Last updated: May 19, 2026.
Quick Take
Bikes can be a great way to enjoy the Bardolino side of Lake Garda, but the right bike matters. A relaxed lakefront ride, an e-bike into the hills, and a proper road-bike day are three different things. Do not let anyone make you feel heroic if what you really want is a pleasant ride and lunch.
Start with the bike choice and the kind of ride you actually want. Around Bardolino, an easy lakefront ride and a hill ride are completely different days.
Bike shop and rentals
100% Bike, Bardolino
This is my go-to bike shop in Bardolino. I bought my bicycle from them, I buy bike things there, and I have taken friends there to rent bikes. They have been helpful, the prices have been good, and it has the feel of a proper father-and-son local business.
It is a good place to ask what kind of bike makes sense for your plan: city bike, e-bike, road bike, or something for a hillier ride. That matters because the lakefront and the hills are not the same ride wearing different sunglasses.
- Address
- Via Croce 25, 37011 Bardolino VR
- Phone
- +39 391 438 9391
- Commonly listed hours
- Monday 09:30-12:30; Tuesday-Saturday 09:30-12:30 and 16:00-19:00; Sunday closed. These were listed on Google as updated recently, but still call first if the ride depends on it.
- Good for
- Bike sales, repairs, accessories, rentals, local advice, and choosing the right bike for the ride you actually want.
What Kind of Bike Should You Rent?
For a simple lakefront ride, you do not need to make life complicated. A comfortable city bike or e-bike is usually enough. For the hills behind Bardolino, an e-bike can turn the day from punishment into pleasure. For longer distances or serious riders, a road bike makes more sense.
Easy Lakefront Rides
- Bardolino to Garda: very short, about 3 km, so I would not oversell it as a real bike route. It is more of an easy family ride, a first ride with kids, or a simple lakefront stretch when you want something gentle.
- Bardolino toward Lazise and Peschiera: this is the easy direction if you want to keep going and decide later. You can ride toward Lazise, continue toward Peschiera if you feel like it, and turn around whenever the day feels long enough. There are plenty of bars, cafes, restaurants, and small lakefront stops along the way. Some parts are lakefront and some parts use road sections, so it depends how far you go.
Best Bardolino Countryside Rides
- Cisano, Calmasino, and the vineyard loop: probably the best wine-country bike route for this site. It is the kind of ride I would choose if someone says, "I do not just want the lake, I want the Bardolino countryside." You start around Cisano and ride through vineyards, olive groves, Calmasino, and the surrounding hamlets. It is not brutally hard, but there is enough climbing to make an e-bike a smart choice. The published Giro dei Vigneti route is about 20 km, with low overall elevation gain. If you plan on stopping at wineries or oil mills, ride slowly and enjoy it.
- Bardolino hinterland: Cavaion, Affi, Rivoli, and Caprino: this is not the route I would give to someone who just rented a bike after lunch. It is a proper Bardolino hinterland ride through Cavaion, Affi, Rivoli Veronese, Forte Wohlgemuth, Caprino Veronese, Pesina, Albare, and back toward Bardolino. With an e-bike it becomes a very enjoyable half-day route. Visit Bardolino lists this route at about 48 km and around 3.5 hours by bike. With a normal bike, you should be reasonably fit and in the mood to work a little.
- Bardolino to Monte Moscal: this is the one where the distance tricks you. On paper it can look short. In reality, the climb does the talking. I would only suggest this on a normal bike to someone who already cycles. For everyone else, take an e-bike and enjoy the view instead of suffering your way up.
Bigger Day Rides
- Peschiera, Valeggio sul Mincio, and Mantua: this is a great flat ride with no serious hills. Valeggio sul Mincio is well known for tortellini, so it can become a half-day or full-day idea with lunch, not just a bike ride. This may also deserve a separate activity or itinerary later because it works even for people who are not thinking only about cycling.
- Monte Baldo: a serious ride. I have done it with a normal bike, but now I would use an e-bike. The climb is long, the views from the top are amazing, and there are restaurants once you arrive, but it is not for everyone.
- Bardolino to Rivoli, the Adige, Rovereto, and possibly Torbole: this is for serious cyclists. You can ride toward Rivoli, drop toward the Adige, continue along the river toward Rovereto, and if you want a very big day, cross toward Torbole and come back down Lake Garda. This can go over 100 km, so it belongs in the serious-rider category.
- Torbole or Riva del Garda to Lago di Ledro: a beautiful north-lake ride, especially at the beginning when the route has lake views before climbing toward Lago di Ledro. It is not the easiest ride on a normal bike, but with an e-bike it becomes much more realistic. I have done it a few times, and once you reach the top you can ride around the lake, stop for a swim, and find a few places for food before continuing.
- Garda or Bardolino to Salo by ferry, then cycling: a useful idea if you want to ride on the west side without first driving around the lake. Take the bike on the ferry when the timetable allows it, ride from Salo, then either return by ferry or make the long ride back toward Bardolino. Riding all the way back is doable for stronger cyclists, but it is a real ride, not a casual spin.