The region of Valpolicella is located between the picturesque foothills of the Alps, the romantic Lake Garda and the city of lovers - Verona. Located north of the Adige River, this hilly farming region with its marble and stone quarries is famous for wine production.
You will walk through some of the world's most popular wine regions. Your taste buds will not be disappointed with the delicious cuisine of Veneto. Homemade tortellini, risotto with amarone, beef with pearà, a delicious pepper sauce or pastissada or a fantastic slowly cooked goulash.
Details about the hike from Verona to Lake Garda
The city of Verona with its ancient history and the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is the starting point of your walking week. Through vineyards, past villas, castles and wine cellars, you will meander through the Valpolicella region, characterized by fine wines and an enchanting atmosphere. Here nature shows itself in the spring with delicately blooming cherry and peach plantations and in the autumn with glowing vine leaves and juicy grapes. Step by step you will eventually reach Lake Garda.
The highlights of this walking holiday at a glance:
Verona: This musical city is a large open-air museum with the Arena, the balcony of Romeo and Juliet, the medieval castle Castelvecchio, the Piazza del Erbe and the 84m high tower Torre dei Lamberti.
Valpolicella, or the valley of many cellars: This jewel of Verona is the world's most popular wine region, Soave for white wines, Valpolicella and Bardolino for reds which you can taste from the countless wine cellars.
Bardolino: Enjoy the famous Italian ice cream from Gelateria Cristallo in Bardolino.
Interesting facts about from Verona to Lake Garda
During the eight-day walking tour through vineyards and olive groves, you will have plenty of time to relax. You spend the night a little longer at two stops. Along the way, you will find the best of the best culinary, the best rice in the world, the best salami, the best vegetables and the best wine.
Arrive early to give yourself plenty of time to explore this impressive city. On a walking tour, discover Verona's inner city, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
Wander through atmospheric streets and cosy piazzas to the many sights of the city of Verona. The Arena, the balcony of Romeo and Juliet, the medieval Castelvecchio castle and the photogenic Castelvecchio Bridge. Don't miss the Piazza del Erbe, the beating heart of the city is surrounded by characteristic Italian houses and offers an abundance of terraces and market stalls. The Torre dei Lamberti, an 84-meter-high tower that can be seen from almost the entire city, is the literal highlight of the city. With the elevator, you can go to different viewpoints at the top of the tower and enjoy the view over the city of Verona.
If you want to be sure that you don't miss anything, book a City Tour of Verona accompanied by a guide and let yourself be informed about the many highlights and hidden gems of this romantic city.
Before starting your walk, we recommend that you take a detour to Castel San Pietro, from where you will have a wonderful view of the whole city, the Valpolicella area and Lake Garda.
You will start your walking week from Verona heading west, following the seven bridges that connect the two riverbanks of the Adige. The hilly agricultural region of Valpolicella " Valley of many cellars" is famous for wine production. This wine region has red wine in many guises, it is one of the few areas in Italy that produces the same wine in four versions. As a former river port, your destination is today, Parona, the gateway to the Valpolicella region.
Today's walk will take you to the heart of Valpolicella. Enjoy the impressive route through the vineyards and past the monuments of Romanesque architecture. You will cross small towns such as Corrubbio with the church of San Martina from the 12th century, San Floriano and San Pietro in Cariano before arriving in Fumane.
Today you will stay at this location and have time to discover the area. Throughout the year, this area offers a unique spectrum of colours and scents: starting with the cherry blossom, which covers the green hills with a white blanket. With the onset of summer, the cherries are ripe and in the fall, the golden season begins with the wine and olive harvest. Visit Molina with the Botanical Museum with orchids and Mulino dei Veraghi, a majestic wooden mill that is the only one still working with all original parts and components or Parco delle Cascate di Molina, the waterfall natural park, or try one of the numerous wine cellars of Amarone and Valpolicella.
Parco delle Cascate di Molina: (entrance about €7 per person) A natural park with beautiful waterfalls and a prehistoric cave. There are several walking routes through the forests and valleys in the park, but the black route is the most beautiful (about 2 hours). You pass seven waterfalls, the ruins of a water mill, and two caves and crosses carved into the rock. At the highest point, the Pozzo Tonde, you will find a round well from which you have a beautiful view of the park. Don't miss Grotta delle Tette More (the 'cave of the black tits') and admire the thick and dark stalactites.
Today you will walk through the hills, vineyards and olive groves of the Valpolicella region to the town of Gargagnago, famous for its marble mining. Via a series of fascinating but winding paths through the vineyards, you climb the high hill to the enchanting town of San Giorgio di Valpolicella at the top. You will be rewarded with a view of a majestic panorama of Valpolicella on the other side and Lake Garda on the other. In very clear weather you can even see as far as the Po region. A fascinating and unique place is the old "Pieve", a parish church dating back to 712 AD. and was built on a site once used for pagan worship.
We continue via Ponton, the centre of marble processing. The city's name is derived from the "pontoon", the boat used in the past to transport the marble from the quarries to where it is worked. Continue to today's destination, Sega di Cavaion, just a few kilometres from Lake Garda.
A leisurely downhill walk through the beautiful lake landscape will take you to Bardolino, one of the oldest tourist villages on the shores of Lake Garda. This wine village, located on the wine route De Strada del Vino, is best known for the wine that comes from this region. Bardolino Classico is a light red wine and Bardolino Chiaretto is a red and white wine. Be sure to visit the wine museum and the olive oil museum.
Stroll along the pleasant boulevard, the Passeggiata Lungolago to the beautiful marina. Visit the church of San Zeno from the 9th century, a famous example of a historical monument of Carolingian origin. And the San Severo, a beautiful Romanesque church with a high bell tower and beautiful frescoes. Enjoy Italian ice cream in Piazza Matteotti at the famous Gelateria Cristallo ice cream parlour and in the evenings on one of the terraces of the delicious regional specialities.
At the end of your hiking week, you can relax and enjoy the many possibilities from Bardolino.
A day of swimming and sunbathing on Lake Garda, a boat trip by ferry to Sirmione, the pearl of Lake Garda. A walk through vineyards and meadows with a beautiful mountain panorama to the medieval village of Lazise, the small harbour with terraces on one side and an old church on the other immediately enchants you. If you walk back along the coast, you will pass the town of Cisano with its remains of stilt houses that show that the region was already inhabited by the Romans in the Bronze Age.
Your walking holiday ends after breakfast. If you want to enjoy this beautiful region even longer, book an extension.
Route information
You can walk comfortably on hiking, meadow and forest paths, but also on paved parts through the gently sloping landscape of Valpolicella. A basic condition is a requirement for daily walks.
Travel folder 1 x per room (German, English with route and overview maps, detailed route description, places of interest, important telephone numbers, luggage labels)
GPS data available on request
Service Hotline
Not included
Tourist tax, if applicable, to be paid locally
Arrival information
Airport: Verona Airport, by bus to Porta Nuova train station. Duration about 20 minutes, about €6 per person
Train: Verona station
Parking: Free public parking near the hotel, reservation is not possible
Departure: Return from Bardolino by bus direct to Porta Nuova train station or Catullo airport in Verona
General information
Optional tours
City tour of Verona (approx. 2 hours) €160 per tour (German, English)
Winegrower's tour of his vineyard, including wine tasting €20 per person (English)
Guided tour by an olive oil farmer of his olive grove, including olive oil tasting €20 per person (English)
These optional excursions must be booked directly at the time of booking.