The town of Arco is a small village about 5 km north of Lake Garda (Lago di Garda), a famous luxury resort in northern Italy. Arco is a town that only climbers know, but it is famous for Rock Master Competitions! The area has an amazing combination of a beautiful scenery with lakes and olive fields, Climbing sites in Arco The Arco area has more than 136 climbing spots and more than 5200 routes. Arco is mainly short pitch climbing which is bolted sport climbing routes across all grades on limestone rock. My impression is that Arco is a single pitch climbing area, but there are also many multi-pitch climbing areas. Climbing Equipment ・single rope 70m ・12 quickdraws Depends on the route you want to climb.... The Climbing Season The best climbing seasons are spring and autumn, and summer is too hot to climb. However, as it is a famous summer resort, most people come here from late June to mid-September when they are on vacation. So it seems to be crowded during the summer vacation period. Even if it rains in the Dolomites (Dolomiti) in northern Italy, which is famous for climbing and trekking, it is sometimes possible to climb if you come to Arco. Rock Climbing Guidebook The climbing route descriptions are not the ones with route lines drawn on the photograph, but simple pictures of rock formations with route lines drawn on them. The topo compactly contains access and other necessary information such as exposure, equipment, parking, fit for family… ⚠️ 4th Edition (2018) is available now. Access to the Climbing Area Most of the crags around Arco are easily accessible. Massone, Arco's most popular climbing area, is within walking distance from downtown Arco. Climbing with a mountain guide (Friends of Arco) I had been in France less than a year and did not have a climbing partner, so I signed up for a mountain guide. This was my first time climbing with a mountain guide. There are several climbing guides available, and this time I asked Friends of Arco to guide me. Depending on the season, there is a climbing school during the summer season, and it seems to be reasonably priced (80€~/3days, 2012). I exchanged only one email in advance and negotiated directly on site on the day I arrived at Arco. It would be best if you can speak Italian, but my limited English was fine. The meeting place was Camping Arco. Maybe Camping Arco and Friends of Arco are the same organization. The climbing areas I climbed inArco (2012) Day 1 : Nago Day 2 : Nomessino This was my first time in Arco. The weather was not perfect 🌦 But the climbing route was nice 😍 Day 1 : Nago Since it was my first time on the Arco crag and my first time on limestone, I drove with a mountain guide to Nago, which has a moderate number of easy routes. Day 2 : Nomessino It was raining lightly so we went to Nomesino, a slightly overhang area in the Rovereto. It is an area where local climbers can climb even on rainy days 🌧 Climbing Shops in Arco The whole town area in Arco is full of mountaineering shops 😂 The main street of Arco is lined with climbing stores. Some of the prices are discounted, making it twice as enjoyable for climbers. Having had a taste of Arco, I assumed that I could get climbing equipment at a lower price in a city where climbing is popular (e.g. Kalymnos, Greece), but it seems that Arco is special 😔 Accommodation 🏠 La Porta del Cuore This is an apartment type accommodation. I used the website to make the reservation. The owner was friendly and helpful, and I would use Appart again. All the dishes were provided, including a wine opener. There was a refrigerator and oven. ⛺️ Camping site Camping Zoo Arco Camping Arco is conveniently located near Arco city center. How to get to Arco from Venezia by public transportation 1️⃣ 🚃 Take a train from "Venezia S. Lucia" to "Rovereto" via "Verona Porta Nuova" 2️⃣ 🚌 Take a bus from Rovereto-Via Manzoni to Arco (Arco). I think you can take a bus from in front of Rovereto station, but this time I took the bus from the first bus station (Rovereto-Via Manzoni) 😅 ✍🏻 List of climbing routes which I have climbed 👉🏻 Arco 🙈