Peschiera del Garda sits at the point where Lake Garda drains into the Mincio river, its old town ringed by star-shaped Venetian walls that are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With around 10,000 inhabitants, it is one of the smaller towns on the lake, but its position at the southern tip — just 25 km from Verona — makes it a practical and genuinely pleasant base.
The walls are the main attraction, and they reward a slow walk: the ramparts give views over the lake and the surrounding moraine hills, and the gates and bastions are well preserved. Inside the fortifications, Piazza Ferdinando di Savoia anchors the old centre, flanked by the Palazzo di Comando del Presidio and a small local history museum. The church of San Martino dates from the 18th century and is worth a look inside. The Porto Canale running through the centre is the most photogenic stretch of the town, with the lake ferry pier at its mouth.
A short walk west of the walls, the pilgrimage Sanctuary of the Madonna del Frassino and the wetlands of Lago del Frassino make a pleasant half-day in the moraine countryside. In the nearby hamlet of Colà you will find a handful of 16th- and 17th-century villas set between the lake and the plain.
If you have a bike, the ride along the Mincio river to Valeggio sul Mincio is one of the better half-days in the area. The village of Borghetto, just below Valeggio, is famous across the region for its tortellini — lunch there makes a fine destination in itself. South of Peschiera, the spectacular Parco Giardino Sigurtà draws half a million visitors each spring for the tulip bloom, and Gardaland — Italy's largest amusement park — is just east of town for those travelling with children.