Do you dream of taking young children to Italy because they love pizza, pasta and gelato, but are concerned they are not old enough or durable enough for Rome? If so, you need to consider a trip to Lake Garda and Venice. This is the first of a three post series where I walk through my family’s August 2026 trip to northern Italy. This post focuses on the structure of our trip before I deep dive into Garda and Venice.
Our kids were five and six at the time of travel, and had already been to Austria, Hungary, England, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway and Denmark so they were already used to transatlantic flights.
Why Plan a Trip to Lake Garda and Venice?
There’s a new nonstop from IAD to Venice that makes getting to Northern Italy very easy. This flight opens the door to both Venice and the Italian Lake region. Venice is such a beautiful and unique city that it should be on everyone’s travel bucket list to see just once.
For those less familiar with the area around Venice, Lake Garda is also home to Italy’s largest amusement park, Gardaland. There are also the smaller parks Movieland, and the water park Caneva Land up the street. The lake itself has dozens of towns around it, beaches and other family-friendly activities. Verona is also a fifteen minute train ride away from the main Garda train station.
Hotel and Logistics Planning for Lake Garda and Venice:
For a ten day trip to Northern Italy, we decided to plan four days in Lake Garda and five in Venice. If we had the chance to plan the trip again we would probably have added an extra day in Garda so we could also see Verona.
One thing to note is that the Venice train station is not connected to the Venice airport. When planning to arrive after an overnight with young kids you need to weigh the pros and cons of the costs of transportation options and your sanity.
To maximize our Chase Sapphire and Amex Centurion Card points, we booked our hotels through their booking pages. Please note that we did find slight differences between the rates and offerings in the pages so do your comparison homework to make sure you get the best accommodations for your trip.
We booked two adjoining rooms at the Enjoy Garda Hotel for our time in Lake Garda. It is a mid-range hotel located on the southern side of the lake close to both the Peschiera del Garda train station, ferry stop and local amusement parks.
We also booked a car service through the Enjoy Garda Hotel to pick us up at the Venice Airport because their quoted price was several hundred Euros less than what we found with a simple internet search. The hotel is less than 400 meters from the train station, so we decided to then take the train from Garda to Venice.
For Venice we booked the J.W. Marriott. This hotel is built on a private island, and has a pool, kids club, gym, running path and restaurants. There are no real pools in downtown Venice due to the age and architecture of the city, so if you want a pool for younger kids you need to stay at a private island hotel. The hotel has a boat that runs every 30 minutes to San Marco Square. The ride is 15-20 minutes each way, and drops you off right at the heart of Venice. We arranged for a private pick-up from the Venice train station to make our trip to the island as enjoyable as possible.
Experience with the Hotels in Garda and Venice:
The Enjoy Garda and J.W. Marriott Venice hotels far exceeded our expectations, and really made our trip. I have also written separate deeper dives on our daily experiences in Garda and Venice.
Experience at Enjoy Garda Hotel:
To begin, the Enjoy Garda Hotel vehicle had cold water and two, new car seats for our kids installed when they picked us up at the airport. While we had packed our RideSafe Vests, real car seats were better for the 80 minute ride from the Venice airport to the hotel. Both kids passed out within minutes of us pulling away from the airport, and safely slept for the duration of our car trip.
While our room was not available when we arrived, we were able to store our belongigns at the Enjoy Garda Hotel and explore Peschiera del Garda. There is a bakery across the street where we were able to get coffee and pastries before we loaded the kids in the Minu Stroller and Toddler Carrier to walk along the lake for a while.
When our rooms were ready, we were happy to learn we got the adjoining rooms we had requested back in January when we booked our trip. While we had street views with our rooms, I learned when checking out that if you book directly through the Enjoy Garda website you can get their pool and garden view rooms. The rooms were clean and had enough space for our belongings. There was a small coffee set-up and mini fridge too. The rooms also had strong AC and a nice balcony with chairs to enjoy lake views. They did not have wine glasses, so our Silicone wine glasses came in handy.
There is a grocery store less than half a mile from the hotel. I was able to walk to it for produce, snacks, wine and beer the night we arrived. My Mesh Beach Bag came in handy for easily carrying everything I purchased back to the hotel.
The Enjoy Garda pool was perfect for our family. It was not too deep, and the steps going into the pool are wide enough to provide a play area for smaller kids. After spending the mornings exploring the Lake Garda Region, our kids temperment’s re-set in a positive way after spending an hour or more playing in the pool each afternoon. You can order food and beverages at the pool, and there is also a small play area nestled behind the pool. What a great set-up for young families.
The breakfast at the Enjoy Garda Hotel was also incredible! They had fresh Italian pastries every morning, juice, fruit, sandwiches, coffee, eggs and a mimosa bar. It was an awesome way to start every day.
The day of our departure from Lake Garda we were able to easily walk our luggage from the hotel to the train station to get to Venice.
Experience at J.W. Marriott Venice:
Pulling up to the J.W. Marriott Venice in a private boat is such a breathtakingly beautiful experience. It was so cool to enter the hotel lobby by boat, and get a spectacular entry to the property. The private island has lush gardens, a family pool and rooftop adult pool, gym and a wide variety of accommodation options. It is such a calming retreat to return to after the crowds of Venice.
We booked a suite with a balcony to accommodate our family of four. The hotel provided two rollaway beds for the kids, and they slept in the same room as us. While not ideal to have us all sleep in the same room, we were able to have our child who wakes up super early play in the massive walk-in closet the room had until the rest of the family woke up in the morning, and adults were able to enjoy time on the balcony between kid and adult bedtimes too.
Our family used the family pools at the J.W. Marriott Venice every day of our stay. There was a shallow pool, and a deeper pool that was around five feet deep. There is also a play area and splash pad behind the pool. One thing to note is that you cannot access the play area when the pool is closed. There is food and beverage service by the pool as well as close restrooms which makes for the perfect kid set-up.
The spa and fitness center has modern equipment and amenities. The fridge in the gym is stocked with sparking and still water for your taking. One morning around 6:30 AM the gym was almost empty during our stay, and another day it was closer to capacity because there was a conference at the property. You can also run outdoor laps around the island. Though the Marriott may not appreciate you going behind the formal farm and gardens, there is a nice gravel trail around the island. I saw nutria two mornings while running so be prepared for wild life.
There is a kids club on the property, but we ended up not using it. There is a fee to use the facility, and we were not sure that the limited assortment of activities justified the cost. My husband and I debated doing a date night in Venice with just the two of us, but did not think the logistics of feeding the kids beforehand and then managing the shuttle schedule and then kid bedtime would make it feasible or enjoyable.
The on island dining is not to be missed. We had breakfast included with our room, and our family loved the made to order omelet station, pastry and yogurt bar as well as the assortment of hot food. There were also cold cheeses, meats and a variety of juices available. There were two smaller areas offering gluten free and Vegan fare too. Drinks at the family pool were a bit pricey but refreshing. More along the lines of DC prices than what we had seen in Garda. The rooftop restaurant is available to book on Opentable, and the views of Venice do not disappoint. The food was delicious, and we were able to enjoy a family dinner with a view one evening after a long day exploring Venice.
If you have a morning flight or train out of Venice, be mindful that the water shuttles do not start leaving the hotel until after 8AM. Be prepared to arrange for a private water taxi if you have an early morning departure, or you do not want to lug your items across multiple boats.
Lessons Learned:
- You do not need to bring car seats if you book transportation through the Enjoy Garda Hotel.
- Book through the Enjoy Garda Hotel Website to get a garden view room
- For early morning flights or trains in Venice, make sure you budget for a private taxi since the hotel shuttle will not be available.
- Also, check out my international travel checklist for must-do items before every trip.
Travel Gear for Garda and Venice:
- Travel Cutting Board: Cut up bread, fruits and veggies during hotel-only travel. Also great for charcuterie plates on the go.
- Silicone wine glasses: We used them at the Enjoy Garda hotel since the room did not have wine glasses.
- Mesh Beach Bag: This bag fit into my rollerboard, and allowed me to carry groceries one day, then pool toys during the rest of the trip.
- Check out my travel gear page for a full list of my recommendations. Please know I can make a commission from products that help offset the cost of maintaining this blog.
Final Thoughts on Garda and Venice:
Our trip to Lake Garda and Venice was truly incredible. It will be hard to top that trip because in addition to the amazing activities and sunshine, it was so nice not having to worry about if our kids would find something to eat at any restaurant. It was such an easy and enjoyable trip for everyone in our family.
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