Looks like the wife fancies Italian Lakes for our late summer holiday, which I'm more than happy to go along with.

I've heard there's world class riding here, anybody been and able to share some experiences.

Probably wouldn't take my bike, so would need to hire a 6in all-mountainy bike I think.

Guiding required or are trails waymarked and maps easy to follow?

Thanks!

I was in Rive del Garda in May for a week, really nice place. As for biking, the area is littred with trails, loads of maps available from the shops, although I think guiding would definately help you to find thebest places.

Fairly easy to hire bikes out there, most places have 6 inch bikes available at around 30-40 Euro per day.

I stayed at Garda which is further south than Riva and all the mountain trails. Only managed to do some xc riding (which was still very good).

Lake Garda is quite possibly my favourite place on the planet.

I'm definitely staying further North next time and doing some of the trails up there. Limone is supposed to be really nice and is in a good riding location.

Cheers guys.

So where is best to stay for a mix of (mostly) family holiday and (a bit of) biking? My MTB Europe book mentions Riva or Torbole.

It also says you can get shuttle lifts or the (pricey) cablecar and do a 40km downhill route – but warns that the XC riding is pretty tough in terms of climbing.

And can you swim in the Lake in September/October?

Riva was our base. It was close to shops and stuff, had a beach at the top of the lake though its a windsurfing mecca too as it gets a bit windy. Its an easy tap down to Monte Baldo cable car and some top riding, or you can get a shuttle up to Tremalzo and a great xc but mainly down route back to Riva. Really enjoyed it there but climbs are big! Mechies Bike And Coffee has loads of info as has the bike shop across the road. Climbing at Arco if your into that, Limone good for visits and Venice is a rainy day option. Dont drive in Venice, the streets are always flooded……..

We had a great holiday, hope you have the same….

Spent my honeymoon in Limone, 5 years ago. Went mid september and was warm but had a couple of rainy days. I was a bit limited on time allowed out on a bike though 😉
You'll love it!

We were there the other year to sail. Took our bikes and rode for a few days after which was amazing. We stay in riva. You might recognize the tunnel section from the last bond movie! We took the ferry to the cable car and rode the big section back to riva- big day out but good fun. Some serious climbing but then we found a wicked mountain top restaurant which at the time was a god-send. Great singletrack but very technical in parts, ESP some of the double- black diamond sections. However, not all of it was severe on those trails. At one point we stood over looking torbole and estimated we were 2 km above the lake at the point the sign said we were 2 km away from torbole. Scenery is breathtaking. Enjoy. I would think the lake is cold in October for swimming. As I said, we were there to sail and the lake is really deep so it never gets 'that' warm.

Riva is for bikers, Torbole for Windsurfers, Arco for Climbers, but that doesn't stop anyone from staying anywhere else, in fact the best bike shops were in Torbole last time I went. Swimming after a hot day in the saddle is fine, but too cold for 'normal' swimming. Limone is very nice and the best trails are still accessible. There are plenty of trails you can ride cross-coutry on as well, and the downhills are all doable with a hardtail, maybe more fun with a 6 inch travel bike. Go up Tremalzao and Monte Baldo for the classics, and get the Moser guide book (in german, but easy to understand) for the most detailed tour descriptions.

Good info, cheers.

What about the "601 trail" that it mentions in my book? Is that a must-do?

Will only have 2 or 3 max days riding – so got to get it right!

Malcesine is where we stayed. great location with regular ferries to al points & the the Cableway to Monte .
Non bikey good to with castle & old town cobbled streets.

Italian lakes are heaven, any of them, can't persuade wife to move I'd move tomorrow.

Yes the 601 is a must do! Or at least it is if you like blasting down rocky techy stuff. Plus if you have a car you can uplift most of it yourself as there's a road to near the top

Riding solo so uplifting myself could be problematic. 601 sounds brill, easy to find and navigate?

Malcesine was on the radar, due to cablecar. Will check it out.

I was there the week before last, but just for post-Transalp R&R. Riva is beautiful, particularly the piazza down by the waterfront. I've been biking before on Monte Baldo (cablecar from Malcesine) which was a bit frustrating as I didn't really know where I was going.

I'd gather as much info as possible before you go and also be aware that hire bikes might have the brakes set up the "wrong" way round – tricky to get used to, particularly as you instinctively grab the "back" brake to slow down in emergencies…