Tag: Garda Bike Hotel

Do you have a trip planned to Italy this spring or summer? Maybe you’d like to make your Italian adventure into something extraordinary? If you are a cyclist craving new roads to challenge your legs and want to transform your static vacation into an active one, then a stay at the Garda Bike Hotel in Verona, Italy might be for you.

A Typical Cycling Vacation

If you want to take a cycling vacation in Italy, in most cases that means you might have to book it through a bicycle travel company as part of a large group. That means you will probably get to spend limited time in certain areas.

Unfortunately, this is pretty typical of most cycling vacations. While you’ll experience dynamic Italian scenery, the chance for real immersion in the culture, food, and people who live there will either be brief or non-existent. Then the next day, you pack up and go to a different place.

While these trips are organized and led by experienced cyclists, most are not locals. So, if you want to explore a certain place, you are left to your own resources to find places to eat or things to do in the limited time you might have available.

What and Where is the Garda Bike Hotel?

Garda Bike Hotel (GBH) offers something a bit more unique. Based in Verona, Italy, considered the largest northeastern city in the country, GBH is a cycling-themed hotel in the Lake Garda and Verona Region. It is run by two brothers, Alberto and Nicola Verdolin, who also lead rides along with an experienced local staff.

Since 2005, the brothers have offered bike tours for all levels of cyclists from the enthusiast to the hardcore roadie. That means you can stay in one central location at the hotel and explore many different kinds of rides. GBH offers different daily rides with the promise that no ride will be in the same area or on the same roads.

What Does the Garda Bike Hotel Offer?

GBH is a full-service hotel with a pool and a restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The hotel has 42 rooms and three suites. Other amenities supplied by the hotel give guests access to a garden area to relax after a long day of cycling. But if you have some energy left over, you can rent a bike to get around town.

If you don’t want to pack up your own bike and ship it to Italy or you don’t want to pay expensive luggage costs to fly with it, there is another option. GBH has a stable of Pinarello bikes for rent.

Andiamo Cycling and Other Northern, Italy Locations

If Lake Garda and Verona don’t quench your lust for exploration, you can go one step further with Garda Bike Hotel’s sister company, Andiamo Cycling. It covers the more challenging regions in Italy, such as the Dolomites, Lake Como, the Italian Alps, Tuscany, etc.

Andiamo Cycling not only has tours of just these areas like so many tour operators. The company also gives its guests access to famous Italian cycling events and gran fondos. Guests can participate, for instance, in the Maratona Dles Dolomites, Granfondos Strade Bianche, Pinarello, Il Lombardia, and more.

Garda Bike Hotel Ride Packages

With most cycling vacation companies, you will be grouped in with riders of various experience levels. You’ll also ride routes that could be moderate to hard to really hard. That can sometimes be intimidating if you are an enthusiast but not as strong as some other riders.

Garda Bike Hotel offers four packages geared toward small groups, families, private groups, and solo riders. Prices and times these packages are available may vary, so visit the website to find more specific information.

Last Thoughts

A cycling-themed hotel is an excellent way to explore an area in Italy that offers exceptional cycling. If you choose to stay at the Garda Bike Hotel, it’s nice to know that if you are not the world’s strongest road rider, the hotel caters to all levels of riders.

The hotel gives its guests the chance to stay in a central location. That allows for cultural immersion and views of Verona, and it also provides easy access to other areas in northern Italy. And with high-end bike rentals, all you have to do is book a flight and go. Maybe I’ll see you there one day soon!