Lake Garda Ferry Map and Routes: Stops, Crossings and Journey Times
Every Lake Garda ferry stop by basin, the car-ferry crossing, and how long the most useful boat hops take.
Lake Garda Ferry: How the Boats, Fast Boats and Car Ferry Work
Lake Garda Ferry Timetables: Seasons, First and Last Boats, Winter Service
How to read the Lake Garda ferry timetable, when the summer and winter schedules apply, and the first and last boats on key routes.
Navigazione Laghi publishes two Lake Garda timetables a year, each as a pair of PDFs: one for the boats and fast boats between Desenzano, Peschiera and Riva, and one for the Maderno to Torri car ferry. They are dense, trilingual and not obvious at first glance.
This page explains how to read them, gives the validity dates, and pulls out the first and last boats on the routes visitors use most. We link the official PDFs rather than copy them, because times change every season. It is part of our Lake Garda ferry guide.
What is running now
The winter timetable is in force from 5 October 2026 to 25 March 2027. Passenger boats run on it only until 1 November 2026 and again from 13 to 25 March 2027, between 16 towns and with last boats around 17:00 to 18:30. From 2 November to 12 March the Torri to Maderno car ferry is the only service.
The full summer timetable last ran from 16 May to 4 October 2026, with boats from 8:00 until about 20:00. The decision to make is about the way back: pick your return boat before you leave, because last departures are early by holiday standards.
Timetable validity dates
| Timetable | Valid | What runs |
|---|---|---|
| Summer 2026 | 16 May to 4 October 2026 | Full network: 26 towns, fast boats, car ferry |
| Winter 2026-27, boats | 5 October to 1 November 2026 | 16 towns; some runs daily only until 11 October |
| Winter 2026-27, car ferry only | 2 November 2026 to 12 March 2027 | Maderno to Torri only |
| Winter 2026-27, boats | 13 to 25 March 2027 | 16 towns; some runs daily only from 20 March |
Dates as printed on the operator's summer 2026 and winter 2026-27 timetables. The timetable from 26 March 2027 onwards had not been published on 7 October 2026. · Checked October 2026. Prices and times change — confirm with the operator before you travel.
First and last boats, summer timetable
Departure times from the first-named town. Fast boats (SR) need a supplement.
| Route | First boat | Last boat |
|---|---|---|
| Desenzano to Sirmione | 8:00 | 18:15, then fast boat 19:00 |
| Sirmione to Desenzano | 8:58 | 19:55 |
| Sirmione to Garda | 8:40 | 17:35 |
| Garda to Sirmione | 9:00 | 19:10 |
| Malcesine to Limone | 8:55 | 19:00 |
| Limone to Malcesine | 8:35 (car park pier) | 19:25 |
| Riva del Garda to Limone and Malcesine | 8:00 | 18:40 |
| Limone to Riva del Garda | 9:15 | 19:20 |
Summer timetable valid 16 May to 4 October 2026, the most recent summer schedule. Use it as a guide to the pattern; check the new timetable when it is published. · Checked October 2026. Prices and times change — confirm with the operator before you travel.
First and last boats, autumn and March service
The reduced boat service inside the winter timetable.
| Route | First boat | Last boat |
|---|---|---|
| Desenzano to Sirmione | 8:50 | 17:05 |
| Sirmione to Garda | 9:10 | 17:25 |
| Garda to Sirmione and Desenzano | 9:25 | 18:35 |
| Malcesine to Limone | 9:20 | 18:20 |
| Limone to Malcesine | 8:55 | 17:25 |
| Riva del Garda southbound | 8:10 | 16:40 |
Winter timetable, boats running 5 October to 1 November 2026 and 13 to 25 March 2027. Runs marked [A], including the fast boats, are daily only until 11 October 2026 and from 20 March 2027. · Checked October 2026. Prices and times change — confirm with the operator before you travel.
Car ferry Maderno to Torri del Benaco
The crossing takes 30 minutes in both seasons.
| Season | From Maderno | From Torri | Crossings each way |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer (16 May to 4 Oct 2026) | 8:00 to 19:15 | 8:35 to 19:50 | 17, every 35 to 40 min with a lunch gap |
| Winter, 5 Oct to 1 Nov 2026 and from 13 Mar 2027 | 8:10 to 18:00 | 8:45 to 18:40 | 14 |
| Winter, 2 Nov 2026 to 12 Mar 2027 | 8:10 to 17:20 | 8:45 to 18:00 | 7 |
Operator timetables for summer 2026 and winter 2026-27. No car ferry on 25 December 2026. In summer the gap is between the 12:25 and 14:00 departures from Maderno. · Checked October 2026. Prices and times change — confirm with the operator before you travel.
How to read the timetable
Each PDF has two pages, one per direction: Desenzano and Peschiera to Riva, then Riva back south. Towns run down the left side, and every column is one boat, headed by its run number. Read down the column: a time means the boat calls there, a vertical bar means it sails past, and a row of dashes or double lines marks where the run starts and ends.
Three things catch people out. Columns are not in strict time order, so scan the whole row for your town rather than assuming the next column is the next boat. Some boats in the south basin call at the east-shore towns in the opposite order, shown by small arrows. And red columns headed SR are fast boats, which cost extra and do not carry bikes.
Under each run number are two symbols: a bicycle (white for recommended, yellow for limited space, crossed out for not carried) and a wheelchair, which marks the boats recommended for wheelchair users. All car-ferry crossings are marked as suitable for wheelchairs.
Where to find the current timetable
The operator’s Lake Garda tickets and timetables page always carries the PDFs in force, plus a journey search and service notices. The current files are the winter 2026-27 boat timetable and the winter car-ferry timetable. For planning next summer, the summer 2026 boat timetable and summer 2026 car-ferry timetable show the pattern, which changes only in detail from year to year.
Read the notices on that page before you travel. When we checked, one said that from 3 September 2026 buses and lorries could not be carried on certain Maderno to Torri crossings until further notice. Boats can also be suspended in fog or storms at the captain’s discretion, with no compensation for missed connections.
Through boats along the whole lake
Most runs cover one basin. In summer 2026 only a few went end to end. Northbound, fast boats left Desenzano at 9:20 (Riva 12:15), 14:30 (Riva 16:45) and 16:40 (Riva 19:40), and the ordinary boat at 15:00 reached Riva at 20:05. An ordinary boat also left Peschiera at 9:10 and arrived in Riva at 14:00.
Southbound, the fast boat left Riva at 8:20 (Desenzano 11:40) and 16:45 (Desenzano 18:55), and the ordinary boat at 8:50 reached Desenzano at 14:00. That makes a full-lake day trip possible in either direction, but only if you fix both boats in advance. Journey times for shorter hops are on our routes page.
What runs in winter
Think of the lake as having three ferry seasons, not two. The summer network ends in early October. For four weeks after that, and two weeks in late March, a reduced service links 16 towns, including Sirmione, Garda, Salò, Malcesine and Limone, with a couple of fast boats that run daily only for the first and last week.
From 2 November 2026 to 12 March 2027 there are no passenger boats at all. The car ferry between Maderno and Torri del Benaco keeps going with seven crossings each way, every day except 25 December. If you are visiting between November and mid-March, plan on buses and a car; our weather pages say what else is open month by month.
Good to know
When does the Lake Garda summer ferry timetable start?
In 2026 it ran from 16 May to 4 October. The 2027 summer dates had not been published when we checked on 7 October 2026; the winter timetable ends on 25 March 2027, so a new timetable will follow from 26 March.
Do the Lake Garda ferries run in October?
Yes, on a reduced timetable. From 5 October to 1 November 2026 boats serve 16 towns, with last departures around 17:00 to 18:30. Fast boats and a few other runs are daily only until 11 October.
Are there ferries on Lake Garda in November, December, January and February?
Only the car ferry between Maderno and Torri del Benaco, which carries foot passengers too. It makes seven crossings each way from 2 November 2026 to 12 March 2027 and does not run on 25 December. No other boats operate in that period.
What time is the last ferry from Sirmione?
In the 2026 summer timetable the last boat from Sirmione to Desenzano left at 19:55 and the last to Garda at 17:35. In the autumn and March service the last boat to Garda left at 17:25. Times change each season, so check the current PDF.
How often does the car ferry run between Maderno and Torri?
In summer 2026 there were 17 crossings each way, roughly every 35 to 40 minutes from 8:00 to 19:50 with a gap at lunchtime. In winter there are 14 a day until 1 November and from 13 March, and 7 a day in between. Prices are on our ferry prices page.
How often do ferries run between Malcesine and Limone?
In summer 2026 there was a boat about every hour, more often at peak times, from 8:55 to 19:00, taking 20 minutes. In the autumn and March service there are still around ten boats a day from Malcesine, the first at 9:20 and the last at 18:20.
Are Lake Garda ferries cancelled in bad weather?
They can be. The operator's conditions allow captains to suspend or cut short sailings in fog, storms or darkness, and missed connections give no right to compensation. If a boat is cancelled or leaves at least 60 minutes late you can ask for a refund of an unused ticket.