Bardolino Beach Resort Guide

Pretty Bardolino is less well known than other resorts on Lake Garda, like Riva del Garda, but is an attractive place for a holiday. It has ancient origins, picturesque pastel-coloured buildings and a lovely position on the lakeside. Close to some of Italy's major family attractions, as well as many vineyards and olive groves, it is a holiday resort that has something for all tastes.

Bardolino features on a number of package holidays, and attracts large numbers of British and German visitors. It gets particularly busy around late September to October when large numbers of people, including Italians, come for its Festa dell Uva et del Vino - a festival of local olive oil and wine. Lake Garda is generally very popular with German tourists, attracted by the mild climate, clean air and outdoor activities.

Bardolino is in Northern Italy, on the south eastern coast of Lake Garda in the Veneto region. The resort is just 30km (19 miles) from Verona and the airport, and 145km (90 miles) from Milan.

Perched on the lakeside, Bardolino is on the flatter south eastern section of the lake - the most dramatic scenery being in the north. The resort has given its name to one of Italy's most famous wines, and there are many vineyards nearby.

The best months to visit Bardolino are from May to October when it experiences warm, long days and has an average daily temperature of 25°C (77°F). June to August are the hottest and busiest months with temperatures often pushing 30°C (86°F).

There are pebbly beaches at Bardolino, and also at Garda, and a stretch of sandy beach just to the south at Lazise. Punta San Vigilio, further north, has a very popular stretch of shingle beach. Windsurfers and waterskiers are well catered for in the resorts at the north of the lake, particularly Malcesine and Riva del Garda.

Bardolino has a bustling piazza and medieval centre, with two churches that are worth a look: San Severo, which dates back to the 11th-century, and San Zeno, which is even older - it was built in the 8th-century. There are also a couple of museums devoted to wine and to olive oil. On Lake Garda's southern shore is picturesque Sirmione, once a Roman spa. Visitors come to see the fairytale Scaligero Castle. North of Bardolino is Malcesine, where a cablecar runs from the town up to Monte Baldo, a mountain that is popular with walkers and mountain bikers.

Families seeking thrills, water slides and adrenalin rides can easily get to Italy's largest theme park Gardaland (www.gardaland.it), just a short distance from Bardolino at Castelnuovo del Garda. There is also Aqua Paradise, a major water-park which is part of Canevaworld (www.canevaworld.it), near Lazise. Its attractions include a slide with an almost vertical drop. Canevaworld also includes a cinema theme park, Movieland. For those who prefer quieter pleasures, there are plenty of opportunities for watersports on Lake Garda, and bikes can be hired near Bardolino.

Bardolino has plenty of souvenir shops and places to purchase gifts to take home.  The local red wine, Bardolino, is widely available and is best bought from one of the wineries near the town, such as Azienda Agricola Ca Bottura (Via San Colomano). For more serious purchases there are the major centres of Brescia, which has a good selection of clothes and shoe shops - particularly around Corso Zanardelli, and the chic city of Verona.

Bardolino is a lively resort at night, and there are plenty of bars in which to enjoy early evening - and late night, drinks. It's a good base for party people, with several clubs where a fashionable crowd dance till the early hours. Established ones include the Hollywood Dance Club (Via Montefelice), which has three dance floors, including one by the poolside; Orange Disco (Via Monsurei), which also serves dinner; and Primo Life Club (Via Marconi), which also has a piano bar. For an even greater choice, head to Desenzano, on the south of the lake.

Bardolino offers plenty of places to stop for a snack, a glass of the famous Bardolino wine, or an ice cream - eaten on the lakeside. Restaurants offer dishes from no nonsense pizzas to local cuisine - which is strong on fresh fish and delicious risottos.  Worth trying is Locanda Al Bersagliere (Via San Colombano) in Bardolino, or La Rucola (Via Strentelle) in the neighbouring resort of Sirmione.

Bardolino is easy to explore on foot and there is also a pleasant lakeside walk to the nearby town of Garda. Bikes can be rented near the town and buses run regularly around the lake, linking the main destinations. A ferry service also operates. Verona is linked to Lake Garda by a bus service, and the resort of Peschiera del Garda, on the south shore, has a train station with services to Milan.

Verona, setting for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet as well as one of Europe's most famous opera festivals, is well worth a visit. It has plenty of shops, elegant streets and historic sites - such as the magnificent Roman amphitheatre.

There are some sumptuous lakeside hotels in Gardone Riviera, on the lake's western shore. Among them is the Grand Hotel Fasano e Villa Principe (Corso Zandarelli) (www.ghf.it), a former Austrian hunting lodge, and Villa Fiordaliso (Corso Zanardelli) (www.villafiordaliso.it) which has just seven rooms - in one of which Mussolini once stayed with his mistress.

Verona airport (VRN)