Full disclosure: I never thought I’d enjoy staying at a place like this!
Camping Bella Italia is a huge, self-contained, family resort on Lake Garda. It has bungalows, mobile homes, campsites, apartments, and even hotels. There are children everywhere. But for the convenience, value and kids activities that Camping Bella Italia offers, I’m now a convert.
Stay tuned for what Camping Bella Italia offers, and who should stay there. You’ll find my review of our June 2023 stay in a bungalow, with features, pros, cons, and notes about eating at Camping Bella Italia. I’ve also included tips on things to do nearby.
Our group of 3 adults and 5 boys (ages 2 ½ to 9 ½) stayed in two bungalows for 3 nights in June 2023. We used it as a base to visit Lake Garda and Gardaland, but you could easily stay put for at least a few days without leaving the grounds.
Camping Bella Italia is clean, well-organized and has super friendly staff. We look forward to going again next year!

You may like my Guide to Lake Garda with Kids!
Table of Contents
OVERVIEW
Where is Camping Bella Italia?
Camping Bella Italia is located in Peschiera del Garda, on the southeastern shore of Lake Garda, in northern Italy. It is right on the lake, and you can walk right into town along a beautiful lakeside promenade.
It is about 35 minutes west of Verona, and approximately 1 ½ hours from Venice, in Italy’s Veneto region. It is also only about a 15 minute drive from Gardaland, Italy’s biggest and most famous amusement park.

Features
Camping Bella Italia is designed for families with kids. There are all kinds of on-site conveniences like:
- 5 swimming pools, including pools with waterslides and shallow wading area that are specifically designed for kids
- Lake access
- Playgrounds
- Sports fields
- Kids activities and entertainment
- Action park with trampolines and adventure course (pay per use)
- Outdoor workout equipment
- 4 restaurants
- Small supermarket
- Gelateria
- Bike rental

Who Camping Bella Italia is best for
Camping Bella Italia bungalows are a good match:
- If you have children: there are plenty of activities for all ages. Older kids can roam around on their own without parents having to worry (most of the property is car free)
- If you want to visit Lake Garda, Lazise, Bardolino and Sirmione, and Gardaland amusement park.
- If you want to be able to stay put: there are all activities and restaurants available within a 10 minute walk
- If you want to be able to ride their bike into town: Peschiera del Garda is just down the lakeside path
- If you hate having to look for parking: there is plenty of convenient parking
- If you like simple, clean accommodation
- If you like being around families from all over Europe: there are few Italians staying there, but you will hear many different European languages

REVIEW OF OUR BUNGALOW STAY IN JUNE 2023
We stayed in a bungalow and were very happy! I had never stayed in a bungalow before, and was imagining a rustic wooden hut. Instead, the bungalow was a concrete row apartment with 2 bedrooms and real windows.
BUNGALOW FEATURES
- The entire accommodation is ground level
- Sleeps 6 people (one double bedroom, a bedroom with 2 single beds, and a double pullout sofa bed)
- Small open kitchen/dining room/living area
- Bathroom with shower
- Grassy area out front with sun loungers
- Patio with outdoor dining table and chairs
- Movable drying rack for wet bathing suits and towels
- Air conditioning
Pros of Camping Bella Italia
- Simple and clean bungalow: no frills but has everything you need
- Great value- convenience at a fantastic price
- Well-organized
- Friendly, patient staff
- Fantastic location- walk to Peschiera del Garda along the lake, and easy drive to Gardaland
- Did I mention stress-free parking?
- All the activities for kids to do
- Kid friendly, and plenty of other kids for your kids to make friends with
- The property observes quiet hours at night
- Even though the bungalow didn’t have screens, mosquitos weren’t a problem

Cons of Camping Bella Italia
- Simple digs: if you’re looking for luxurious accommodation, this isn’t it
- It’s extremely large: don’t expect cozy or charming
- This is not the place to stay for an authentic experience or a taste of local culture: go off the property for that.
- It’s buzzing during the day
- Kids everywhere: not exactly the spot for a romantic getaway
- Little privacy: bungalows are organized so you have the illusion of privacy, but the mobile homes and campsites are extremely close together
- The swimming pools can get very crowded
- Even though there’s parking very close by, you can’t drive your car right up to your bungalow (a hassle if you have small children and lots of stuff).
IN A NUTSHELL
I highly recommend bungalows at Camping Bella Italia for families with children if you know ahead of time what you’re getting into. It’s a great place for families who just want to stay put and not leave the self-contained grounds. At the same time, it’s a convenient base for exploring Lake Garda if you want to get around and interact with Italy during the day.
Children will love the pools on the property, swimming in the lake, and playing on the playgrounds and soccer fields. (I wish my parents had taken my brother and me to a place like this when we were kids!).

As a parent, I was relieved that the older kids in our group could wander around the property, and the younger children could play unattended outside in front of our bungalow, without having to worry too much about them. Cars are not allowed in the bungalow area.
The bungalow itself was basic, but comfortable. We spent most of our time outside. I’ve never had such strong air conditioning in Italy (once we figured out how to regulate it, the temperature was perfect).
We didn’t have to bring sheets or bath towels, and we didn’t have to pay for final cleaning (even though the website said we did). The bungalow was stocked with the basics we needed upon arrival (dish sponge, soap, garbage bag), even though we did need to restock toilet paper during our stay.
In fact, Camping Bella Italia has thought out every small detail to make your stay more convenient. I was surprised, especially with the huge volume of people staying there, that there wasn’t a system for separating trash/recycling.

Eating
There’s a gelateria on-site at Camping Bella Italia, which made for a fun passeggiata (stroll) after dinner with the kids. The staff there was incredibly patient and friendly with our indecisive children (so many flavors to choose from!).
Meals at Camping Bella Italia were hassle-free too. One night we made dinner in our own bungalow kitchen and ate outside at our table on the patio. Another night we had great takeout pizza from the restaurant only a 5 minute walk away.
On our last night we had dinner out at Corte Riga Restaurant, which is very kid friendly. It has a big menu, and fast, friendly service. Even though it’s a large restaurant, I definitely recommend reserving in advance (we were lucky to get a table the same day). We sat outside and there was a lot of space for the children to play while we waited for the food to arrive. We broke a glass and the kind waiters cleaned it up very fast, worried the children would get hurt.
Even though they feature Italian dishes, the restaurant menus at Camping Bella Italia are geared towards an international tourist clientele. You’ll see a lot of dishes that feature seafood, which doesn’t come from the lake. It was hard to find local specialties. That said, we enjoyed our Greek salad and spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams).

Keep in mind that even though most Italians eat dinner at about 8pm, we noticed that the restaurants at Camping Bella Italia were packed for dinner at about 6:30 pm. The people having dinner at that time usually are not locals, but tourists from Germany, Holland, and other parts of northern Europe. To avoid the rush during high season, try having dinner out at Italian dinner time.

WHAT TO DO NEAR CAMPING BELLA ITALIA
Even though it’s possible to stay on the Camping Bella Italia grounds for your entire stay, nearby there are stunning places to discover.
Use Camping Bella Italia to explore Lake Garda. There is a beautiful lakefront promenade for strolling and bike riding, and the blue water is lovely for swimming.

Nearby lakefront towns like Peschiera del Garda (within walking distance), Lazise and Bardolino are picturesque and downright charming. These are my favorite places to stay on Lake Garda.

Don’t forget Gardaland! Italy’s biggest and most beloved amusement park is just a 15-minute drive away. The area is host to many other theme parks, like Canevaworld Resort which includes Movie Land and Caneva Acquapark.