Jutting out over Lake Garda, with a breathtaking view of one of Italy’s most picturesque corners: this is the “Garda by bike” cycle path, inaugurated back in July 2018.
The Garda cycle path is considered the most beautiful in Europe and, perhaps, the world. For enthusiasts who had been waiting years for it, it is “the cycle path of dreams”.
Measuring 2.5 metres wide and lit up at night, it can be used for walking as well as cycling, but, precisely because it is also a pedestrian route, a speed limit of 10 km/h must be observed. The path starts at Limone sul Garda and runs all the way to Capo Reamol, in the province of Brescia, on the border with Trentino Alto Adige.
Building it required a team of acrobats from Trentino who used harnesses, cables and even helicopters to attach the slender walkway of wood and steel to the rock face of the mountain, 50 metres above the lake.
The Garda cycle path runs all the way around the lake, linking the Trentino shore with those of Verona and Brescia in a single 140 km route. It is connected to the Ciclovia del Sole (Sun Cycle Route) – a route of over 2,000 kilometres linking the Brenner Pass with Santa Teresa di Gallura, in Sardinia, and crossing as many as 11 regions – and to the Ciclovia del Vento (Wind Cycle Route, the Po Valley’s long-distance cycling backbone), forming a network of routes that will embrace the lake, linking its shores, and which in the coming years will offer a national long-distance network of over a thousand kilometres.
You will feel as though you are “cycling across the water“. Besides offering visitors a breathtaking panorama, the cycle-pedestrian path is also beautiful to look at: the flooring has been made from a material similar to wood but weather-resistant, and along the entire stretch runs a very slim steel safety barrier that has minimal visual impact on the landscape.
Cycling along this path allows you to discover some of the most beautiful towns on Lake Garda, where you can stay for one or more nights in order to plan your visit at its best. Among these towns, we recommend the beautiful Riva del Garda, located at the northern tip of the lake, or Desenzano on the opposite shore, or the famous spa town of Sirmione.
The project has become a leading tourist attraction for the Alto Garda area, given the ever-growing interest in active holidays.