Riva del Garda Warnings and Dangers

Before my holiday on Lake Garda, I'd heard a lot of hype from friends, brochures and literature, about the northern town of Riva del Garda. Naturally, I decided to take a look around the place, taking the bus from Peschiera in the far south, it being a stormy day and probably not good for boats. On arrival, we were dumped somewhere near the town centre, although that was nothing worth mention- no restaurants, museums, not even a piazza. Down by the lakeshore, it was also disappointing. There were a few pretty little parks dotted along with willow trees and nice neat lawns, and lots of windsurfers enjoying the conditions, but other than that, very little. Finally, we reached a restaurant of some description (where we were constantly pestered by clouds of sparrows and finches jumping on our table and shoulders!), where we sat and had a drink. The views across the bay with its small harbour were equally disappointing. There appeared to be very little of any kind of interest across in the town; just houses and roads. We decided to abandon any plans of exploring further the town and headed back to the bus station, unwilling to spend much more time in this dull, empty place (we saw only a handful of other people all afternoon!). Take my advice- go to Garda, Bardolino or Malcesine on the east coast. As for the west I can't really advise as we didn't properly visit that area, but I've heard good things about Salo, Gardone and Limone. So unless you enjoy windsurfing or watersports, then Riva isn't worth visiting at all, really!