Lake Garda is in northeast Italy, between the Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino Alto-Adige regions. Lake Como is just a short 30 minutes from Milan in Lombardia, Italy. Lake Maggiore sits between Italy and Switzerland, at Switzerland's northern tip.
Lake Garda is Italy's largest lake. It's not only known for its beauty but also for its mild temperature year long. Lake Maggiore is Italy's second-largest lake. According to Go Nomad's Destination Guide, "Lake Maggiore is less glitzy than Como, less crowded than Garda, and is, on the whole, a more natural experience." Lake Como, one of the deepest lakes in Europe, is surrounded by mountains and the lake is up to 1,350 feet deep.
In Lake Garda, you can visit Italy's largest amusement park, Gardaland. Lake Maggiorie offers many well-known gardens and is also known for the Borromean Islands, which are three small islands and two islets in the Italian part of Lake Maggiore. Lake Como is famous for its villas and its Old Town, the walled Piazza San Fedele.
Travelers to the Lake District usually need to take the ferry. Italy Online states that in Lake Garda, "It's best to visit one of the information/ticket kiosks (by the lakeside jetties) on arrival and pick up a timetable, so that you can plan your activities and outings around the ferry schedules (and ensure you never end up stranded)." Lake Maggiore tourists should remember their passports since the ferry takes you from one country to the other. Italy Online suggests that the best way to see Lake Como is to hire a private boat.
The movies "Star Wars" and "Ocean's Twelve" featured Lake Como, and it also hosted writers Byron, Stendhal, Shelley, Liszt and Rossini.
