Where is Lake Garda?

Lake Garda in Northern Italy is the largest lake in the country and one of the most popular. Its turquoise waters are ringed with mountains, beaches and ancient cobbled towns, lying halfway between Venice and Milan. The northern part of the lake is quiet and serene, while the southern section boasts a theme park and sandy beaches, so Lake Garda holidays offer something for every kind of traveller.

1. Explore ancient towns, castles, and hot springs.

Holiday resorts share waterfront with ancient towns all around Lake Garda. Start off with the picturesque cobblestone lanes of Sirmione, a fortified Roman spa town in the south. It is situated on a peninsula in the centre of the lake, offering unrivalled views and photo opportunities. After a morning visit to the healing sulphur springs, explore the 13^th century Scaliger Castle and stop into the many restaurants and bars for a bite to eat. If you have more time, catch a ferry to explore the islands in the lake and spend a day at the popular Gardaland theme park as well.

2. Eat well.

The best part of holidays to Italy is surely the food and wine. The shores of Lake Garda are famous for their produce, particularly wine, olives and lemons. Catch a ferry to the colourful hillside resort of Limone, which is named for the yellow fruit. Stroll the waterfront promenade and stop into a café for a meal of fresh fish from the lake, or a hearty polenta dish cooked with local olive oil and a glass of Bardolino red wine which is grown in the area. Finish off with a tipple of limoncino for a totally local experience.

3. Get outdoors!

Lake Garda is a fantastic place to be active and get outside. The northern part of the lake is perfect for windsurfing and sailing due to the steady breeze coming out of the mountains, and there are many watersport centres that offer lessons and rentals. Explore miles of trails on foot or with a mountain bike, and you can even go rock climbing.  For families, peddle boats are available to rent in marked areas with lifeguards.

4. Take in the view.

The best view of the area is from the village of Malcesine in the northern section of the lake. Take the cable car 1750 meters up Montebaldo, a peak in the Italian Alps, for stunning views of Lake Garda below and the Dolomites behind. After taking pictures drop into the mountain-top restaurant or rent a mountain bike to explore the area.

Map

TravelTipsPlus Google Map of Lake Garda

One Great Reason to Visit

One great reason to visit this travel destination is to find that Lake Garda offers something for every kind traveller!

Exploring Lake Garda

For More Information

• Wikipedia
• Guide to Lake Garda

New Orleans is one of those destinations in the US that is a step away from the usual international tourist hubs of NYC, Florida and Las Vegas. It falls into the class of places that many would like to go to, but probably will never go on enough holidays to America to quite make it. Therefore you’ll often hear an impressed whistle or envious sigh as you regale those about your recent experience. It is justifiably world famous, and sits perfectly within a more extended travel of the States if you’re lucky enough to go on one.

The Street

There is much to do here, but a particular magnet to visitors is Bourbon Street. Classy and seedy all at once, as well as cultural and over touristic in the same moment, it is a great starting off point for the wider French Quarter where it is located. Being just off Canal street means you can arrive here by the historic tram line which runs down the impressively wide road and is incredibly cheap for travellers looking to save money. The corner of Bourbon Street is a popular location for impromptu jazz performances kicking off, which regularly involve double digit numbers of performers and is an appropriate entrance to this lively street.

The Nightlife

By day the street is relatively empty and its messy appearance is all the more apparent in the absence of the bar night lights. New Orleans earns its seedy reputation from the presence of strip clubs down the road and there are often employees of said establishments hanging out of the front doors in various states of undress. In this respect, at night it lives up to its adult reputation, but it is not the sole focus of the street and you can easily avoid this aspect if you’re just here for a good time. Live music, jazz clubs, cabaret, comedy, breweries, pubs and dancing clubs; the list is almost endless for what can be found down here.

This lively scene is made all the more enjoyable by the Open Container Law in the French Quarter, which means that you may carry alcoholic drinks around in plastic cups (not cans or bottles) in the street, creating the famous street scene that has become well known here, and reaches its pinnacle in Mardi Gras.

Bars, Food and Drink

Thanks to its shared American, European and African history there is an eclectic array of popular food and drink served in many of the historic venues down the street. For the foodie, make sure you leave in plenty of time to ensure you can stroll along and check out the menus outside the different restaurants. Bourbon Street has a range of Creole cuisine including Gumbo, which has Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French and African influences. There’s also the typical Southern and Cajun cuisine available such as Fried Shrimp, Catfish and Crawfish and even alligator.

For people who like to combine everything, many of the bars serve food as well as having out door areas to hang out making it popular to head to the bars straight away to get the evening started! Bourbon Streets party scene is underpinned by its reputation for serving up some extremely tasty local beverages. The famous Hurricane is a strong cocktail consisting of syrup, fruit juice and rum, and can be found at bars such as Pat O’Brien’s, which is popular due to it’s live music and dueling pianos. If strong drinks are your thing, then head over to Tropical Isle Original which serves the Hand Grenade, a drink known for its potency and recipe shrouded in secrecy. If you are interested in history, you will find the Old Absinthe House a must see, although it’s famous Absinthe House Frappe no longer includes the illegal Absinthe, instead mixing in Herbsaint.

A night down Bourbon Street truly does come alive at night time, creating a unique character that you won’t see anywhere else in the world. The street may appear slightly messy during the day, but when the bright lights come on, the music gets going and the crowds are out there is much to enjoy down a road who’s many buildings date back to the 18th century.

Author Bio: Guest Post written by Matt who is a regular travel blogger and enjoys venturing around the world. As well as America, he likes to explore the Mediterranean, and is looking forward to his Sorrento holidays.

Travel Photo of the Week: Stourhead Garden, Wiltshire, England

Stourhead Garden was listed as one of ‘My 3 Best Kept Travel Secrets‘ largely because I’d never heard of it and on visiting, was mighty impressed. There is nothing more delightful than coming across a travel destination you know nothing or very little about and find it to be rather special – this was the case with Stourhead.

Stourhead is a vast National Trust garden surrounding a lake with bridges, temples, grottos and pathways which all form part of the Stourhead Estate located near Mere in southern Wiltshire. It’s an absolute picture during Autumn as this photo captures its changing colours.

Photo courtesy of Lavinia from Dorset.

Where to Party in Greece?

What do Kos, Faliraki and Malia all have in common? That’s right; they have for a number of years been the top places for young and lively crowds to head to for some fun in the sun. But what are they really like? Where is the best place to visit if you have to choose and which one is more suited to your needs?

Once these three destinations are put side by side and compared in terms of the main needs and wants for people aboard, it becomes clear that they each have their own stand out features.

Best Beach: Malia

All three destinations have their fair share of beaches, most of which are busy and bustling full of people usually recovering from the night before. For these reasons, if you want a bit of peace and quiet it can become a bit of a challenge. However, Malia has a stretch of beach which is largely free from the commercial side of things and offers visitors the perfect place to laze in the sun. Potamos Beach is around 500 metres from the bigger beach where the vast majority of holidaymakers and travellers spend their time. If you want a quiet afternoon, Potamos Beach is the place to head to is you want a bit of peace on holidays in Crete.

Best Nightlife: Faliraki

All three of the destinations can claim to have the best nightlife, but many would agree that Faliraki just about comes out on top thanks to the fact that it has actually become less rowdy as it was back in the early 2000’s. The local authorities clamped down on the over the top antics which once upon a time were common place, with these days the bars being frequented by slightly older patrons just looking for a good time. Club Street is the aptly named strip of bars and clubs which most people head to and there is plenty to keep you entertained throughout the night and into the early hours.

Best Backdrop: Malia

There is a belief that these types of resorts are all the same, and let’s face it, a bit bland. But visitors to Malia may be a bit surprised when they drop by as the Old Town is a fantastically traditional place which offers an insight into how the area looked before mass tourism took over. The tight winding streets lead to all sorts of unexpected sights including hidden churches and small taverns. You could easily get lost here for a day or so – even if you spend the majority of your time elsewhere, make sure you head to the Old Town at least once on your visit.

Best Food: Kos

If you manage to drag yourself away from the local McDonalds, the resorts of Malia, Kos and Faliraki have some lovely restaurants with dishes made from the freshest ingredients on offer. The pick of the bunch are found on Kos though, where there are plenty of options open to you. Tigiaki has a number of budget friendly but vey well respected restaurants where you can try the local cuisine, which in typical Greek fashion centres on fresh fish, local vegetables and lugs of olive oil. The best thing to do is to avoid the restaurants which are geared towards the tourists and take to the side streets. Here you’ll find locals eating for usually a fraction of the price and in much more traditional surroundings.

All three islands have their attractions and in many instances it is hard to separate them. If you want a holiday destination where you can get all of the luxuries from home, you’ll be hard pressed to find places better than Kos, Malia and Faliraki. All three have their good bits – it is just a case of deciding whether you value beaches, nightlife, food or places of interest higher when on cheap holidays to Greece!

Guest post written by Ricky Durrance for Beat the Brochure.