Lake Garda's boats are run by one state operator, the Gestione Governativa Navigazione Laghi, and its fares are fixed by fare section rather than by route. A one-way adult ticket runs from 1.50 euro for the shortest hop to 17.50 euro for the longest, and a day pass for the whole lake costs 39.50 euro. Prices on this page come from the tariff sheets in force since 1 April 2026.
There are two separate services, and they are priced separately. Passenger boats, including the faster servizi rapidi and the catamarans, call at around thirty piers between Desenzano in the south and Riva del Garda in the north. The car ferry across the middle of the lake, between Maderno and Torri del Benaco, carries vehicles and takes 30 minutes. Both are sold at the piers and on the operator's website, and both close for part of the winter.
How the fares are worked out
There is no price list by route. The tariff sheet carries a diagram of every pier, and you find your fare by crossing the row of your departure pier with the column of your arrival pier, which gives a fare section numbered U or 1 to 7. The operator's own examples are Desenzano to Garda, which is section 4, and Sirmione to Riva, which is section 6.
One-way adult fares on ordinary sailings are 1.50 euro for section U, 3.50 euro for section 1, 6.00 euro for section 2, 7.50 euro for section 3, 11.50 euro for section 4, 14.00 euro for section 5, 16.00 euro for section 6 and 17.50 euro for section 7. A return ticket costs double the one-way fare.
The faster servizi rapidi carry a supplement on top of the ordinary fare: 2.50 euro in section 1, rising through 3.00, 4.00, 4.50, 5.00 and 5.50 euro to 6.00 euro in section 7. No reduction or concession applies to the supplement itself, and a passenger holding any other valid ticket can board a fast sailing by paying it.
Day passes, and when they pay
The carte di libera circolazione are unlimited-travel passes sold by zone. The whole-lake pass, Intera Rete, costs 39.50 euro for one day and 79.00 euro for three days at the full adult rate, 31.60 and 63.20 euro at the reduced rate, and 20.00 and 40.00 euro for children. Alone among the passes it includes the fast sailings.
Two half-lake zones cost 27.00 euro for a day and 54.00 euro for three days at the adult rate: Alto Lago, from the Maderno and Torri line northwards, and Basso Lago, from the Gargnano and Torri line southwards. Four smaller zones, Nord, Centro, Ovest and Est, cost 23.50 euro for one day. On all of these the pass covers ordinary runs only, and a fast sailing still needs its supplement.
The arithmetic is worth doing before you buy. A return across the widest part of the lake in section 6 costs 32.00 euro, so a 39.50 euro whole-lake day pass only pays if you intend a third leg or a fast sailing. Two shorter return hops in section 4 come to 46.00 euro, which the pass beats comfortably.
Discounts, children and family tickets
Children under 4 travel free if they do not take a seat and are accompanied, with one adult allowed up to three children. From 4 to under 12 they pay the children's fare, which is 3.50 euro in sections 1 and 2, then 3.80, 5.80, 7.00, 8.00 and 8.80 euro up to section 7, or the children's rate on a pass.
Passengers over 65 pay the reduced fare on single tickets from Monday to Friday only, with Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays excluded, on production of identification. The multi-day passes carry the same reduction on any day of the week. Reduced single fares run 4.80 euro in section 2, 6.00, 9.20, 11.20, 12.80 and 14.00 euro to section 7.
The Happy Family offer gives up to two children aged 4 to 11 free travel when a family buys two full-fare day passes, which prices a family day on the whole lake at 79.00 euro, on a half-lake zone at 54.00 euro and on one of the four smaller zones at 47.00 euro. It cannot be combined with any other reduction. Groups of at least 15 pay the reduced fare with one adult free for every 25 paying, and school groups of at least 10 pay the children's fare with one teacher free for every 10 students. Touring Club Italiano and ACI members hold agreements valid to 31 December 2026 that give them the reduced fares, and residents of 26 lakeside comuni have their own Conosci il tuo Lago rate.
The Maderno to Torri car ferry
The only way to take a car across the lake is the ferry between Maderno, on the Brescia shore, and Torri del Benaco, on the Verona shore. The winter timetable shows the crossing taking 30 minutes, with 14 departures a day in each direction.
One-way fares in force since 1 April 2026 are set by vehicle length, driver included: 12.30 euro for a car up to 3.50 metres, 14.90 euro up to 4.50 metres and 18.40 euro above that, 25.00 euro for a camper, 12.30 euro for a motorbike over 250cc and 9.80 euro for one up to 250cc, and 9.20 euro for a bicycle or e-bike. Each additional adult in the vehicle pays 7.50 euro. Coaches pay 23.50 euro up to 32 seats and 30.00 euro above that, with the driver free.
Foot passengers on the ferry pay 7.50 euro as an adult, 3.80 euro for children aged 4 to 11, 3.80 euro for disabled passengers and 6.00 euro in a group of 15 or more. Return journeys cost double. Loading and unloading is the driver's responsibility, and the vehicle stays in the driver's custody during the crossing.
Seasons, and the months with no boats
The passenger service does not run all year. The summer timetable covered 16 May to 4 October 2026, and the winter timetable covers 5 October to 1 November 2026 and then 13 to 25 March 2027. Between 2 November 2026 and 12 March 2027 the only service on the lake is the Torri to Maderno car ferry, which the operator states plainly at the head of the winter timetable.
The car ferry timetable itself runs from 5 October 2026 to 25 March 2027, and the ferry does not operate on 25 December 2026. Travellers planning a winter visit should expect to move around the lake by bus or car rather than by boat, apart from that one crossing.
The operator also warns that sailings can be suspended or cut short in fog, darkness, snow or storm at the captain's judgement, with no right to compensation, and that missed train connections and omitted stops do not give grounds for a claim.
Buying tickets, luggage and bikes
Tickets must be bought at a pier ticket office or online. Boarding at a pier with a working ticket office and buying from the crew adds a fixed surcharge of 1.00 euro per passenger, per piece of luggage or per vehicle, and the same surcharge applies to any ticket issued on board at the passenger's request, such as extending a journey. Disabled passengers are exempt from the on-board surcharge.
One piece of luggage travels free if its longest side is no more than 0.60 metres, its volume no more than 40 cubic decimetres and its weight no more than 20 kilograms. Anything larger, and every bag after the first whatever its size, pays the luggage tariff, which is 4.80 euro for a bag with its longest side between 0.60 and 0.80 metres or weighing more than 20 kilograms, up to a 60 kilogram limit. Luggage with a side over 0.60 metres is not accepted on fast sailings at all.
Bicycles pay their own fare, from 1.50 euro in section U to 6.90 euro in section 7, and electric bikes count as bicycles. Bikes are not allowed on fast sailings or on the catamarans, and on ordinary sailings the captain can limit them depending on the vessel and the traffic, so the operator asks cyclists to check first on the free line 800-551801. Folded electric scooters under 1.10 metres travel free, and larger or unfolded ones pay the bicycle fare. Dogs up to 50 centimetres at the withers travel free, taller dogs pay the reduced fare, and guide dogs travel free in all cases.
Refunds when a sailing fails
A full refund is due if a departure is at least 60 minutes late or the sailing is cancelled, if a public authority prevents travel, or if there is no room on board. A passenger who simply decides not to travel can ask the issuing ticket office for a refund within 30 minutes of the time printed on the ticket, with a penalty deducted in proportion to the full fare up to a maximum of 3.00 euro per passenger.
All refund claims go in writing, with the original tickets attached, to the Direzione di Esercizio della Navigazione sul Lago di Garda at Piazza Matteotti, 25015 Desenzano del Garda. The tariff sheet also notes that prices are set by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and can change without notice, which is why this page carries the date it was last checked.
