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Best Lake Garda Car Hire in 2027

Where to pick up a hire car for Lake Garda, ranked by location: Verona and Bergamo airports, stations and lake town offices.

With car hire at Lake Garda, where you collect the car matters more than which logo is on the key fob. The same handful of companies operate at every pick-up point, prices move daily, and what really changes your holiday is whether the desk is open when you land, whether it is open at all on a Sunday, and which shore it puts you on. The two airports have long hours and the widest choice. The offices in the lake towns are small, close for lunch and mostly shut at weekends, but they are ideal if you only want a car for a day or two.

So this list ranks pick-up locations, not companies. We have not test-rented from every desk and we are not going to pretend otherwise. For each location we checked which companies publish a branch there on their own website or on the airport’s, what opening hours they list, and which part of the lake it suits. Hours are as published in October 2026 and they do change, so confirm them when you book. Nobody pays to appear here and there are no affiliate links. If you are still choosing flights, start with our guide to the best airports for Lake Garda.

At a glance

  1. 1 Verona Airport (VRN) Best overall 96
  2. 2 Verona Porta Nuova station Best for arriving by train 93
  3. 3 Milan Bergamo Airport (BGY) Best for low-cost flights and the west shore 91

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 (VRN)

    • Verona Valerio Catullo Airport, Car Rental Center beside the terminal

    Verona Valerio Catullo is the closest airport to the lake and the easiest place to collect a car. The rental desks are grouped in a Car Rental Center a short walk from arrivals: Sixt and Locauto both describe it as about 100 metres from the terminal. Companies that publish a branch here on their own sites include Avis, Sixt, Locauto, Maggiore and Europcar.

    Opening hours are long by local standards. When we checked, Sixt and Locauto listed 08:00 to 23:00 every day, and Avis and Maggiore 08:30 to 22:30 every day. That still leaves late-evening arrivals exposed: if your flight is delayed past closing time you need a desk that has agreed to wait, so give your flight number when you book. Europcar puts Sirmione at around 30 minutes from the airport on the A4.

    This is the right pick-up for the south and east shores, from Sirmione and Peschiera up to Bardolino, Garda and Malcesine. If you would rather not drive, our Verona Airport to Lake Garda guide covers the bus and train options.

    What we love

    • Closest airport to the lake
    • Desks open daily into the late evening
    • Widest choice of companies near the lake
    • Straight onto the A4 and A22

  2. Best for arriving by train

    #2 Verona Porta Nuova station

    • Verona, Piazzale XXV Aprile outside Porta Nuova station

    If you are coming by train, or spending a night or two in Verona first, collect the car at the main station instead of going out to the airport. Sixt has a branch on Piazzale XXV Aprile, next to the taxi rank outside the main hall, listing 08:00 to 20:00 daily and shorter hours on bank holidays. Locauto is at Piazzale XXV Aprile 6, about 200 metres from the station exit, also listing 08:00 to 20:00 every day.

    Two cautions. Verona’s historic centre is a camera-controlled limited traffic zone (ZTL), so plan your route out of the city before you start the engine and do not follow a sat nav into the old town. And the choice of companies is narrower than at the airport, so book ahead for automatic cars and people carriers.

    It suits the same shores as the airport. For the rail side of the trip see our Lake Garda trains guide; Peschiera and Desenzano have their own stations, so you may not need the car until you reach the lake.

    What we love

    • Two companies on the station forecourt
    • Open seven days a week
    • Good if you are seeing Verona first
    • Mind the Verona ZTL when leaving

  3. Best for low-cost flights and the west shore

    #3 Milan Bergamo Airport (BGY)

    • Milan Bergamo Airport (Orio al Serio), desks in arrivals, cars at car park P3

    Bergamo Orio al Serio has more low-cost flights than Verona and a long list of rental companies. The airport’s own car rental page names sixteen: Autovia, Avis, Budget, Drivalia, Europcar, Goldcar, Hertz, Italy Car Rent, InterRent, Locauto, Maggiore, Noleggiare, OK Mobility, Sicily by Car, Sixt and Viaggiare Rent.

    The catch is that the cars are not outside the door. Sixt explains that you sign the contract at its desk in the arrivals hall, then take a free shuttle from bus stop 8 to car park P3, where the cars are kept; Avis also lists its return point at P3. Allow extra time at both ends, particularly for an early flight home.

    From Bergamo you join the A4 eastbound, which makes it a good choice for Desenzano, Salò and the west shore. For the east shore and the north, Verona is closer. Our Milan Bergamo Airport to Lake Garda guide has the public transport alternative.

    What we love

    • Sixteen companies named by the airport
    • Plenty of budget flights
    • On the A4 for Desenzano and the west shore
    • Shuttle bus between terminal and cars
    Website

  4. Best for a day or two mid-holiday

    #4 Desenzano del Garda town offices

    Desenzano is the largest town on the lake and has a mainline station, so it is the most practical place to hire a car for part of a holiday. Arrive by train, settle in, then rent for the day you want to see the Valtenesi wineries or the hill villages. Avis lists an office at Via Brescia 56, and Locauto one at Via Adua 3, which it describes as about 2 km from the centre and the station.

    These are small-town offices with small-town hours. Avis lists Monday to Friday 09:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:00, and Saturday morning only. Locauto lists Monday to Friday 08:30 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 18:00, and Saturday 08:00 to 12:00. Neither lists Sunday opening, and both close for lunch, so plan pick-up and return around that.

    Good for the south and west shores. Our guide to Desenzano del Garda covers the town itself.

    What we love

    • Mainline station in town
    • Two branches confirmed on company sites
    • Ideal for one or two days of touring
    • Closed for lunch and on Sundays

  5. Best for a one-base holiday

    #5 No hire car: ferries, buses and trains

    • Whole lake: Navigazione Laghi ferries, ATV and Arriva buses

    The honest fifth option is not to hire at all. If you are staying in one town on the lakefront, the car will spend most of the week in a paid car park. The lake has a public ferry network run by Navigazione Laghi, whose summer 2026 timetable ran from 16 May to 4 October, with a reduced winter timetable after that. There is also a car ferry between Toscolano Maderno and Torri del Benaco if you do have a vehicle and want to cross the lake.

    On land, ATV buses run from Verona and Peschiera up the east shore to Garda, Malcesine and Riva (lines 162 to 165, 483 and 484), and line 482 links Verona Airport with Peschiera, listed as hourly until 18 October 2026. On the west side, Arriva runs the LN027 between Salò, Gargnano, Limone and Riva, and the R-link 204 between Desenzano station and Salò, which it advertises as every half hour from 7am to 11pm.

    Where it falls down is the hill villages, the wineries and anything late at night. A sensible compromise is to go car-free and hire for a single day from a town office. See our Lake Garda ferry guide for routes and passes.

    What we love

    • No parking, ZTL or deposit worries
    • Ferries link the main towns on every shore
    • Buses up both sides of the lake
    • Not suited to hill villages or winery days
    Website

  6. Best for the south-east campsites

    #6 Lazise and Peschiera del Garda

    • Lazise · Lazise, Via Gardesana (the lake road)

    The south-east corner has the theme parks, the big campsites and Peschiera’s railway station, so plenty of visitors look for a car here. The branch we could confirm on a company website is Avis in Lazise, at Via Gardesana 129, listing Monday to Friday 08:30 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 18:00 with no weekend hours shown.

    For Peschiera itself we could not open a company branch page that confirmed an address and hours, so we have not listed one; check the rental companies’ own location finders before relying on a station pick-up there. In practice Verona Airport is so close that many people staying in this corner collect there instead, and ATV line 482 runs between the airport and Peschiera.

    This location suits anyone based between Peschiera and Bardolino who wants a car for a day out. Read more in our guides to Lazise and Peschiera del Garda.

    What we love

    • Close to the campsites and theme parks
    • Weekday office hours only
    • Verona Airport is the fallback
    • Peschiera station on the Milan to Venice line

  7. Best at the north end

    #7 Riva del Garda

    At the north end the choice is thin. Avis lists a Riva del Garda office at Via S. Alessandro 2f, roughly a mile from the centre, with hours of Monday to Friday 08:30 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:30. No weekend opening is shown, which is awkward if you arrive on a Saturday changeover.

    Most people staying in Riva, Torbole or Arco either drive up from Verona Airport or do without a car, because the north is the part of the lake where you need one least: the towns are linked by flat cycle paths, buses and ferries. A day’s hire is worth it for the Tenno and Ledro valleys or the Dolomites. Our guide to Riva del Garda has the car-free detail, and our bike hire guide may be more use than a car up here.

    What we love

    • One branch confirmed on a company site
    • Weekdays only, closed for lunch
    • Useful for a day in the mountains
    • A car matters least at this end of the lake

  8. Best for the west shore by train

    #8 Brescia city offices

    • Brescia, city offices away from the station

    Brescia is the rail gateway to the west shore, with buses onward to Salò and Gargnano, and several companies have offices in the city. It sits last on our list for a simple reason: we could not confirm a branch at the railway station itself from a rental company’s own page. The office we could confirm is Avis Brescia Downtown at Via Filippo Lippi 5, inside the ACI premises at San Polo, listing Monday to Friday 08:30 to 12:30 and 14:30 to 18:30 and Saturday 09:00 to 12:00. That is a taxi or bus ride from the station, not a walk.

    Europcar also advertises a Brescia branch without publishing its address on the page we opened, and states there that an International Driving Permit is required at pick-up, which is worth knowing if your licence is from outside the EU. If a station pick-up is essential, Verona Porta Nuova or Desenzano are safer bets. Brescia works best if you are heading for Salò, Gardone Riviera or Gargnano and want to avoid airport queues.

    What we love

    • Rail hub for the west shore
    • City offices, not station desks
    • Weekday and Saturday morning hours
    • Check the exact address before you book

Good to know

Do I need a car at Lake Garda?

Not if you stay in one lakefront town and are happy using ferries and buses. You do need one for hill villages, winery visits and moving between shores quickly. Many visitors go car-free and hire for one or two days from a town office. Our guide to the best Lake Garda holidays explains which bases work without a car.

What is a ZTL and how do I avoid a fine?

A ZTL (zona a traffico limitato) is a limited traffic zone, usually a historic centre, that only authorised vehicles may enter. UK government travel advice notes that the boundaries are signed and that your number plate is likely to be photographed if you cross without a pass. Verona and several lake towns, including Sirmione's old town, have them. If your hotel is inside one, ask it to register your plate before you arrive, and never follow a sat nav past a ZTL sign.

Is parking difficult around Lake Garda?

In July and August, yes. Lakefront towns have a limited number of paid car parks at the edge of the old centre, and they fill by mid-morning on market days and weekends. Blue lines mean pay and display, white lines are free and often time-limited, and yellow lines are reserved. Ask your accommodation about parking before you book, and see the getting there section of our town guides, such as Sirmione and Malcesine, for the car parks to aim for.

Are the motorways around Lake Garda toll roads?

Yes. The A4 between Milan, Brescia, Verona and Venice runs along the south of the lake, and the A22 Brenner motorway runs up the east side to Rovereto and Trento; both are tolled. You take a ticket when you join and pay when you leave, by card or cash, so keep the ticket somewhere safe. Avoid lanes marked for Telepass only unless your hire car has a transponder that you have agreed to pay for. We have not quoted prices because they are revised regularly.

What are the Gardesana roads like to drive?

The lake is circled by two single-carriageway roads: the Gardesana Orientale (SR249) on the east shore and the Gardesana Occidentale (SS45bis) on the west. Both are scenic and slow, with constant villages, cyclists and summer queues. The northern half of the west shore, towards Limone and Riva, runs through a long series of narrow tunnels cut into the cliff, where coaches and camper vans need the middle of the road. Hire the smallest car that fits your luggage, use dipped headlights in the tunnels and allow far more time than the distance suggests.

Can I pick up at one location and drop off at another?

Usually yes between branches of the same company, for example collecting at Bergamo and returning at Verona, but expect a one-way fee. It is not always shown in the first price you see, so check the final total before paying. Small town offices have limited hours for returns, so confirm that the drop-off branch will be open at the time you plan to arrive.

Do UK and US drivers need an International Driving Permit in Italy?

UK government advice is that a UK photocard licence is valid for driving in Italy, though you may need an IDP with a paper licence. US visitors should get an IDP before leaving home: Italy's motoring club ACI says a non-EU licence must be accompanied by an IDP or a sworn Italian translation. Hire companies can be stricter than the law. Europcar's Verona Airport page tells UK customers to bring an IDP, so read your rental terms before you travel.

What are the rules on child seats in a hire car?

Children must travel in a restraint suited to their size, and since November 2019 Italy has also required an anti-abandonment alarm device on seats used by children under four. Rental companies supply child seats as a paid extra, in limited numbers, so reserve one when you book and ask whether the alarm device is included. Check the seat is the right size and properly fitted before you leave the car park, or bring your own.

Do I need winter tyres or snow chains at Lake Garda?

From 15 November to 15 April you must have winter tyres fitted or snow chains on board on the A22 Brenner motorway, whether or not there is snow, and the operator lists fines of €80 to €318. Similar rules are set road by road across northern Italy, so treat those dates as the norm for a winter trip. Ask the rental company to confirm in writing that the car is equipped. Our Lake Garda weather guide covers what winter is like on the lake.

How do you choose and rank the car hire options?

We rank pick-up locations on facts anyone can check: which companies publish a branch there, the opening hours they list, how far the cars are from the terminal or station, and which part of the lake the location suits. We have not rented from every desk and do not score the companies' service. Nobody pays to be included, we use no affiliate links, and where we could not confirm a branch from the company's own website we say so.

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