Why

The romantic Lake Garda area of Northern Italy is a top destination for family holidays. The family can enjoy the extraordinary beauty of mountains plunging into water. It is a great destination for families and children are catered for with a wide range of water-sports and well equipped holiday resorts.

The largest of the Italian Lakes, Lake Garda’s colourful lakeside resorts are the perfect base for a reviving family holiday. Lake Garda stretches between the Alps and the Dolomites and has over 120 beaches, a great selection of water sports, walking routes, vibrant town centres and day trips to the cities of Verona and Venice. A family holiday in Lake Garda is ideal for those looking to spend time in an area of exceptional beauty with lots to see and do with the kids.

Of course there is also Gardaland which is Italy’s largest and best theme park which is bound to entertain you for a few days.

When and how

The lakes are a great year round destination but best in the summer between May and September. Try to go outside school holidays if possible to avoid the high season.

You can fly to Milan direct or to Bergamo or Verona via the UK and you can check special offers and deals on flights here. Sunway also offer charter flights.

To explore the area best try to hire a car and you can get a quote for car hire here.

Family friendly accommodation

There are a wide range of family friendly accommodation options available. Most hotels welcome children even if there are no special facilities and you can check for special offers and deals here with booking.com.

Italy specialists Citalia are one of the leaders in the upmarket package market for Italy and you can check their hotel and self catering accommodation only and full packages here. They have a 5% discount for online bookings. Sunway also feature Lake Garda and Verona.

Authentic Italy specialise in a wide range of villas and apartments if you want to book a self catering option .Self catering is generally a high standard and in stunning locations. For good holiday village options with good children’s facilities have a look at Eurocamp, Siblu and Keycamp.

For those who want to try camping close to Gardaland the Bella Italia in Lake Garda is a well-equipped park on the lake front which has terrific water complexes and views across the lake which gets great reviews from parents. The beach is safe enough for children and it is close to some beautiful historic towns. In addition to a great water and pool complex there are sports facilities, children's discos and age-appropriate kids clubs for children between four and twelve. You can book with Eurocamp.

Hotel Du Lac et du Parc is wonderfully and uniquely positioned in its own magnificent park and is considered to be one of Lake Garda's top hotels. There is an outdoor swimming pool, separate children's pool, heated indoor pool, gym, children’s playground, water sports for teenagers and a Kids’ Club for children 3-10 years .You can book this through Citalia.

Gardaland Hotel Resort is located 800 metres from Lake Garda and the Gardaland amusement park and is a family-orientated fairytale resort facing a large landscaped garden. It is designed to cater for families, entertain children and charm adults. Every morning and afternoon the park’s main characters entertain the children and visit the restaurant, with its grand buffet. During the summertime the outdoor ‘Blue Lagoon’ swimming pool is available land. You can book special offers and deals online here with booking.com.

What to do with the kids

Gardaland is the biggest manmade attraction. The magical theme park of Gardaland is a great day out during your family holiday in Lake Garda. Young children will love the Fantasy Kingdom with its Toy Town and the Tree house of Prezzemolo (the park’s main character). For older children and adults there are some exhilarating roller coaster thrills including the Jungle Rapids water ride, set in a mystic land of ancient temples, and the formidable Blue Tornado. Whatever your age, there is non-stop entertainment at Italy’s leading theme park.

You can tour vineyards in the local areas and in particularly the vineyards in Bardolino.
Take the train to Venice just over an hour and half away.

Visit the Rocca Scaligera which is a 13th Century Castle which children will love exploring.
Lake Como is widely held to be the most beautiful of the Lakes and you can travel on an old-fashioned steamer. The scenery is breathtaking and the water is clean enough to dive right into.

There is a wide choice of shopping possibilities in the chic towns that surround the Lakes.

Sporting activities such as golf, water-skiing, mountain biking, horse-riding, parachuting and free climbing, banana boats and speed boats abound and all provide great family entertainment.

Verona is only forty kilometres away and is rich in culture, churches and monuments. Do not miss the Arena with its astonishing opera festival, the house of Romeo and Juliet, the former Roman forum of Piazza Delle Erbe and the Romanesque Basilica of San Lorenzo.

You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday. 

Sign up for our free newsletter to be kept updated with all of the latest special offers for family holidays and family travel news. Remember to enter our fantastic competitions which have super prizes and best of all are free.