Would you be interested in enjoying a glimpse of the ENTIRE EXPANSE of Lake Garda for only 5.20 Euros, using public transportation rather than an expensive rental car? Here's how to do it:
APTV Verona Bus Lines run 17 buses from Monday through Saturday (and 14 on Sundays) between the Verona Intercity Bus Depot and Riva del Garda, at the northern tip of Lake Garda (in the Province of Trento). The first bus departs Verona at 6:40; the last at 18:45, and buses run every 30-60 minutes.
The bus skirts the entire eastern shore of the Lake, from Peschiera to Gardaland to Lazise to Bardolino to Garda to Torri del Benaco to Brenzone to Malcesine to Torbole and ending at the Riva Bus Depot. Travel time is at least 2 hours, 10 minutes (longer on weekends and during the summer, when traffic jams commonly arise), and the one-way fare is 5.20 Euros. Most of the buses are very modern and have air conditioning and seat belts.
It takes at least 30 minutes (often more) to reach the Lake from Verona, as traffic towards the Lake is usually heavy (another reason NOT to drive yourself). The bus passes very close to the center of Verona before turning westward out of town, along a somewhat uninteresting one-lane state highway. But the scenery improves considerably as the bus approaches the southern edge of Lake Garda, and once you're on the road skirting the Lake itself, the scenery is very, very compelling, all the way to Riva.
The Verona Bus Depot is 150 yards to the right of the main entrance of the Verona Porta Nuova Train Station (in the direction of the town center). You can't miss the hideous concrete bunker with lots of blue buses parked outside. Tickets are sold inside the depot, and an illuminated board shows the stalls from where the various buses depart. Tickets purchased from the bus driver cost more. You must punch the ticket as soon as you board the bus. Heavy luggage can be stored in the baggage compartment. Sit in a window seat on the driver's side for the best views of the Lake. If you want to get off the bus at one of the Lakeshore towns (such as Garda or Malcesine), you must purchase a new ticket to rejoin a later bus (there is usually a newspaper stand or tobacconist or bar at the major bus stops which sell tickets). Don't stay on the bus all the way to the Riva Bus Depot if you want to tour the center of Riva. You should get off a few minutes before (ask the driver).
I recommend that you print out a copy of the bus schedule and bring it with you. It's Line 62-64 in the website www.aptv.it Note carefully that some buses do not operate in winter.
NOTE: Even during the winter months, bus service is at least every two hours.
NOTE: From Riva del Garda, you can continue to Trento by bus in 75 minutes via Trentino Trasporti Lines (fka Atesina). www.ttspa.it The Riva Bus Depot has a very modern and well-stocked cafe/bar and waiting area.
NOTE: Need to return to Verona? The LAST bus to Verona departs from the Riva Bus Depot at 18:10 daily, or at 19:10 daily from April 1 through September 30, or at 20:10 Monday through Saturday from June 9 through September 15.
NOTE: Want to return to Verona via the more majestic and rustic WESTERN shore of Lake Garda? No problem: there is another APTV Verona Bus (Line 80) from Riva all the way to Desenzano del Garda, which passes through Limone, Gargnano, Gardone Riviera (D'Annunzio's Vittoriale Villa) and Salo'. But, for most of the year, you must choose between the bus which departs Riva at 12:45 and the one departing at 17:10. Travel time to the Desenzano train station is about two hours. From Desenzano, take any frequent train back to Verona (30 minute ride). From mid-June through mid-September, there are a couple of additional buses, but nowhere as many as travelling down the eastern shore. You could also take the 12:45 bus to Gardone (70 minute ride), get off to briefly see the town, then hop on the ferry boat across the Lake to Garda, where you can take the frequent bus back to Verona (60 minute ride)!
NOTE: You can combine the bus ride with a ride on the Lake Garda ferry. For example, you could take the bus to Riva, then the ferry back to Garda (or Sirmione), then the bus once again back to Verona. Schedules and fares at www.navigazionelaghi.it
TIP: Are you very ambitious about seeing as much as you can, and have lots of stamina? Here is an idea: take the early morning bus from Verona to Malcesine, get off for a brief walk around the town; get back on the bus one hour later to Riva; take the 12:45 bus from Riva to Gardone; cross the Lake on the ferry boat between Gardone and Sirmione; return to Verona by bus from Sirmione. You must purchase separate tickets for each leg.
NOTE: The bus operator between Sirmione and Verona is NOT APTV Verona Bus Lines, but SAIA Trasporti Bus Lines of Brescia. Sirmione to Verona is hourly every day at 28 minutes past the hour. The last bus back to Verona departs Sirmione at 19:28, and the ride takes one hour. Fare is about 3 Euros. Look up the schedules for the line between Brescia and Verona, at www.saiatrasporti.it
This message has been edited. Last edited by: GAC,
Gracie mille, GAC, for continuing to provide these schedules. Having this information all in one place certainly simplifies my travel planning. I, for one, appreciate your postings...keep them coming!
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