We had a wonderful time at Lake Garda, starting off with our stay at the very fancy Hotel Castello Lake Front, but how was the rest of our time in Malcesine, and what did we make of it?
First things first, Lake Garda is just huge and there’s no way anyone’s exploring all the little towns and sights in the several days we had available; we had initially booked to stay in Sirmione, a peninsula jutting out into the lake to one end of it – but changed to Malcesine when we found Hotel Castello, and worried about possible tourist crowding in Sirmione.
In the end, that turned out to be a fine choice; Malcesine is a relatively medium-sized town along the Lake Garda route, with – at least in late April – relative peace and quiet, and very easy to walk around.
From our hotel, we were easily able to walk to the castle down the narrow alleys in just a few minutes. We visited the castle one morning, and the views up and down the lake were really something fantastic, once you climb to the top of the tower. It does get a little busy up there though, but the views more than made up for the stairs.
Another real positive about a stay in Malcesine is that the Malcesine – Monte Baldo cable car is just a few minutes walk from the town centre. I was shocked by how few people seem to book their tickets online in advance – despite it being very straightforward – so be sure to do so, as the queues for the ticket booths would be very off-putting, even so early in the season as when we went.
The cable car itself is incredibly scenic – though be aware you do need to transfer to another car about halfway up, and the second one very gently rotates. Certainly not enough to make anyone dizzy, but mildly unsettling for anyone who doesn’t already really love cable cars (me, in this case).
What’s truly amazing is just how steep and how high the cable car goes, as we found the peak of Monte Baldo still very much snow-capped; I ended up wearing only a light pair of beach shoes and slacks, and I would strongly recommend that simply dressing for high altitude would be a far better approach than my gently-freezing-to-death sartorial form.
Nevertheless, again, the views are spectacular from out over the mountains and we made a promise to return some other time and explore the other side of the mountains and the hiking trails.
On another afternoon, we set sail on a small yacht cruise around the lake; again, a truly picturesque way to view the nooks and crannies (and even an island) around the lake.
Truthfully, the boat was enjoyable, but slightly underwhelming I’m going to say – it effectively went in a big square, and the attendant made a very brief attempt to offer beverages to those seated most nearby, but certainly never got anywhere close to us and so instead we sat, thirsty but unsure if we’d soon be offered, for most of the voyage. As you know, a drink is a must for the WSP Membership on a holiday at all times!
Back on dry land once again, and there was time to watch the sun set across the town of Malcesine and out across the lake – over several glasses of wine, of course – before repairing to a local eatery for my once-daily entire pizza to myself.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our few days at Lake Garda in late April; it was so peaceful, serene and stunning. It seems like an incredibly popular place with German tourists and specifically, campervan owners – this was shaping up already during our trip, so I dread to think what it could be like in the height of summer. But, at least during our visit, it was blissful!
