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Best Lake Garda Airports in 2027

Eight airports ranked by how easily they get you to Lake Garda, with transfer times, fares and the shore each one suits.

Lake Garda has no passenger airport of its own, so every trip starts with a transfer. The lake is also 50 kilometres long, which means the right airport depends on where you are staying: the railway and the motorway run along the southern shore through Desenzano and Peschiera, the east shore is served by buses from Verona, and the north end around Riva is closer to the Brenner line than to Milan. A cheap flight into the wrong airport can cost you half a day.

We ranked these eight airports by what happens after you land: the distance to the nearest lake town, how many changes public transport needs, how often it runs and what it costs. Every time and fare below was checked against the operator's own timetable or booking engine in October 2026 (train times are for Wednesday 14 October 2026), and nobody pays to be listed. The top two have their own step-by-step pages: Verona Airport to Lake Garda and Milan Bergamo Airport to Lake Garda.

At a glance

  1. 1 Verona Airport Best overall 97
  2. 2 Milan Bergamo Airport Best for low-cost flights 93
  3. 3 Milan Linate Airport Best Milan city airport 89

Some booking links on this page are affiliate links: if you book through one we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend or the order of the list. How we choose

  1. Our top pick

    Best overall

    #1 Verona Airport

    • Villafranca di Verona, about 20 km from Peschiera del Garda

    Verona Villafranca (VRN, also called Valerio Catullo) is the closest airport to the lake by a long way. The airport itself puts Peschiera del Garda about 20 km away, and Lazise, Bardolino and Garda are all within roughly 40 km by road. If your flight options include Verona, the decision is usually made.

    Public transport is simple. The ATV Aerobus (line 199) runs to Verona Porta Nuova station every 20 minutes for most of the day, takes 15 minutes and costs €7.00. From there, regional trains reach Peschiera del Garda in 13 to 17 minutes and Desenzano in 21 to 26 minutes; Trenitalia sells the bus and train as one ticket, €11.05 to Peschiera. In season, ATV bus 482 also runs straight from the terminal to Peschiera in 40 minutes, with a connection up the east shore.

    It suits the south and east shores best, and it is still the shortest drive to Malcesine and Riva. The catch is the route map, which is smaller than at the Milan airports, so check whether your home airport flies there before planning around it.

    What we love

    • Peschiera about 20 km away
    • Aerobus to Verona station every 20 minutes, €7.00
    • Bus and train to Peschiera from 41 minutes, €11.05
    • Direct ATV bus 482 to Peschiera in season
    Read our full review Airport website Website

  2. Best for low-cost flights

    #2 Milan Bergamo Airport

    • Orio al Serio, Bergamo, about 75 km from Desenzano del Garda

    Milan Bergamo (BGY, Orio al Serio) is the airport most low-cost flights to the Milan area use, and it sits beside the A4 motorway, the same road that runs along the bottom of the lake. Desenzano is about 75 km away by road and Peschiera about 90 km, so it is the natural choice for the south-west corner: Desenzano, Sirmione and Salò.

    Unusually, there are direct coaches. Autostradale runs from the terminal to Desenzano railway station in 1 hour 55 minutes for €15.50 (ten departures a day on the timetable valid to 9 November 2026), and FlixBus lists three direct buses a day to Peschiera del Garda in about 1 hour 5 minutes, from €13.48. The fallback that runs all day is the ATB airport bus to Bergamo station (€3.00) and a regional train via Brescia, €7.70 to Desenzano.

    The catch is the train route: Bergamo is on a branch line, so rail always means a change at Brescia and about 1 hour 40 minutes on the rails after the bus.

    What we love

    • Direct Autostradale coach to Desenzano station, €15.50
    • Direct FlixBus to Peschiera in about 1 h 5 min
    • On the A4 motorway, the road to the south shore
    • Large choice of low-cost routes
    Read our full review Airport website Website

  3. Best Milan city airport

    #3 Milan Linate Airport

    • Milan, about 125 km from Desenzano del Garda

    Linate (LIN) is Milan’s city airport, on the eastern edge of the city and therefore on the lake side of it. By road Desenzano is about 125 km away and Peschiera about 140 km, almost all of it on the A4.

    By public transport you go into the city first. The M4 metro links the airport with central Milan, where you change for Milano Centrale. From Centrale the Frecciarossa reaches Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione in 50 minutes (from €15.90 when we checked) and the hourly regional train takes 1 hour 23 minutes for a flat €10.50. Our Milan to Lake Garda train page covers that leg in detail.

    Linate suits anyone whose airline flies there rather than to Bergamo and who is heading for the south shore. With a hire car it is a straightforward motorway run.

    What we love

    • East side of Milan, towards the lake
    • Metro from the terminal into the city
    • Milano Centrale to Desenzano in 50 minutes by Frecciarossa
    • Regional train to Desenzano €10.50
    Airport website Website

  4. Best for combining Venice and the lake

    #4 Venice Marco Polo Airport

    • Tessera, Venice, about 145 km from Peschiera del Garda

    Venice Marco Polo (VCE) is about 145 km from Peschiera del Garda by road, a little further than Linate, but it has a wider choice of routes than Verona, and it lets you put Venice at one end of the holiday.

    Trenitalia sells a through ticket from the airport: a bus to Venezia Mestre station, then a train along the Milan line. The quickest connections we found reach Peschiera in 1 hour 46 minutes using a Frecciarossa (from €27.90), and the all-regional route with a change at Verona costs €22.70 and takes from 2 hours 11 minutes. From Mestre itself the direct Frecciarossa takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. See our Venice to Lake Garda train page for the rail leg.

    It suits the east shore and Peschiera. For Desenzano and the west it is a long way round.

    What we love

    • Through bus and train ticket from the airport
    • Peschiera from 1 h 46 min by public transport
    • Wider choice of routes than Verona
    • Easy to add Venice to the trip
    Airport website Website

  5. Best alternative from the south

    #5 Bologna Airport

    • Bologna, about 150 km from Peschiera del Garda

    Bologna Guglielmo Marconi (BLQ) is about 150 km from Peschiera by road, by motorway. It is rarely the first airport people think of for the lake, but it has one of the easiest airport rail links in Italy.

    The Marconi Express monorail runs from the terminal to Bologna Centrale in 7 minutes (€12.80 single). From Centrale, Frecciarossa trains reach Verona Porta Nuova in 52 minutes, and two a day carry on directly to Peschiera del Garda. The cheapest through fare we found from the airport to Peschiera was €25.55 using regional trains with a change at Verona, in a little over two hours; the fastest was 1 hour 43 minutes.

    It suits the east shore, and anyone who wants a night in Bologna or Verona on the way.

    What we love

    • Monorail to Bologna Centrale in 7 minutes
    • Bologna to Verona in 52 minutes by Frecciarossa
    • Airport to Peschiera from 1 h 43 min
    • Motorway all the way by car
    Airport website Website

  6. Best for long-haul flights

    #6 Milan Malpensa Airport

    • Ferno, Varese, about 165 km from Desenzano del Garda

    Malpensa (MXP) is Milan’s intercontinental airport and the one most visitors from outside Europe will land at. It is on the far side of Milan from the lake: about 165 km to Desenzano and 175 km to Peschiera by road, with the Milan ring in between.

    The Malpensa Express train runs from both terminals to Milano Centrale in 56 minutes for €15.00. Changing there onto a Frecciarossa, Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione is 1 hour 55 minutes from Terminal 1 at best; the all-regional route costs €25.50 and takes about 2 hours 35 minutes. That is two trains and no buses, which is more comfortable than it sounds after a long flight.

    It suits long-haul arrivals heading for the south shore. From Europe, Bergamo or Linate will almost always be quicker.

    What we love

    • The intercontinental airport for Milan
    • Train from the terminal to Milano Centrale, 56 minutes
    • Desenzano from 1 h 55 min with one change
    • All-regional fare to Desenzano €25.50
    Airport website Website

  7. Best budget back-up

    #7 Treviso Airport

    • Treviso, about 150 km from Peschiera del Garda

    Treviso (TSF, Antonio Canova) is the low-cost airport for the Venice area, about 150 km from Peschiera by road. It is worth knowing about because fares into Treviso can undercut everything else, but the onward journey is the weakest of the Italian options.

    There is a through ticket on Trenitalia: a bus to Treviso Centrale, a train to Venezia Mestre or Vicenza, and another along the Milan line. The best connection we found reached Peschiera in 2 hours 36 minutes, and the cheapest all-regional fare was €17.70 with journeys of 3 hours 15 minutes and more. With a hire car the motorway makes it comparable to Venice Marco Polo.

    It suits drivers and patient travellers staying on the east shore. If the saving on the flight is small, fly to Verona or Bergamo instead.

    What we love

    • Often the cheapest fares into the Veneto
    • Through bus and train ticket to Peschiera from €17.70
    • Reasonable with a hire car
    • Pairs with a day in Venice or Treviso
    Airport website Website

  8. Best for the north of the lake by rail

    #8 Innsbruck Airport

    • Innsbruck, Austria, about 225 km from Riva del Garda

    Innsbruck (INN) is in Austria, on the other side of the Brenner Pass, and by road it is about 225 km from Riva del Garda. It earns a place because it is the only airport on this list that approaches the lake from the north, which is where Riva, Torbole and Malcesine are.

    From Innsbruck main station, direct Railjet trains run over the Brenner to Rovereto, the nearest station to the north shore, in about 2 hours 50 minutes (five a day when we checked). From Rovereto a Trentino Trasporti bus, line B332, continues to Torbole and Riva. You need to get from the airport to the main station first.

    It suits walkers, climbers and windsurfers heading for the Trentino end. For anywhere south of Malcesine, Verona is closer in every way.

    What we love

    • Approaches the lake from the north
    • Direct Railjet from Innsbruck to Rovereto
    • Bus from Rovereto to Torbole and Riva
    • A scenic route over the Brenner Pass
    Airport website Website

Good to know

What is the closest airport to Lake Garda?

Verona Villafranca (VRN) is the closest. The airport gives the distance to Peschiera del Garda as about 20 km, and a bus and regional train get you there from 41 minutes after leaving the terminal for €11.05. Every way of doing the journey is compared on our Verona Airport to Lake Garda page.

Does Lake Garda have its own airport?

No. There is no passenger airport on the lake. Brescia Montichiari, which appears on maps about 25 km from Desenzano, describes itself as a cargo hub and handles freight and post rather than scheduled passenger flights. In practice the choice is Verona for the east and south, and Milan Bergamo for the south-west.

Which Milan airport is best for Lake Garda?

Milan Bergamo is the best of the three. It is about 75 km from Desenzano by road and has direct coaches to Desenzano and Peschiera, described on our Milan Bergamo Airport to Lake Garda page. Linate is second, on the lake side of the city, and Malpensa is the furthest at about 165 km from Desenzano, though it has a direct train to Milano Centrale.

Which airport is best for Riva del Garda and the north of the lake?

Verona is still the shortest drive to Riva del Garda, at about 85 km. By public transport you take the Aerobus to Verona Porta Nuova, a regional train to Rovereto (46 to 64 minutes, €6.95) and a bus from there. Innsbruck is the alternative if you would rather arrive by rail over the Brenner Pass.

Which airport is best for Sirmione and Desenzano?

Verona and Milan Bergamo are both good. From Verona, Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione station is 21 to 26 minutes by regional train from Porta Nuova (€4.80) after the 15-minute airport bus. From Bergamo, the Autostradale coach goes directly to Desenzano station. For Sirmione you then take the Arriva LN026 bus from Desenzano or Peschiera.

Can I get from the airport to Lake Garda without a car?

Yes, from every airport on this list. Verona and Bergamo are the easy ones, with a direct seasonal bus or coach and a simple bus and train route the rest of the time. Once you are at the lake, trains serve only the south shore, so check our Lake Garda trains guide and the ferry guide for the onward leg.

Should I hire a car at the airport?

It depends on your base. For a week in one town on the south or east shore, buses, trains and ferries are enough and parking is a daily cost. For the west shore, the hills or a two-base trip, a car saves a lot of time. All the airports here have the main hire companies on site; our car hire guide compares the options.

Is it better to fly to Verona or Venice for Lake Garda?

Verona, unless you want to see Venice as well. Verona is about 20 km from Peschiera and Venice Marco Polo about 145 km. From Venice the quickest public transport takes 1 hour 46 minutes to Peschiera and involves a bus to Mestre and a train, against 41 minutes from Verona airport.

How do you choose and rank these airports?

By the transfer, not the terminal. For each airport we looked up the road distance to the nearest lake town, the public transport route, how many changes it needs, how often it runs and what it costs, using the operators' own timetables and booking engines in October 2026. No airport, airline or transfer company pays to appear here, and we re-check the list each season. If you want the town first and the airport second, start with our guide to Lake Garda holidays.

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