Malcesine Boat Trip: The Historic Siora Veronica Sailboat Cruise

Included, Extra And Not Allowed

Fuel, the boat rental with skipper and boarding crew, the sailing experience and the drop on and off at Malcesine harbour are all in the price. A beverage on board is included too. Anything beyond that drink, you buy on the boat at an extra cost.

Food is not included and not allowed on board at all. Smoking is not allowed.

What To Bring And What Not To

Bring sunglasses, a hat and comfortable clothes. Wear flip-flops or sneakers, and go barefoot on the teak or wooden deck. Heels are not allowed.

Do not apply sunscreen on the deck, because it damages the wood. Do not bring food or drinks on board, since food is banned and extra drinks are sold on the boat. Smoking is not allowed.

The boat is wheelchair accessible. The trip is not suitable for people over 70 years, and no minimum age is stated.

• Bring: sunglasses, a hat, comfortable clothes, flip-flops or sneakers.
• Leave behind: food, your own drinks, sunscreen for the deck.
• No smoking, no heels, barefoot on the wooden deck.

Money And Getting There

The cruise costs $45 per person, all taxes and fees included. Italy uses the euro, and the European Central Bank rate used across this guide is 1 EUR = 1.1130 USD. You can reach Malcesine harbour by ATV bus lines 483 and 484, or by ferry in the season.

A summer run leaves Malcesine at 8:55 and reaches Limone at 9:15 and Riva at 10:00. Malcesine to Riva del Garda is fare zone 4, $12.80 (€11.50) one way. No parking details for the harbour are published.

• Ferry Malcesine-Riva: zone 4, $12.80 (€11.50) one way.
• Ferry Malcesine-Limone: zone 3, $8.35 (€7.50) one way.
• Reserve now, pay later is available on this listing.

The Options Side By Side

The state ferry company Navigazione Laghi runs ordinary boats from Malcesine north to Limone and Riva del Garda. A malcesine boat trip on the Siora Veronica does something the ferry never does: it sails under canvas past the waterfalls near Tremosine and the La Forra road, and returns close under the Scaligeri Castle. If you only need to get from A to B, the ferry is the cheaper way to cross.

If you want the west-shore cliffs and the castle seen from the water, the sailing cruise is the only way to do it. For a private boat in the south of the lake, the Isola del Garda tour is $496.04 per boat, so it works for a group, not a couple.

When The Day Pass Beats Single Tickets

If you plan more than one crossing in a day, the Centro zone day pass covers the stretch from Limone and Malcesine down to the Maderno-Torri line for $26.16 (€23.50) adult, $20.92 (€18.80) reduced and $13.36 (€12.00) for children. Check the official Navigazione Laghi timetable before you travel, because run times change with the season.

Stop By Stop

The boat leaves the harbour of Malcesine and sails out on the Ora wind, the breeze that sets in during the early afternoon. It heads towards the western coast, where you see the waterfalls near Tremosine and the famous La Forra road, known as the James Bond street. On the way back the boat passes close to the Scaligeri Castle of Malcesine, its medieval walls and the Captain's Palace, then returns to Via Capitanato.

There are no stops on land.

Getting To Malcesine

ATV Verona runs lines 483 and 484 linking Malcesine with Garda, Peschiera, Brenzone, Torri, Torbole and Riva, and line 164 runs Garda-Bardolino-Lazise-Peschiera-Verona. Check the current timetable on atv.verona.it before travelling. In the ferry season you can also arrive by boat.

In summer a run leaves Malcesine at 8:55, reaches Limone at 9:15 and Riva at 10:00, and Malcesine to Limone takes 20 minutes. From the south you can alight at Desenzano or Peschiera and take an ATV bus.

• By bus: ATV lines 483 and 484 serve Malcesine from Garda, Peschiera and Riva.
• By ferry: Malcesine to Limone is 20 minutes, $8.35 (€7.50) one way.
• By car: no harbour parking details are published.

What To Add Before Or After

The Scaligero Castle sits close to the harbour and is open every day until 31 October from 9.30 to 18.00, last entry 17.30. From 1 November it opens Saturdays and Sundays only, 10.30-17.00. The Monte Baldo cable car leaves from the town and climbs about twenty minutes to the top station at 1,760 m, with an adult return at $33.39 (€30) at the ticket office.

If you want a different kind of afternoon on the water afterwards, the Lake Garda Boat Cruise to Sirmione runs 4 hours in the south, or the Sirmione Boat Tour Around the Peninsula does a 25-minute loop for $13.

The Castle Before The Sail

The Scaligero Castle is close to the harbour at Via Capitanato, so it fits neatly before an afternoon departure. It opens every day to 31 October from 9.30 to 18.00, last entry 17.30. From 1 November it opens Saturday and Sunday only, 10.30-17.00, last entry 16.30, and again daily from 5 December to 6 January.

From 9 January it is weekends only once more. The tower is 31 m high and rises about 70 m above the lake, and the castle holds a natural history museum and a room about Goethe. Seeing it from the deck on the way back is a good reason to go up it first.

Monte Baldo Before Or After

The cable car fits either side of the sail. First ascent is at 8:15 with departures every 30 minutes, weather permitting, and the ride takes about twenty minutes to the top at 1,760 m. An adult return costs $33.39 (€30) at the ticket office or $31.16 (€28) online, and $24.49 (€22) one way.

Children up to 1.20 m ride free. The catch is the weather rule: the cable car stops when the weather turns, the same way the sailboat does, so check the day's timetable rather than trusting a fixed last-ride time. Note the maintenance closure from 2 November to 25 December, when the cable car does not run at all.

The Ora Wind And The Afternoon Sail

The Siora Veronica sails in the early afternoon because the Ora wind blows up the lake from early afternoon, and the boat rides it towards Tremosine before turning back. The cruise runs in the early afternoon, so the castle and cable car fill the morning. Public ferries work differently and follow seasonal timetables: the summer passenger timetable ran 16 May to 4 October, with autumn and spring services around it.

• Sailboat cruise: early afternoon, on the Ora wind.
• Summer ferry timetable: 16 May to 4 October.
• Autumn and spring ferry timetables: 5 October to 1 November, then 13 to 25 March.

Storms And The Winter Shutdown

The cruise cancels in bad weather such as thunderstorms, heavy rain or strong wind, and you get a refund or an alternative date, so book a day with slack in the schedule. The bigger limit is the season. From 2 November to 12 March there are no passenger boats anywhere on the lake except the Torri-Maderno car ferry.

The cable car also closes for maintenance from 2 November to 25 December.

• Storms, heavy rain or strong wind: cancelled with refund or a new date.
• 2 November to 12 March: no passenger ferries on the lake, only the Maderno-Torri car ferry.
• Cable car maintenance closure: 2 November to 25 December.