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Lake Garda is the most Mediterranean among the Alpine lakes. It has always been considered by Central European countries as the first step towards the sunny Latin culture.
The northern part of the lake is squeezed between the tops of the prealps with the highest peaks reaching more than two thousand meters above sea level. To the south instead the lake widens and the morainic hills sweeten the landscape.
At Lake Garda we live a simple life matching the rhythm of the seasons. You will like it if you love outdoor sports and feel stirred by beautiful natural landscapes.
Lake and mountain together means also that you can do a lot of different sports in the same place.
You can rest and refill your energies while strolling into the countryside far from the crowd or find an even bigger rest by making the effort. You could learn that new sport which has fascinated you for a long time or get taken around by a local guide.
And when you have enough of sport you can dive into the lake and relax under the sun, visit the historical centres of the small villages, go shopping, enjoy an appetizer and taste some traditional dishes.
Geography of Lake Garda
The Lake is of typical Glacial formation: 5-6 million years ago the Lake was formed by glacial erosion of a pre-existing depression caused by Alpine rivers. The Lake therefore looks like a huge valley.
Administration-wise, the Lake is governed by the Trento province in the North, Verona to the East and Brescia to the West. The Lake is positioned parallel to the Adige Valley and is divided from it by the Monte Baldo range.
The lake has a surface of 370 km², is 52km long and is 16km at its widest point. It is 65m above sea level and is 365m deep at its deepest point. The main river coming into the Lake is the Sarca: in total there are 25 rivers leading into the Lake amongst which the Aril (Cassone) at 175m long holds the record for being the World’s shortest river. The only river coming out of the Lake is the Mincio at Peschiera.
There are 5 small islands in the Lake: dell’Olivo (Olive Island), di Sogno (Isle of Dreams), del Trimelone (Trimelone Island), di Garda (Garda Island) and San Biagio (st. Bagio’s Island). The first three are between Malcesine and Assenza and the other two are near San Felice Del Benaco.
The vast basin effect of the Lake makes the climate more temperate: less likely to be frosty in the winter and less humid and oppressively hot in the summer. The lowest temperature of the water in winter is about 5/6 °C, the highest during summer is 25/27 °C.
The winds of the lake are thermal and arise from the difference in atmospheric conditions between southern and northern lake; the Peler comes down from the mountains to the plains in the morning while the Ora goes up toward the mountains in the afternoon. The forecasts on Garda can change quickly, even from town to town. Keep informed about the weather before you leave and check the webcams we have selected for you.
