Milan Bergamo Airport (BGY), Orio al Serio → Desenzano del Garda, Peschiera del Garda and the south shore
Direct coaches to Desenzano and Peschiera, the train via Brescia, or a hire car: how to get from Milan Bergamo Airport to Lake Garda.
Milan Bergamo, at Orio al Serio, is the second-ranked airport in our guide to the best Lake Garda airports and the one most low-cost flights use. It sits beside the A4 motorway, which runs east to the bottom of the lake: Desenzano is about 75 km away by road and Peschiera about 90 km.
There is no station at the terminal, but there are direct coaches to both lake railway towns, which most visitors do not know about. This page compares them with the train route and a hire car, then gives onward directions to seven towns. Coach details were checked on the operators’ sites in October 2026; train times and fares are Trenitalia’s for Wednesday 14 October 2026.
For Desenzano, Sirmione and the west shore, take the Autostradale coach from stop 7 outside arrivals to Desenzano railway station: 1 hour 55 minutes, €15.50, ten departures a day between 06:15 and 18:15 on the timetable valid to 9 November 2026. For Peschiera and the east shore, FlixBus lists three direct buses a day in about 1 hour 5 minutes, from €13.48.
If neither fits your flight, take the ATB airport bus to Bergamo station (€3.00) and the hourly regional train via Brescia: €7.70 to Desenzano, about 1 hour 40 minutes on the rails.
| Option | Time | Cost | How often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autostradale coach direct to Desenzano del Garda | 1 hour 55 minutes | €15.50 single, €31.00 return, child €7.00 | Ten a day: 06:15, 07:15, 09:15, 10:15, 11:15, 12:15, 14:15, 16:15, 17:15, 18:15 |
| FlixBus direct to Peschiera del Garda | About 1 hour 5 minutes | From €13.48; varies by date and how early you book | Three a day; first 10:05, last 19:55 when we checked |
| ATB airport bus to Bergamo station, then train via Brescia | About 2 hours 15 to 2 hours 30 in all | €3.00 bus plus €7.70 train to Desenzano (€9.00 to Peschiera) | Bus about every 20 minutes; trains hourly |
| Hire car |
Buy the Autostradale ticket to Desenzano online. It is valid on any departure, so pick the airline you want and work out the bus afterwards.
The coach stops are in front of the arrivals hall. Autostradale uses stop 7. Be there 15 minutes before departure with the QR code ready.
The coach arrives at Via Masaccio, outside Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione railway station. Luggage goes in the hold at no charge.
Arriva buses for Sirmione (LN026) and Salò (R-link 204) leave from the same street. The lakefront and ferry pier are in the town centre, a walk or a short bus ride from the station.
Take the ATB airport bus to Bergamo station and the regional train via Brescia instead. It runs hourly all day and costs €10.70 in total to Desenzano.
“Lake Garda” is not a stop on any timetable. From Bergamo you are aiming for one of the two railway towns on the south shore. Desenzano del Garda is the western one and the gateway to Sirmione, Salò, Gardone Riviera and the rest of the Brescia shore. Peschiera del Garda is the eastern one, for Lazise, Bardolino, Garda and the theme parks.
The Autostradale coach serves Desenzano and FlixBus serves Peschiera, so the town you are staying in decides the coach. By train both are on the same line, one stop apart, and the fare differs by €1.30.
Bergamo station is on a branch, not on the Milan to Venice main line, so there is always a change at Brescia. The pattern is steady through the day: leave Bergamo at 6 minutes past the hour, reach Brescia at 3 minutes past the next, and continue on a regional train that reaches Desenzano at about 48 minutes past. The first through connection leaves Bergamo at 06:06.
One ticket covers the whole journey, and regional tickets are not tied to a specific train, which is the advantage over a pre-booked coach when a flight is late. If you are continuing to the east shore, stay on the same train one more stop to Peschiera. Our Lake Garda trains guide covers the stations, and the Milan to Lake Garda train page covers the main line you join at Brescia.
Trenitalia also sells a ticket from “Orio al Serio Aeroporto” that uses a Busitalia coach to Verona Porta Nuova and a train back west to the lake. It works, but at €22.70 to Desenzano and upwards of two hours it is slower and dearer than the options above.
From Desenzano station, Arriva’s LN026 bus runs to Sirmione and on to Peschiera; the Desenzano or Peschiera to Sirmione fare is €2.20. In summer the R-link 204 runs to Salò every 30 minutes from 07:00 to 23:00, stopping at Padenghe, Moniga and Manerba, and connects there with buses up the west shore to Gardone Riviera, Gargnano and Limone. Arriva times its buses to meet the trains at Desenzano.
From Peschiera station, ATV bus 483 runs up the east shore about hourly in season (daily until 18 October 2026, then from 21 March 2027), and bus 164 runs all year. Ferries leave from both towns; see our Lake Garda ferry guide.
Taxis wait outside door 1 of the arrivals hall. The airport does not publish fares to the lake and neither do we: at 75 km or more it is a long ride, so get a quote before you set off or book a private transfer through your accommodation.
Late flights are the real problem at Bergamo. The last Autostradale coach leaves at 18:15, the last FlixBus we saw at 19:55, and the last train connection that reaches the lake without a replacement bus leaves Bergamo station at 21:06. If you land after about 20:00, a pre-booked transfer, a hire car or a night in Bergamo’s upper town are the realistic choices. If Verona flights suit your dates, compare with Verona Airport to Lake Garda, where the transfer is under an hour.
About 75 km by road to Desenzano del Garda, the nearest lake town, and about 90 km to Peschiera del Garda and Sirmione. Almost all of it is on the A4 motorway. The north end is a different matter: Riva del Garda is about 125 km away.
Yes, two. Autostradale runs ten coaches a day to Desenzano railway station (1 hour 55 minutes, €15.50) on its timetable valid to 9 November 2026, and FlixBus lists three direct buses a day to Peschiera del Garda in about 1 hour 5 minutes. Check both operators for winter dates.
Not from the terminal. Take the ATB airport bus to Bergamo station, then a regional train to Brescia and another to Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione or Peschiera del Garda. Trains leave Bergamo hourly, the rail journey takes about 1 hour 40 minutes and the fare to Desenzano is €7.70. Our Lake Garda trains guide explains the stations.
The airport bus and regional train: €3.00 for the ATB bus and €7.70 for the train to Desenzano, €10.70 in all. An early-booked FlixBus to Peschiera can come close, from €13.48, and is much faster. The Autostradale coach to Desenzano is a flat €15.50.
Take the Autostradale coach to Desenzano station, then the Arriva LN026 bus to Sirmione for €2.20. The bus stop is on Via Masaccio, the same street the coach arrives in. In high season LN026 stops outside the old town and a shuttle bus covers the last stretch on the same ticket.
About 1 hour 5 minutes by FlixBus to Peschiera, 1 hour 55 minutes by Autostradale coach to Desenzano, and around 2 hours 15 to 2 hours 30 by airport bus and train once you allow for the changes. Add the onward bus or ferry to your own town.
Verona is closer: Peschiera is about 20 km from Verona Airport against about 90 km from Bergamo. Bergamo usually has more flights and lower fares, and its direct coaches make the transfer painless in daylight hours. We compare all eight options in our ranking of Lake Garda airports.
© 2026 Best of Lake Garda · Independent guides to every town on the lake, written and checked by Alex Burgoyne and Nicole. No one pays to be listed.
