Between Mountains & Lakes: Cycle from Lake Reschen to Lake Garda

South Tyrol has a lot to offer in terms of landscape and culture. Starting with the sunken church tower of Graun to the beautiful apple orchards and vines that are our constant companions. While cycling you can see an impressive castle on almost every mountain towering into the sky and in every town a beautiful church. Each Day Finish offers several sights. In Bolzano we stroll through the ‚Laubengasse‘-arcade to the fruit market and allow ourselves to be enchanted by the hustle an bustle of the city. 

Merano exudes a special flair and awakens the holiday feeling with its beautiful old part of town and the green promenades featuring numerous palm trees. One of my absolute highlights are the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Palace in Merano. On an area of twelve hectares you can marvel at natural and cultural landscapes from all over the world, botanical rarities and themed gardens. I definitely recommend planning more time to stroll through the park and discover everything. A little tip: Visit the botanical gardens early in the morning and you will nearly have them all to yourself.

The final destination of our beautiful cycle holiday along the river Etsch is Lake Garda, or more precisely Riva del Garda. Every kilometre that we have covered since the Reschen, we feel the warmer temperatures and the change from South Tyrolean life to Italian flair. However, before we reach our destination, we have to overcome a short steep ascent in Mori, where we make a short stop in the cute little village. Here is also the Gelateria Bologna, where we are rewarded with delicious pistachio ice cream.

This followed by a long descent and we experience a breathtaking view of Lake Garda. After checking into the hotel, we enjoy the sunset on the lake shore and listen to the sound of the waves. Later we stroll through the beautiful Riva del Garda with its wonderful Italian alleys and end the evening with a glass of wine and an incredibly delicious Neapolitan-style pizza.