Lake Garda loop from Torbole

At the end of October we took a short after-season break at Lake Garda in Italy. A loop around the lake is a classic, so I did some research first. The GPX I found had about 140 km and roughly 1,600 m of climbing, and there are versions with up to 3,000 m that add climbs above the lake. We weren't in our best shape, so we took the shortest line along the shore.

The route

We started in Torbole, a small town at the northern tip of the lake right next to Riva del Garda, and rode clockwise, down the east shore first.

The road is good and wide, and the driving culture surprised us: in a whole day on the road, not a single car honked at us. In places there are cycle paths right beside the lake, but they tend to be short and twisty. If you want to hold a decent pace over the full loop, the road is the better choice.

The views are the reason to come. On both the east and west shores, high mountains rise straight out of the water. The south end is flat and less dramatic, but all in all it's a nice route.

The west shore is hard in a different way: there are a lot of tunnels, some of them long, and cars overtake you inside them. That part was genuinely uncomfortable.

Good to know

• 142 km and about 900 m of climbing on the shore road; the highest point is under 200 m. It's a loop, with start and finish in Torbole.
• We rode clockwise, down the east shore first.
• Traffic is heavy. We rode at the end of October and there was still a lot of it.
• The west shore has many tunnels, some long, with cars overtaking inside. Front and rear lights are well worth having here.
• Want more climbing? Versions of the loop with up to 3,000 m add climbs above the lake.

All in all it's a very scenic ride, but I wouldn't do it again: next time I'd pick something with less traffic. If you want big mountain scenery on quieter roads, have a look at our routes in the Soča Valley. You can rent a bike from us in Bovec or ride with a guide.