Watersports, biking and island escapes: readers’ favourite family holidays

Lake Garda gave us one of the most memorable and unexpected family holidays yet. We hired a car and headed from Milan to Unesco-listed Peschiera del Garda and the family-focused apartment we found on Airbnb, a gentle 15-minute walk to the lakeside restaurants and gelaterias.

Gelateria la Romana, the boat trip to Sirmione with its thermal springs, and the cable car at Malcesine up to Monte Baldo to watch paragliders were all highlights. The Åland Islands are an unsung — and, we found, surprisingly sunny — gem in the Baltic between Sweden and Finland.

We stayed with a baby and a toddler in a simple woodland cabin with private beach, boat, sauna and barbecue; Mariehamn is no bigger than a market town and people mostly speak Swedish despite the islands' autonomous status. With few "attractions", it’s a place to get back to nature without the crowds, and cabins and ferries can be booked at visitaland.com.

lake garda, milan, sirmione, monte baldo, malcesine, åland islands, mariehamn, airbnb, paragliding, ferries