E-Biking the Ponale Road, Riva del Garda Italy

Riva del Garda is a little town and resort haven on the north end of Lake Garda in northern Italy. I dare you to visit and not fall madly in love with this European lake town that is a haven to bike culture. For starters, I had never even heard of Lake Garda (Lago di Garda), Italy's largest lake. It's relatively long and "sliver shaped" and boasts 25 famous picturesque villages like Riva del Garda and Limone to the north and Sirmione to the south.

The town itself is worth the visit, walking around the shops and restaurants with the sweeping views of Lake Garda, but it feels criminal to not take part in the bike culture. The entire drive in to the town is a relay race with speedy cyclists and the atmosphere downtown is no exception. The restaurants all have bike racks and cyclists are often enjoying a beer or gelato out in the sunshine. 

Postcard Map of Lake Garda

If you are like me and enjoy being active while traveling, the Strada del Ponale is a major attraction in Riva del Garda. I wanted to bike in Italy, but I also had a kid and tow and a will to live that didn't involve sharing the busy winding road with other cyclists and motorists. The answer came in the form of the Strada del Ponale, or the old Ponale Road where we could bike in a car free atmosphere. While the road was originally built in the second half of the 19th century for auto use, it was replaced by a modern tunnel. What that means is since 2004, it has been closed to traffic and limited to bikers and pedestrian, making it the perfect (and safest) place to enjoy the bike culture of Riva del Garda and the views. 

Lunch in Riva del Garda

I do use the word road lightly when referring to the Ponale and you should know that this is not a paved access way but instead a rough road/mountain biking trail. We knew we wanted mountain bikes to make the ride more comfortable and we also knew we would be towing our 40 lb son in a trailer. We also knew the trail was going to gain some decent elevation so our final decision came down to where we could rent an e-mountain bike. After reading reviews, we went with e-bike Garda and we were very happy we did. We booked ahead online and for 138 euro ($147), we rented two high end e-mountain bikes and a bike trailer for the entire day. We were greeted with kind and knowledgeable staff who got us set up on bikes and a trailer, a quick intro to our bikes, and we were out the door. 

Rented e bikes and trailer, Riva del Garda

Before you rent an e bike, know one thing. It may ruin you - especially if you ever tow a trailer. These bikes are heavy as hell which makes them hard to use in normal mode but having the ability to add assistance up any hill while towing heavy kids is a game changer. Bike trailers are heavy, mountain biking is hard, and this experience renting an e bike was a sure way to make sure my husband was having fun and not enduring a complete suffer fest with type two fun loving me.

E bikes on the Ponale Road

We took out bikes up the Ponale Path, following the gravel path that hugs the shoreline of the lake while slowly climbing up the cliff side. The path is popular and busy with fellow hikers and bikers enjoying the beauty of Lake Garda. The looks on people's faces as Adam passed them with the bike trailer was entertaining and to quote Adam himself "I never even broke a sweat". Our plan was to leave the lake side and head west inland over to Lago di Ledro. We struggled a bit in the navigation department and instead, ended  up taking in the views at the Regina Mundi overlook before heading back down the path to town. We covered 9 miles in about 1.5 hours with stops and climbed 1,400 feet of elevation. 

This 19-mile route to Lake Ledro was the original goal
we ended up just staying n the Riva del Garda shoreline

Bike Paths through Riva del Garda

After our ride, we parked our bikes at a restaurant smiling to see so many in the square we're decorated with bike racks. After lunch, we explored the town and it's beautiful bike path that takes you around the town. The bike path took us by parks and playgrounds, cafes and restaurants, waterfront beaches and quaint little places. It was on the bike path at the end of a gorgeous sunny day in Italy that I fell in love with Riva, a vow to come back and spend a bit more time in this gorgeous lakeside dreamland with both kids. 

Gelato on the shore of Lake Garda

Sometimes traveling with a toddler can feel a bit limiting, sacrificing some of our normal adventure for a 3 year old pace and type of adventure. This however, felt like such a special way to enjoy what we love to do with our toddler. Want to bike but have your kids? Rent a bike trailer and rent an e bike to assist with the extra weight. This was one of those trips where having a toddler with us felt truly felt like an addition, not an often inconvenience and finding ways to include him into our hobbies and travel is a lifelong lesson I can't wait to keep learning.