Malcesine is one of the most picturesque towns on the eastern shore — a cluster of medieval lanes beneath a Scaligero castle, with Monte Baldo rising 1,800 metres directly behind. A cable car (the funivia) connects the lakeside to the summit ridge, where the views over the lake and across to the Alps are extraordinary, and where hiking trails run in both directions along the top.
The cable car cars rotate during the ascent, giving a full 360-degree panorama. The upper station sits on a bare ridge with wildflower meadows in summer and ski runs in winter. The descent can be made by cable car or, for those with good legs, on foot through the beech forests that cover the lower slopes. The journey time on foot is about three hours down.