--- title: Lido Palace description: "Five-star Leading Hotels of the World palace in Riva del Garda — 1899 belle époque architecture, two-Michelin-star dining, and views of the lake's wild northern fjord." url: "https://visitgardalake.it.com/hotels/lido-palace-riva-del-garda/" locale: en updated: "2026-05-12T00:00:00.000Z" author: loic --- The Lido Palace is the most quietly serious hotel on Lake Garda. It opened in 1899 as the holiday palace of the Habsburg-era nobility, closed for years, and reopened in 2011 after a full restoration that kept the belle époque bones and added contemporary spa and dining infrastructure underneath. It is the only Lake Garda property in *Leading Hotels of the World*, and it has the only two-Michelin-star restaurant on the lake. If you read about Lake Garda in *Condé Nast Traveller* or *Robb Report*, this is the address you're reading about. ## Who it's for Three travellers. First, the architecturally-curious: if you've stayed at the Cipriani in Venice or the Splendido in Portofino, this is the Garda equivalent and you'll recognise the language — original mosaic floors, restored art-nouveau ironwork, frescoed ceilings preserved in the lobby and main staircase. Second, north-Garda obsessives: this is the dramatic end of the lake — fjord-like cliffs, wind that draws sailors and windsurfers from all over Europe, mountain trails leading off the lakefront within minutes. The Lido Palace is the only five-star here that points squarely at this geography. Third, food travellers: **Senso** is reason enough to come. ## Rooms 42 rooms only — small for a five-star property, deliberately so. Three meaningful tiers. **Classic** rooms on the upper floors with side or partial lake views (still good — the view from anywhere in this hotel is special). **Deluxe Lake** rooms have full frontal lake views and were the rooms restored most ambitiously in 2011. **Suites** include several with original 1899 detailing, marble baths, and private terraces over the lakefront garden. The corner Royal Suite is the one published in magazines. ## Dining **Senso** — two Michelin stars, chef Alfio Ghezzi, modern Italian with deep northern roots. Tasting menus only at dinner (€180-260 depending on length). Reservations are essential and you should book before you book the hotel. The wine list is one of the deepest on the lake; the maître d' will guide you toward Trentino bottles you won't see on most cellars. **Re della Busa** is the bistro alternative — same kitchen, lighter cooking, à la carte, more affordable but still excellent. Breakfast is on the lakefront terrace and is included in the room rate. ## What's nearby Riva del Garda old town is a five-minute walk — proper cobbled square (Piazza III Novembre), the medieval Torre Apponale you can climb for €3, and a string of *gelaterie* and wine bars. The lake-edge path north leads to the **Cascata del Varone** (an underground waterfall, 15 minutes by bike) and to the **Ponale road** (a former mountain road now closed to cars, spectacular for an evening cycle along the cliff face). For day trips, **Limone sul Garda** is 25 minutes by boat across the lake; **Trento** is 40 minutes by car for a serious city day. ## Our honest take It's the most expensive hotel on Lake Garda and the only one we'd unironically call a destination unto itself. The risk is choosing it for the wrong reason — if you mostly want beach time, head south to Sirmione where the lake is warm and shallow. The north is dramatic, often windy, and the lake here is deep and bracingly cold even in August. The right reason to choose the Lido Palace is to want the architecture, the food, the cliff-walled drama, and the quiet — and to have the budget that goes with all of it. A three-night minimum in summer is enforced and we agree with it. If you can spare four nights, do four. Pair the stay with our [things to do in Lake Garda](/things-to-do-lake-garda/) for what to plan from Riva.