After the Lake Garda Marathon: Malcesine and Monte Baldo

The Route: Malcesine lakefront → Scaliger Castle → Monte Baldo cable car Logistics: The finish, the old town and the castle are within a few minutes' walk of each other. The cable car station is a short distance from the centre, reached on foot, by bus or by taxi. Marathon Month: April Duration: Day trip

Malcesine lakefront ──(walk 5 mins)──> Scaliger Castle
        │
        └──(short bus/taxi/walk)──> Cable car ──(about 15 mins)──> Monte Baldo ridge

Lake Garda 42 finishes in Malcesine, so anyone who stayed on the lake already has the day-after trip on their doorstep. The town is squeezed between the water and the flank of Monte Baldo, and the two together give you a castle at sea level and a mountain view from a cabin.

April in Malcesine: cool and changeable, with daytime temperatures of about 12 to 17 °C on the lakefront and much colder on the ridge. Patches of snow can still lie on Monte Baldo in April. Some cafes and shops open later in the season.

The day

The Scaliger Castle stands on a rock at the edge of the harbour. It was built by the Scaliger family of Verona and later held by Venice, and it now houses a small museum. The entrance is a short walk from the finish area. Check the opening days and the ticket price, and note that there are steps inside.

The old town is a maze of stone alleys running uphill from the harbour. The lakefront, by contrast, is flat and paved, with cafes and boats. A slow walk along the waterfront is enough for the first hour.

The cable car to Monte Baldo runs from the edge of the town and lifts you about 1,700 m in two stages, with a cabin that rotates during the ride so you can see the lake below. The summit ridge has walking paths with views across the lake to the Brenta group in the Dolomites. Check operating hours, prices and any maintenance closures before you go. In April, wind, cloud and snow can close paths or the cable car, and a clear morning is worth waiting for. Bring a warm layer and a windproof, since the temperature drops with height.

The ridge paths are steady and mostly on gravel, but the terrain can be uneven. On the day after a marathon, keep to short, gentle stretches close to the cable car station.

For lunch, look for a lakefront trattoria and check whether it is open. Lake fish such as trout and lavarello, a whitefish, are on many menus.

Getting back

Come down by cable car and walk back to the centre. If you have a late boat or bus to catch, check the timetable at the harbour before you go up.