Lake Garda Ferry Prices and Passes: Fares, Day Tickets and Car Ferry Costs

The operator’s fare chart is a triangle of stops. Find your departure and arrival, read the number where the row and column meet, and that is your band (the operator’s own example: Sirmione to Riva is band 6). The band then gives the price in the first table above. The same chart is page one of the 2026 fare leaflet (PDF).

Bands follow distance on the water, not the number of stops, so they hold some surprises. Everything between the south basin and the east-shore towns of Garda, Bardolino and Lazise is band 4, whether you start in Desenzano or Sirmione. Short hops along one shore are bands 1 and 2.

Children under 4 travel free if they do not take a seat (one adult can bring up to three). Children aged 4 to 11 pay the reduced child fare on singles and day passes.

Anyone over 65, of any nationality, gets the reduced fare on ordinary boats from Monday to Friday, not at weekends or on public holidays; three-day passes at the reduced rate are valid on any day. Carry ID showing your age. Groups of 15 or more paying passengers get the same reduced rate.

Travellers with a certified disability of 70 to 100 per cent pay the child fare and an accompanying person travels free. None of the reductions applies to the fast-boat supplement, which everyone pays in full.

Add up your day before you reach the ticket window. A there-and-back trip from Sirmione to Garda costs €23.00 in singles, 50 cents less than the East zone pass, so the moment you add a stop in Bardolino or Lazise the pass is cheaper. From Desenzano the same day needs the Lower lake pass at €27.00, because Desenzano sits outside the East zone.

At the north end, Riva to Limone to Malcesine and back to Riva comes to €25.00 in singles (€6.00 + €7.50 + €11.50) against €23.50 for the North zone pass. The whole-lake pass at €39.50 pays for itself on one long return: Desenzano to Riva and back is €35.00 on ordinary boats and €47.00 with fast boats both ways, and the pass includes the fast boats.

A pass is also simply easier. You can change plans, hop off for lunch in Salò and take a later boat without queuing again.

A bicycle ticket follows the same bands, from €3.50 to €6.90, and is only sold for ordinary boats. On the car ferry a bike counts as a vehicle at €9.20 including the rider. Folded bikes and scooters under 1.10 m are free.

Dogs up to 50 cm at the withers are free; bigger dogs pay the child fare and no fast-boat supplement. One bag per person is free up to 60 cm on its longest side and 20 kg. A larger bag costs €4.80, as set out in the operator’s luggage conditions (PDF, in Italian). The rules themselves are on our ferry overview.

The vehicle price on the Maderno to Torri del Benaco ferry includes the driver. Every other adult in the car pays €7.50 and each child aged 4 to 11 pays €3.80. A couple in an average hatchback (up to 4.50 m) therefore pays €22.40 one way. Measure a long estate or SUV honestly: over 4.50 m moves you to €18.40. The full list is in the operator’s car-ferry fare sheet (PDF).

Space is limited to the capacity of the ship and there is no booking shown on the timetable, so arrive early for the late-morning crossings in August. Crossing times are on our timetable page.