With a few hundred in my bank account, I had no business flouncing around Lake Garda’s Riva del Garda, let alone for a month. This Northern Italian town is the type of place you imagine yourself counting your lottery winnings, on a boat, in a straw hat no less. I may not have been counting my millions, rather pennies, but I felt glamorous in the process.
I’m not a luxury traveller, quite frankly, I can’t afford to be. The payoff was that I ended up spending more time in my kitchen and rummaging around the vegetable aisle of Supermercato Poli than in any of the highly rated restaurants.
The truth is Riva is luxurious. If you’ve the money to spend then this town will embrace you, from the private boat tours to luxury boutiques and high end restaurants where the salumerias used to be; the money almost spills out of your account. Footstep by footstep. Tourists are dressed for an occasion they haven’t been invited to, heels, elegant cocktail dresses and fancy shirts, just for a picture perfect, 90 minute dinner on the cobblestones.
On the other hand, this is also a town for the adventurers, the people looking for a thrill only mother nature can give. I found my place during sunrise hikes to Chiesa di Santa Barbara, each hot and panting breath taking me to a real life painting of orange rooftops in need of a paint job, blue lakes with one too many boats and shimmering mountain peaks. The type of thing no bank balance can buy. The descent was powered by the thought of warm rösti – greasy hands and gouda slowly running down my chin.
So this broke traveller navigated Riva on her feet. No luxury boat trips – instead I clambered mountains, cycled historic mountainside paths, lazed on the beaches, and saved my cash for the creamy cuttlefish risotto from Leon d’oro.
Italy hub link — top stripRiva del Garda — In this guide
Riva del Garda Essentials
The bits worth knowing first.
Riva del Garda — A Practical Plan
The best months for Riva are May, June, and September. Daytime temperatures sit comfortably in the low to mid 20s, the lake is warm enough to swim from June onwards, and the harsh north wind eases off in the afternoon. Mornings are bright, evenings linger long enough for a walk along the Lungolago.
Late May has its own pull. The town starts filling with windsurfers and sailors riding the Ora and the Pelèr, the two reliable winds that have made the northern lake a sailing capital. Note that the last week of May and the first half of June overlap with Bavarian school holidays, so the German-speaking crowd swells noticeably.
July and August are hot and busy. Temperatures push into the 30s, the beaches at Sabbioni and Brione fill up by mid-morning, and hotel rates climb. November through February is a different town entirely. Cool, often grey, with rainfall higher than people expect, but the Christmas market in Riva and the bigger ones nearby in Arco, Rovereto, and Trento are some of the prettiest in Italy. Many lakeside restaurants and rental shops shut until March.
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Best monthsQuieter, hit and miss weatherSkip if you can
Riva is more expensive than the south of Italy and a touch cheaper than Lake Como. A sit-down lunch with a glass of Trentino white runs around €18 to €25, a cone of artisan gelato around €3, and a glass of Trentodoc spumante in a wine bar in the old town hovers around €5. Prices climb in July and August and over the Christmas market weekends.
For where to stay, the historic centre around Piazza 3 Novembre puts you steps from everything but charges a premium and gets noisy in the evenings. Hotels along Viale Rovereto and Viale Dante, a five-minute walk back from the water, are quieter and friendlier on the wallet. Lakefront rooms with a balcony cost more, and they’re worth doing once.
€130
Per night, mid-range
B&B in the old town€80–140
Three-star with breakfast€120–200
Lakefront with balcony€220–380
Espresso at the bar€1.30
Apple strudel slice€3.50–5
August doubles most rates and the Christmas market weekends in late November and December book up well in advance. Lock things in early for both.
The town centre is small. Two full days covers the old town, the Rocca and its museum, the Bastione for the view, the Varone waterfall just outside town, and a long evening walking the Lungolago into Torbole. You’ll have eaten enough strudel and carne salada to plan a return trip already.
Use Riva as a base and the trip opens up considerably. Day three takes the ferry south to Limone or Malcesine, with the cable car up Monte Baldo as the obvious detour. Day four cycles or drives the short distance to Arco, with its dramatic clifftop castle and a quieter old town than Riva’s. Day five goes to Trento, fifty kilometres north, for the duomo and the Castello del Buonconsiglio. A full week and you can fit Verona, the wineries of the Valpolicella, or a long walk on the Ponale road into the Ledro valley.
1core
2core
3ferry
4arco
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6verona
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Solid pink is the minimum, lighter days are the ones I’d add if I had the time again.
Riva cooks like a town that spent a hundred years inside the Habsburg empire and never quite gave the recipes back. The lake supplies the fish, the surrounding hills supply the beef and the cheese, and the bakery counter looks more like Innsbruck than Rome. A few things you really should not leave without trying.
Carne SaladaThe signature dish
Local beef cured in salt, herbs, and spices for several weeks, then sliced thin and served raw or briefly seared. Often paired with white beans and a drizzle of Garda olive oil. The version made between Arco, Varone, and Tenno is the original. Order it as an antipasto anywhere in the old town.
Salmerino del TrentinoStraight from the lake
Alpine char, the prized freshwater fish of the cold deep lakes around here. Usually grilled whole or filleted with butter and herbs. Cleaner and more delicate than trout. Try it at Leon d’Oro or any restaurant with a serious fish menu.
CanederliComfort food classic
Bread dumplings, often studded with speck or cheese, served either in a clear broth or with melted butter and grated grana. Tyrolean to the core. A good test of any Trentino kitchen, and a meal in themselves on a cold day.
StrangolapretiTrentino specific
Small green dumplings made from spinach or wild herbs, stale bread, and ricotta, finished with brown butter and sage. The name translates as “priest stranglers”, with a few competing legends about why. You’ll find them on most traditional menus and almost nowhere else in Italy.
Bigoi con le SardeLake fishermen’s dish
Thick hand-extruded spaghetti tossed with sarde di lago, the small lake fish that have been part of the cooking here for centuries. Simple, savoury, and very specific to the upper lake. Try it at La Colombera or any of the older trattorias in Torbole.
Apple StrudelThe Austrian inheritance
Thin pastry wrapped around apples, raisins, pine nuts, and cinnamon, served warm with cream. Every decent pasticceria in town does it well. A reminder that the border with the German-speaking world sits just up the valley.
Wash any of the above down with a Trentodoc spumante, a Nosiola from the Valle dei Laghi, or a glass of Teroldego if you want something red. Local producers, all bottled within an hour of where you’re sitting.
Where To Stay In Riva del Garda
Riva del Garda is a fantastic base whether you’re after adventure, lakeside romance, or just somewhere to eat well for a week. The town is compact enough to walk everywhere, and the bus and ferry network out of Riva means you can reach most of the lake’s other towns without a car, which is how I did it for the month I lived here. If you’re planning a longer car-free trip around the lake, my guide to the best Lake Garda towns to stay in without a car breaks down the options beyond Riva itself.
There are three areas worth considering, and they suit slightly different trips.
Riva del Garda Centre — best for first-time visitors
The historic centre is where you want to stay if it’s your first trip and you want everything on your doorstep. You’re a five-minute walk from the lake, a one-minute walk from the main piazza, and surrounded by restaurants, gelaterias, and bars that spill onto the cobbled streets in the evenings. The trade-off is that summer nights are lively (live music on Piazza III Novembre most evenings) so it’s not the place if you need silence to sleep.
Hotels in Riva del Garda Centre
$$ Hotel Sole | A 4-star hotel right on the main piazza with lake-view rooms, complimentary bikes, and a small wellness centre with a sauna and Turkish bath. The location is unbeatable if you want to roll out of bed and into the heart of the old town.
$$$ Lido Palace | Riva’s most luxurious option, with a lakefront position, a Michelin-starred restaurant on site, and a spa that’s worth the stay alone. Recently renovated rooms feel modern and elegant, and the terrace overlooks the water.
Porto San Nicolò — best for beach access and quieter nights
A 15-minute walk south of the centre, Porto San Nicolò is the area to choose if you want the beach genuinely on your doorstep, Spiaggia Sabbioni is right there. It’s quieter than the centre in the evenings but you’re still close enough to walk in for dinner. Good pick for couples who want lakeside calm without sacrificing convenience.
Hotels in Porto San Nicolò
$$$Du Lac Et Du Parc| A sprawling lakeside resort that genuinely feels like a private village, with two pools, several restaurants, and private villas dotted through the gardens. The Garden Suites (€350-500/night) work well for families, and there’s a private beach and an extensive breakfast buffet that makes it the right pick for longer stays.
$$ Hotel Luise | A boutique-style hotel with themed rooms, a rooftop pool with mountain views, and bike hire on site. Located in a quieter pocket of the area, so you get peaceful nights but you can still cycle into the centre in five minutes.
Varone — best for budget travellers who don’t mind a walk
Varone is a small village a 25-minute walk (or 10-minute cycle) north of Riva, best known for its dramatic gorge waterfall. Rooms are bigger and cheaper than anything you’ll find lakeside, and you get mountain views that the centre doesn’t have. The trade-off is the daily walk back into town, which is fine in good weather and a slog in bad. If you’re cycling anyway, it’s a non-issue.
Hotels in Varone
$ Hotel Campagnola | Family-run with spacious mountain-view rooms (some with balconies) and an outdoor pool. The kind of place where you’ll get a friendly welcome and pay roughly half what you’d pay in town for a room twice the size.
Where To Stay In Riva Del Garda On A Budget?
Looking for a budget-friendly stay? Hotels in Riva del Garda skyrocket in price during peak season, but Arco, just 10 minutes away, offers charming accommodations for a fraction of the price. Plus, with bike-friendly roads and a laid-back vibe, it’s a great alternative for outdoor lovers.
These are a few nice hotels in Arco:
Pace 1954 Hotel has large spacious rooms with complimentary bikes
River Inn Arco is a guesthouse with river views, some rooms even feature a kitchen
Hotel Garden Arco has an incredible outdoor pool with a mountain view
Travel Insurance
The boring bit that matters.
Pick your policy by passport, not by destination.
Nobody buys travel insurance with any enthusiasm, and almost everyone wishes they had at some point, usually around the moment a Vespa scrape becomes a hospital visit, or a delayed flight wipes out a non-refundable hotel. Two providers cover almost everyone reading this:
For EU citizens
True Traveller
If you hold an EU passport, True Traveller is the most sensibly priced option I’ve found, and although it’s an EU-citizen-only product, it covers you anywhere in the world. They also let you buy cover after you’ve already left home, which most insurers refuse to do.
For travellers from outside the EU, and for anyone planning a longer trip with the usual mix of hiking, scooters, and ill-advised cliff-jumping, World Nomads remains the standard. They cover adventure activities most insurers won’t touch, and you can extend from the road.
Omio — the easiest way to book buses and trains across Europe.
I use Omio for one reason: it’s the easiest place to compare trains, buses, and the occasional ferry across Europe in a single screen. You search a route, see Trenitalia and Italo (and any relevant bus options) side by side, book in two taps, and the ticket lives in the app on your phone.
The real value: every ticket lives on your phone. No printing, no fishing through inboxes on a platform when the conductor walks past.
The booking process takes about thirty seconds. The ticket arrives instantly. On the day of travel, you open the app, show the QR code or the seat number to the conductor, and that’s it.
Lake Garda has a decent bus service, ran by a local company called ATV, it includes routes around Lake Garda and to cities like Venice and Verona. We mostly used the bus, it was comfortable, had AC and was frequent. The only catch is the traffic, but I used it as an excuse to get a little nap.
Line 484 is the main line to explore the eastern shore travelling from Riva to Garda.
Line 483 goes further south from S.Benedetto – Peschiera – Lazise – Bardolino – Garda to Malcesine. We used this one the most
LN027 between Desenzano and Riva del Garda, stopping at towns including Salo and Limone Sul Garda.
You can purchase Lake Garda bus tickets from the Verona bus app in advance, but you can also pay onboard with cash, however that carries a small surcharge. I found the drivers to be a little grumpy so make sure you have the correct change.
Car
Honestly, a car is not a necessity for Riva del Garda. Buses and ferries reach the main towns around Lake Garda and there is enough to do in Riva that you don’t really have to leave. I wrote a full guide on where to stay in Lake Garda without a car which breakdown the towns that really don’t require you to have a car.
It is worth noting that east Lake Garda is much easier to explore without a car than the west side due to public transport limitations.
If you do decide to drive, the traffic can be heavy during the summer, especially around the scenic west lake route. However the less scenic A22 Brenner Motorway is much faster. There are also Limited Traffic Zones (ZTL) in the historic centres, if you even accidentally drive through one, you will be automatically fined (there are cameras). For more information on driving in Italy, check my guide here.
Don’t want to go without a car?
DiscoverCars for the best prices, every time.
If a car is non-negotiable for the trip you’re planning, DiscoverCars consistently finds the best price by comparing every rental company at the airport in a single screen. Pick up at the airport, drop off at the airport, and let the cities have their pedestrian peace.
One thing to sort before you go
If you’re driving in Italy on a non-EU licence, you need an International Driving Permit alongside your home licence. It’s a legal requirement, rental companies will refuse to hand over the keys without it, and your insurance won’t cover you in an accident. Sort it before you fly. It takes a few minutes online.
Cycle
Riva is a dream to cycle around, it reignited my love for the bike. It’s actually considered one of Europe’s top cycling destinations with the Ponale Road and Limone sul Garda offering epic mountainous scenery. You can certainly cycle to nearby towns, Malcesine is a 1 hour trip whereas Garda is 4 hours, both along the coastal road. Further north Arco is just 20 minutes away.
There are many bike rentals in Riva, I always had a positive experience with Energia Bike, who have a large range of quality bikes.
Best Things To Do In Riva del Garda
Riva del Garda — Things to Do
Bastione Scenic Lift · Via Monte Oro
01Don’t miss
Ride the Glass Funicular to the Bastione
A panoramic lift made entirely of glass that hauls you up the side of Monte Rocchetta in three minutes flat, climbing 130 vertical metres straight up to the Venetian Bastione, the 16th-century watchtower the Republic of Venice built in 1508. It’s pretty to look at and the cabin makes the view of the lake unfolding beneath you genuinely worth the €9 round-trip. At the top there’s a lounge bar with one of the best aperitivo views on the lake, and the historic tower itself, free to wander. Walk back down the path through the pinewood instead of taking the lift, it takes 25 minutes and saves you half the ticket. The lift runs all year except for occasional maintenance days.
Torre Apponale · Piazza 3 Novembre
02Don’t miss
Climb the Torre Apponale
The 34-metre tower that’s been guarding the main square since the 13th century, with a small gilded angel called the anzolim sitting on top as the symbol of Riva. There’s no lift, just 165 narrow stone steps spiralling up through a tower that’s only really wide enough for one person at a time, so don’t try this in flip flops or with a hangover. The view from the top covers the entire upper lake, the rooftops of the old town, and the Brenta Dolomites in the distance. A few euros to enter, free with the Garda Guest Card. Open from late morning, closed Mondays in low season.
Sentiero del Ponale · Riva to Ledro
03Bucket list
Cycle the Sentiero del Ponale to Lago di Ledro
A 19th-century military road carved straight into the cliff face above the lake, now closed to cars and turned into one of the most stunning cycle paths in Europe. Starts at the hydroelectric plant in Riva, climbs gently for around 4km along a ledge with the lake dropping away to your left, then continues up into the Ledro valley to the small alpine lake of Lago di Ledro. The full one-way ride is about 17km with a fair bit of climbing, so most people rent an e-bike from one of the dozens of shops in Riva. Stop for a swim in Ledro, eat a long lunch, then roll back downhill the way you came. Easily a half-day trip, more if you’re sensible about it.
A small white chapel perched on a rocky shelf at 610 metres, built in 1935 by the miners working on the hydroelectric plant below, and now one of the best lookout points on the whole lake. The path starts behind the Bastione, so you can either walk all the way up from town (around 90 minutes, steep in places) or cheat by taking the glass lift to the Bastione first and then continuing on foot for another 45 minutes. The final section is genuinely steep with switchbacks through the woods. Sturdy shoes, water, and a good amount of stubbornness required. The view at the top, with all of upper Garda spread out below you, is the kind that makes the climb feel worth every step.
Busatte–Tempesta Path · Above Torbole
05Bucket list
Walk the Busatte Panoramico Loop
A panoramic walk along the lower slopes of Monte Baldo above Torbole, famous for three sets of metal staircases bolted to the cliff face that take you up and over the steepest sections. There are 400 steps in total, with the longest flight running to 238. The path itself is mostly easy, winding through Mediterranean scrub with the lake glittering 200 metres below you the whole way. Start from the car park at Parco delle Busatte in Torbole, follow the path south for around 90 minutes to Tempesta, then loop back along the forest road behind. Vertigo sufferers, this one isn’t for you. Avoid mid-summer afternoons because the rock face cooks in the sun.
