There are two public routes out of Verona Villafranca (Catullo) airport towards Lake Garda. The Airlink shuttle, line 199, runs to Verona Porta Nuova railway station every 20 minutes for 7.00 euro and takes 15 minutes. In season, ATV also runs line 482 direct from the airport to Peschiera del Garda, on the lake's southern shore, roughly once an hour.
Both are operated by ATV, the Verona provincial bus company, which also runs the buses along the eastern shore. That matters for ticketing: one ATV pass covers the airport shuttle, the city buses and the lake buses together, so the cheapest way to the lake usually depends on how many ATV legs the day contains rather than on the distance.
The Airlink shuttle to Verona Porta Nuova
The Airlink service, line 199, connects the airport with Verona Porta Nuova railway station in both directions. It runs every day, every 20 minutes, dropping to every 40 minutes at Christmas and on New Year's Day, and the journey takes 15 minutes. The buses are equipped to carry passengers with disabilities.
A single ticket costs 7.00 euro and stays valid for 75 minutes after validation, which means it also covers a connecting ride on Verona's urban buses within that window. A monthly Airlink pass costs 64.00 euro and a yearly one 560.00 euro, both also valid on the city network. Unused tickets are not refundable.
At the airport the ticket can be bought from the machine in the arrivals hall or on board, from the driver or by bank card, with no surcharge for buying on board. At Porta Nuova it is sold at the ATV ticket office next to the bus station, at the tobacconist inside the railway station, and from ATV machines in front of the station and on platforms B2, C1, C3 and E1. The Ticket Bus Verona app sells it too, though ATV notes that a ticket bought online is a single valid only on the station to airport route or the reverse.
ATV sells combined rail and bus tickets with Trenitalia under the Verona Air Link name, and has an arrangement with the German and Austrian railways for a single through ticket from the airport onwards to South Tyrol and Trentino.
The direct bus to Peschiera del Garda
Line 482 runs direct from the airport to Peschiera del Garda, which is the closest lake town to Verona and a stop on the Milan to Venice railway. ATV's airport page describes the service as hourly and dates it as running until 18 October, so it is a seasonal service and a November or winter arrival should not count on it.
From Peschiera, line 483 continues along the eastern shore to Lazise, Bardolino, Garda, Torri del Benaco, Brenzone sul Garda and Malcesine. At Garda, line 484 carries on to Torbole and Riva del Garda at the top of the lake. That chain of three ATV lines, 482 then 483 then 484, covers the whole Verona shore from the airport without changing operator.
When line 482 is not running, the practical alternative is the Airlink shuttle to Porta Nuova and then either a train to Peschiera del Garda or Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione, or an ATV bus from the Porta Nuova bus station.
What the bus fares are
ATV's extra-urban single fares have been in force since 14 July 2023 and run in eight bands by distance: 1.50 euro for band T1, then 2.30, 3.20, 3.90, 4.60, 5.30 and 6.00 euro, up to 6.70 euro for band T8. Each band has a time limit, from 75 minutes on T2 to 160 minutes on T8, and the journey has to be finished inside it. The airport shuttle sits outside the bands at 7.00 euro with a 75 minute limit.
If the trip starts or ends in Verona, an extra-urban ticket from band 2 upwards also entitles you to travel on the city network within its time limit, which is useful if you need a connecting city bus at either end.
Buying from the driver on an extra-urban bus adds a surcharge of 0.60 euro on band 1 and 0.50 euro on bands 2 to 8. A carnet of ten extra-urban tickets costs 13.50 euro for band T1 and rises to 60.30 euro for band T8; it is personal, must be presented with all ten tickets intact and cannot be split.
When the ATV Pass is the cheaper ticket
ATV sells three passes: one day at 11.00 euro for 24 hours, three days at 22.00 euro for 72 hours and seven days at 44.00 euro for 168 hours, all priced since 14 July 2023. Each covers every urban and extra-urban ATV bus in Verona and its province, and each explicitly includes the Airlink airport shuttle, the Spiazzi to Madonna della Corona shuttle and the BusWalk&Bike service.
The arithmetic favours the pass quickly on an arrival day. An Airlink ticket at 7.00 euro plus one extra-urban single in band T5 at 4.60 euro already comes to 11.60 euro, more than the 11.00 euro day pass, and the pass then covers the rest of the day as well. Anyone travelling onward from the airport by two or more buses should buy the pass rather than singles.
Passes are sold at ATV ticket offices, at tourist offices, through the Ticket Bus Verona app and from vending machines. The machines are in the forecourt of Porta Nuova railway station, on platforms B2, C3 and E1 and beside the ticket office there, at Peschiera station, at Garda bus station, at Malcesine bus station and in the arrivals area of Catullo airport, so the pass can be bought on arrival and again at the lake end.
There is one benefit beyond the buses. Funivie del Baldo gives holders of a 1-day, 3-day or 7-day ATV Pass 3.00 euro off an adult return on the Monte Baldo cable car, bought at the Malcesine valley station, which brings that ticket down to 27.00 euro.
Reaching the western and northern shores
ATV's network covers the Verona province shore, which is the eastern side of the lake from Peschiera up to Malcesine, and Riva del Garda and Torbole at the top through line 484. The Brescia shore, from Desenzano up through Salo and Gargnano to Limone, is served by a different provincial operator, so an ATV pass does not cover it.
For the Brescia side the usual route from the airport is the Airlink shuttle to Porta Nuova and then a train to Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione or Peschiera del Garda. The lake boat operator's own combined offer is built on exactly that: a Trenitalia ticket to Desenzano del Garda or Peschiera del Garda buys a Basso Lago boat day pass at 21.60 euro for an adult, usable within three days of the rail journey, under an offer the operator dates to 30 September 2026.
From either station the lake boats continue to the other shore, which for a southern destination such as Sirmione or Salo can be faster than circling the lake by bus.
Planning the arrival
Three practical points follow from the fares above. First, buy the day pass rather than singles if the airport is not your final stop, because one shuttle ticket plus one medium-distance bus fare already exceeds it. Second, check whether line 482 is running on your date, because the direct airport to Peschiera bus is seasonal and the fallback adds a change at Porta Nuova. Third, if your destination is on the Brescia shore, plan on the train from Porta Nuova rather than on ATV buses, and look at the combined rail and boat pass.
Fares, pass prices and the lines serving the lake are published by ATV and change without much notice, and the dates on this page are the ones ATV showed when it was last checked. Confirm the day's timetable with ATV before you travel, particularly for a late arrival, since the lake buses thin out well before the airport shuttle does.
