Tiggerlover(or anyone else)...another Italy question

[Jaimee]

Tiggerlover helped me out the last time I went to Italy and I have a new question for you. My mom and I are planning on going back in 2005 (for my 30th birthday ) We were thinking of bringing my stepdad and my DS who will be 7 then. I found some great sites about Italy with kids and there was a link on one to the Gardaland Amusement park. Have you ever been there?? Or heard anything about it (good or bad). I think that would be a nice surprise for DS after looking at museums, churches and ruins for a week. It looks like it's near Venice, I'm wondering if theres a train we can take or if we should actually be daring on this trip and actually *gasp* try to drive in Italy?? Thanks for any info you have!

 

[tiggerlover]

Hi!

I live less than a half hour from Gardaland and as luck has it, I am going there for the first time on Spring break. I have heard nothing but good things about it and I am very excited to finally be going. Gardaland is on the beautiful Lago di Garda (Lake Garda and is within a half hour from Verona and approximately 2 hours from Venice. It is a very easy train ride from Venice to Verona and then I would suggest taking a bus into Lago di Garda and getting a hotel there as it is so pretty. If you chose to drive, once outside Venice it is mostly all autostrada (highway) to get to Lago di Garda. Gardaland has a website, but it is all in Italian, but you may want to check it out. www.gardaland.it --also nearby is a water park, rock star cafe, movies studio park and a medievel times place. I will see if I can find a website for that for you. Lago di Garda and Verona have a lot to offer and my 7-1/2 year old is particularly fond of the lake and the boats and ferries. There are some beaches and castles and lots of great markets. If I find anything else for you or if I think of anything else I will post it here. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

 

[tiggerlover]

The other website is www.canevaworld.it -- hope this helps.

 

[tiggerlover]

Jaimee, we went to Gardaland on Monday and we had a GREAT time! DH and I talked all day about how impressed we were, could not believe we were at a park in Italy. It isn't as grand as Disney, but it is kind-of along the lines of a smaller Busch Gardens. We were very lucky that it wasn't crowded, we walked right on all of the rides and DS and his friend were able on a couple of ocassions to stay right on the ride two or three times in a row. We took a ton of pictures, but I don't have time to upload them here as we are heading out this weekend for an 8 day vacation. But if you PM me and are interested, I have them posted on our family website and I would be happy to email you an invitation to check us out. Debbi

 

[tiggerlover]

Just a little bump in the hopes Jaimee will check in.