Best travel time for Lake Garda
The north of Italy has a popular holiday destination ready: Lake Garda . The Lago di Garda offers both for sun-seeking travelers as beautiful for active vacationers places for a break. Limone on the west bank, Sirmione in the south of Lake Garda or one of the most famous places in the region, Riva del Garda , in the north. Lake Garda is multi-faceted, has a lot to offer in terms of landscape and you will definitely not get bored on a holiday at Italy’s largest lake. Anyone who has set themselves Lake Garda as their next destination will find out the best travel time for Lake Garda here. Weather information and a climate table give you an overview of the temperatures that await you in the different seasons. So you are ideally prepared for your vacation in this beautiful region of Italy.
When is the best time to visit Lake Garda?
The main season and therefore the best travel time for Lake Garda is in the months of July and August . At this time, ideal weather conditions await you for a holiday full of sunshine and lots of bathing pleasure. In July and August the temperatures often rise above 30 degrees Celsius, so that you can enjoy pure summer fun. The water temperature invites you to swim at over 20 degrees Celsius and is a welcome refreshment on hot summer days. The number of rainy days is 5 to 10 per month, but the high number of hours of sunshine per day compensates for this.
The months of July and August are in the middle of the summer holidays in many countries. Due to the easy accessibility from many regions of Europe, it is very crowded at this time in the popular places such as Limone, Sirmione or Riva del Garda. If you want to avoid the tourist crowds in the main travel season, you can switch to the off-season. Even then you can look forward to great weather with the special flair of Lake Garda. The low season is also the best time to travel to Lake Garda and this includes the months of May , June and September . The temperatures are within a pleasant range, are warm in summer and guarantee sun-tanned skin!
The best travel time for Lake Garda:
- May: 25 ° C, 9 hours of sunshine, 16 ° C water temperature, 8 rainy days
- June: 28 ° C, 10 hours of sunshine, 20 ° C water temperature, 9 rainy days
- July: 31 ° C, 11 hours of sunshine, 25 ° C water temperature, 4 rainy days
- August: 31 ° C, 11 hours of sunshine, 26 ° C water temperature, 5 rainy days
- September: 28 ° C, 8 hours of sunshine, 26 ° C water temperature, 5 rainy days
The best travel time for an active holiday on Lake Garda
The scenic backdrop of Lake Garda suggests that active vacationers will be happy here. The Alps and their foothills score with wonderful hiking and cycling trails. According to physicscat, the huge Lake Garda itself, with an area of 370 square kilometers, is a paradise for water sports enthusiasts. Sailing , diving , swimming – water rats get their money’s worth here. The lake in Northern Italy is also very popular with windsurfers and kite surfers due to the “Ora” and “Peler” winds. They ensure the necessary wind on the lake, especially in the north of Lago di Garda.
There are ideal weather conditions for an active holiday on Lake Garda all year round. But if you don’t like it too hot and not too cold for hikes , mountain bike trips and sailing trips , you should switch to autumn . The temperatures are mild and there are fewer thunderstorms than in summer. That brings less rain with it. Look forward to constant and uneven weather for your sporty excursions. There is another reason why autumn is the best time to travel. The following applies to an active holiday on Lake Garda: the air in the higher elevations is cool and clear at the same time. When hiking in the surrounding mountains you can enjoy an uninterrupted view of Lake Garda.
The best travel time for an active vacation: spring and autumn
- October: 21 ° C, 5 hours of sunshine, 13 ° C water temperature, 3 rainy days
- November: 15 ° C, 4 hours of sunshine, 11 ° C water temperature, 5 rainy days
- March: 16 ° C, 6 hours of sunshine, 10 ° C water temperature, 5 rainy days
- April: 20 ° C, 7 hours of sunshine, 13 ° C water temperature, 6 rainy days
Also, the spring is ideal for an active holiday on Lake Garda. The weather conditions are similar to those in autumn, which you should use for hikes, bike tours or other sporting activities in beautiful surroundings. The tourist crowds have not yet arrived in the spring and the prices for accommodation are lower than in the high season.
Climate and weather on Lake Garda
The location of Lake Garda has a strong influence on the climate on Italy’s largest lake. The lake borders the Alps in the north and runs into the Po plain in the south. A total of three regions share the beautiful area around Lake Garda. The northern part belongs to Trentino-South Tyrol. Veneto makes up the eastern part and the west belongs to Lombardy. Although Lake Garda is called a mountain lake, the entire region has a sub-Mediterranean climate . It ensures warm summers and mild winters with little rain. The winters are not as cold as in Germany and in summer you can be sure of glorious sunshine. The Alps in the north seal off Lake Garda from cold winds. On the other hand, in the south, the not far away Mediterranean Sea influences the prevailing climate and brings warm air.
The sub-Mediterranean climate ensures great weather all year round on Lake Garda. The summer as the most popular season for Lake Garda scores especially in July and August with summer temperatures. At 31 degrees Celsius, a dip in the 25 to 26 degrees warm water is refreshing. Summer is always present on Lake Garda in the months of May, June and September. It is a few degrees cooler overall, including the water, but that doesn’t detract from your summer vacation. In all these months, the number of hours of sunshine is at its highest with 8 to 11 per day. However, you have to expect 4 to 10 rainy days a month.
The autumn will feed with October. Temperatures drop to 15 to 21 degrees Celsius and the sun shows up less often. Bathing in Lake Garda at 19 degrees and less is only something for die-hard people in autumn. At night the temperatures drop below 10 degrees and it gets noticeably colder. But the freezing temperatures usually stay away on Lake Garda even in winter . In rare cases, temperatures of up to 15 degrees Celsius can be reached in winter. With 8 degrees Celsius, Lake Garda is no longer suitable for swimming. But when the spring begins in March, the water and air warm up again. Then daytime temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius and more are the order of the day. The duration of sunshine increases and the first vacationers enjoy the wonderful spring weather.
Climate table Lake Garda – Sirmione in the south
| Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Max. Temperature in ° C | 8 | 10 | 16 | 20 | 25 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 21 | 15 | 9 |
| Min. Temperature in ° C | 2 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 11 | 8 | 4 |
| Hours of sunshine per day | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Water temperature in ° C | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 19 | 13 | 11 |
| Rainy days per month | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
My conclusion on the best travel time for Lake Garda
The sub-Mediterranean climate and the year-round beautiful weather explain why Lake Garda is one of the popular holiday destinations in Europe. For those who love the sun, summer and the surrounding months are the best time to travel to Lake Garda. Whether in May , June , July , August or September – Lago di Garda enchants you with ideal weather in each of these months. However, you have to expect a high number of tourists during these months. The best travel time is the main travel time and attracts numerous holiday seekers. For an active vacation with fewer tourists, I recommend autumn as well as spring . In March, April, October and November the temperatures are mild and invite you to go on exciting tours of discovery. The hotel prices are cheaper in these times of the year than in the high season and you will find far fewer holidaymakers in the various places. But you can also go to Lake Garda in winter. Check out which hotels on Lake Garda are open during this time and spend a mild winter away from home.
