Malcesine, Italy

The Border Town of the Venetian Lake

People have lived on this spot since at least 500 BC, drawn by the rock above the water and the landing place below it. The Longobards built a castle here on earlier fortifications, and in 1277 Alberto della Scala of Verona took direct control of it, which is why the castle still carries the name Scaligero. Malcesine was the town of the Veronese lake closest to the northern border.

That position made a small fishing town worth fortifying, and it made the castle the lookout post for whoever held the lake. Today the Trentino border still runs just north of the town, at Nago-Torbole. Read more on our Malcesine Castle page.

The Captain of the Lake and His Federation

In 1351 Charles IV granted Mastino II della Scala the captaincy of the lake, and this began the Gardesana dell'Acqua, a federation of 10 lake municipalities that lasted until 1802. The Captain of the Lake lived in Malcesine, chosen because it was the town closest to the border. The Visconti replaced the Scaligeri in 1387, and Venice took over in 1405, but the captaincy and its seat stayed.

From 1618 the Captain lived in the palace that still stands by the harbour, with his boat moored in what is now its garden, while the federation's assemblies met in Torri. The federation lasted about 450 years, so the old town you walk is a former seat of the lake's law and order, not just a resort.

From Austrian Rule to Italy

In September 1786 Goethe sketched the castle on his Italian journey, was questioned by the local magistrate on suspicion of being an Austrian spy, and told the whole story in his book Italian Journey. French and Austrian troops passed through after 1796, Austrian rule followed from 1798, and Malcesine joined the Kingdom of Italy in 1866. The town kept its two monuments of that long story: the castle, declared a national monument in 1902, and the Captain's Palace, declared a national monument in the same year.

Both now open to visitors, and the castle keeps a room dedicated to Goethe's awkward afternoon here.

The Scaliger Castle

The Longobards built the castle and Alberto della Scala took it over in 1277, giving it his family name. It stands on the rock about 70 m above the lake, and its main tower is 31 m high, so the view covers both shores. Italy declared it a national monument in 1902.

Inside, the Casermetta holds the Natural History Museum of Monte Baldo and Garda, renovated in 2008 across nine rooms: four on the lake and five on the mountains. There is also a Goethe Room and a room on the Venetian galleys. Hours: every day to 31 October, 9:30-18:00 with last entry 17:30.

In November it opens Saturday and Sunday only, 10:30-17:00, then daily 5 December to 6 January. No ticket price is printed on the official page, so pay at the door. Details on Malcesine Castle.

The Captain's Palace

The Scaligeri built this palace between the 13th and 14th centuries over Roman and Romanesque ruins, and it was rebuilt in Venetian Gothic style in the 15th century. In 1618 Verona bought it, at the request of Venice, as the residence of the Captain of the Lake, which is where the name comes from. The garden at the water was the dock for the Captain's own boat, the ganzarina, so the Captain could step from his house straight onto the lake.

Italy declared it a national monument in 1902, the same year as the castle. The top floor holds the public town library. The palace stands right on the harbour, between the castle and the ferry quay, so you pass it on any walk through the old town.

The Harbour and the Lakefront

The harbour is the working heart of the town and the point where everything arrives and leaves: the ferry quay, the fishing boats and the Siora Veronica, the historical sailing boat about 100 years old that runs day cruises. The meeting point for the Malcesine historic sailboat cruise is here, and the boat leaves the harbour for a 2-hour sail towards the western coast under Tremosine, returning past the castle walls. The afternoon slot is not an accident: the Ora wind only gets going between about noon and 1 pm, so morning here is calm water and afternoon is sailing water.

South of the port there is a lakefront beach next to the island, and the bay of Val di Sogno and the Isola di Sogno lie a little further south.

The Saturday Market

The weekly market runs every Saturday from 8:00 to 14:00, and it is the one recurring event in the town's calendar you can plan a trip around. The market sells fresh and craft products, and it brings more people into the old town for the morning. The simple fix is to ride up at the 8:15 first ascent, be back down by late morning, and then walk the market as the stalls fill.

If you would rather avoid the crowds entirely, pick another day, because the castle, the palace and the harbour do not depend on it. The rest of the town's water and mountain day is set out in the mountain and the water.

Cassone and the Aril

Cassone lies 4 km south of Malcesine at the mouth of the Aril, a river named as the shortest in Italy, which runs through the village into the lake. Here you find the Museo del Lago, a small fishing museum with free entry. Hours: April to October, Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-12:00 and 15:00-18:00.

From November to March it opens Sundays only, same hours. Cassone also has two free pebble beaches with swim rafts, so in summer you can pair the museum with a swim. You can reach it on foot or by bike on the road or the lakeshore cycle path, or by car or bus.

It is the easiest half-day out of Malcesine that costs nothing, and it works even when the mountain weather turns.

Monte Baldo From the Town

The cable car climbs from the lakefront to the Tratto Spino station at 1,760 m in about twenty minutes. In the summer season, 4 April to 1 November, the first ascent is at 8:15 with departures every 30 minutes from 8:30, weather permitting. An adult return costs $33.52 (€30) at the office and $31.28 (€28) online, and juniors pay $20.11 (€18) return at the office.

Two official pages give different last-ascent times, so check the day's timetable at the station. The lift then closes for maintenance from 2 November to 25 December. Full fares and dates are on our Monte Baldo tickets page and the Monte Baldo guide.

The Wind Clock

The lake breathes in and out over the day at Malcesine. The Peler, a north wind, blows from night into the late morning, usually 20 knots and able to reach 30, so mornings are for the mountain or the beach, not for novice sailors. Around noon to 1 pm the Ora arrives from the south at about 15 knots and holds until sunset.

That steady afternoon wind is why the Malcesine historic sailboat cruise, $45 sails in the early afternoon, riding the Ora across toward the Tremosine shore and back past the castle. A daytime storm can invert the winds violently, and bad weather cancels the sailboat with a refund or a new date.

Beaches Along the Shore

Malcesine's swimming is pebble, not sand, and spread along the shore. Paina is a free pebble beach 100 m north of the castle with a swim raft, lifeguard, beach volley and a big car park. Posterna is a small beach under the castle, reached by a lane to the left of the walls.

The lakefront beach lies south of the port beside the little island, and the Val di Sogno bay has a pebbly public beach with a car park just south of the hospital. North of town, Campagnola at 3 km is one of the largest and free, and Navene at 4 km sits beside the sailing club. South, Cassone at 5 km has two free pebble beaches with swim rafts.

More in our Lake Garda beaches guide.

By Ferry

Fares go by zone. Malcesine to Limone is zone 3 at $8.38 (€7.50) one way and the ride takes 20 minutes on a summer run that leaves Malcesine at 8:55 and calls at Limone 9:15, Torbole 9:45 and Riva 10:00. Malcesine to Riva is zone 4 at $12.85 (€11.50) and takes 65 minutes. Malcesine to Torbole is zone 3, Garda to Malcesine is zone 5 at $15.64 (€14) and Desenzano to Malcesine is zone 6 at $17.88 (€16). From the south, a fast service from Sirmione at 9:10 reaches Malcesine at 10:55. The Centro zone day pass costs $26.25 (€23.50), a return costs double the one-way fare and buying on board adds $1.12 (€1) when the ticket office is open. Zones, passes and timetables are on our Lake Garda ferry page.

The table lists the one-way ferry fares from Malcesine by zone, from the Navigazione Laghi fare matrix, with the times of the summer sample run 62 where it calls.

By Bus and Car

ATV lines 483 and 484 run the east shore between Riva, Torbole, Malcesine, Brenzone, Torri and Garda, connecting onward toward Peschiera and its Milan-Venice rail station. No journey times are printed here, so check the current timetable at atv.verona.it before you travel. There is no car ferry between Malcesine and Limone.

The only car ferry on the lake runs between Maderno and Torri on the opposite shores, which does not help you here. If you plan to combine towns by water, our getting around Lake Garda page compares boat, bus and car.

In the Winter Gap

From 2 November to 12 March no passenger boats run anywhere on the lake, and the only service left is the Maderno-Torri car ferry in the middle of the lake. The cable car is shut for maintenance until 25 December and the castle opens only at weekends in November. A winter Malcesine is therefore a car-and-bus trip.

If you are here in that window, base yourself where a car makes sense and read our Lake Garda in winter guide before fixing a plan.

Three Ways to Spend It

An hour or two buys you the harbour, the Captain's Palace garden and a climb up to the castle walls for the view over the rooftops. A half day adds the castle rooms, the Goethe room and the natural history museum inside the Casermetta, plus the Saturday market if your date falls between 8:00 and 14:00. A full day takes the first cable car at 8:15 to walk Monte Baldo in clear morning air, then drops back to the lake in time for the afternoon Ora, when the historic sailboat cruise sails, or the beach at Val di Sogno.

If the mountains call louder than the lake, swap the cable car day for the Dolomites full day tour, $95, which picks up around the lake and reaches the Pordoi Pass. The table below sets the options side by side.

The Details That Change a Visit

Each of these changes how you plan a visit, and each ends with the source it comes from.

- The Aril at Cassone is named as the shortest river in Italy, and the lake museum at its mouth charges no entry (Visit Malcesine). - The garden of the Captain's Palace was the dock for the Captain's own boat, the ganzarina (Visit Malcesine). - Two islands belong to Malcesine: Isola dell'Olivo and Isola di Sogno, just south of the harbour (Wikipedia). - The castle museum was renovated in 2008 and runs over nine rooms, four on the lake and five on the mountains (Visit Malcesine). - A cable car return bought online costs $31.28 (€28), $2.23 (€2) less than at the ticket office (Funivie del Baldo).

Pairing It With the Next Town

Malcesine pairs naturally with the north tip. Limone is 20 minutes by boat in zone 3 at $8.38 (€7.50) and Torbole and Riva are the next stops after it, so a morning-to-evening loop up the narrow end works well and needs no car. Garda town lies south in zone 5 at $15.64 (€14) and is the link toward Bardolino, Lazise and Peschiera by bus line 483.

If you have two nights, our Lake Garda in 2 days plan puts Malcesine and the mountain on one day and the south shore on the next, and Lake Garda in 3 days adds the Dolomites or Verona. Our Riva del Garda page covers the northern base. For the whole lake, shore by shore, pick one of the hotels on Lake Garda as your base and start from there.