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Unlocking the Best Group Activities at Lake Garda
Lake Garda is the largest Italian lake with an area of about 370 km² and it is surrounded by 3 regions. Along its shores, it holds lively towns overlooking the water, pleasant slopes with vineyards and olive groves until you get to perched and isolated villages. In addition to its beauties, Lake Garda offers a wide range of experiences and activities you can carry out among the variety of its landscapes. In this article, I will focus mainly on group activities on Lake Garda.
Therefore, whether you are a teacher looking for a class activity, a business welfare manager, or a group of friends who simply wish to have fun… You are in the right place!
Read the next lines to discover which activity is right for you in the many places to visit on Lake Garda!
Lake Garda: Educational Group Activities
Guided tours
Boat excursions
Orienteering excursion by bike or on foot
A day at the park with workshops
Visits to museums
School trips are not only a long-awaited and beloved moment by students, but also an opportunity for growth and learning. They are a way for discovering the world, being in contact with it, and simultaneously having fun, by visiting new places and growing together. For these reasons, recently we have paid more attention to schools and their need to find what to do as group activities on Lake Garda.
By selecting simple experiences to organize and carry out, suited to meet the needs and the interests, different like each student. The educational journey can thus become a moment of fun and recreation for children and young people. Furthermore, it is an opportunity for personal and group growth.
Here there are five interesting and stimulating educational excursions for classes in the most beautiful places to visit on Lake Garda
Guided tours
The guided tours through the villages of the lake are an educational and immersive experience in the history and culture of the place. The great historical, artistic and architectural heritage on the shores of Lake Garda is an excellent attraction for schools.
With the visits, the students will have the opportunity to walk through history, finding themselves among the monuments and buildings, only studied before on books. The guides accompany them in engaging and personalized visits, suited accordingly to the topics learned during the school year. School visits can take place in many villages overlooking the lake but also in the principal nearby cities such as Verona, Mantua or Venice.
Among the most adaptable, the guided tour of Peschiera Del Garda and its UNESCO Fortress stands out. The town has been a key point in the area for many centuries and it still preserves traces of all the dominations and passet eras. However, there are small treasures to visit throughout the territory of Lake Garda of great cultural value. The classes may discover them with the right guide.
Boat trips
The lake is undoubtedly the strong point of the area and it offers the possibility to do several things in a group. Among these, a boat trip through its waters is an original and different instructional visit. With a cruise of some hours, the teenagers will discover the magnificence of the territory and broaden their knowledges about the morphology and fauna.
While you are sailing, the best occasion to learn something new is through interesting paths between history and nature. Moreover, the group can express their preferences on how to organize their tours.
A wide choice of itineraries allow you to reach the main places to visit on Lake Garda.
The Scaligeri tour is particularly interesting for schools and it leads to the three iconic places of the part in the lower lake. Starting from Peschiera the group will sail towards Lazise to see the walled town and its castle, from the boat. The second stop can be Sirmione and its Scaliger castle on the water. There you can stop to visit the Grotte of Catullus and take a leap back in history in Roman times.
To this boat cruise, it is always possible to combine a guided tour in the villages viewing the lake or the museums on site. According to the historical period studied by the visiting class, the boat tours may have different itineraries. Teachers can agree with the leaders for having a real moment of integration of the notions learned at school.
Orienteering excursions by bike or on foot
Among the things to do on team building on Lake Garda there is the orienteering, an outdoor experience for students of all ages. Excursions in nature by bike or on foot are a special opportunity for interesting insights into environmental education. Young people are those who will inherit this land in the future, so it is in there best interest to know how to preserve and care for it in the best possible way. It is necessary that they learn to know all its secrets and beauties.
With the coaching and support of qualified guides during the excursions, the origin of the Lake and its evolution over time will be the central topic to uncover. Guiding the group, the guides will lead them to discover its ecosystem, the plants and animals that live in it. All this without forgetting to mention about the presence for centuries of mankind and his relationship with the Lake and the territory of Lake Garda.
Encouraging children to orient themselves in nature by looking for points of reference or clues to continue along the way is a stimulating activity. It develops the ability to adapt and collaborate with mates, accustoming them to be self-sufficient and proactive in solving problems or unexpected events. These are all essential qualities to satisfy during school years to grow and train independent and safe children.
Easy walking paths or cycle paths connect many wonderful places to visit on Lake Garda. Depending on the age of the students, you can choose the length of the route and the appropriate difficulty.
A route without particular risks and far away car traffic is the Mincio cycle route. It crosses the natural park of the homonymous river and surrounded by greenery. “The longest green highway in Italy” winds along the water and this it connects Peschiera Del Garda to Mantua.
Several other paths in the hinterland cross olive groves and vineyards, typical local products, such as the lands of Custoza and Lugana or Bardolino. The natural amphitheater of the Morainic Hills offers perfect routes to discover the vast gastronomic heritage of the area. The route between the production areas can be associated with a visit to the winery or the oil mill or a cooking class group. These can be original ideas to make children do practical activities and taste the flavors of the territory.
Day at the park and workshops
The Veronese shore of the lake is also famous for its amusement parks, places of leisure for adults and children. In addition to rides and attractions, however, it is possible to organize group activities on Lake Garda at the Parks. Not all parks, in fact, focus only on fun; many offer a different opportunity to learn something.
For example, the sealife Acquarium in Gardaland consists of several themed tanks that host more than 500 marine species. Inside there are several playful and educational areas where children can learn while playing. Discovering curiosities and information about the many marine species that populate our waters has never been more fun. In addition, the park pays great attention to the theme of environmental sustainability with the intent to inform as best as they can even the youngest visitors.
Another destination for a group activity at the park is the Parco Natura Viva. More than just a zoo, the Parco Natura viva is a centre for the protection of endangered animal species. A visit to the park will be an interesting way to get to know new animals. Moreover, you can understand how they live and behave in a safe and protected environment.
After the visit, the supervisor proposes different choices of laboratories according to the age of children or young people. Organized by the staff of biologists and naturalists of the park that will accompany the group. They will be from the discovery of fossils to the design of a department of the park.
Visit to museums
Among the things to do on team building on Lake Garda with a class could not miss the visits to museums. Throughout the territory of Lake Garda, there are museums dedicated to different themes and suitable for the various classes and ages of children.
There are many museums of natural history, which describe and lead to the discovery of all the flora and fauna of the lake. Given its vastness, the lake surrounds different landscapes and climates. Particularly interesting for children and young people is the natural history museum inside the castle of Malcesine. Among its nine rooms, you can live an immersive experience with realistic settings, sensory and olfactory paths. Starting from the geological formation of Monte Baldo and Lake Garda to the present day with insights, videos and photos.
History in the museums
Lake Garda and all its enclosing area have been scenes of many historical events. In this regard, there are many historical museums such as the Museum of Solferino, the Muse of Salò and the archaeological museums of Sirmione, Desenzano.
For schools, specific and personalized educational programs are often carried out. Each student can be protagonist during the activity and live experiences that can stimulate curiosity and awareness of the story. A wide and varied range of educational courses is especially offered by the MAG of Riva del Garda. Visits to the museum can follow a specific historical era, a particular theme addressed at school or be connected to one of the five senses.
Among the most unusual and unique museums of its kind on Lake Garda then, impossible not to mention the Vittoriale degli italiani located in one of the most beautiful places to visit on the lake: Gardone Riviera.
The spectacular house-museum of the eccentric poet and artist Gabriele D’Annunzio: this museum complex consists of houses and gardens where you can admire all the relics collected by the writer in memory of his exploits. The children can lean out of the bow of a military ship and contemplate a two-seater aircraft hanging right above their heads.
Museums that tell traditions and explain everyday life
In order not to loose memory of the many local traditions that characterize the villages of Lake Garda, many museum of traditions still carry on the legacies of the little towns. Like the Fishing Museum in Peschiera or the Territorial Museum of Garda. Often managed by retired volunteers, locals, collections memories and unique stories are inside and they have been handed down for generations. Among the traditions are also enhanced the recipes and the typical productions of the territories. For example in Bardolino there is the Wine Museum and not far away, in Cisano, the oil museum.
In addition to the many theoretical concepts they get to learn in books, it is also important for children to understand how everyday things operate. In this regard, the museum of the power plant in Riva Del Garda and the museum of Cartiere in Toscolano Maderno were built. With educational paths, they led to know two common elements in everyday life: the electric current and the paper. In addition, the museum of vintage cars Nicolis realizes routes and personalized activities for schools, to understand the technological evolution and human ingenuity.
Our team has been supporting teachers for years in the organization of school trips by providing the best possbile advice and reservation of group activities in the area of lake Garda.
Lake Garda: Group Activites for Bachelor & Bachelorette party
Thermal parks and yoga
Sport and adrenaline in groups
Boat trip in a group
Exit by Canoe/Kayak
Group bike tour with tastings
Thermal parks and yoga
Appointments, suppliers, contingencies, last-minute commitments… The stress that accumulates the bride in preparing her wedding is really a lot. Why then in deciding on which group activity to do on Lake Garda, not think about a moment of relaxation? The Lake along its shores welcomes many thermal and spa retreats. Ideal places to unwind and forget for a moment commitments and deadlines.
From the most famous thermal waters: those of Sirmione to the Garda Thermal Park in Colà, the ideal is to spend a half day of wellness and conclude with an aperitif or dinner. If you want to make this relaxing experience last longer, choose one of the many spa resorts. Many, such as the Ali del Frassino resort, also offer exclusive packages that include access to the spa and accommodation.
An original alternative increasingly appreciated is a yoga session for the well-being of the body and mind in an exceptional location. Lakefront there are several beaches a bit isolated that grant an intimate and cozy place. Alternatively, you can go into the surrounding hills to reach the viewpoints that offer an incredible view of the lake. Undoubtedly the most beautiful places to visit on Lake Garda If you want to combine business with pleasure, choose yoga in the vineyard and finish with wine tasting and celebrations in the cellar!
Sport and adrenaline in groups
Before finally greeting the carefree life of single person, very often to future spouses comes a strong desire to do something new and risky. Something they have never done before. Here, and now what to make up? No problem, there is a list of adrenaline activities that you can do in groups on Lake Garda!
In particular, an increasingly popular activity is Canyoning. A water sport that consists in the descent of narrow gorges crossed by small streams. It requires a certain amount of courage and you will have to get a little further away from the lake towards the Adige River. However, it will certainly satisfy the adventure thirsty grooms and brides!
Do you prefer something more “safe”? I propose the Jungle Adventure, Adventure Park in the trees…here you will have the harness and carabiners to be well attached to the ropes! Immersed in the nature of Monte Baldo, you can relive a day in group from Tarzan in the largest adventure parks in Italy.
To stay with your feet on the ground instead, do not forget that Lake Garda hosts the most important amusement parks; Gardaland, Movieland and Caneva could be a dream come true, you are never too big and then… Feet on the ground until you are on the ride, because between their roller coaster and slides the adrenaline does not skip a beat!
Boat trip
If you have chosen Lake Garda as your destination during the summertime, the main reason will surely be for its blue waters. What better way to celebrate together than by sailing on a private boat?
The proposals for boat tours are countless; you just have to choose the one that suits you. From the half-day boat tour with an offshore dip, reaching some of the most beautiful places to visit on Lake Garda. To something shorter like sipping an aperitif surrounded by the water, while admiring the colors of the sunset.
Maybe a tour with aperitif on board in exceptional locations such as the UNESCO fortress of Peschiera del Garda. A tour along the coast of Sirmione for shots with an incomparable postcard panorama. Or an afternoon of “Boating and Chill” in the lower lake. These boat excursions are among the most popular things to do as group activities on Lake Garda. However, if you do not find the one that suits you, you can book a customized excursion. Rely on GardaLanding and you will find the ideal solution for an unforgettable bachelorette or bachelor party.
Excursion by Canoe/Kayak
For the sportier, an alternative always on the water is an excursion by canoe or kayak. An unusual experience to do in a group but that will allow you to reach small hidden corners of the lake in complete freedom. The only limit is how far you can row! Kayaking and canoeing can be a perfect activity to enrich a simple group day on the beach. Maybe after a picnic all-together or a pleasant lakeside walk.
Rowing a few meters away from the coast, you’ll have the possibility to admire from the water some of the most beautiful places of Lake Garda!
For the less specialists, a viable alternative to canoeing is the sup, lighter and easier to conduct. Capturing some pics while balancing on the sup board are “a must do” during the summer, but also lying down down to enjoy the warmest rays of the sun are one of the most enjoyable activities. Just be careful not to get too far from shore or you will have to row a lot to return.
We all agree that whatever experience you choose for a bachelorette or bachelor party, you have to celebrate, right? Here, then to end the day at the beach with the right celebrations you have many choices. In the summer months, the kiosks of the shores along the lake usually put on music, which is often live from happy hour until evening.
For something more sophisticated, there are also some nightclubs on the lake towards Desenzano and Lonato where to party. Some restaurants and pizzerias in the villages on the lake instead dedicate an evening a week to karaoke. Great opportunity to capture some embarrassing videos of the future bride or groom!
Bike tour with tasting sessions
Have you found yourself organizing a farewell with great drinkers or lovers of good local products ? Do not worry; there are suggestions of things to do in groups even for you! Without risking your license or not to get to the wedding. An excellent proposal is a guided bike tour through the hills surrounding the lake. To reduce the effort and double the fun you could also opt for e-bikes.
If you do not want to miss the places to visit on Lake Garda or are looking for a personalized bike tour contact GardaLanding. We will understand together what your needs and interests are to guide you in choosing and creating the perfect bike tour.
The cycle paths that start from the shores of the lake which enter olive groves and vineyards are many and vary according to the length and difficulty. Very appreciated are always the stops along the way. For a memorable group experience, plan a tasting and visit to the vineyards or an aperitif with typical products from some local farm.
For those who choose to stay on a flat path overlooking the lake, we recommend the Garda-Lazise cycle path. A simple path near the water which even crosses Bardolino, a town that has the name of one of the local wines produced in the area. Along the path, you will find several beaches and kiosks where you can stop to sip on a glass of Prosecco or to take a group bath.
If you are looking for something far from the crowd of sunbathing people along the lake shores, the best solution is the Mincio cycle path.
A cycle path surrounded by greenery that runs along the homonymous river and connects Peschiera to Mantua. Far from the traffic and the lake, the track passes through Valeggio sul Mincio. Here in the small fraction of Borghetto you can stop to taste the typical tortellini “Nodo d’amore”.
If with all these tips you do not know how to choose, or you are looking for a personalized bike tour, you can contact GardaLanding. We will understand together what your needs and interests are to guide you in choosing and creating the perfect bike tour.
Team building
As Team Building, there are many activities of various interests ranging from group play to boat cruise. A team experience, more often organized by companies to increase harmony and cohesion between working groups.
What experiences can you consider suitable for a team building to do in a group on Lake Garda?
There are many options: recreational, educational or experiential activities, perfect for relaxation and recreation. What makes them great bonding activities is the goal with which you plan them: to live an experience that goes beyond the fun. That it aims at fostering communication and collaboration between team members and improving the overall performance of the group towards a goal.
To determine the most suitable team building activities on Lake Garda here are different factors to take into consideration: the age, the number of participants, the type of group. In this regard, to find the best experience it is advisable to rely on an expert who can advise and guide in the choosing process.
Below there are some of the most popular experiences such as Team Building from companies and small businesses.
Cooking Class and dinner
Speedboat hire
Group sport activities
Group Treasure Hunt and Games
Winery visit and tasting
Cooking Class and dinner
An experience where you have to “put your hands in the pasta”, like we Italians like to say, is in the most real sense of the term the best group activity for team building on Lake Garda. Learning and testing for oneselves in a field that unites everyone, but in which often no one is particularly skilled.
The many places to visit on Lake Garda have and proudly preserve a vast and precious gastronomic heritage. This experience will lead the group to discover typical dishes, traditional recipes and secret ingredients that have been handed down for generations. Moreover, maybe even to discover an innate talent in the kitchen!
Divided into pairs or small groups, the participants will try to prepare simple and traditional dishes such as fresh pasta or sbrisolona cake. They will learn cooking skills and gestures that they will then have to reproduce and put into practice together with their teammates.
At the end of the cooking class they will have the opportunity to taste together what their teamwork has produced. The experience ends with a shared dinner with friends. If you have a team spending their lunch breaks at the nearest diner or ordering takeout, this could be a revolutionary experience. It could change the habits, also the one of many colleagues when they return.
Joke aside, the cooking classes that are proposed are suitable for everyone without the need for any particular skill or ability. Only curiosity and desire to get involved with your group is required, as in any Team Building experience after all.
Speedboat hire
Why should you hire a speedboat for your Team Building experience?
The first reason is undoubtedly that it allows you to admire from the water all the best places to visit on Lake Garda.
In addition, this is a convenient and fun means of transport, where passengers feel immediately comfortable and they can socialize easily. If you think about to say “we are all in the same boat”, you will understand how this solution embodies the true value of Team Building.
A motorboat ride on the lake is that experience that makes everyone emotionally involved with the same sensations. Being a new and unknown situation, most people tend to help one another, significantly improving the cohesion and group participation.
By boat, whether it is a short or half-day tour, because of the limited spaces the coexistence becomes immediately very “intimate”. The sharing of what everyone feels and perceives is the main point of the experience of Team Building.
If you analyze the term, it means, “Build the group” and which is the best way than through common and shared experiences?
This being the real intention of a company or a Team Leader in the search for group activities on Lake Garda: offering opportunities and moments of meeting and building the Team.
Group sport activities
Make it more compact and focus on how to reach new goals for your team by combining fun and energy. Sports Activities help to stimulate interpersonal relationships and collaboration, increasing understanding and trust among participants. There is no shortage of sport opportunities for groups on the lake, but I suggest one in particular: the Dragon Boat.
An unusual and extraordinary experience to impress every kind of group. Everyone is good at organizing and winning a game of five-a-side football, but rowing simultaneously on an unusual boat? If additionally it is done in one of the places to visit on Lake Garda like the UNESCO fortress of Peschiera, it will be surely unforgettable!
The dragon boat can accommodate up to 20 people. It is also a water discipline suitable for everyone, especially for who seeks something that manages to blend competition and fun. To make the boat proceed, coordination and synchronicity in the movements, which must be regular and fluid, are essential.
This puts the group in a situation that forces it to cooperate: the first one who rows unsynchronized causes the whole team to struggle or fail.
To increase the involvement of the participants, it is also possible to organize a challenge between two boats. The Team will find itself focused and determined to reach the goal together.
This experience is perfect for training and strengthening a corporate team because in the boat you no longer exist as individuals, only as a team. This shows how much individualism and personal initiative are counterproductive and discouraged. On the contrary, it encourages people to trust their teammates and to be aware that everyone is trying their best.
The Dragon boat offers all these dynamics and much more, such as a healthy spirit of competition. This is fundamental for every working group regardless of the type of activity. Some thing that cannot miss is the playful component, because the fun element unites and makes accomplices.
Games and Group Treasure Hunt
If you already have a particularly harmonious group, the team building experience could be a way to motivate and stimulate even more the overall already existing good collaboration.
If physical strength may not be the prerogative of all, the plays of logic or slyness are within reach of every participant. You can test the group with games and riddles to solve. Their commitment will lead them to have to define a problem and identify potential solutions. They will learn extremely useful skills that can come in handy at work.
They will also be able to discover the hidden creativity of each team member. Challenging yourself in step or escape room paths allows the Team to develop skills such as problem solving and lateral thinking.
You can do most of the experiences in groups. According to the strength of the team’s bond, the contribution of each participant will be essential and necessary for strengthening the collaboration among colleagues.
The many beautiful places to visit on the lake pose as an exceptional location for orienteering or outdoor treasure hunting. During the cold seasons, you can choose for indoor themed escape rooms.
Winery visit and tasting
An experience to do in group on Lake Garda and stimulate your sense oftaste and smell. These two senses will be spoiled and pampered during the visit to the winery and the tasting experience.
Although it is not a group activity that puts to the test the working group itself, it gives it a moment of leisure. Time spent together to confront each other, may be the best way to get to know the tastes of your mates or colleagues. The wine and the food that you will taste during the experience will be a great starting point for a chat. It will not focus on work and tasks, but rather about the exclusive situations you are living together.
The ideal setting for a suggestive walk in the vineyard is the Lake Garda and grapevines surrounding it. The many places to visit on the lake offer unique sceneries and as many wonderful wineries as you can think.
Wine has always united people; it is the convivial element par excellence. When you have fun together, you become much more affable, agreeable and sociable with people. So you can imagine after a few good glasses of wine how fun the day becomes. The atmosphere will be the clearest explanation of why a tasting is a perfect group activity for a Team Building.
In addition to cellar visits and classic tastings, many wineries have developed more engaging group activities. For example, the blind tasting in which, divided into teams, you will try to guess the aromas and flavors of the wine, learning new notions. Alternatively, an excellent idea might be a half-day of teamwork in grape picking during the harvest period.
Team building is an increasingly widespread and serious phenomenon. As it has been realized in the companies to make team, in fact it improves the entire productive machine. Moreover, the best way to build a cohesive group is to share experiences.
To organize a group experience, whatever it is, nothing needs to be left to chance. It is not enough to just choose among the available group activities on Lake Garda. You also need to know how to involve every participant and make it easily accessible.
For advice and support in the organization of activities and the entire day, you can rely on our team. We will guide you and provide you with all the services necessary for the success of your group experience..
