Getting from Milan (Bergamo) to Riva del Garda....

Hi there

need some advice, we're arriving in Bergamo airport in August and we're going to a wedding in Riva (north of Lake Garda), don't really want to hire a car because we're nervous of driving in Italy so just wondering is there public transport we could use or what would be the best advice?

any suggestions greatly appreciated............

I hired and drove around Lake Garda for two weeks and it's no bother, I think a lot of the reviews about the driving seem to be from people that are used to city or motorway driving. If you can survive driving on rural Irish roads then Lake Garda will be a piece of cake.

Other than that I'd guess you're talking about buses.

Not sure about Riva del Garda, but there is definitely a very good train connection from Bergamo to Desenzano/Sirmione (is Riva near?). You can check on this website, it seems ok for pre-bookings.

[broken link removed]

And from Simone why not take a boat.
If you are driving around Lake Garda there a lot of road tunnels which you will have to go through in order to reach Riva. Don't know if you have any problem with that

I found this bus service from Desenzano (train station) to Riva.
It runs 6 times a day during the summer - no service on August 15th as it is a big holiday in Italy. I
t seems quite a long trip on the bus, but it goes through all the best spots around Lake Garda.

web here

www.gardainforma.com will give you some information but you can get the train to Desenzano and then you could get the ferry to riva which would be a nice way to go but it would take a day as it stops in lots of the towns on the way up. As said already you could get a bus

Driving in Italy is no more difficult than it is here.

Got this from www.answers.yahoo.com! google bergamo to riva!

From Orio al Serio (Milan Bergamo), there are buses that go to Brescia 5 times through the day (10 euro one-way). There's information here on times: http://www.sacbo.it/Editorial/newsCatego... You could take a bus from the airport to Bergamo station or Milano Centrale station and catch a train to Brescia or Desenzano (info on the same link). There are more buses from Desenzano to Riva. Train schedules and prices: [broken link removed]...

There are buses from either Brescia or Desenzano to Riva del Garda. the bus schedules are here: [broken link removed]... The site is in Italian, but just click on the .pdf files to get the schedules. The top one is Brescia, the bottom one is Desenzano.

You can also take a boat from Desenzano, but it's a slower trip that way. boat schedules: http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/ita/gar/n... (right now it's the spring schedule. The summer schedule will start in a couple of weeks and they'll post that one then.)

I would take the bus directly to Brescia and transfer to the bus to Riva del Garda there if the timing worked out at the airport. If you just miss the Brescia bus and have to wait a few hours, the next best option is going to Milan and catching the train.

A taxi to Riva could easily cost more than your flight.

Have a great time at the lake!
1 month ago
Source(s):
Live an hour south of Lago Garda

Lake Garda is a huge lake. Trying to get from Sirmione to Riva del Garda would take forever by boat, they are opposite ends of the lake. Your best bet is to get to Sirmione by train, maybe spend a night there. It is a lovely place and would relax you for the next stage of your journey to Riva del Garda which is at the very top of the lake, by bus. My suggestion would be to spend a night in Riva del Garda also and visit Limone and Malcesine by boat before heading back. Look at www.alpharooms.com or www.booking.com or [broken link removed] for hotel rooms.
I travelled around the lake visiting most of the towns and it is worth a few days, no need to base yourself in the one place.

Some crazy advice here, to say the least.

You have 3 realistic options, trains, car hire or taxi.

Trains from Bergamo towards Riva are simple to manage, cheap and relatively quick. Get an airport bus or taxi from Bergamo Airport to train station (beware, taxis can be hard to find if you're arriving during siesta time. Then take a local train from Bergamo to Milan, an express train from Milan to Verona & another express from Verona to Rovereto (on the main Verona-Trento line). Rovereto is c.15km from Riva. You can get a local bus or a taxi (about €35) from Rovereto to Riva.

I would recommend Car Hire if you are perplexed by the train connections. Otherwise use www.trenitalia.it to plan your journey. If taking a car, drive "the long way" from Bergamo to Milan/Venice motorway, then somewhere around Verona take the motorway towards Trento. Exit at Mori/Rovereto and proceed towards Riva (15km on a country road).

Do not take the lakeside road from Garda/Desenzano. This is very slow, busy, dangerous road (far worse than an average Irish road) and littered with tunnels. The road on the other side of the lake via Limone etc is worse still, and is also particularly dangerous as some of the tunnels are not high enough to properly accomodate trucks, who have to go into the middle of the road to get through. You might well go around a bend only to see a truck in the middle of the road coming straight at you.

Some families we met in Riva last year had taken taxis from Bergamo for the guts of €200 (booked in advance). They thought it was worth it, as they were in Riva within a few hours of arriving in Bergamo and they did not have any of the hassle of train/bus connections or car hire.

Bus might be an option, but the local buses in that part of Italy are very slow. If there are more than 2 of you, taxi would be far easier and quicker.

Do not under any circumstances consider taking the ferry from Desenzano/Sirmione. Desenzano & Sirmione are 4 or 5 hours on the ferry from Riva. This would be a tortuous journey after successive plane and train rides.

That's fantastic advice, loads to think about here..........cheers.

WE drove round the lake in a day with 3 kids in tow, no bother, lunch, breaks coffees, sightseeing. Yoy can drive easily to Riva from Bergamo, just watch the tunnels are narrow but thats part of the fun! For others doing the round of the lake watch the crazy traffic on the eastern side of the Lake near weekends as the Germans head south taking in the lake and Gardaland. I've seen 7 miles tailbacks. So drive anticlockwise round the lake if you know what I mean...