poligirl

We will be in Bellagio in May. We have a 10:20 flight out of MXP (Milan). We plan to Taxi from Bellagio to Como. I'm wondering how long it will take us to get from Como to MXP and what the best form of transportation to take would be. Can anyone help?

poligirl

10:20 AM that is.

Holly_uncasdewar

You may have the option of a hydrofoil from Bellagio to Como (don't have that schedule handy), but then you'd have to get from the waterfront to the stazzione. Bus from the town of Como to MXP, leaves Como 6:50, arrives MXP 8:02, would work well for that portion.

http://www.sptcomo.it/malpensa.php

Holly_uncasdewar

Actually, I think Piazza Cavour is right at the waterfront, though I could be mistaken. The same bus leaves from there at 7:02.

StuDudley

If you make the trip on a work day, it will be bumper to bumper traffic. We got stuck in it one time, and arrived 45 mins before the plane took off. We had to get off the freeway & try to find smaller side roads.

Plan a route that is always headed away from Milan - perhaps to Veresa then to the airport.

Consult others for the best route - we did this over 10 years ago.

Stu Dudley

i_am_kane

poligirl,

I just ran across this thread, and was wondering how you accomplished the task of getting from Bellagio to MXP for that 10:20 a.m. flight.

We will be doing basically the same thing on Thursday in May 2008 for a 10:35 a.m. flight.

I would appreciate knowing the details.

bobthenavigator

Do not try it unless you hire a private driver and leave at 0600.

i_am_kane

Oh, Boy!

This was originally a noon departure flight, and now I'm rethinking my last night in Italy.

Bob, if you had your choice, would you stay Wed. night in Bellagio, or cancel that last night at Hotel Metropole, and head down to Malpensa for the Thursday morning flight?

Big_Red

I need to mark this.

We have a reservation on an apartment north of Menaggio and have potentially a 9:45am flight out of Malpensa.

We would of course have a car.

Big_Red

To I_am_Kane,

I don't know what your current plans are but it seems that the bus Como-Malpensa(MXP)-Como no longer runs. Please look at www.sptcomo.it.

Thanks

i_am_kane

Big Red,

As we were eating dinner, my husband brought the bus from Como-MXP up, thinking that maybe if we stayed in the City of Como that would be an option.

I'll check out your link.

Thanks for contributing.

StuDudley

I don't think staying in Como will buy you much - perhaps 45 mins. The main problem is the A9 going south, the road from Varesa heading south, and the A8 to Milan. If you spent the last night in Stresa, there should not be a problem. However, have others check my assumptions - we made this trip over 10 years ago - but arriving 45 mins before flight time was very difficult them - impossible now.

Stu Dudley

i_am_kane

Stu, I am so glad you saw this thread, and your advice will be well-taken.

Stresa is lovely, and we certainly wouldn't mind spending a day and night there. Our May 2007 vacation was in Stresa, so we know the lay of the land. The ride to MXP with a private driver was 45 min. on a Sunday morning (can't remember the price - but not bad at all).

Does that mean we would have to take a train from Varenna to Milano Centrale and then to Stresa? (I'll check it out on www.trenitalia.com.)

bobthenavigator

It takes time to get there from Bellagio--perhaps 2 hours if north of Bellagio. I would stay at the airport, as we did our last trip for a 0930 flight and I was at Lago Orta with a car. It is just not worth it. The First Hotel is a nice 4 star modern hotel right at the airport with a shuttle. I would get there the evening before and have dinner at the good trattoria next door.

i_am_kane

Bob, You wrote: "It takes time to get there from Bellagio--perhaps 2 hours if north of Bellagio."

Maybe it's too late at night, plus I have a head cold, but I don't understand that sentence. Our hotel is the Metropole in Bellagio.

Catch you tomorrow morning!

jelane

We did this trip last summer from the Belvedere hotel, they got us a wonderful driver who took us to the airport in Milan. I am traveling at this time but I have his card at home if you are interested in getting in touch with him. He was a safe courteous driver not at all like the taxi cab that picked us up in Como at the train station, I was ready to bop him upside the head, my DH was telling me all the way to Bellagio to just be cool.....I thought I had gotten on a ride at disneyland.

bobthenavigator

Big Red had said north of Menaggio with a car--sorry !

i_am_kane

Thanks for the clarification, Bob. I will contact First Hotel for a room rate today.

Jelane, Yes, I would appreciate it if you could give me the name of the driver when you return home.

BTW, I had sent an e-mail to the Hotel Metropole over the weekend (I never expect responses on Sat., and Sun.). The hotel responded this morning, and this is the message:

"You must leave the hotel by 6:35 a.m. with a private driver at a cost of Euro 160,000." That's a lot of U.S. dollars!

imperialtopaz

When I arrived at Malpensa,I used a car and driver sent by my Bellagio hotel. The price was 150 euros and it took about an hour and twenty minutes door to door. It was worth it to me because I was exhausted, and I could just enjoy the views. We did not encounter traffic jams.
Leaving the area back to Malpensa, I spent three nights in Stresa, and I took the airport bus directly from my hotel to Malpensa. The hotel books the service, and the bus picks you up at your hotel. It took about 45 minutes and cost 8 euros. From Bellagio you would have to take the train from Varenna to Milano Centrale to Stresa. In my case I was travelling from Locarno to Stresa.
The other option which I have used is to spend my last day and night in Milano. From there you can take the Malpensa Express (train) from Milano Cadorna directly to Malpensa. It was super easy and fast, about 40 minutes. I think the ticket was 11 euros, but maybe less, I can't remember. The train lets you off inside the airport, and you just take the escalator up one level to "departures." It just depends on whether you want to spend your last full day in Bellagio, Stresa, or Milano. I have also spent my last night in Lugano, and there is an express bus directly to Malpensa as well. It took about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

imperialtopaz

Sorry, from Lugano, the trip was about 1 hour and 35 minutes.