If you think Lake Garda is just an overcrowded tourist trap, well, I can’t say you’re entirely wrong — but I’d like to suggest a few places the German and Austrian tourists rarely pack.

Somewhere quite different from the staple lakeside terraces, walking promenades, and so on.

What about music, hipsters, DJs, loaded Negronis on a pebble beach surrounded by like-minded and kindred spirits? You can still have a more local, let-your-hair-down experience around the biggest of the Italian lakes.

These are the spots I have personally visited this year and feel like you should, too, on your next Garda or Verona trip.

Peschiera del Garda

Set right by the town’s fortified walls, Mojo (mojo.place; closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays) is a lakeside club for drinks and music, featuring an annexed ice-cream shop, Oui! From the glasswork on the ceiling to the aquamarine tiles in front of the bar, the decor is inspired by water. You can come for the standard coffee shop and brunch stuff from 9am-4pm, but things spice up at night, when DJs spin EDM tunes into the wee hours. It’s great to sit by its lovely outside terrace by an ancient canal, but after you see the larger-than-life funky toilets, you may want to sit in there.

El~Riel (facebook.com/elrielpeschiera) is 3km west of Peschiera’s town centre, but a very worthwhile detour offering the best of the beach and bar worlds. Almost entirely outdoor by its own stretch of lake shore, it’s developed on a pebbled beach with great views across the lake to Mt Baldo. There are tables set on the pebbles and the chance to rent stand-up paddleboards, lounge beds, or skirt offshore on a pedalo. More local and arty than most other beach bars, El~Riel has live music from reggae to rock and alternative, mostly acoustic, and DJ sets after its popular Sunday evening aperitivo.

Desenzano del Garda

Giulietta al Lago (giuliettaallago.it) exploits a perfect location on Porto di Rivoltella Beach, a stretch of beach east of Desenzano. Round-shaped, this bistro has a lovely outdoor seating area facing the shore, and an indoor bar that feels both upmarket and casual at the same time. It has a bar backed by towering espresso machines running round the clock from breakfast to aperitivo and dinner. You won’t easily find a spot in the summer, but you can stretch out on one of the sunbeds for rent. In the colder months, the menu switches from fresher pinsas, salads and burgers to polentas and meats.

Garda

Drive 5km east of Garda to the unique Trattoria Ca Bottona (cabottona.it; closed at lunchtime on Wednesdays and Thursdays) in the tiny village of Costermano. This multifaceted bar and trattoria offers home-style Italian cuisine inside a former milk factory doubling as a garage, punk rock and blues venue. Just take a look at the menu and wine list: it’s a marvel of music-aficionado subculture blended into hyper design. Beautiful. In the warm months, the action focuses on its outdoor area, where there are skateboard and BMX parks, a Mexican food truck, La Chilanguita Taqueria, and bands playing inside a roulotte (caravan) converted to a live music stage.

In Garda town itself, don’t miss the Osteria Can e Gatto on Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Enter this black-tinged vaulted wine cellar, and you’ll feel as if you are entering an old barrel of liquor. This historic pub has beers, 100 spirits, and live acoustic music, particularly trios, from Friday to Sunday. When you’re hungry, cold cuts come off a vintage Berkel meat slicer, which sits atop the bar, while on Sundays, the social dinners (think pasta and beans) are moments of conviviality.

Sommacampagna

Halfway between Verona and Peschiera del Garda is the unassuming town of Sommacampagna, where inside the 18th-century Villa Venier, you’ll find Japanese and South Korean hi-fi bar culture in the dim, atmospheric Venyer HI-FI Listening Bar (open from Thursday-Sunday). Behind a wooden counter, rows of wine bottles contend for spaces on the walls with stacks of vinyl records from which you’ll pick your drinking soundtrack of choice. Occasional live music sets and bookish events are on the schedule, and once a month you can join entirely vegetarian Korean, Japanese, or Thai dinners for up to 26 guests.