Valpolicella from Lake Garda: Trains, Buses and Distances

Lake Garda to Valpolicella by train: Peschiera to Domegliara

Peschiera del Garda is the railway station on the lake, and Domegliara-Sant'Ambrogio is the station at the western edge of the Valpolicella Classica. There is no direct train between the two: every solution changes at Verona Porta Nuova. A search on Trenitalia's booking system for Wednesday 18 November 2026 returned regional trains leaving Peschiera at 09.58, 10.58, 12.58, 13.59, 14.58, 15.58, 16.58 and 17.58. The leg to Verona takes 19 minutes and the train on to Domegliara 15 minutes, so with the wait at Verona the whole journey takes 1 hour 7 minutes on the best connections and up to 1 hour 23 minutes on the others. One early solution, at 08.12, used a Trenord bus to Verona instead of a train, so check what each solution shows.

A search for Sunday 22 November 2026 gave departures from Peschiera at 09.23 (45 minutes in all, with a seven-minute change at Verona) and then at 10.58, 12.58, 14.58 and 16.58. Back from Domegliara that Sunday, the afternoon trains left at 15.50, 17.56 and 19.56, the last two reaching Peschiera in 39 minutes.

The fare for the whole journey was 5.85 EUR on every regional solution. Regional fares are fixed tariffs, so the price does not change with demand. The times come from single searches, so check the day you travel (Trenitalia, 2026).

From Garda, Bardolino and Lazise: bus 164

ATV line 164 runs along the eastern shore from Garda through Bardolino, Cisano, Lazise, Pacengo and Gardaland to Peschiera station and on to Verona. It is the bus that connects the lakeside towns with the train. In the winter timetable, valid from 9 November 2026, it takes 29 minutes from Garda bus station to Peschiera station and 14 minutes from Lazise.

On weekdays buses leave Garda at 06.08, 06.45, 07.25, 08.20, 10.50, 14.10, 14.50, 16.05, 17.20 and 18.25 (the timetable marks some as school days only), five minutes later from Bardolino and 15 minutes later from Lazise. On Sundays and public holidays from 25 October 2026 to 14 March 2027 there are only three: 07.00, 10.40 and 15.20 from Garda, reaching Verona station 71 minutes later. A different Sunday timetable, with departures at 09.20, 14.20, 16.20 and 19.20, starts on 21 March 2027.

The return matters more. On winter Sundays the 164 leaves Verona station (stand C1) for the lake at 08.46, 12.26 and 17.36 only, calling at Peschiera station at 09.26, 13.06 and 18.16. A Sunday visit from Garda therefore has to end in time for the 17.36 from Verona, or the 18.16 from Peschiera. ATV's Garda Link page notes that lines 163, 164 and 185 connect with Trenitalia trains at Verona Porta Nuova and that a combined train and bus ticket can be bought on the Trenitalia website (ATV Azienda Trasporti Verona, 2026).

From the hills above the lake: line 173 through Affi and Cavaion

ATV's per-locality index shows that Domegliara is served by two lines, 103 and 173. Line 173 runs from Caprino Veronese through Costermano, Affi and Cavaion to Domegliara and then through Pescantina and Parona to Verona station, so it is the one bus that links the hinterland of the eastern shore directly with the Valpolicella. Its winter timetable is valid from 9 November 2026.

On weekdays, southbound buses leave Costermano at 07.40, 09.30, 12.30, 13.35, 14.30, 15.30, 16.10, 17.30 and 18.35, among others, reaching the stop called Domegliara SS12 24 minutes later; from Affi the same buses take 17 minutes. Northbound, buses leave Domegliara SS12 for Cavaion, Affi and Costermano through the day, the last two at 19.31 and 20.31, and take about 25 minutes to Costermano. The timetable marks several runs as school days only, so check the code under each column. The Sunday timetable of line 173 starts only on 21 March 2027, so in winter there is no Sunday service.

From Garda itself, line 165 reaches Costermano in 9 minutes and Affi in 16 on a few weekday runs. Note that the 173 stop at Domegliara is listed as Domegliara SS12, while line 103 starts from a stop listed simply as Domegliara; ask ATV where to change (ATV Azienda Trasporti Verona, 2026).

At Domegliara: bus 103 into the Classico villages

Line 103 starts at Domegliara and runs through Sant'Ambrogio, Gargagnago and San Pietro in Cariano to Verona, so it carries you on from the station into the wine villages. Its winter timetable is valid from 28 September 2026. On weekdays, mid-morning buses leave Domegliara at 09.05, 09.45, 10.25, 11.05 and 11.45, reaching Sant'Ambrogio three minutes later and Gargagnago seven minutes later.

On Sundays and public holidays the line runs seven times each way. Buses leave Domegliara at 07.23, 09.33, 11.33, 12.53, 14.53, 16.53 and 18.53, and the buses towards Domegliara arrive there at 09.22, 11.22, 13.22, 14.42, 16.42, 18.42 and 20.42. On a Sunday from the lake, the 10.58 train from Peschiera reaches Domegliara at 12.05, in time for the 12.53 bus; for the trip back, the bus arriving at Domegliara at 14.42 fits the 15.50 train, which reaches Peschiera at 16.56, before the last winter Sunday 164 to Garda at 18.16; the 17.56 train reaches Peschiera at 18.35, which suits a stay in Peschiera but misses that bus.

Many wineries sit on the hillsides away from the bus stops. When you book a tasting, ask whether the estate can collect you from Domegliara station or the Sant'Ambrogio bus stop. For the villages served by the other lines and the weekday-only buses to Negrar, Fumane and Marano, see getting to Valpolicella from Verona and our guide to the Valpolicella Classico villages (ATV Azienda Trasporti Verona, 2026; Trenitalia, 2026).

Tickets and passes for a day from the lake

The train and the buses are sold separately. The train ticket comes from Trenitalia, at the station, in its app or on its website. ATV sells extra-urban single bus tickets by fare band, from T1 at 1.50 EUR to T8 at 6.70 EUR, each valid for a set time from 75 minutes (T2) to 160 minutes (T8), under fares in force since 18 December 2023. ATV's lake tariff page gives Verona to Garda as band 5, which is 4.60 EUR. A ticket bought on board from the driver costs 0.60 EUR more for band T1 and 0.50 EUR more for bands T2 to T8. When a journey starts or ends in Verona, an extra-urban ticket from band T2 also covers the city buses within its time limit.

For a day of several buses, ATV's passes cover every urban and extra-urban bus in Verona and its province, including the summer BusWalk&Bike service on the lake: 11.00 EUR for 24 hours from validation, 22.00 EUR for 72 hours and 44.00 EUR for seven days. ATV lists ticket machines that sell them at Peschiera station, at Garda bus station, at Malcesine bus station, at Verona Porta Nuova and at the airport. The pass does not cover Trenitalia trains, so a route of bus 164, train and bus 103 needs a pass or bus tickets plus a train ticket (ATV Azienda Trasporti Verona, 2026).

Distances, bikes, and when a tour makes more sense

The distances are short. The Strada del Vino Valpolicella, the wine road association, places Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella about 18 km from Lake Garda and 18 km from Verona. By public transport the time goes on the connections: a lakeside start means at least one change and, on Sundays in winter, a fixed window between the morning trains and the last buses back to the lake.

Cycling from the lake side is possible. The comuni's cycle network for the Valpolicella and the Valdadige connects with the Lake Garda cycle system and with the national routes that meet at Peschiera del Garda, and its Itinerario 16 runs 20 km from Sommacampagna through Pescantina to Arcè on flat, asphalted minor roads. Our page on cycling and walking in Valpolicella gives the routes inside the area and the bike hire firms (Valpolicella in bici, 2026).

If the plan includes several tastings, the practical choices are public transport, a car with driver or a guided tour with transport. The official tourism portal lists a car-with-driver service for transfers from Verona and from the airport. Whichever you choose, plan the day so that nobody who has been tasting drives back to the lake. For booking cellar visits see Valpolicella wine tours from Verona, and for a base closer to the wineries, where to stay for Valpolicella (Strada del Vino Valpolicella, 2026; Valpolicella, portale turistico ufficiale, 2026).