Lake Garda has three ferry types that matter to travelers: ordinary passenger boats, faster servizio rapido sailings marked SR, and the vehicle ferry between Maderno and Torri del Benaco. They do not use the same rules, and a departure shown on the lake schedule does not automatically mean you can take a car, a bicycle, or a large suitcase on it.
The current Lake Garda ferry timetable for summer 2026 runs from 16 May to 4 October. The safest way to plan is to choose your service type first, then follow one numbered sailing column from your departure town to your destination. Do not build a day from old screenshots because Garda schedules change by season and short-notice operational notices can override the printed PDF.
The three services are not interchangeable
- Battelli and motonavi: regular passenger boats. These make more stops and are usually the most practical choice for town-hopping.
- SR, servizio rapido: fast services. They skip more stops and require an additional fast-service fare or a ticket that already includes it.
- Traghetto: the Maderno-Torri ferry. This is the scheduled vehicle crossing for cars, motorcycles and other road vehicles. Passenger-only boats elsewhere on the lake are not car ferries.
That distinction matters before you even look at departure times. A fast boat can save a lot of time on a long north-south trip, but its luggage rules are tighter. A regular boat is slower but usually easier with bags. A car crossing belongs on the separate Maderno-Torri schedule, not on the main Desenzano-Peschiera-Riva passenger table.
Which schedule is in force now
Navigazione Laghi lists the current summer passenger schedule from 16 May to 4 October 2026, covering the Desenzano-Peschiera-Riva corridor in both directions. The same seasonal period has a separate PDF for the Maderno-Torri vehicle ferry. Check the operator’s official Lake Garda tickets and timetables page before setting out, especially if your plan depends on a particular last boat.
Spring has a different schedule. In 2026, the previous timetable covered 1 April to 15 May, so a departure copied from May is not reliable for July, and a summer departure should not be assumed to exist in October or winter. If you are visiting in shoulder season, the practical transport notes in our Lake Garda in May guide explain why your choice of base matters more when sailings are thinner.
A current vehicle-ferry warning for August 2026
There is also a live operational restriction as of 23 August 2026. Navigazione Laghi says Maderno-Torri runs numbered 231 through 246 are currently carrying passengers but not cars, motorcycles, buses or trucks. Vehicles can still use runs 201 through 218. Check the operator’s latest notices before driving into the ferry queue because this kind of temporary restriction can change faster than the seasonal PDF.
How to read the passenger timetable without mixing up boats
The official PDF looks dense because every vertical column is a separate sailing. The easiest method is to ignore most of the page and follow one column at a time.
- Choose the correct direction. One page runs from Desenzano and Peschiera toward Riva del Garda; the reverse page runs from Riva toward Peschiera and Desenzano.
- Find your departure town on the left. Scan across that row until you see a usable departure time.
- Look straight up the same column. At the top is the N. Corsa, the sailing number. If the column is marked SR, it is a fast service.
- Stay in that column and read downward. A printed time at your destination is the arrival for that same boat. Do not jump sideways to a nicer-looking arrival time in another column.
- Check the symbols above the column. The 2026 timetable marks bicycle restrictions and recommended wheelchair-accessible runs. These symbols can matter more than the departure time if you are traveling with a bike or reduced mobility.
One common mistake is reading the row horizontally as though every time belongs to the same route pattern. It does not. Some sailings start partway up the lake, some finish before Riva or Desenzano, and some skip intermediate ports. Always match departure and arrival in the same numbered column.
Fast boats: useful, but check the supplement and your luggage
Fast services are labeled SR and the timetable legend states that they require an extra charge. They are most useful when the alternative is sitting through many intermediate stops. For a short hop between neighboring towns, an ordinary boat may be almost as convenient once boarding time and the supplement are considered.
The baggage difference is more important than many travelers expect. Under Navigazione Laghi’s 2026 luggage rules, hydrofoils and catamarans used for fast service do not accept accompanied baggage with a longest side over 0.60 m, and bicycles are not allowed. A normal cabin-size case may fit within that limit; a larger checked suitcase may not. If you are moving hotels with a big roller bag, choose the ordinary service unless the operator confirms your bag is acceptable.
Be careful with NaviTap on an SR sailing
Lake Garda now has the NaviTap contactless system on most boats. If you use it, tap the same physical card or device when boarding and again when leaving. The operator says that failing to tap out can result in the maximum daily fare being charged.
There is one particularly important fast-boat detail: under the 2026 NaviTap rules, boarding an SR service causes the system to charge the full-lake daily fare, currently €39.50, even for a short ride. If you only want one short fast leg, compare the normal ticket plus the SR supplement before tapping. The operator explains the system on its Lake Garda NaviTap FAQ.
Regular boats: slower, better for hopping between towns
Ordinary boats are usually the better choice when the ride itself is part of the day. They stop at more places, so routes such as Garda to Bardolino, Malcesine to Limone, or short hops around the lower lake often make more sense on a regular sailing than on an SR boat.
They are also more forgiving with luggage, although there are still limits. The 2026 rules allow accompanied baggage on ordinary motor vessels and ferries up to the operator’s stated size and weight limits, with one smaller piece carried free and charges applying to larger or additional pieces. Oversized or special baggage is subject to available space and the captain’s judgment. If your suitcase is large enough that you would hesitate to carry it onto a city bus, check the baggage rules before relying on a particular sailing.
Maderno-Torri is the car ferry
The cross-lake vehicle ferry connects Maderno, on the western shore in Toscolano-Maderno, with Torri del Benaco, on the eastern shore. The scheduled crossing is about 30 minutes and can save a long drive around the lake when your route naturally crosses the middle.
In the published summer 2026 schedule, departures normally alternate through much of the day. Because of the current 23 August restriction, the vehicle-carrying departures are temporarily reduced to the numbered runs below:
- From Maderno: runs 201, 203, 205, 207, 209, 211, 213, 215 and 217, scheduled at 08:00, 09:10, 10:25, 11:45, 14:00, 15:20, 16:40, 18:00 and 19:15.
- From Torri: runs 202, 204, 206, 208, 210, 212, 214, 216 and 218, scheduled at 08:35, 09:45, 11:05, 12:25, 14:40, 16:00, 17:20, 18:40 and 19:50.
Those times are useful only while the temporary restriction remains in force. If it is lifted, additional scheduled ferry departures may again take vehicles. At the terminal, follow signs for Traghetto and the vehicle queue rather than joining the ordinary passenger boarding line. Give yourself more than the operator’s general 20-minute minimum in busy summer periods because deck space is finite and queues can form before you reach the ticket point.
Tickets, boarding and the 20-minute rule
Navigazione Laghi recommends reaching the ticket office about 20 minutes before departure. In summer and on holidays, queues can be considerably longer. Treat 20 minutes as the minimum for a simple passenger trip, not as a guarantee that you can arrive at the pier at that moment, buy a ticket and still walk straight aboard.
Main ports generally have ticket offices near the pier. At a stop without an open land ticket office, tickets can be bought on board without the normal onboard surcharge. The vehicle-ferry fare notice says onboard purchases can otherwise carry a €1 surcharge for each passenger, item of chargeable luggage or vehicle, while the surcharge is waived when the land ticket office is closed.
If several boats are alongside at once, do not board by destination name alone. Check the sailing number and ask the dock staff, especially at larger stops. The operator specifically warns that multiple departures can be present at the same pier area.
Bicycles, strollers and reduced mobility
Bicycle access varies by sailing. The passenger timetable uses different icons for recommended bike services, limited bike carriage and boats where bicycles are not accepted. Even when a bicycle symbol allows boarding, the captain can restrict bikes if space or passenger traffic makes carriage impractical.
There is an extra local wrinkle at Sirmione in 2026. On a list of peak dates, the operator does not allow passengers to embark or disembark there with bicycles or scooters because of municipal circulation restrictions in the historic center. Check the latest Garda notices before combining Sirmione with a bike day.
Children’s strollers are listed as free under the current baggage rules. For wheelchairs, the passenger timetable marks recommended sailings, while all scheduled Maderno-Torri ferry runs are identified as recommended for wheelchair passengers. Vessel substitutions can change boarding conditions, so travelers who need step-free access should confirm the specific sailing with Navigazione Laghi before departure.
Do not plan a critical connection around the last boat
Lake Garda is long enough that missing one sailing can turn a simple day into a complicated road journey. If the return boat gets you to a hotel check-in, a train at Desenzano or Peschiera, or the opposite shore with no backup, choose an earlier departure that leaves at least one later sailing available.
Bad weather and strong wave conditions can lead to suspensions. Temporary mechanical restrictions can also affect only certain numbered runs, as the current Maderno-Torri notice shows. If a sailing disappears, ask the ticket office about the next boat first, then check the relevant shore bus as the fallback. Ferry and bus tickets are separate products, so do not assume one can be used on the other.
Once you have fixed the ferry legs that genuinely save time, you can organize the rest of your Italy route around those departures rather than trying to force every lake town into one day. If you are still deciding where to sleep, our Lake Garda base guide compares the towns by train access, ferry usefulness and travel style.
Which service should you choose?
- Choose SR for a longer passenger trip when time matters, your luggage fits the fast-service rules, and the supplement makes sense.
- Choose an ordinary boat for town-hopping, a more relaxed ride, or when you have larger luggage. Check the bike and accessibility icons for the exact sailing.
- Choose Maderno-Torri if you need to take a car or motorcycle across the middle of the lake. Recheck live notices before joining the vehicle queue.
- Choose an earlier sailing whenever missing the boat would also mean missing a train, a hotel transfer, or the final practical route back to your base.
The timetable becomes much easier once you stop trying to read the whole lake at once. Pick the correct direction, follow one N. Corsa column, confirm whether it is ordinary, SR or traghetto, and check the live notices before leaving for the pier.