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Gardone Riviera
- On the lake
- Nearest train: Desenzano del Garda, 18 km
- Ferry stop
- 2,626 residents
Good for CultureGardensHistoryHikingCouples
Gardone Riviera grew from a farming village into a winter health resort from the 1880s, when Luigi Wimmer built the Grand Hotel Gardone and doctors praised the mild climate; Central European families followed with villas until the First World War. That belle-époque layer still shapes the lakefront along Lungolago D'Annunzio.
Above it, in Gardone Sopra, is the Vittoriale degli Italiani, the monumental estate where the poet Gabriele d'Annunzio lived from 1921 until his death in 1938: his house, the Prioria, the bow of the warship Puglia set into the hillside, museums and an open-air theatre, drawing around 210,000 visitors a year.
Just below, the André Heller Botanical Garden mixes about 3,000 plant species with works by Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein and Rodin. Gardone has a few lidos, such as Lido di Fasano, and paths up into the Alto Garda Bresciano park.
It suits culture-minded couples, garden lovers and walkers more than beach-only holidays.
Events in Gardone Riviera2
Filter →Today · Sunday 27 September1
Friday 9 October1
09:30
What to see
Vittoriale degli Italiani
Gabriele d'Annunzio's monumental estate in Gardone Sopra, designed with architect Giancarlo Maroni, with the Prioria house, the warship Puglia, several museums and an amphitheatre.
Giardino Botanico Fondazione André Heller
Garden founded by the dentist Arturo Hruska in the early 1900s and later reshaped by André Heller, with about 3,000 plant species and sculptures by Haring, Lichtenstein, Rodin and Niki de Saint Phalle; closed in winter.
Lungolago D'Annunzio
The lakefront promenade below the belle-époque hotels and villas, used for events in summer.
Grand Hotel Gardone
Built in 1884, the hotel that launched Gardone as a resort.
Beaches
Lido di Fasano
Beach in the Fasano district, north of the centre.
Spiaggia Casinò
Beach in central Gardone listed by Garda Lombardia.
Getting there and around
- Train and bus
- The nearest railway stations are Desenzano del Garda and Brescia. Arriva's RL202-1 (Brescia – Salò – Gargnano, every half hour) and LN027 (Salò – Gargnano – Limone – Riva) run along the shore road through Gardone, and the local LN005 goes Salò – Gardone Riviera – San Michele with a stop at the Vittoriale entrance. Gardone is also a Navigazione Laghi ferry stop.
- By boat
- Regular Navigazione Laghi stop between Salò and Maderno; the Maderno–Torri car ferry, a crossing of about 30 minutes, is the nearest way to take a car to the east shore.
Things to do in Gardone Riviera2
Consolini Boat Service
Boat tours, Boat rental
Family boat business in Gardone since 1930 running private tours, sunset trips and boat rental.
Garda Flying Paradise
Paragliding
Tandem paragliding and hang-gliding flights from Monte Pizzocolo, including a Land Rover transfer to take-off.
Tandem paragliding €140; tandem hang-gliding €180
Gardone Riviera climate by month
| Month | Day | Night | Rain days (≥1 mm) | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9° | 2° | 6 | 54 mm |
| February | 11° | 4° | 8 | 75 mm |
| March | 14° | 6° | 9 | 76 mm |
| April | 18° | 9° | 10 | 102 mm |
| May | 21° | 13° | 17 | 150 mm |
| June | 27° | 18° | 13 | 111 mm |
| July | 29° | 20° | 12 | 119 mm |
| August | 29° | 21° | 11 | 123 mm |
| September | 24° | 16° | 11 | 131 mm |
| October | 19° | 12° | 11 | 120 mm |
| November | 13° | 7° | 10 | 120 mm |
| December | 10° | 3° | 8 | 75 mm |
Averages 2016–2025 from reanalysis data (Open-Meteo); a single year can differ a lot.
Questions visitors ask
What is the Vittoriale degli Italiani?
The estate in Gardone Sopra where Gabriele d'Annunzio lived from 1921 to 1938, now a museum complex with his house (the Prioria), the warship Puglia, museums and an amphitheatre; tickets can be booked online.
When is the Heller Garden open?
From March to the end of October, daily 9:00–19:00; it closes for the winter from 1 November (2026/27 season: closed 1 Nov 2026 – 1 Mar 2027).
How do you get from Salò to the Vittoriale without a car?
Take Arriva bus LN005 (Salò – Gardone Riviera – San Michele), which stops at the Vittoriale entrance, or the ferry from Salò to Gardone and walk up to Gardone Sopra.
Nearby
Researched from: gardalombardia.com, vittoriale.it, hellergarden.com, comune.gardoneriviera.bs.it, it.wikipedia.org, brescia.arriva.it · checked 2026-09-26.