A Guide in Getting Around Lake Garda: Public Transportation

This post might contain affiliate links.

Getting around Lake Garda is simple with three main options: bus, boat, or car. If you plan well, renting a car isn’t necessary since public transportation should be enough. Today, I’ll give you a quick guide on using public transportation around Lake Garda.

First of all: There’s no train service directly around Lake Garda, but you can take a train to or from the lake using the stations in Desenzano del Garda and Peschiera del Garda, both on the southern side. These two towns are connected by train.

Summary

Buses run along both the eastern and western shores of the lake, making it easy to reach different spots, though travel time depends on distance.

If you need to travel between towns across the lake, ferries can shorten your trip and give you better views. The main issue with ferries is their availability during bad weather or in winter when they don’t run.

If you’re visiting outside of winter and want a bit more adventure, you can rent a motorboat, but they’re limited to the southern part of the lake.

Schedule and Routes

Online navigation apps like Google Maps or Rome2Rio are usually great for getting directions during your trip to Lake Garda. However, it’s a good idea to double-check the official websites for Lake Garda’s public transportation to make sure the schedules are accurate.

The links below can help you confirm the latest information:

• brescia.arriva.it – Lake Garda west coast bus routes references
• www.atv.verona.it – Lake Garda east coast bus routes references 
• www.navigazionelaghi.it – Lake Garda ferry timetable

Below is the summary of the public transportation routes from the links given above based on the details I found last time I checked:

• Bus Line 199: Verona Airport to Verona 
• East Coast Bus Lines 162 and 163: Verona-Bussolengo-Lazise-Bardolino-Garda
• East Coast Bus Line 164: Verona-Peschiera-Lazise-Bardolino-Garda
• East Coast Bus Line 165: Verona-Bussolengo-Garda
• East Coast Bus Line 484: Garda-Torri Del Benaco-Brenzone Sul Garda-Malcesine-Torbole Porto-Riva del Garda
• South Coast Bus Line LN026: Brescia-Desenzano-Sirmione-Peschiera-Verona
• West Coast Bus Line LN027: Desenzano-Manerba-Salo-Limone-Riva del Garda

Note: I only included the most popular towns in Lake Garda for each bus line in the descriptions above. For example, the LN027 line actually stops at more than 20 places, but I didn’t list them all. Be sure to check the links I shared for the latest and most accurate info.

There are three main lines in which ferries are operating in Lake Garda. Here’s the summary:

• Desenzano – Peschiera – Riva
  • Regular tickets: 5-hour trip (end to end)
  • Fast tickets: 2.5-hour trip (end to end)
• Maderno – Torri: 25 minutes
• Limone (Traghetto) – Malcesine (Centrale + Traghetto): 20 minutes

Tip: Since all the towns in Lake Garda are connected by public transportation, it’s preferable to stay at one place for your whole trip.