Lake Garda in Winter: What Runs and What Shuts

From 2 November to 12 March the passenger ferries stop and only the Maderno-Torri car ferry crosses the lake. The Monte Baldo cable car closes 2 November to 25 December for maintenance, then runs a winter season to 21 February. Sirmione's castle and Grottoes shut every Monday, and Malcesine castle drops to weekends in November and again from 9 January.

The spa, the Varone waterfall and the Desenzano museum keep daily or near-daily hours all winter. The table below lines up each attraction's winter state straight from the operator's own calendar, so you can match your dates to what is actually open before you book anything.

At Lake Level

The southern shore averages a high of 9.0°C (48°F) in December, 8.3°C (47°F) in January and 10.5°C (51°F) in February. Nightly lows sit between 2.6°C (37°F) and 3.9°C (39°F), with an average of 2.3 frosty nights in December, 4.9 in January and 2.8 in February. January is also the driest month of the year at 53 mm of rain.

The north tip is a touch milder by day, 9.1°C (48°F) in January. Snow at lake level is rare in the 30-year averages, under half a centimetre in every month. These are 30-year climate averages, not forecasts, so pack for damp cold rather than deep freeze.

For month-by-month detail see Lake Garda weather.

On the Mountain

Monte Baldo is another climate entirely. The top station sits at 1,760 m, and the January average high there is -1.7°C (29°F) with a low of -7.7°C (18°F). Snowfall in the 30-year averages runs about 17.4 cm in December, 15.7 cm in January and 18.6 cm in February, which is why a short ski season works at all.

Bring proper winter clothing, hat and hiking shoes if you go up, as the operator itself advises that the weather changes suddenly on the mountain. The same cable car that serves hikers in summer serves skiers and snowshoers in winter, and the table compares the top with the shore. More on Monte Baldo.

The Maderno-Torri Car Ferry

From 2 November to 12 March this is the only crossing on the whole lake. It links Maderno on the west shore to Torri del Benaco on the east in 30 minutes. The car ferry timetable runs 5 October to 25 March, but it does not run at all on 25 December, and some runs are daily only until 1 November and again from 13 March.

In the winter timetable the first departure from Maderno is 8:10 and the last 18:00, while from Torri the first is 8:45 and the last 18:40. A car up to 3.50 m costs $13.74 (€12.30) with the driver, an extra adult passenger $8.38 (€7.50), and a child aged 4-11 $4.25 (€3.80). Note that there is no car ferry between Malcesine and Limone.

Find both slipways on the Lake Garda map and plan crossings on the Lake Garda ferry page.

Buses and Trains

ATV Verona runs the shore buses: line 483 between Peschiera, Garda and Malcesine, line 484 on to Riva through Torbole and Brenzone, and line 164 from Verona via Lazise and Peschiera. The timetables live on atv.verona.it, and no journey times are printed here, so check the PDF for your date. The only railway stations at the lake are Desenzano and Peschiera, both on the Milan-Venice line, which keeps the south easy without a car.

Riva del Garda has no station. The nearest is Rovereto, followed by a Trentino Trasporti bus to Riva, and tickets are not sold on board, so buy before boarding. All the options are compared on getting around Lake Garda.

Driving and Winter Tyres

If you rent a car for a winter trip, the tyre rule matters more than any closure. On all provincial roads in every municipality of the Province of Verona, motor vehicles must have winter tyres or carry snow chains or approved anti-skid devices on board from 15 November to 15 April. The province reissues the ordinance each winter, so the rule repeats every season.

Motorcycles may ride only when there is no snow or ice. Ask the rental desk whether the car is shod for winter before you drive off the airport lot, because a fine or a slide will cost more than the question. Practical detail on choosing and collecting a car is on car rental at the lake.

The four markets at the Trentino end of the lake keep different calendars, and only Arco and Riva open on weekdays over the holidays. The table lines up the dates and hours each one publishes on the Garda Trentino tourism board's event pages.

Arco

Arco's market fills the main squares with wooden chalets under the limestone cliffs, with street performers, concerts and petting zoos. It runs on weekends from 13 November, with daily opening over the holidays to 6 January. Hours are mostly 10:00-19:00, Saturdays to 20:00, and on Saturday 5 December to 22:00.

Arco was the winter residence of the Habsburg court, which is why its arboretum park dates from 1872. While you are there, the castle above town costs $5.59 (€5) and opens 10:00-16:00 from 2 November to 6 January. The market, the castle and the arboretum all sit close together, so details and access are on Arco.

Riva del Garda

Riva runs a food and wine village rather than a craft market, spread across Piazza Garibaldi and Piazza Cesare Battisti, with Trentino meats, cheeses and mulled wine and mountain choirs singing between the stalls. It opens Fridays to Sundays from 13 November, then runs daily from 23 December to 6 January. Usual hours are 10:30-21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, earlier on other days.

It opens on 25 December from 11:00, and stays open until 03:00 on 31 December for the New Year crowd. The rest of the old town is on Riva del Garda.

Canale di Tenno

Canale di Tenno is a medieval village in the most beautiful villages of Italy association, perched above Riva, where the Christmas market opens the courtyards and doorways of the old stone houses to craftsmen selling their work. It is the shortest of the four markets: just ten dates, on 28-29 November, 5-8 December, 12-13 December and 19-20 December, from 9:30 to 18:00 each day. A shuttle runs from the lake car park, so you can leave the car by the lake.

If your dates miss those ten days, the village itself is still worth the climb, but plan it around the market weekends. It features in our roundup of things to do in Lake Garda.

Rango

Rango sets its stalls in the old stables and under the covered passages of a farm village, one of Italy's most beautiful villages, in the Comano area well off the lake. The market runs on weekends from 14 November to 20 December, with extra December days on 27 November and 7-8 December, then 26-27 and 29-31 December, from 9:30 to 18:30. Plan it as a half day by car.

The atmosphere is more rural and food-driven than the lakeside markets, and it makes a good day trip from Lake Garda if you have wheels.

The Ski Season

The winter season runs 26 December to 21 February, immediately after the maintenance closure of 2 November to 25 December. The ski area covers about 10 km of slopes, all on natural snow only, because there is no water at altitude for snow-making, so conditions depend entirely on the weather. Snowshoes can be rented at Baita dei Forti up top.

An adult return from Malcesine costs $33.52 (€30) at the desk or $31.28 (€28) online. Tickets are not refundable for bad weather, wind or a partial shutdown, so a closed lift costs you the fare. No last-ride time is printed here because the operator's two pages disagree, so check the day's timetable at the station before you plan your descent.

Prices and booking rules are on Monte Baldo cable car tickets.

The Spa in Sirmione

The SPA & Thermal Garden at Terme Catullo, in Sirmione's historic centre, opens every day through winter, Sunday to Thursday 9:00-22:00 and Friday to Saturday 9:00-24:00. Booking is always required through the online portal, and entry is not guaranteed without one, so this is the one sight you must reserve ahead. The thermal pools hold 36°C in winter, and the water reaches 69°C at the source, a sulphurous spring that rises 19 m below lake level.

The table lists the spa's own published admissions. A welcome kit with bathing cap and towel is included, swimsuit and slippers are mandatory, and children from 2.5 years are admitted only with an adult. Times, prices and booking rules are on Terme di Sirmione.

Castles, Grottoes and the Waterfall

Sirmione's castle opens Tuesday to Sunday 8:30-19:15, and the Grottoes of Catullus Tuesday to Saturday 8:30-17:00 and Sunday 8:30-14:00. Both close every Monday, plus 1 January and 25 December. These are the hours the Ministry's page lists, and it does not say whether they are summer or winter hours, so check before you go.

A combined ticket covering the castle, the Grottoes and the Roman villa in Desenzano costs $22.34 (€20) and stays valid for 7 days. Malcesine castle runs weekends in November, daily 5 December to 6 January, then weekends again, 10:30-17:00, for $7.82 (€7). The Cascata del Varone near Riva opens 10:00-17:00 in winter and closes only on 25 December, also $7.82 (€7).

See Sirmione castle and Cascata del Varone.

What Stays Shut

Several of the lake's signature sights go dark for the whole season, which surprises visitors arriving in December. Heller Garden in Gardone Riviera closes from 1 November to 1 March. Parco Sigurtà near Valeggio closes after 15 November, so it is a late-autumn option only.

Isola del Garda runs guided visits only from late March to October, so the island is out of reach in winter. The Museo della Carta in Toscolano Maderno drops to weekends only after 11 October, ending on 8 November. Plan around these, or save them for a spring trip.

The west shore's other options are covered on Gardone Riviera and Isola del Garda.

Riva del Garda

Riva is the natural winter base in the north. The Christmas market is on your doorstep from 13 November, Arco and Canale di Tenno are close by, and the Varone waterfall keeps daily winter hours. The median rate Google Hotels returned for a mid-November Wednesday night for two adults was $87.14 (€78), a sample of one search rather than a promise.

Guests of partner accommodation get the Garda Guest Card, which includes free buses and lake navigation in season, a free Bastione lift return and castle and museum entries. Rates and neighbourhoods are on Riva del Garda and where to stay.

Sirmione and Desenzano

Base here for the spa, the castle and the Grottoes, with a railway station at Desenzano on the Milan-Venice line, which makes a car-optional winter trip possible. The Sirmione median rate Google Hotels returned for the same mid-November Wednesday night for two adults was $81.56 (€73), again a sample, not a promise. The Rambotti archaeology museum in Desenzano keeps winter hours, Tuesday to Friday 9:30-12:30 and weekends also 15:00-18:00, for $7.82 (€7), closed Mondays.

Trains still run to both stations all year, so this base works even without a car, and the ATV buses cover the south shore. Detail on both towns is on Sirmione and Desenzano del Garda.

Verona and Venice

Two coach day trips leave from the lake resorts on the operator's own calendar, so confirm your date before booking. The Verona day trip from the lake costs $73 for 8-10 hours, with coach transfers from ten meeting points including Limone, Lazise and Riva, arriving in Verona around 10:00 and departing around 16:00. The Venice day from the lake costs $115.17 for 11-13 hours and collects from 16 lake towns, with a private boat to St Mark's and a guided walk on most days. For a different kind of day, the Dolomites day from the lake costs $95 for 10-12 hours, though the route may change with the weather. More on both cities at Venice from Lake Garda and Dolomites from Lake Garda.

Indoors Near the South Shore

Rainy afternoons have easy fixes in the south. The cooking class in Garda town costs $111 for 3 hours of pasta and Tiramisu with wine, hotel pickup included, adults only. The Lazise vineyard tasting costs $47 for 2 hours and six wines with salami and cheese at a family vineyard. The Gardaland SEA LIFE aquarium ticket costs $10 on an open date, with 40 tanks and an underwater tunnel, best visited early or after 15:00 to dodge queues. All the indoor options are gathered on a rainy day at Lake Garda.