Hi, I'm hoping to enjoy five or so days in beautiful Bellagio on Como in early to mid October this year and was wondering if it was possible to take a day trip to Switzerland? I'll be relying on public transport and was looking for an efficient way to journey into the southern Swiss tip, and any advice re closest prettiest towns? I'm hoping to take my bestie for a novelty birthday lunch! thanks in anticipation,
Mel

AussieMel

Although I haven't made this trip personally I know that you can travel by bus from Menaggio (across the lake from Bellagio) to Lugano in Switzerland.

Here's a link to the thread with the details;
http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...enaggio+lugano

Hope this helps,

Jim

AussieMel endorsing JJBhoy's advice, We stayed in an apartment in Nobiallo (a short walk north of Menaggio) last October.
You get the bus to Lugano from Menaggio town centre, down by the lake's edge. Tickets available from either the tourist office or the newsagent on the other side of the town square. There is a reasonably regular service in both directions and it's a pleasant trip.
Regrettably our day in Switzerland was somewhat spoilt by inclement weather but from what we were able to see - while trying to stay dry, Lugano the city and Lake Lugano have more than enough appeal to keep one occupied and entertained.

Fantastic, thanks crew! Yeah, this will be my first trip abroad actually and, predominantly, I'm self-planning so...great to get a little feedback re the route. In fact, if anyone is a Verona to Bellagio buff I'd love to know people's ideas regarding the best direct route. I was slightly unnerved by the prospect of three train changes along the Bescemo, Bergamo, Lecco route and thought I might just go Verona direct to Milan if possible, bus to Como then boat to Bellagio. But I could be overlooking something simple I'm sure!! Thanks again.

PS: At what time of year did you do the Northern Italy cross-over into Switzerland just out of interest Ron? I've heard conditions are generally fairly mild but yeah...occasionally torrential!

AussieMel we went into Switzerland about Oct 25th or 26th. Up until then the weather had been fantastic.
We left Nobiallo Oct 27th and headed south to Florence for a couple of days then further south to Procida for a week and the weather turned fine and warm again - so I guess our experience with the rain in Lugano was perhaps a little unlucky - and yes the rain when it came was absolutely torrential

Ron - lovely, I'll be going a mere two weeks earlier hopefully.

So I've been reading forum rules and will endeavour to include further questions in this thread rather than spread it all about so - I'd love some itinerary feedback if possible?!

I'm spending my 26 day holiday entirely in Italy, flying from Perth to Dubai to Rome very early Oct and public transporting it entirely. It looks a little like this so far:

(Arrival) Rome - 2 nights to walk off jet lag then train to Venice (4/5 nights plus day trip to Verona)Venice to Bellagio (best route sought!) for 4/5 nights - day trip to Switzerland included. Bellagio to Florence for 7 days with day trip to Siena etc then off to Umbria for a possible week in Perugia with day trips to Assisi and Orvieto then return to Rome for 3 nights prior to leaving.

I'm becoming more and more enchanted by the north as I plan this trip so Perugia is at risk of having a couple of days hacked off it, but otherwise that's it. Any ideas of what I might drop or add in day trips etc? Thanks!

AussieMel: Re the "best" route. From Verona you do NOt have to make three changes by rail. You can easily get a direct train from Verona to Milano Centrale; change there for the direct train to Varenna-Esino.
Walk ten minutes all downhill from the Varenna train station to the ferry dock; take the ferry over to Bellagio.

Why a day trip to Switzerland? Lake Lugano is nice, but no better than Lake Como. Switzerland in that area is like the Italina lake region, the two countries even share a lake. I would not spend my time on a round-trip bus trip just to see part of another country that is scenically the same as the area I'm coming from. BTW, the distance between Menaggio and Lugano is 27 km. on a narrow mountain road. It will be more than a half hour bus ride.

Intrepid - thanks for that, knew there would be routes a plenty I hadn't considered. Do you think the Milan to Varenna train then ferry to Bellagio is preferable over the Milan to Como then ferry route? I'm presuming the latter would take slightly longer as I think it involves a slow boat up the Como...

Michael, thanks for your feedback. Yeah, originally the border crossing was predominantly for novelty's sake, itll be my best friend's birthday and I thought a lunch would be great, which may sound silly but as an Aust'n the notion of being able to traverse countries within half an hour etc provokes astonishment...and is motivation alone!! Now that I research it though I'm considering something more authentically Swiss as it were, but still require somewhere accessible within a day's round trip. Any ideas for pretty Swiss southern towns?

For an authentic Alpine experience, you might want to rent a car for one day and drive to Chiavenna, St. Moritz, Tirano and back to the rental agency you found closest to Lake Como.

Snappy response. Ok...now here's the embarrassing news. I don't drive. BUT, I'm thinking I could bus/train it a little deeper into Switzerland...or diagonally as required to sample St Moritz/Tirano anyhow. Will pursue this avenue now...thanks.

It's a small world AussieMel - we're Perth based also.
You're welcome to email me on [email protected] if you'd like to chat re your travel plans

The bus between Menaggio and Lugano takes about an hour. There are a few (6 or 8?) very quick stops in small towns or neighborhoods. We were the only tourists on the bus; all others were locals who appeared to be returning from work or shopping (less likely) in Switzerland.

There really isn't a "border crossing" in the usual sense. I think if it weren't for us tourists, the guard wouldn't have boarded the bus. He seemed to know all the locals and didn't ask them for identification.

The scenery was interesting: suburban homes, a little farming, horses, peeks of the lakes.

I think it would be a reasonable day trip from Bellagio (though I think there's lots to see on Lake Como). Just get an early start and be sure to confirm the time of the last bus departure. The town of Lugano is not terribly high on my list, but its position on the lake is beautiful. There are some short excursions out of Lugano: to the top of nearby a mountain by cable car (after a ferry ride); the villages of Gandria and Morcote by ferry. Lugano is mostly for (expensive) shopping.

AussieMel:

Your question about whether or not the rail route Milan-Varenna is any better or worse than the Milan-Como-ferry to Bellagio route...

I've never done the latter but there may also be a faster hydrofoil service from the city of Como to Bellagio.

The ferry ride up the lake from Como I am sure is wonderful and relaxing and I certainly wouldn't rule it out. A few other particulars:

the trains from Milan to Varenna run about every two hours during the day so if you decide to take the train from Verona to Milan and then to Varenna you might be stuck at Centrale waiting for the next Varenna train. Centrale is the usual big and bustling city train station with lots of people swirling around, several places to get grab-and-go food, etc.

Do NOT bother with a seat reservation on the train to Varenna..it won't be necessary. Sit on the LEFT side of the train (facing forward) for the best lake views which begin at Lecco (the only other stop is in Monza).

Taxis meet every train from Milan at Varenna but the walk to the ferry dock takes about ten minutes and it is all downhill. Varenna is a very charming town in and of itself. The ferry ride across to Bellagio takes 10-15 minutes max.

Hopefully someone will see all this and provide the link to the ferry schedule site for Lake Come and you can better see the ferry options from Como.

Re the daytrip. Just for fun, I checked the sbb website (sbb.ch). I've often thought of doing the daytrip in the opposite direction. Now I've only had one cup of coffee, but it looks to me that there are not enough buses to make a daytrip out of it. Anyone? J.

Wow, thanks for all the info guys. Intrepid - the Varenna train details re seats with best views etc would have the Lonely Planet gagging, cheers! I've decided to do Verona on a day trip from Venice {returning to Venice for another evening} so will be training it directly to Milan from Venice now - will sort Bellagio route shortly - I believe Intrepid's will be the quicker route. I could always sample the Como ferry upon arrival but take the Varenna train route when leaving the Lakes for variety..

Jean, thanks for Lugano info, yeah shopping isn't really my motivation, ever, so I'd like to look into another nearby Swiss town on the basis of pretty+varying sights and proximity. Plus I chased up jmw's schedule challenge and have to concur - the buses to and from Mennagio/Lugano are certainly sparse. I'm still thinking about St Moritz...we'll see. I'm still trying to determine whether or not to do a full-week in Perugia or trim it a little for further exploration of the north!

Hi again. Jean, are you certain that you went from Menaggio to Lugano and back in one day? I see only one bus each way and the times don't work for a daytrip. I can't find a combination that works to St. Moritz either unless one stays overnight. It interests me because I toyed with the idea of doing the same ride in reverse from Lugano to Como's lake. By the way, AussieMel, Lugano is very Italianate in atmosphere and cuisine, so you might not feel that you've actually visited Switzerland. Now St. Moritz is another matter; why not stay overnight? J.

Jmw, yeah the bus schedules to either city are slim, I might look into alternate transport providers though.. I'm actually considering scrapping the whole idea now funnily, all good, want to perhaps re-direct my attention to another differing Italian region?

Essentially I'm doing Rome, Venice, Bellagio, Florence and Perugia, so I was thinking I could add a little time in on the west coast on the way from Bellagio to Florence. Cinque Terre perhaps. OR, conversely go north to the Dolomites in between Venice and Bellagio. Anyone have any ideas which one would provide the more 'inclusive' Italian itinerary? Or suggest another region of note? I'm not intending on going south of Rome though. Thanks.

I didn't say I had visited Lugano as a day trip from Lake Como... which is why I specifically suggested verifying the time of the last bus return.

We travelled from Lugano to Lake Como in October 2003 and got a copy of the bus schedule from the tourist info office in Lugano. According to the schedule in October 2003, the first bus left Menaggio at 6:02 a.m. and arrived in Lugano at 7:00 a.m. The last bus left Lugano at 6:46 p.m. and arrived Menaggio at 7:40 p.m. This bus service was operated by the Italian company SPT. The Swiss service is, as jmw44 mentioned, very limited.

In order to catch the 6:02 a.m. bus, one would have to be staying in Menaggio or verify that the Bellagio to Menaggio ferry will operate early enough. Sorry, I don't have the ferry schedule.

Back to AussieMel's original inquiry... I would research all the things there are to see and do on Lake Como before I would take a day trip out of the immediate area. Bellagio is not the be all/end all of Lake Como. Even little Varenna has lots to see.