You do not need to book a tennis hotel to play on Lake Garda. Around the shores there are municipal centres and private clubs that rent courts by the hour, and most of them are clay. We checked tourist board listings, municipal documents and club pages on every shore; here is what we found, and where the information runs out.
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Quick answer: where visitors can play tennis on Lake Garda
- Most choice and year round play: Circolo Tennis Riva (five clay courts, two covered in winter, online booking) and Circolo Tennis Arco (covered hard courts, clay and padel).
- Clearest published prices: the municipal Tennis Center in Cassone di Malcesine, where the town’s tender documents set the non-member rate at 18 euros per hour on clay.
- South and east shore: Circolo Tennis Bardolino (clay plus one synthetic court, floodlit), Tennis Desenzano and Tennis Club Brema in Sirmione.
- West shore: Alto Garda Tennis in Limone and Tennis Salò Canottieri, both with padel.
- Surface to expect: red clay almost everywhere. Pack clay shoes.
If you want a court at your hotel, see our guide to tennis hotels on Lake Garda and the best luxury hotels with tennis courts in Italy. This article is for everyone else who simply wants an hour on clay.
Check prices and availability
Planning a few days of tennis around the lake? Compare hotels on every shore before May and September fill up.
How Court Booking Works in Italy
Italian tennis runs on the circolo, the members’ club. Many also manage municipal courts, so “private club” and “public court” often mean the same place. Members get priority, but the clubs below rent free slots to non-members by the hour.
- Apps: there is no single system. Circolo Tennis Riva uses the XPrimo app and its own online booking page, the Tennis Center Lago di Garda in Tremosine uses the Play Balance app, and Tennis Salò Canottieri is listed on Playtomic. Many smaller clubs still work by phone or email.
- Phone booking: call a day or two ahead; early evening slots go first.
- Guest fees and floodlights: where rates exist, non-members pay more than members, and evening lighting is often charged as a supplement.
- Clay etiquette: wear clay or all-court shoes with a herringbone sole; running shoes damage the surface and some clubs will refuse them. After play, brush the court if the club asks you to.
- Dress: no club we checked publishes a whites rule; tidy sportswear is fine.
- FITP card and medical certificate: a card from the Italian federation (FITP tessera) matters for tournaments and league play. The Sirmione tourist board notes that Italy requires a sports medical certificate for access to tennis facilities, so ask the club whether this applies to a casual hourly booking.
The Best Clubs for Visitors on Lake Garda
1. Circolo Tennis Riva (Riva del Garda, north shore)
The club runs five clay courts on two sites: two at Casina delle Magnolie on Viale della Liberazione, open all year and covered in the colder months, and three at Centro Tennis Brione on Via della Cipriana, open from 1 April to 31 October. Courts are booked through the XPrimo app or the club’s online booking page. Top Tennis Team 360 runs private lessons, courses and junior summer camps. The Garda Trentino tourist board lists hours of 7am to midnight daily, but our research was unclear on whether that applies to both sites, so check with the club. Prices and floodlights are not published; check with the club.
2. Circolo Tennis Arco (Arco, north of the lake)
Just inland from Riva, at Via Pomerio 11 next to the football stadium, Arco has two permanently covered hard courts (Mapecoat TNS), two clay courts that go under an airdome in winter, two covered padel courts and a squash court, renovated in 2020 and 2021. The tennis school is directed by Andrea Stoppini. On opening times our research turned up contradictory information: the tourist board lists the club as open from 1 February to 31 December, 7:30am to midnight, while the same listing gives clubhouse hours of 8:30am to 11pm on weekdays, shorter hours at weekends and closure on Sundays in July and August. Confirm with the club before you go. Booking method and prices are not published; call the club.
3. Alto Garda Tennis (Limone sul Garda, north-west shore)
Limone’s municipal club on Via Fasse has three red clay courts and a newer padel court with evening lighting. Coaching and a ball machine can be booked. Booking is by phone or email rather than an app. The Limone tourism site lists two different phone numbers, so email the club if a call does not connect. Season, hours and prices: check with the club.
4. Tennis Center Cassone (Malcesine, east shore)
The municipal centre on Via Sommavilla in Cassone, south of Malcesine, is the only venue we found with published visitor rates. According to Malcesine’s tender documents for the 2025 to 2032 concession, the facility has four clay courts, one synthetic court and one padel court, and must be open to residents and non-residents, members and non-members. Non-members pay 18 euros per hour on clay or synthetic and 30 euros for padel, with a lighting supplement of 3 euros per hour for tennis. The Brenzone tourist site calls the fifth court artificial clay and the centre open all summer. Booking is by reservation by phone. Rates are set annually by the town, so confirm when you call.
Charlotte’s tip: play the north early, the south late
In Riva, Arco and Limone, book the first slot of the morning, before the afternoon Ora wind picks up and the sailing crowd takes over the town. On the southern shore the breeze matters less than the heat, so go for an evening court in Bardolino with the floodlights on, then walk straight into town for dinner.
5. Circolo Tennis Bardolino (Bardolino, east shore)
On Via dello Sport, this club has three clay courts and one green synthetic court, all with new LED floodlights. Courts 1 and 2 are covered by a pressurised structure for winter play, so it is one of the few year round options on the southern half of the lake. Booking and prices are not published; phone or email the club. It is also the nearest option for Lazise and Garda town, where we found no public club with published visitor access.
6. Tennis Salò Canottieri (Salò, west shore)
Part of the rowing club complex on Via Montessori, this venue lists four tennis courts and two outdoor panoramic padel courts. FITP certified instructors give padel lessons by appointment, and the clubhouse has a restaurant and free parking. Published hours are 8am to 10pm on weekdays and 8am to 6pm at weekends. The club appears on Playtomic, but tennis court surfaces and prices are not listed; check with the club.
7. Tennis Desenzano (Desenzano del Garda, south shore)
The Associazione Tennis Desenzano runs the courts on Via Zamboni near the Spiaggia d’Oro beach. Third party listings describe it as a public facility with several clay courts and a tennis school for children, teens and adults, but the number of courts, floodlights, prices and booking rules are not published in sources we could verify. Call or email the club. Dedicated padel centres in Desenzano are on Playtomic.
8. Tennis Club Brema (Sirmione, south shore)
Sirmione’s club sits on Via Salvemini, away from the historic peninsula. It hosts junior tournaments and has run clinics with former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone. Court numbers, surfaces and visitor booking are not published; check with the club by phone or email. Ask here about the medical certificate.
Also worth knowing: on the Tremosine plateau above the west shore, the Tennis Center Lago di Garda at Hotel Le Balze has 11 clay courts at around 700 metres. It books through the Play Balance app, but its pages are written for hotel guests and access for non-guests is unclear. Ask before you drive up.
Lake Garda Tennis Clubs Compared
| Club | Town | Courts | Padel | Winter play | How to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circolo Tennis Riva | Riva del Garda | 5 clay | Not listed | Yes, 2 covered | XPrimo app or online |
| Circolo Tennis Arco | Arco | 2 covered hard, 2 clay | 2 covered | Yes | Phone |
| Alto Garda Tennis | Limone sul Garda | 3 clay | 1, lit | Check with the club | Phone or email |
| Tennis Center Cassone | Malcesine | 4 clay, 1 synthetic | 1 | Summer focus | Phone, 18 euros per hour |
| Circolo Tennis Bardolino | Bardolino | 3 clay, 1 synthetic, floodlit | Not listed | Yes, 2 covered | Phone or email |
| Tennis Salò Canottieri | Salò | 4 (surface not listed) | 2 outdoor | Check with the club | Playtomic or phone |
| Tennis Desenzano | Desenzano del Garda | Clay (number not published) | Not listed | Check with the club | Phone or email |
| Tennis Club Brema | Sirmione | Not published | Not listed | Check with the club | Phone or email |
Best Months and Times to Play
- April and May: seasonal courts such as Brione reopen on 1 April and the lake is quiet.
- June: long evenings for floodlit play in Bardolino or Cassone.
- July and August: hot and busy. Book the first or last slots of the day, and note that Arco’s clubhouse is listed as closed on Sundays in these months.
- September and October: warm days and cooler mornings. The Brione courts close on 31 October.
- November to March: head for covered courts at Riva (Casina delle Magnolie), Arco or Bardolino.
See our guide to golf on Lake Garda, and for boat trips and spas, our Lake Garda guide. Comparing lakes? Our article on the best tennis courts on Lake Como.
Check prices and availability
Riva del Garda gives you the most courts within reach, including covered clay and the indoor hard courts in Arco. Compare hotels in town.
Where to Stay Nearby
These hotels sit close to the clubs above, and each has a court of its own too.
Du Lac et Du Parc Grand Resort, Riva del Garda
Set in a seven hectare park on the Riva lakefront, close to both Riva club sites and Arco. It has its own red clay court with lessons on request, a padel court, an on-site sailing school, the Armonia spa and several pools. It closes from around mid-November until spring. Read our Du Lac et Du Parc review.
Check rates at Du Lac et Du Parc Grand Resort
Park Hotel Imperial, Limone sul Garda
A five-star hotel about 500 metres from Limone’s lanes, so Alto Garda Tennis is close by. It is built around the TAO wellness centre, and guests can use a tennis court for a fee. See our Park Hotel Imperial review.
Check rates at Park Hotel Imperial
Quellenhof Luxury Resort Lazise, Lazise
In the hills above Lazise, next door to Bardolino. The resort has two hard courts, two padel courts and a resident tennis pro, so you can mix lessons at the hotel with clay at Circolo Tennis Bardolino. Read our Quellenhof Lazise review.
Check rates at Quellenhof Luxury Resort Lazise
Villa Cortine Palace Hotel, Sirmione
A neoclassical villa in a five hectare park on the Sirmione peninsula, with a court in the grounds that is free for guests (ask the hotel about surface) and a private lakeside pier. Tennis Club Brema and the Desenzano courts are both a short drive away. Outdoor facilities are seasonal. See our Villa Cortine Palace review.
Check rates at Villa Cortine Palace Hotel
Hotel Villa del Sogno, Gardone Riviera
A historic villa in a large park above Gardone Riviera, the next town along from Salò and its Canottieri club. It has one outdoor tennis court and a panoramic saltwater pool. Ask the hotel about surface and floodlights. Read our Villa del Sogno review.
Check rates at Hotel Villa del Sogno
Frequently Asked Questions
Can tourists play tennis on Lake Garda without joining a club?
Yes. The clubs in this guide rent courts to non-members by the hour when members are not using them. Riva takes online bookings; elsewhere, phone or email ahead.
How much does a court cost?
Few clubs publish prices. The clearest figure we found is 18 euros per hour on clay for non-members at Tennis Center Cassone in Malcesine, plus 3 euros per hour for lights. For other clubs, check with the club.
Where can I play tennis on Lake Garda in winter?
Covered courts are available at Circolo Tennis Riva (Casina delle Magnolie), Circolo Tennis Arco and Circolo Tennis Bardolino. Arco also has covered padel.
Do I need a medical certificate to play?
Italy requires a sports medical certificate for many sporting activities, and the Sirmione tourist board mentions it for tennis facilities. Rules for a single hourly booking vary, so ask the club when you reserve.
