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Find out what to do on Lake Garda during the Christmas holidays: markets, walks, spas, and relaxation as a couple or as a family. You can book your stay at our Hotel Lugana Parco al Lago & Wine Hotel to experience the area in comfort: see our recommendations for the surrounding area for November and December here.

Winter brings a special charm to Lake Garda: the days are shorter, the air becomes crisp, the Christmas lights reflect on the water… Everything invites you to slow down, enjoy small moments as a couple or as a family, and rediscover the beauty of the area “off-season.” At the Hotel Lugana Parco al Lago & Wine Hotel, in Lugana di Sirmione, we welcome you with this very idea: a stay where naturalness, warmth, and celebration come together to give you a different kind of holiday and Christmas, without rushing or stressing.

Below, you’ll find the best experiences to enjoy on the lake during the holidays: markets, wellness, walks, and activities for couples and families. And finally, some suggestions to make your holiday with us even more complete.

Among the most popular Advent activities on Lake Garda are undoubtedly the Christmas markets: wooden huts, decorations, traditional sweets, children’s workshops, and that festive atmosphere that invites you to smile and discover.

After a day outdoors or at the market, taking a break is a perfect way to recharge before another family evening. The lake offers a wealth of wellness opportunities even in winter: thermal spas, hot tubs, and breathtaking views. Being located in Lugana di Sirmione, you’ll be very close to the famous thermal baths, which offer parents a relaxing break while the kids play in the pool or participate in dedicated activities.

The true luxury of winter on the lake is the slow pace: the days are shorter, the light is softer, and the landscape takes on a calm unseen in summer, not to mention the colors that nature bestows on the lake. A stroll along the lakeside at sunset, perhaps stopping for a snack or to take some photos at La Fenice Pasticceria Bistrot, becomes a moment of simple happiness.
From our hotel, you also have the opportunity to explore nearby towns like Desenzano del Garda and Peschiera del Garda (both ≈ 10 km) or Bardolino (≈ 25 km), which offer enchanting views, streets adorned with lights, and an enveloping serenity.

Practical information and some useful tips

• Dates: The markets usually start in late November and continue until Epiphany or early January.
• Parking & Getting Around: In the most popular locations, it’s best to arrive early or park outside the center and walk. At the hotel reception, you’ll find numerous maps of the surrounding area, ideal for planning your trip.
• Clothing: Winter on the lake can be milder than in the mountains, but it’s colder in the evenings: we recommend a warm jacket, scarf, and gloves.
• Children: There are spaces for them at the markets (workshops) and at the spa (dedicated pools). They are welcome at the hotel and make the holiday more enjoyable for the whole family.
• Perfect shot: Don’t miss the sunset over the lake, seen from our location with private access for our guests only, before 5 pm in the middle of winter: the light is brief, but precious and intense.

• Reservations: Ask for recommendations for less crowded markets and cultural trips At local sites and museums, special evening events may also be held at the Ca’ dei Frati winery.

Don’t wait: hotel rooms fill up during the holidays! Give your family a different kind of Christmas, filled with magic, relaxation, and togetherness.
Book your room at the Hotel Lugana Parco al Lago & Wine Hotel now and get ready for an unforgettable experience on Lake Garda.

Staying at the Lugana Parco al Lago Hotel or the Wine Hotel means abandoning yourself to the gentle beauty of the lake, but also having the opportunity to discover places that preserve the most authentic soul of the Garda area. Just a few minutes’ drive from the hotels, truly unexpected landscapes unfold: medieval villages, vineyards stretching to the horizon, and hills seemingly swaying in the sun. Each visit becomes a sensory journey, filled with unforgettable panoramas, scents, and flavors.

About a twenty-minute drive away, time seems to stand still in Borghetto sul Mincio. Here, the river flows slowly past watermills and stone houses, creating a picture-postcard atmosphere. Strolling across the Visconteo Bridge, while the breeze carries the scent of the water and the birdsong at sunset, is an experience that speaks to the heart. Stopping along the river means being enveloped in a romantic atmosphere, where every detail seems designed to move.

Closer to the hotel, just ten minutes by car or twenty minutes by bike for a more eco-friendly option, lies Pozzolengo, nestled between moraine hills and vineyards. Here, the air smells of must and earth, and the landscape is a mosaic of tidy fields and ancient farmhouses. A stroll through its narrow streets leads to the medieval castle, which offers a panoramic view of the hills and the lake in the distance.

A timeless classic, between nature and fairy-tale villages

One of the most popular cycling routes: starting from Peschiera del Garda and following the Mincio river to the medieval village of Borghetto sul Mincio, passing through bucolic landscapes and rows of poplars.

• Length: 15 km (one way)
• Suitable for: city bikes or e-bikes, also for families
• Tip: have lunch in Borghetto and return calmly in the afternoon. It could be a bit chaotic at the weekend.

A hike with a lake view carved into the rock

If you’re looking for something a little more adventurous but still accessible, the Sentiero del Ponale, from Riva del Garda to the Ledro Valley, is an unmissable experience. An ancient military trail that winds through tunnels, hairpin bends and breathtaking views.

• Length: 9 km (to Lake Ledro)
• Suitable for: walkers, mountain bikes, e-bikes
• Good to know: bring a torch to go through some tunnels

Relaxation and photographic views just a stone’s throw from the historic center

Sirmione is famous, but few really explore it on foot. A walk from Rocca Scaligera to Jamaica Beach, passing through the Grotte di Catullo, offers lake views and silence, especially in the early hours of the morning or at sunset.

• Length: 2.5 km return
• Suitable for: everyone, even with children
• Tip: a dip in Jamaica Beach (rocky, with crystal-clear water!). Warning: very chaotic on weekends, the beach is very low and has dangerous overhangs if you go towards the more open lake.

Walking or cycling along Lake Garda is a wonderful way to discover hidden places, enjoy the landscape and relax. Whether you are our guest or a curious resident, these routes will make you see the lake with new eyes.

We await you at the reception for personalized advice tailored to you and a map always available as a gift.

Imagine a thin strip of land that gently extends into the clear waters of Lake Garda. It is Sirmione, the most romantic jewel of the lake, a place suspended in time where every season reveals a new wonder.

When the air becomes warm and the first flowers bloom among the gardens and walls of the historic center, Sirmione awakens in all its sweetness. It is the ideal time to stroll through the cobbled streets, observe the local fauna on the lakeside and visit the Scaligero Castle, which with its drawbridge seems to have come out of a fairy tale. It is a construction that was already present in Roman times, with a defensive and control function in the direction of the lake.
Do not miss a visit to the wonderful Grotte di Catullo, ancient Roman ruins of an ancient villa of leisure overlooking the water: here, among the olive trees and the stones warmed by the sun, you can breathe the poetry of Catullus, whose family seems to have lived here in ancient times – in the villa preceding the one visible.

Summer in Sirmione is an ode to the pleasures of water and light. Beaches like Jamaica Beach, with its white slabs that slide into the blue of the lake, become magical places to relax or dive into the embrace of Garda.
The village comes alive with markets, events and outdoor evenings: it is the perfect time to visit Sirmione with the golden reflections at sunset.
During the day Sirmione is also well connected by the Navigarda navigation network that connects the village several times a day with other towns on the lake, all beautiful to visit and rich in history.

When the leaves begin to turn gold and red, Sirmione becomes quieter and more intimate. It is the ideal season for those seeking relaxation and well-being, away from the most touristy moments of the year: the Terme di Sirmione, renowned since Roman times, offer beneficial sulphurous waters and breathtaking views. Stroll through the vineyards of lower Garda, take part in a tasting of Lugana DOC at our Ca’ dei Frati winery and let yourself be lulled by the silence of the lake… Autumn here is a caress on the soul.

Even in winter, Sirmione retains its beauty. The Christmas lights that adorn the castle, the famous fireworks, the intimate atmosphere of the village, the vapors that rise from the thermal waters when the cold becomes biting: everything invites you to slow down, to contemplate. It is the moment to find yourself, between the warmth of a homemade hot chocolate at our Pasticceria La Fenice and a walk to the “fisherman’s house” among the romantic mists of the lake.

Sirmione is not just a destination: it is an invitation to dream. Whether you come in spring or winter, every visit will always be different, every memory unique. We look forward to seeing you to experience your special moment on Lake Garda in our facilities Wine Hotel Lugana Parco al Lago or Hotel Lugana Parco al Lago.
From our facilities you can easily reach the peninsula in various ways: by bicycle, about 15-20 minutes of pedaling, renting the vehicle at our reception; by bus, the stop is right in front of our hotels; by taxi, in this case contact the reception to reserve it in advance; on foot, a long but beautiful walk, almost all along the lake, if you have half a day free.

Lugana DOC, the wine that made our land and our Ca’ dei Frati winery famous. After thirty years of work between the vineyard and the winery, it was in 1967 that people started talking about Lugana, the year the denomination was born – among other things the first Lombard DOC to be born in the region.

The Dal Cero family of Ca’ dei Frati has Venetian origins, when great-grandfather Felice and great-grandmother Edvige moved to the southern shores of Lake Garda in search of fortune after the First World War. They bought the estate here in 1939 and continued to do what they do best, with foresight: wine. His son Pietro then participated in the birth of the Lugana DOC in 1967, starting to bottle his first label of Lugana Casa dei Frati starting just two years later, in 1969. A look to the past and always one to the future, this is the secret of the 85 years of history of the Ca’ dei Frati winery and of our DOC.

But now let’s see what territory we are talking about. Lake Garda is an unusual corner of the Mediterranean nestled between the Lombardy-Veneto Prealps: a calcareous, clayey and silty soil, combined with the wind and the mild climate contribute in a fundamental way to the production of Lugana DOC, this wine so exclusive and typical of our beloved area. It is precisely this combination of elements that allows us to obtain elegant and long-lived wines, with great mineral expression. Once upon a time the entire area was covered with woods and marshes: it was the Silva Lucana (hence the name Lugana, which also takes our hotel), populated by deer, fallow deer and wild boars. Thanks to the mild climate, today the area has a totally different appearance: in addition to the vine, olive trees, lemon trees, cedars, almond trees, agaves and palm trees flourish. The mild climate of Lake Garda is what gives life to such exclusive wines, such as Lugana DOC. The wind also plays a decisive role. In particular, the Pelér, which blows from north to south, generates temperature variations that allow for the production of grapes with great varietal expression; but also the Luganott, the wind that takes its name from the bay of Lugana. The lake essentially acts as a thermoregulator, creating an ideal microclimate, despite the territory being predominantly flat, with some vineyards even on the morainic hills with sandier soils. It is precisely in these areas that vines are grown with care and dedication.

The grape variety used, Turbiana, is the native vine of the area and is part of the large family of Italian Trebbiano, a relative of Trebbiano di Soave and also of Verdicchio. Once vinified, this wine is fresh, linear, vertical and direct in its youth, endowed with great finesse and elegance with delicate notes of white flowers, white-fleshed fruit and hints of apricot. Originally conceived to be consumed in the vintage, it expresses its best part years after bottling: time allows it to evolve with greater determination the mineral notes, thus acquiring its complexity with hints of iodine, spices and candied fruit. This is what Ca ‘dei Frati offers with the name “Privilegio di Famiglia”.

In the mouth it is capable of enveloping the entire palate thanks to an important savoury essence accompanied by lively and exuberant acidity. Lugana DOC is therefore perfect with cold or warm appetizers, but delicate, and accompanies steamed and grilled fish dishes. If Lugana DOC is a young wine that should be consumed within the year, which remains on fine yeasts for at least 6 months and is refined in the bottle for another 2, Lugana DOC Privilegio di Famiglia, on the other hand, is another expression of Lugana over time. This wine is refined in the bottle for 5 years and before that for at least 12 months on fine yeasts.

“Drink your Lugana young, very young and you will enjoy its freshness. Drink it two or three years old and you will enjoy its completeness. Luganas, a rare thing in wines, have an extraordinary ability to make themselves recognized.” – Luigi Veronelli

With these words we conclude this brief excursus on our prized Lugana Doc, the image of our area in Italy and in the world. If you want to find out more about the wines of the Ca’ dei Frati winery, you can find more information on: www.cadeifrati.it.

The area of ​​the southern lower Garda lake has a lot to offer. After a nice breakfast at La Fenice with a handmade brioche and a cappuccino made on the spot (or we recommend our delicious tasting of handmade pastries to discover all the facets of our production!), you can head out to discover the surrounding area.

We recommend the splendid green park called Parco Sicurtà in Valeggio sul Mincio – about 15km from La Fenice. For those staying at our hotel Lugana Parco al Lago there are discounts for couples and families. This park can be visited on foot or by bicycle and allows you to observe different types of flowers throughout the year – the tulip blooming is truly unmissable. Among the water lily ponds and topiary art, you can discover rare plants and flowers while relaxing in an intense and vivid contact with nature.

One of the most beautiful walks – treks on Lake Garda is the Busatte-Tempesta. It is not very close to the Fenice, but it is easily reachable with a half-hour drive. There is a convenient parking lot right at the beginning of the path. The duration, variable according to the pace, is about an hour and a half and includes panoramic points, some stops for photographs and also stairs, quite long and in some places a little steep. However, it is a well-maintained path and also suitable for children. This is a different way to see Lake Garda, from an incredible perspective that will truly leave you breathless.

Lake Garda is rich in history and culture, to be discovered and visited as a couple, with friends or with the family. A truly interesting place for the history of the unification of Italy is the monument dedicated to Vittorio Emanuele II, the so-called Torre di San Martino della Battaglia. It stands in the middle of the battlefield, now a protected park and completely covered with Turbiana vines, the native grape variety for the production of Lugana Doc. You pay an entrance fee to access the tower, but it also includes a visit to the museum next door which contains various nineteenth-century finds relating to the battle of San Martino and Solferino, which is also told in school textbooks. The climb up the tower is a bit steep in places, but the view from the top is worth the effort: in fact, it opens up a 360-degree panorama of the southern area of ​​the lake and on the clearest days you can even see the Villa del Garda with its neo-Gothic spires.

For those who want to deepen their knowledge of typical local products, first and foremost the Lugana Doc wine, a visit to our Ca’ dei Frati winery is a must. The company, known since 1700 as an agricultural estate, has a much longer history that began with the activity of the Discalced Carmelite friars of the order of Santa Maria de Senioribus who produced wine for mass. Ca’ dei Frati also saw the birth of the Lugana Doc: among the signatories of the first specification was Pietro Dal Cero, founder of the winery. Special weekend visits are planned that also include lunch or dinner on the lake in our restaurant (La Lugana Trattoria).

More information here: https://caffetteriapasticcerialafenice- onlineshop.it/products/amarone-experiencevoucher-con-data-chiusa.