays and vacations.  Holidays to Italian lakes have grown immensely ever since celebrities have been spotted vacationing there regularly.  No matter what your budget, you can find anything from cheap hostels to generic chain hotels (such as Hotel Italia) to luxury Italian villas (like the famous Lake Garda villas).

To give you an idea of the setting there…the Italian lakes are pristine blue waters, surrounded by verdant green, hilly areas with beautiful Italian houses and villages sprinkled through.  This region has a backdrop of the Alps rising high into the sky, with snow capping their peaks.  It is a magical place in the world that truly takes people’s breath away.  Many people do Italian lake holidays just as a random trip the first time, and the second time they come, they stay for good!

lake como mentemezzo from flickr: cortomaltese

* A shot of Lake Como from Mentemezzo.

The Italian Lakes are located on the Northern Region of Italy.  They are made up of these four main lakes:  Garda, Maggiore, Lugano, and Como.  Lake Garda holidays are amongst the most popular of all vacation spots in Europe.  This region is connected with Switzerland and is where the Alps start to rise.  Be sure to research the Lake Garda hotels that are available before booking your trip.

The best way to get to the lakes is from Milan or Zurich.  It’s just a short drive North from Milan to get to the Italian lakes.   From Zurich you can drive South into Italy, or take a train to get there.  People generally like to travel to the lakes between late March and early November.

lombardy map italian lakes holidays

There is a lot to do when visiting the Italian Lakes.  Outside of the extensive countryside to explore (there is always a new, beautiful area to discover – tons of places to take pictures!), the numerous villages have a lot to offer too.  They have amazing and classic architecture to admire, many museums and churches to explore, as well as countless restaurants.  There is also plenty of shopping in each area as well.  You will get a chance to practice your haggling skills!  The streets are filled with cheerful Italian men and women of all ages, and there are natural markets and festivals every week!

Holidays in Italian lakes don’t have to be just in the cities.  When you are not hanging out in the villages, the countryside offers plenty to do as well.  To explore the natural beauty of the terrain you can go hiking, biking, 4-wheeling, scooter riding, rock-climbing, and horseback riding.  Non-water sports include tennis, golf, skiing, and more.  Sports on the lakes include (but are not limited to) jet skiing, water skiing, snorkeling, boating, windsurfing…the list goes on and on!  When planning your Italian Holidays, don’t worry about bringing your own supplies; there are rental places everywhere for all the activities you may want to partake in.

An Italian Lakes holiday take a bit of planning, and so we have written a bunch of guides about different places in the area.  If you are planning on visiting Lake Como (arguably the most popular lake), be sure to read about Lake Como hotels as well as these city guides about the surrounding cities there: Menaggio hotels, Tremezzo hotels, and Varenna hotels.  If you go to Lake Maggiore, you should certain visit Stresa, and be sure to read up on Stresa hotels and Lake Maggiore hotels.  Lake Lugano also has several lodging options which you can read about at Hotel Lugano.

Although this website is about the Italian lakes, those are certainly not the only beautiful areas of Italy that are worth visiting.  Italy boasts a gorgeous coast line, and some of the guides we have on nice cities on the beach are Hotel Pisa, Hotel Cervia, and Hotel Alassio.

Articles we have on beautiful areas and cities that are known mainly for their winter sports and skiing resorts are Hotel Bormio, Madesimo, and Ortisei.  These are all gorgeous places worth trying to include on your trip.  And of course it would also be a sin to not include some time for a Tuscany vacation within your Tuscany holidays through Italy.