Stunning Scenery! (Riva del Garda)

Member Name: lyndsey1989

Product:	Riva del Garda
Date:	28/07/09 (36 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Number of things to do

Disadvantages: Distance from Southern Italy

LOCATION
Riva del Garda is situated in the North of Italy, on the North West corner of Lake Garda. From the town of Riva you are able to see right down the lake. Garda is situated about a 2 hours drive away from the large cities of Venice, Verona and Milan. It is around a 4 hours drive away from Florence. The town is surrounded by a mountain range. To the west of the town Mount Rochetta rises and to the east is Mount Baldo.

ACCOMODATION
There is a vast amount of accomodation in Riva del Garda and the town stretches over about 2 miles so do be careful when booking accomodation to make sure you are exactly where you want to be. Accomodation in the area ranges from 2 to 5 stars so it fits everyones budget. A lot of the accomodation is very close to the lake and can provide a lake view.

SHOPS
There are a huge amount of shops in Riva which a large amount of varied items. Noteably there are a number of good quality leather shops, tourist shops, glass shops and small supermarkets. From the shops in Riva it is very apparent it is popular with the tourist market.

BOAT TRIPS
There are a number of boat trips you can take from Riva to surrounding towns and tours of the lake. During our stay we were offered and evening lake tour at the price of around 20 euros but instead opted for a daytime tour to 3 nearby towns, Limone, Torbole and Malcesine. This was tremendous value at just 14 euros each and occupied us all day.

CLOCK TOWER
You can also climb to the top of a clock tower in the middle of Riva overlooking the lake, this is a very reasonable price at 1 euro each (children are free) and it gives you spectacular views of the surrounding area. However, I must stress that if you are not a fan of heights this is certainly one to miss due to the fact that there are 165 steps leading to the top and these are all very old and creaky and it is not a full staircase-at one point you climb up something similar to a ladder!

REPTILELAND
In the centre of Riva there is also a building called Reptileland which boasts to house a large number of reptiles, we did not visit this during our stay so I cannot comment on the content.

MUSEUM
The museum is located on the lake over a lifting bridge. We did not visit this as it was playing host to a music festival at the time of our visit. Prices were around 6 euros each.

WINDSURFING
The North of the lake proves to be extremely popular with windsurfers and the town often hosts championships. Windsurfs are available to hire from a number of places for a variety of prices alongside the lake.

PEDALOS
Near to the centre of Riva it is possible to hire a pedalo either for 2 people or up to 5. This is a very reasonable price at around 10 euros for 5 people for 30 minutes and a variety of colours are available.

RESTAURANTS AND BARS
Riva is host to a massive amount of restaurants and bars and every other building seems to be one. Most are similar in what food and drink they serve and pricing is often very similar. Pricing is reasonable however do be aware that a number of places do charge a service charge. A recommended place to eat is the Hotel Sole where you can overlook the lake. A typical meal for 5 of us cost around 55 euros.

MY OPINION
I really enjoyed my stay in Riva however I felt we did not have time to do everything so I would recommend going for at least 10 days. I would also recommend hiring a car as there is so much to do in the nearby towns such as Limone and Malcesine aswell as Verona, Venice and Milan. Please remember to check accomodations location in relation to the centre of Riva as the town is very large and from the top of Riva it is around a 20 minutes fast paced walk to the centre. I will certainly be returning to Riva to see all the bits I missed. I went with a number of family members including an 8 year old and a brilliant time was had by all!

Summary: Certainly worth a visit