Gravel dolce vita at Lake Garda

Our plan for Lake Garda with Ania was clear right from the start: gravel bikes, good times, and pure vacation vibes - our very own cycling dolce vita.

We stayed in Riva del Garda. The northern end of the lake is way more exciting for riding than the flat, beachy south. The route options here are endless, and having the mountains plunge straight into the water creates an amazing atmosphere.

Lago di Cavedine

We kicked things off with a great bike route to Lake Cavedine along the Sarca river. The trail winds through Arco, which is overlooked by a medieval castle. The castle looked good enough from below that we actually decided to skip the climb up. From there, we took on a gentle climb through Dro all the way to Lago di Cavedine. We pulled over for a quick break; the lake water was freezing, making it the perfect cooldown on a hot day.

To close the loop, we headed down a steep bike path back toward Arco. Along the way, we stopped at Bike & wine right on the trail, they serve the best panini and cold sparkling wine.

After that, all we had left was a long, pleasant descent back to Riva. Even with the wind blowing straight in our faces off the lake, it didn't ruin the fun. The local winds here run like clockwork: in the morning, the cool Pelèr blows down from the north, and by the afternoon, the strong Ora picks up from the south.

Malcesine, Castelletto, Garda

Day two was all about road riding and exploring the eastern shoreline. The route kicks off with a few tunnels, so having strong bike lights is a must.

Our first stop was Malcesine. The old town is really charming, but dodging tourist crowds and walking on cobblestones in cycling cleats got tiring pretty fast. We sat at a bar in the small harbor for a bit before pushing further south.

Just past the town, you hit a great, car-free bike path that goes all the way to Castelletto. With every kilometer, the landscape feels more and more like a beach resort. At the 45 km mark, we rolled into the town of Garda and stopped at one of the harbor-side restaurants for a pizza break.

Instead of riding all the way back to Riva, we went back to Malcesine and caught a ferry to Riva del Garda (with a short stop in Limone). The hour-long boat ride with amazing views felt great after a full day of pedaling.

Lago di Ledro

The Strada del Ponale is an iconic route carved into the steep cliffside. The trail climbs up into Val di Ledro through impressive rock tunnels and ledges. It used to be a main road connecting Riva del Garda to the Ledro valley, and on to Brescia. Today, it’s packed with e-bikes, but our regular gravel bikes did just fine!

The climb is long, and the afternoon sun can be really hot. It gets quite steep at the end, but riding at an easy pace, we made it up to Lake Ledro, passing through small, quiet villages along the valley. At the top, we stopped for a quick Lemonsoda and espresso before doing a loop around the lake.

Once we got back to Riva, we decided that was enough hard riding for the day. We jumped back on our bikes and headed over to the beach in Torbole to relax on the lounge chairs.

Nago, Mori and Arco

We kept our last day pretty relaxed to say a quiet goodbye to the mountains. We rode up through Torbole to Nago, then went down the valley toward Mori. The town itself isn’t anything special, but we found a great local bar along the way for our espresso stop.

The ride back took us on the newly built bike path from Nago to Arco, which is part of the Ciclovia del Garda. The switchbacks and elevated sections have really beautiful views - it’s easily one of the best places to take a cycling photo with Lake Garda in the background.