Garda Food and Wine Tours

Nature, countryside, and a broad variety of walks and cycle paths, easy-to-reach beaches, but also places and things of cultural interest and good local food are the highlights of a dream holiday on Lake Garda.

For a superlative tourist experience, Strada dei Vini e dei Sapori del Garda has selected around 100 participating venues including wineries, hotels, agritourism locations, oil mills, local farmers and producers, museums, and institutions all complying with a strict quality protocol and able to guarantee high-quality products and services.

Are you ready to plan your holiday? Start from here!

Wine, olive oil, and other Garda specialities

A corner of paradise which never fails to amaze visitors and locals alike: the stunning Sirmione countryside, the gentle moraine hills of Valtènesi, the wonderful views from Tignale, Tremosine, and Limone… and all united in the promotion of good food and protecting the local food&wine heritage.

The area promoted by Strada dei Vini e dei Sapori del Garda includes the terroir of the highly valued DOC wines Lugana, Garda Classico, San Martino della Battaglia and D.O. Valtènesi (red and chiaretto). Other strictly local products include:

• Garda DOP Extra-virgin olive oil, delicate and highly digestible;
• Lake fish: clean and with abundant fish, the waters of Lake Garda are home to trout, eel, whitefish, northern pike, perch, sardine, alborelle, and precious carp;
• Fresh and aged cheese: in addition to Grana Padano DOP and Provolone Valpadana DOP, Valtènesi and Tremosine formaggelle are also very popular;
• Valtènesi truffle, white and black;
• Grappa made with Groppello or Lugana grapes;
• Cured meats, including coppa aged in Garda Classico red wine, soppressa bresciana, and salame col filetto;
• Lake Garda lemons, signature fruit of the area grown in historic lemon gardens recently restored and reopened to the public.

A 100% authentic tradition which is promoted and preserved thanks also to the support of local producers and agritourism owners, and the guided tours and tastings that they organise. From Wine Tour of Valtènesi to Hiking with a Sommelier, visit the section Taste in Brescia and choose the experience that best suits you and your family.

Strada dei Vini e dei Sapori del Garda: recommended tours

The association Lake Garda Wine and Flavour Route has identified several customisable tours, from day trips to visit wineries and oil mills to multi-day experiences. These tours teach about and promote local produce and at the same time are a great opportunity to learn about the local culture, archaeology, landscape, history, and even to enjoy sports, in particular wind and kite surfing, golf, horse riding, and sailing.

There are 11  tours so far:

• 5 tours by car: ‘Valtènesi’, ‘The shores of Valtènesi’, ‘Lugana and San Martino’, ‘From Salò to Sirmione’, ‘Parco Alto Garda Bresciano – Park of Upper Lake Garda’;
• 6 tours by bike: Sirmione – Lugana (32 km), Bedizzole – Valtènesi (30 km), Desenzano – Lonato – Salò (44 km), Salò – Rocca di Manerba (33 km), Corna Vecchia (MTB, 19 km), Salò fraz. Serniga (MTB, 16.5 km).

Along the way, there are affiliated places to eat ready to offer the best local hospitality and dishes made with fresh local ingredients accompanied by local wines.

In terms of culture, history and the local countryside, the unmissable sights include Desenzano Castle, the Roman Forges of Lonato del Garda, the complex of the Tower, Museum, and Ossuary of San Martino della Battaglia, and the Grottoes of Catullus in Sirmione. Moving north along the coast, we highly recommend visiting Rocca di Manerba, the Vittoriale degli Italiani, and the Paper Museum in the Valle delle Cartiere (Valley of the Paper Mills) in Toscolano. Inside the Park of Upper Lake Garda, you can’t miss Lake Valvestino, a veritable haven of unspoiled wilderness.

For details about the tours, see the official tour map. To learn more about the region and the local food&wine, and to see the list of participating producers and locations, see the official Strada dei Vini e dei Sapori del Garda website.