"Looking for Advice on Lake Garda Car Rental and Driving? Read on to decide what You should do"

Whilst it is not essential when visting Lake Garda car rental does have it's advantages. However, for those who do not mind taking a little extra time and using public transport, the good news is it is generally very cheap in Italy. The only downsides are having to work your schedule around their timetables and limiting the number of places you could visit around the area. It also depends what you intend to do when you get there. If you are quite happy staying in one place or using the lake ferries to get around, you could save the expense of a Lake Garda car rental. We nearly always do a Lake Garda car rental though, as we love the freedom, speed and ease of carrying luggage to and from the airports and just to be able to go where ever we want at any time.

OK, so maybe you are thinking of driving to Lake Garda from another country and not flying there. We've done this on several occassions and I can tell you we thoroughly enjoyed it! Almost anywhere you come from abroad will involve driving over some beautiful mountain passes on the way. The great thing about driving is you can stop when you want and buy loads of fantastic things in Italy because you have no luggage restrictions!

The downside to driving is, unless you are actually quite close to North Italy, the chances are you can actually fly there for less money. You must also be aware that if you drive on the motorway in France and Switzerland there will be road tolls enroute. A long trip in the car can also be a challenge if you have young children! However if you do decide to drive, there are so many things you can see and do on the way that will ensure you have great fun.

We have driven from the UK on many different routes. Through France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria, all have their own appeal and sites to see. We have taken trips to Munich, Basel, Reims, Salzburg and many other beautiful cities on the way through. We have driven over fabulous mountain passes such as the Grossglockner (near the Austrian border), where the road climbs to well over 2000 metres in height. Some of these passes offer stunning views, but do remember that these passes can be shut for many months of the year due to snow and may only be passable in the summer.

Flying to Lake Garda on a clear day only offers you a fleeting look at the Alps. When you drive through these spectacular mountains you really get to appreciate their size and the huge area they cover. I highly recommend driving if you have the time. You'll discover so many things you never knew about before!

The majority of people coming to Lake Garda from abroad fly here and with the deals you can get today...why not! So mainly for the sake of convenience, the airport you fly into will be the place you'll look at for your Lake Garda car rental. Generally there is a small surcharge for hiring cars at the airports (compared to other locations), but really this is not worth worrying about as the time and hassle to try and get into the city centre etc. would not be worth the small saving you might make.

It pays to shop around for your Lake Garda car rental. We are often surprised by the price range you can find for the same vehicle through different companies. You also need to be street wise when checking on car rental prices, and not all companies compare like with like. We have often found that the cheapest initial price didn't include all the surchages, insurances, taxes or other fees, which once you add them on, make it more expensive than companies who have included them already. So check carefully, and look through the terms before deciding who to book with.

We nearly always hire a car when we're here and being bargin hunters always spent ages looking for the best deals on car rental. After spending hours searching online we always found that Auto Europe gave us the best overall deal. We have used them many times and have found their service to be efficient and reliable. We also like the way they quote the prices with everything included (although as with all car rental companies you can upgrade the insurance cover when you check in at the car rental desk on collection).

In our experience it is very wise to purchase a car with air conditioning as it can get pretty hot here! Most cars nowdays come with this but you'll still find some smaller ones which don't.

Driving around the lake can be great and we love driving along the lakeside which you can do for nearly the whole way round the lake. However, bear in mind that especially in the north part of the lake the lakeside road is the only way to get around and can get pretty busy. In peak season during August all the roads can get very congested due to the shear volume of traffic. During this time of year it is really worth trying to minimize your driving around the lake. In the busiest times of the year we would recommend using the ferries to get around the lake, not only is it a great way to appreciate this wonderful lake but it can be much quicker to. Remember the lake is generally quite long and narrow and a quick hop over on a boat to the opposite shore can be much faster. You can use the car ferries to take your car with you too.

There are no fast roads which run around the Lake and the main lakeside road runs through all the main towns, so allow plenty of time to drive from place to place. The roads can also be quite twisty with restricted vision ahead so overtaking is pretty difficult. Leave plenty of time and take a leisurely drive whilst enjoying all the wonderful scenery all around you. Parking can be difficult in some towns with limited parking spaces and generally you need to pay to park. It is best not to leave it to chance either, as the Italian traffic wardens can be pretty keen on giving you a ticket! If you bear all these things in mind when driving around, it is extremely handy to do a Lake Garda car rental or drive your own car around, as it has many advantages.


Driving tips