Lake Garda by bike with the family

Family Cycling Holidays in Northern Italy: Lake Garda by Bike

This cycling holiday has been designed for children. Lake Garda by bike is a magnificent playground for young and old. Center-based, this stay takes place in a hotel that has been designed for cycling travelers with great pleasure. Everything is done to welcome them in the best conditions. Housed in a former train station, the accommodation offers many services and has a swimming pool and a wellness area.

It is therefore with complete peace of mind that you can set off every day to discover the region. Whether on the shores of the lake or in the Mincio Valley, visit towns with surprising heritage, appreciate the charm of authentic villages and enjoy Italian gastronomy. Buon appetito!

Please note that this route has a slight difference in altitude each day (340 m of positive difference in altitude on average), and is therefore intended for ‘sporty’ individuals and families, or at least those who are physically active on a regular basis (ebikes can also help).

Highlights of the stay:

• The beautiful lake towns of Garda, Peschiera, Bardolino and Sirmione
• Mantua, "the sleeping beauty"
• The tortellini of Valeggio
• A hotel with a unique charm set in a former train station
• Parco Giardino Sigurtà - remarkable natural park

Day 1: Salionze

Settle into your accommodation for the week. Enjoy the swimming pool or the wellness area in this atypical accommodation, designed for bike travelers.

Day 2: Excursion to Solferino (45 km / + 440 m)

This first day of cycling takes you through orchards and vineyards. In this region, the Lugana grape variety is mainly grown, with which dry but fruity white wines are made. Solferino, your destination for the day, is a town famous for having been the setting for the battle (1859) that ended the Second Italian War of Independence. Along the route you can visit magnificent historic castles: in Monzambanio Castellaro Lagusello, Pozzolengo or Ponti sul Mincio.

Day 3: Mantua Loop, Borghetto and Sigurtà Park (45 km / + 270 m)

A private transfer takes you and your bike to the enchanting Renaissance city of Mantua. The capital of the province of Mantua was once ruled by the Gonzaga family and is now considered by many Italians as the "sleeping beauty". It is along the Mincio River that you leave the city to reach the hamlet of Borghetto. This village is classified among "the most beautiful villages in Italy" and is renowned (along with the neighboring village of Valeggio) for its delicious tortellini.

The highlight of this day is the Sigurtà Botanical Garden. It covers almost 600,000 m², has 18 ponds, meadows, a labyrinth, a medicinal plant garden, 30,000 roses, a 400-year-old oak tree and an educational farm.

Day 4: Discover Garda (40 km / + 340 m)

Cycle to Peschiera del Garda and take the time to discover the magnificent historic old town. Then you will travel by ferry to Garda, the village that gave its name to the lake. On the way back, enjoy the road that runs along the lake and offers beautiful views to Bardolino, a town renowned for its red wines. Before returning to Peschiera del Garda and Salionze, you can stop in Lazise, ​​a lakeside village with incredible charm.

Day 5: Excursion to Sirmione (45 km / + 310 m)

Today, the route begins in the hills south of Lake Garda, passing through San Martino della Battaglia, which, like Solferino, was the site of a battle during the Italian War of Independence. You reach the shores of the lake at Sirmione, which is one of the most picturesque towns. An imposing castle with fortified towers and ramparts protects the entrance to the medieval town.

Don't miss a visit to the "Grotte di Catullo", the ruins of a Roman villa dating back to antiquity (built between 100 BC and 100 AD) and offering a magnificent view of the lake.

Day 6: Salionze

End of the tour after breakfast.

General information :

• 6 days and 5 nights
• Standard version: 4* hotel
• Child rate = €300. Conditions below:
  • Between 3 and 14 years old
  • Sleeping in a triple or quadruple room with two paying adults
  • Maximum 2 children per room in addition to the two adults

Dates 2025:

Departures on Sundays from 06/04 to 12/10.

• Low season: 06/04, 04/05, 05/10, 12/10
• Mid season: 13/04, 20/04, 27/04, 11/05, 18/05, 25/05, 21/09, 28/09
• High season: 01/06, 08/06, 15/06, 22/06, 29/06, 06/07, 07/09, 14/09
• Very high season: 13/07, 20/07, 27/07, 03/08, 10/08, 17/08, 24/08, 31/08

Please note: the seasonal supplement does not apply for children between 3 and 14 years old sleeping with two paying adults in a triple or quadruple room.

Included:

• 5 nights with breakfasts
• 4 dinners
• Transfer from Salionze to Mantua with bikes on day 3
• Ferry from Peschiera to Garda with bikes on day 4
• Lunches
• Drinks
• GPS App
• Telephone assistance

Not included:

• Local taxes, to be paid on site (approximately €5 per person)
• Visits
• Dinner on day 3
• Anything not mentioned in the "included" section
• Transport to the starting point

Options:

• Standard bike or ebike rental
• Rental of children's equipment:
  • Children's bikes (20" or 24")
  • Follow Me (with 20" bike)
  • Family tandem (1 adult + 1 child between 6 and 8 years old)
  • Trailer and child seat
• Helmet rental
• Additional nights at the start of the tour (minimum 2 nights, on request)
• Bike theft guarantee (for rented bikes)
• Cancellation insurance

Level :

1 2 3 4 5 6

Terrain:

Itinerary mainly on secondary roads, some sections on cycle paths

Slightly hilly route with uphill and downhill sections, but no long climbs

Climate:

Hot and dry summers. June and September are the most pleasant months.

Technicality:

Biking: 40 to 45 km per day or around 4 hours of cycling.

Partly marked route, roadbook and map reading useful.

Bibliography:

Cycling maps and guides in Italy on cartovelo

Additional nights:

You can book more additional nights at the beginning of the tour (minimum 2 nights, on request)

Food :

- Breakfasts: generous (coffee, tea, chocolate, milk, butter, bread, jam, orange juice) or buffet
- Lunch: not included
- Dinner: 4 dinners

The bike :

- Rental bicycle: If you rent a bicycle, it will be given to you on the day of your arrival at the 1st hotel. At the end of the tour, you will have to leave this bike at the last hotel and notify reception. 

- Personal bike: We do not recommend bikes with small tires. Hybrid bikes and mountain bikes are excellent. Remember to check your bicycle before setting off. At the end of the tour, you will need to take care of your own bicycle.

Assistance:

Assistance in case of breakdown (except punctures).

Luggage:

They are transported by a courier or by our team and limited to one piece of luggage per person (max. 20 kg).

Roadbook :

A travel book will be send by post before departure including your vouchers and the acess to the GPS App.

Transport :

- By car: Salionze is approximately 1,100 km from Paris so 11 hours.
- By plane: Verona airport is the closest. Venice or Milano airports are a little further away.

Cancellation insurance :

In order to guarantee the reimbursement of costs in the event of cancellation of your stay, you can take out cancellation insurance. To learn more about insurance, click here.

Variants of the stay program :
 
For reasons of organization, weather conditions or provisions issued by the authorities, the itinerary may be subject to modifications before and / or during the stay. These may be temporary deviations caused by works unpredictable roads; in this case, please follow the directions on site.
In the event of a strike, bad weather conditions, technical breakdowns, safety issues or any other reason preventing the departure of the ferry (from Riva del Garda to Peschiera), the ferry company may delay, cancel or divert the navigation without notice.
In the event of cancellation, the ferry service will be replaced by other means of transport, usually by bus.