Cycling adventures in north Lake Garda
Lake Garda (Lago di Garda) is the largest lake in Italy, surrounded by many villages worth a visit. It offers many tourist attractions and activities, Gardaland may be one of the most famous. A lot of historic and architectural sights, such as Sirmione and Castello Scaligeri. Strada Della Forra – best road trip route for the amazing views. You can explore the lake by boat or try windsurfing, go hiking and explore the mountains or go paragliding. Or you can go cycling around Lake Garda, which is probably one of the most enjoyable ways to explore.
You can actually go all around the lake, it is around 150km. Roadtrip with a car it manageable in one day with some stops on the way. If you are interested in more stops, it’s better to add an extra day, because there are so many things to see on the way. Well, cycling would take a lot more time. While there are nice roads and paths for cycling on the east side of a lake, there is a slightly dangerous and difficult road on the west, because you are driving through the dark road tunnels and heavy traffic. But, for all the enthusiastic cyclists, a 140 km long cycling trail around Lake Garda is being built, the route is set to be completed in 2021.
I definitely want to go on this tour someday, but for our first cycling adventure in Lake Garda, we went to the north of the lake, Nago – Torbole, a very ‘cycling town’, which is somehow base for mountain biking. It also offers many other sports activities.
Nago-Torbole / Where to stay
Nago and Torbole are really two villages. Torbole is on the northern shore of Lake Garda. Nago lies two kilometers north, and uphill, with a great view over Lake Garda. Torbole is popular with families, windsurfers, and cyclists. It is popular with windsurfers due to high-wind conditions at the northern end of the lake. There is a wide choice of hotels and camping sites. Sports on the lake are very popular with windsurfing being the most popular. (This nice description found on wikivoyage.)
There are many campsites, apartments, and hotels. A lot of bike shops and rentals. Everything accessible by bike or even on foot.
You might want to stay in one of those Bike Hotels:
HOTEL LIDO BLU – SURF & BIKE – this cozy four-star hotel has a sauna and a private beach area. It’s probably worth paying extra for a lake facing room, for the best view every morning. Breakfast is included and also free use of bicycles is available at this hotel.
BIKEHOTEL TORESELA AM GARDASEE – this more affordable three-star hotel is located 2 km from the lake and offers a nice garden, and also a big garage for motorbikes and bicycles.
CARAVEL BIKE HOTEL – another four-star hotel with a great location, just a 4-minute walk to the beach. It offers a nice swimming pool and an excellent breakfast.
GARDA BIKE RESIDENCE – located just a 10-minute walk to the lake, it offers modern equipped apartments, a pool with an amazing view, bicycle and windsurfs storage room, automatic washing for bikes…
What to explore
You can cycle almost everywhere. Almost everyone cycles. The kids that can barely walk, the young and the old. Beginners and professionals. You can see every type of cyclists, and of course, there are so many routes, paths, and roads, you will definitely find something for your style. There are many bike rentals, tour offers, and shuttles.
Beginner MTB trails
I, as a beginner, don’t really have the right perception what 30 km of heavy rock terrain up or downhill means. I mean, 30 km on flat terrain is easy, right? 🙂 So, if I get to choose the routes, I’d probably choose the ones with the coolest names, like The Skull (Val del Diaol), which is pure downhill. So if you are a beginner, you better go with someone more experienced or book a tour with a guide.
There are many trails with different terrain and you can actually ride them even if you don’t have full suspension. I’m probably more a country crosser with a slight touch of downhill. But my beginner bike is a hardtail, and my beginner fears are still present, so my downhill is more a slow-motion 🙂 But still, if I did some of the slight downhill trails, anyone can do it. You might just step off a bike in some places 🙂
Tremalzo Trail
”You can’t come on holiday on Garda Lake without trying one of the most famous trails in Europe.”
The ideal tour is going up with a shuttle, it takes 1h from Torbole. The start of the trail is near the Rifugio Garda, 1650 m altitude, from where a light uphill road takes you to the tunnel of the Tremalzo peak. From here it begins the famous military road built during the First World War on the side of the mountain that takes you to Passo Nota at 1200 m altitude.
The difficulty level of this trail is easy/medium, length 30 km, climbing 300m, downhill 2000 m. Riding time is around 3 hours. Well, we took a lot more, maybe because of my slow-motion downhill. Or because I stopped at every great view 🙂
But after all, it is a really beautiful tour, with different types of paths, some easier some more difficult. On the part with really big roots, I just had to walk by. I would suggest this tour for everyone, just pack a lot of water and some food, be patient and just enjoy.
Ponale trail
The Ponale trail is also a must, it’s one of the easiest trails and it offers some amazing views. The trail is a dirt road, the old tunnels are paved. The uphill is gentle but steady: numerous stops are there for some rest. It was once the only connection between Lake Garda and the Ledro Valley. Starting from Riva del Garda, it brings you to the waterfall of the Ponale river. As said, on this same trail you can go to Lago di Ledro, also a nice tour. And when you return from Tremalzo trail, you are going downhill through that same path.
Valle di Ledro
Once you get to the end of Ponale trail, you might want to continue to Valle di Ledro and Lago di Ledro. This trail offers different terrain, sometimes a bit difficult, but there are also some nice stops on the way. Once you get to the lake, it’s a must to go around, and finally, stop somewhere to jump in the fresh water.
For a more relaxing ride, you can just ride around Torbole or go to Riva del Garda, where you can easily stroll down the streets and parks, explore the historic center and treat yourself with some gelato.
