How to Get From Bergamo to Lake Iseo

One of the closest day or weekend trips you can do from Bergamo is to Lake Iseo – one of Italy’s beautiful lakes in the north.

If you’re planning to get out of the city and spend some time in nature then a day trip from Bergamo to Lake Iseo (Lago d’Iseo) is the perfect little getaway. 

Lake Iseo (also known as Sebino) is the 4th largest lake in the Lombardy region of Italy and with the Bergamasque Alps surrounding it, it might be the most beautiful of them all!

The best part is that the trip from Bergamo to Lake Iseo takes just over an hour and is super easy to get to – even if you just want to do a day trip!

There are a few different ways to get between Bergamo and Lake Iseo. You can either take a train, hop on a bus, rent a car, or you can even go on a guided tour!

In this post, we’ve highlighted the best ways to get to one of our favourite lakes in the Lombardy region of Italy.

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4 best ways to get from Bergamo to Lake Iseo

Going from Bergamo to Lake Iseo will take anywhere between 45 minutes to 2.5 hours depending on your mode of transportation.

Renting a car and driving to Lake Iseo from Bergamo is the fastest way whereas going by public transport takes a bit longer. But if you don’t like driving you can easily get there by public transport.

One thing we want to mention is that if you do rent a car in Bergamo you will have a bit more flexibility to explore.

You could stop by one of the many cute villages along the way or go do a hike such as the Corna Trentapassi hike that overlooks Lake Iseo!

Let’s get right into all the different options on how to get between Bergamo and Lake Iseo.

In this post, you will find the different options, ticket prices, links to sites where you can book your tickets, and reasons why we recommend each option for the trip between the two.

Bergamo to Lake Iseo by train

Average price: €8 and up (one way)
Average time: 1.5-3 hours depending on the connection 
Convenience: 4/5
Where to book: Omio

We love taking the train as we don’t have to worry about traffic or anything. We can just sit back and enjoy the beautiful views. Nothing beats taking the train through the Italian countryside!

If you love trains and prefer taking trains over other means of transport then this is definitely the way to go from Bergamo to Lake Iseo.

It’s too bad though that the train often takes longer than the bus though because it’s definitely our favourite mode of public transportation.

Note that there are two different train stations in Bergamo: Stazione di Bergamo (which is the central train station) and Bergamo Ospedale Train Station.

You can take a train from either of the two train stations in Bergamo to Lake Iseo.

There are no direct trains from Bergamo to Iseo Stazione. The majority of the trains going from Bergamo to Iseo will stop through the city of Brescia so make sure to get off there and change to your other train.

There are also a lot of the routes that have two changes. We recommend buying tickets for one of the departures where you only have to change trains once – just to make it easier on yourself!

If you buy your ticket online beforehand, just double-check which station your departure leaves from and how many changes you have to make before hitting the purchase button.

Check departures and book your train ticket to Lake Iseo here.

Bergamo to Lake Iseo by bus

Average price: €4-5.5 
Average time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Convenience: 4.5/5
Where to book: Rome2rio

If you don’t plan to rent a car and want to get to Iseo as quickly as possible then the bus may be the best option for you.

The bus leaves from the main bus station in Bergamo and goes directly to Tavernola which is a town right on the western side lake where you can get off.

The bus is relatively quick too which is nice. It usually takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes to get there. The scenery may not be as beautiful as the train ride but it’s still very pretty.

The Lombardy region is one of Italy’s most beautiful regions. You’ll see why as you make your way to Iseo Lake! 

The bus runs multiple times a day so you can easily make a day trip out of it and leave early in the day and come back the same day. 

Bergamo to Lake Iseo by rental car

Average price: €30+ a day
Average time: 45 minutes
Convenience: 5/5
Where to book: DiscoverCars

Most of the time when we explore new destinations, we use public transport. But for our trip to Northern Italy, we actually rented a car.

We really enjoyed having the freedom to drive wherever we wanted to whenever we wanted to. Without having a car, we probably wouldn’t have made it to Lake Iseo or Cascata Del Serio (the tallest waterfall in Europe).

We also felt that driving here in northern Italy is super safe. We’ve heard that driving in Italy can be a little crazy but we found that the infrastructure and roads were really good – and so were the other drivers for that matter.

We really enjoyed the drives to Lake Iseo and other cool areas near Bergamo.

Another reason why it’s super convenient having a car for this trip is that the drive takes less than an hour from Bergamo to the town of Iseo.

As you read above, going by bus can easily take 2.5 hours each way, so there’s a lot of time to save.

If you end up renting a car in Bergamo for your trip to Lake Iseo, you can also make your way around the lake and stop at all the different towns.

Towns like Lovere, Pisogne, and Pregasso are totally worth visiting. With a car, it’s so much easier to explore and see all these wonderful places!

Unfortunately, there aren’t too many guided tours directly from Bergamo to Lake Iseo but there are a few fantastic day trips from Milan that go through Bergamo and make their way to Lake Iseo. 

If you are by chance in Milan and plan to pop over to Bergamo and Lake Iseo you can go on one of the guided day trips from Milan that will show you all the highlights and some. 

The nice thing about the guided tours is that you have a local with you who knows everything about the area. 

It requires minimal planning on your part and you get to enjoy a full day exploring Bergamo, Lake Iseo and any other places they take you!

This is definitely more expensive than any of the other ways to get to Lake Iseo but the value for money you get out of this trip is really high.

Book your guided tour of Lake Iseo here.

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Other related questions about the best ways to get from Bergamo to Lake Iseo

How do I get from Bergamo to Lake Iseo?

There are a few different ways to get from Bergamo to Lake Iseo. There are some great public transport options (buses and trains) that go regularly at a reasonably low cost.

There is also the option of renting a car in Bergamo. This is great if you want to avoid having to wait on public transport. It also gives you more flexibility to travel around the lake to all the small towns.

Is Lake Iseo worth visiting?

Lake Iseo is one of the most beautiful lakes in the Lombardy region of Italy. It’s also the 4th largest lake in the region!

Located only a 45-minute drive from Bergamo it makes for the perfect day trip to explore the beautiful lake surrounded by beautiful nature and mountains.

However, if you have more time, then we definitely recommend spending at least a few days by Lake Iseo as there is so much to explore and so many beautiful hikes and boat tours by the lake.

What is the easiest lake to get to from Bergamo?

The closest lake to Bergamo would be Lake Iseo as it’s less than an hour’s drive from the city center of Bergamo.

There are plenty of other lakes in the Lombardy region of Italy such as Lake Como and Lago di Garda but Lake Iseo is the closest one to Bergamo.

That being said, it’s only 30 minutes longer by car to Lake Garda from Bergamo. That drive takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

What are the best lakes to get to from Bergamo?

Lake Como, Lake Garda, and Lake Iseo are the three main lakes that come to mind when thinking of beautiful lakes near Bergamo.

All three lakes are located relatively close to Bergamo and are accessible as single-day or multi-day trips!

You may also like…

• 4 Beautiful Lake Iseo Boat Tours & Trips [2023]
• Hiking to the Tallest Waterfall in Italy – Cascate Del Serio
• How to Hike the Breathtaking Corna Trentapassi Trail
• Hiking up Monte Blum to the Beautiful Capella Alpani Monte Blum
• Hiking to the Top of Monte Colombina Near Lake Iseo

Recap on different ways of getting from Bergamo to Lake Iseo

Now you have 4 different ways to get from Bergamo to Lake Iseo!

It’s a super easy day trip to make from Bergamo but Lake Iseo is also a place you can easily spend your entire vacation! It’s so beautiful and there are so many fun things to do there.

If you have the time, there are some beautiful hotels in Lake Iseo and there are tons of awesome hikes and things to do in the area. 

Spend a few days exploring all the towns around the lake if you get a chance! Otherwise, a day trip to Lake Iseo is still worth it. 

For any other questions about how to get from Bergamo to Lake Iseo feel free to DM us on Instagram or leave a comment below and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can! 

Enjoy one of Italy’s most beautiful lakes!

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