Riva del Garda

Venice, the Bishops of Trent and Austria

Riva del Garda passed through the hands of Venice, the Bishopric of Trent, the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy and Austria-Hungary, which held it from 1815 to 1918 under the German name Reiff am Gartsee. It joined Italy in 1918 after the First World War. The clearest mark of those border days is the Bastione above the town, built by Venice in 1507-1508 to guard the frontier with the Prince-Bishopric of Trent.

A glass lift now climbs to it, covered further down. The fortress walls, the Austrian barracks inside the Rocca and the Austrian fort at Porto San Nicolo, built in 1860-1861, all tell the same story: this was a military border town for most of its life.

A Railway Town Without a Railway

The Mori-Arco-Riva railway opened in 1891 and closed in 1936, and it never came back. Riva del Garda has no railway station today. The nearest station is Rovereto, served by Trenitalia, ÖBB and DB, with regular Trentino Trasporti buses on to Torbole, Riva and Arco.

Bus tickets cannot be bought on board, so get one at the station before you set off. Coming from the south you can instead alight at Desenzano, Peschiera or Verona and take an ATV bus. The practical consequence is simple: factor in the bus connection when you plan, and once you are in town you can walk almost everywhere.

If you hold a Garda Guest Card from partner accommodation, the local Bus&Go on-demand bus, normally $2.23 (€2) each way, is free, and so is public transport generally. For the full arrival picture, see getting around Lake Garda.

Torre Apponale and Piazza III Novembre

The Torre Apponale stands over Piazza III Novembre at the water's edge and is Riva's symbol. It was first mentioned in 1273 and raised to its present 34 m in 1555, with 165 stairs to the top and a gilded angel wind vane, the Anzolim de la Tor, on the summit. The climb gives you the best view of the northern basin, the Rocca below and the mountains on both shores.

Entry is $2.23 (€2) full and $1.12 (€1) reduced, free under 15, with tickets bought at the entrance. It opened daily 10:00-18:00 from 1 October to 3 November, so check times before you go if you travel outside that window. The phone number is +39 0464 573869.

Close by, at the Canale della Rocca, the private speedboat tour with skipper leaves for the Ponale falls. Combine the tower with the museum next door if you want both views and art.

The Rocca and the MAG Museum

The Rocca is a Scaligeri fortress built in 1124 directly on the water, entered across a canal by drawbridge, and it later served as Austrian barracks in the 18th century. Today it houses the MAG, the Museo Alto Garda, at Piazza C. Battisti 3/A. The museum ticket is $5.59 (€5) full, $4.47 (€4) reduced and $11.17 (€10) for a family of two adults with minors, free under 15. Note that the opening dates shown on the museum's own page were not current, so check before going rather than planning a fixed slot.

The building itself is half the point: the museum sits inside the fortress, behind its canal and drawbridge. It pairs well with the tower next door, and the Garda Guest Card from partner accommodation includes castle and museum entries, which can make both free.

Via Fiume and the Marocco Quarter

Via Fiume was once Riva's main street, and it still reads as the town's historical spine, once lined with the homes of the town's most prominent families and many businesses. Climb away from the lake and you reach the Marocco quarter on the slopes of the Rocchetta, the rocky hill at the town's back. The name comes from 'marocche', the large boulders that fell from the mountain and were used to build the quarter's houses and walls.

It has narrow lanes, steps and stone that looks nothing like the elegant lakefront below. There is no ticket and no fixed route: just walk up from Via Fiume and wander. Wear proper shoes, since the lanes slope upward.

If you want a longer climb afterwards, the same Rocchetta ridge continues toward the Bastione, where the scenic lift or the 20-minute path down brings you back to the centre.

The Inviolata

The Convent of the Inviolata at Viale Roma 50 was built in 1615-1616 for the Madruzzo family, a powerful Trentino family. It was restored between 2010 and 2023, and the result is one of the quietest rewards in town. The cloister is free to enter and holds 19 frescoed lunettes of St Jerome painted in 1675 by Giovanni Antonio Italiani.

There is no ticket office and no queue, which is exactly why it is worth the detour from the lakefront. The cloister's opening is seasonal, so check before you walk out to Viale Roma.

Santa Maria Assunta

Santa Maria Assunta on Piazza Cavour is Riva's parish church in the heart of the old town. It was first mentioned in 1106, and the present Baroque look comes from a rebuild in 1728. It is open daily 9:00-21:00, so it fits any schedule, including a visit after dinner when the piazza is lit.

It stands on Piazza Cavour in the centre, so you will pass it while walking the old town. Step inside for the Baroque interior and a break from the summer heat, then continue out to the lakefront. If you are planning a full walking day through the old town, the tower, the Rocca museum, the Marocco quarter, the Inviolata and this church connect easily on foot in a morning or afternoon without any transport.

The Bastione and Its Lift

The Bastione is a fortress Venice built in 1507-1508 to guard its border with the Prince-Bishopric of Trent. A glass cabin lift carries you up the rock: the run is 208 m long with a 130 m rise and takes about three minutes, 17 people per trip. A single costs $6.70 (€6).

The return is $11.17 (€10) from 1 June to 30 September and $10.05 (€9) the rest of the year. Children under 120 cm ride free. Hours change with the season, for example 10:00-19:00 daily from 5 October to 8 November, so check before you go.

A path walks back down to the centre in about 20 minutes. Guests of partner accommodation ride the return free with the Garda Guest Card.

Monte Brione and the Forts

Monte Brione, 376 m high, separates Riva from Torbole. Its top is a nature reserve with more than 20 wild orchid species. Forte Garda on the ridge opens on guided tours from May to October, reached on the Sentiero della Pace from San Nicolo.

That quarter holds Porto San Nicolo, the marina with 150 moorings, watched over by a fort Austria-Hungary built in 1860-1861. Riva belonged to Venice, the Bishopric of Trent, Napoleon and Austria-Hungary before joining Italy in 1918, and these forts are what the old frontier left behind. Wear real shoes and carry water.

The eastern side of the hill falls away in steep cliffs.

The Lakefront Beaches

Riva del Garda has beaches for every style, though this is the mountains end of the lake, so expect stones rather than soft sand. Pine Beach on Lungolago dei Pini is stone and gravel with a large green space, a windsurf area and a playground. Du Lac beach on Via Giancarlo Maroni is free entry with no services at all, so bring what you need.

Spiaggia degli Olivi was built in the 1930s by Giancarlo Maroni, the architect of the Vittoriale, and opened in 1934 with Gabriele d'Annunzio present. Pine Beach and Du Lac both take part in the Spiagge Sicure lifeguard project in season. For more swimming spots up and down the shore, see the Lake Garda beaches.

The Varone Gorge and the Ponale Road

The Cascata del Varone, a waterfall in a narrow gorge just above town, costs $7.82 (€7) per adult, with family tickets sold on site only. It opens every day except 25 December, with hours running 10:00-17:00 in the winter months and 9:00-19:00 in May to August. Allow at least 20 minutes.

Details and hours are on our Varone waterfall page. The Sentiero del Ponale is the classic hike out of Riva: 6.4 km along the old road begun in 1851, about 3 hours with 736 m of climbing to a highest point of 532 m. It is listed easy but described as an alpine trail for experienced hikers because of rockfall.

The road became a hiking path in 2004, and bus 214 returns from the Pregasina junction. More routes sit on our Lake Garda hiking page. For the water view without the climb, book the private speedboat tour from Riva, which runs one hour out to the Ponale Waterfall and the bay of Limone for $224 per boat of up to 4.

No Station: Rovereto and the Bus

Riva del Garda has no railway station. The nearest is Rovereto, served by Trenitalia, OBB and DB, and Trentino Trasporti buses run from there to Torbole, Riva and Arco, a 17 km ride. Bus tickets cannot be bought on board, so get them at the station or an outlet first. From Bologna a direct train runs to Rovereto. From Bergamo airport a shuttle reaches Bergamo station, with trains on to Desenzano, Verona, Trento and Rovereto. Coming from Milan or Venice you alight at Desenzano, Peschiera or Verona and continue by ATV bus, with lines 483 and 484 running Riva-Torbole-Malcesine-Brenzone-Torri-Garda. Check the current timetable on atv.verona.it. The full picture is on our getting around Lake Garda page.

The table lists one-way ferry fares from Riva by zone, from the Navigazione Laghi fare matrix, with the summer sample runs that end in Riva.

By Boat From the South

The state ferry company prices by zone. Riva to Torbole is zone 1 at $3.91 (€3.50), Riva to Limone zone 2 at $6.70 (€6), Malcesine to Riva zone 4 at $12.85 (€11.50), Sirmione to Riva zone 6 at $17.88 (€16) and Desenzano to Riva zone 7 at $19.55 (€17.50). A whole-lake day pass costs $44.13 (€39.50) and is the only pass that includes the fast services.

Those fast runs carry a zone supplement, and no reductions apply on them. In summer the fast run 160 leaves Desenzano at 9:20 and reaches Riva at 12:15, under 3 hours, while the slow ordinary boat takes close to 5 hours for the whole lake. Fares and passes are laid out on our Lake Garda ferry page.

From 2 November to 12 March no passenger boats run anywhere on the lake, so winter arrivals come by road only.

The Garda Guest Card

This is the card that changes the maths in Riva del Garda. Partner accommodation in Garda Trentino issues it to guests, and it covers free public transport and free lake navigation, a free return on the Bastione lift and entry to castles and museums in the area. It also covers the Bus&Go on-demand bus, which otherwise costs $2.23 (€2) each way.

Because buses around the north lake stop at Torbole, Riva and Arco, a card holder can leave the car parked for the whole stay. Ask when booking, because not every property participates, and pick your base on our where to stay page with the card in mind.

Three Ways to Spend It

An hour or two takes in Piazza III Novembre and the lakefront, enough to feel the place and decide to return. A half day adds the Bastione lift and the view from the fortress, then the old streets behind the port. A full day stacks the Varone gorge in the morning, a beach afternoon at Pine Beach or Spiaggia degli Olivi and the Ponale path if your legs allow it.

Active visitors can swap in canyoning near Arco or a boat trip, and the north lake makes a good base for day trips to Verona and the Dolomites. The table below puts those options side by side.

The Details That Change a Visit

Each of these changes how you plan a visit, and each ends with the source it comes from.

- The 34 m Torre Apponale has 165 stairs, and the gilded angel on its roof is the Anzolim de la Tor (Garda Trentino). - Under 15s climb the tower and enter the MAG museum for free (Garda Trentino, MAG Museo Alto Garda). - The Bastione lift return costs $1.12 (€1) less outside 1 June to 30 September (Garda Trentino). - Spiaggia degli Olivi opened in 1934 with Gabriele d'Annunzio present, built by Giancarlo Maroni, the architect of the Vittoriale (Garda Trentino). - Riva had a railway to Mori and Arco from 1891 to 1936, and its old terminus is now a restaurant (Wikipedia).

Pairing It With the Next Town

Torbole is the easiest partner. The boat across the water is zone 1 at $3.91 (€3.50) one way, and the windsurf beaches start there. Arco sits inland up the Sarca and is reached by bus, not boat.

Its castle cliff and Tuesday farmers' market from 8:00 to 13:00 make a half-day. Limone sul Garda is zone 2 on the ferry matrix, $6.70 (€6) one way. From Malcesine the boat to Riva takes 65 minutes on a summer run and costs the zone 4 fare of $12.85 (€11.50).

Note that from 2 November to 12 March no passenger boats run at all, so these pairings become bus or car trips. If you have two nights, our 2-day itinerary shows how the north and south split. With three days there is room for the Dolomites day.

Read more on Torbole, Arco and Limone sul Garda.

Getting Around Without a Car

Riva has no railway station. The nearest is Rovereto, and regular Trentino Trasporti buses cover the stretch to Torbole, Riva and Arco, with tickets sold before boarding. From the south you can alight at Desenzano, Peschiera or Verona and take an ATV bus north.

The big lever for car-free travellers is the Garda Guest Card, issued to guests of partner accommodation in Garda Trentino. It includes free public transport and lake navigation, a free return trip on the Bastione lift, and castle and museum entries, so pick a partner stay first. Even the Bus&Go on-demand bus, normally $2.23 (€2) each way, is free with the card.

Ask your hotel at booking whether it takes part, because the card decides how cheap a car-free stay in Riva del Garda really is.

Day Trips and Boats From the Pier

The ordinary boat needs close to 5 hours from Peschiera to Riva, so long crossings are best done on a fast service, which charges the ordinary fare plus a zone supplement. For the mountains, the Dolomites full-day tour from the lake costs $95 per person and picks up around the lake, or take the coach to Verona on the full-day Verona trip with Riva pickup at $73 per person. On the water itself, the private speedboat tour with skipper costs $224 per boat for up to 4 people and runs one hour out of the Canale della Rocca.

For adrenaline inland, the Arco canyoning descent with jumps or rope descents costs $111 per person. Compare the season fares on our ferry page before you choose a boat day. For the whole lake, shore by shore, start from things to do in Lake Garda.