Lake Garda Malcesine, Limone or other town Sept 2023?

Malcesine is very popular with many here, so that would definitely be a place to consider. As I recall, there's also a cable car there which would allow you to take a trip up the mountain for some incredible views. Limone sul Garda is across the lake from Malcesine and also very popular, but of the two I would prefer Malcesine.

We really liked Malcescine. It has a charming old town with cobbled streets and a ruined castle. And yes there is a cable car up Monte Baldo right from town. Hiking trails abound.

It does have lots of tourists, mostly Germans, enjoying the active sports like windsurfing.

Will all of the villages along Lake Garda be very crowded in mid-late September? Any less crowded than others?
Thanks!

The prettier ones will be more crowded, but it will nothing like the crowds one would experience in Venice, Florence, or Rome, so sit back and relax, nobody is going to step on your toes while walking. Choose the one you like best and/or find the best accommodations. Limone is pretty but very small, so finding accommodations is probably harder than Malcesine.

I’d recommend Sirmione for your overnight if you feel you must spend time on Garda, else, Gargnano. Limone is nothing but a lemon trap. Don’t bother with the cable car in Malcesine. It’s a long line for little value. Not worth the time, money, and effort. You might rethink Garda altogether and instead hit Como, but Garda has its charms. You just need to find them deep amongst the German tourists and plastic lemons.

Hmmmm. Sirmione is the most touristy town on Garda. The main pedestrian street is lined with souvenir and T-shirt shops and so crowded it is hard to walk through. And the views at the southern end of the lake are uninspiring.

The Monte Baldo cable car is worth the wait if you want to go hiking, not just ride up for the views and then ride back down. Or you can avoid the line at the bottom by hiking up to the midway station and boarding there.

Sirmione is touristy but worth a day trip. We just stayed in Desenzano del Garda and it was great. Easy access to the the train but it depends on what you want to do as Desenzano is not convenient to mid lake activities.

hey hey amrnxo
september/october can be busy months. it's harvest time with festivals all over italy.
since you'll be on the lake, check out festa dell'uva e del vino in bardolino. sept 28 to oct 2, 2023.
friends told us about wine festival, rented car in venice where we were and drove on sunday morning to bardolino staying at
hotelnettuno.com overnight. hotel held bags, parked in front, walked out back of hotel to entrance of festival. bought a " 15E wine necklace" to hold glass and hands free, was about noon. so much fun, olive oil & wine, food, dancing, wine stomping, benches to sit, products for sale, small restaurants/cafes, right on the gorgeous lake with ferries for rides up & down the lake. we had a car, don't know the transportation, if it's a bus it will be longer ride.
if you are renting a car, get your IDP from AAA/CAA. $25 & 2 passport photos and get same day. good for a year (translation of your drivers license)
last night they have a firework show over the lake, that's why we stayed over sunday to see that. wish we had more time to stay on the lake, small pretty towns/villages, had lunch in center at pescheira del garda then drove back to venice.
duetigarage.com
click trike/ryker rental and see if interested in a tour/drive yourself "pick the hours" and have some fun cruising.
thecrowdedplanet.com
search: ultimate guide to things to do in lake garda
getyourguide.com/ lake garda
lots of different activities going on. stop at a tourist kiosk city center, look at boat or ferry cruise around lake
hope you find something/someplace to stay and enjoy this northern beauty. just go & relax, no worries about crowds (like rome, venice, florence; friends just got back from the BIG 3, they said was so so packed like sardines, lines everywhere) sit at cafe, have an apertif/bardolino rose wine and people watch.
aloha

I would think about going up North along the coast..start from sirmione and make it a day. You can walk also, every now and then stop and sit.

Thanks Princess Pupule and all for the tips!
Anne

Donna Sunriver - where did you stay in Desenzano? Thx