We are visiting Italy this June and will travel from Venice to Lake Como for 1 night. What is the fastest way to get to Lake Como? Is it possible to fly from Venice to Bellagio?
Would appreciate any advice. Thanks

There is no airport at or near Bellagio. The fastest way to get to Lake Como would be to drive (3.5 hours not counting the time to pick up the car) or train plus ferry (about 5 hours).

Where are you going after Bellagio?

Going from Venice to Bellagio: Train from Venice to Varenna (switching trains in Milan) ferry from Varenna to Bellagio.


Johanna

You can get train schedules at www.trenitalia.com and ferry schedules at http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/com/nlc_ora.html

If you really want to fly you would have to fly from Venice to Milan Malpensa and then take a train from the airport to central Milan and then change for a train to Como.

It's much easier to take a train from Venice to Milan (the high speed Eurostar trains are great), then a train from Milan to Como. From there I highly recommend taking the ferry to Bellagio. It's a beautiful ride.

Train info for Venice to Milan: http://www.visitingeu.com/western-eu...-to-milan.html

Train info for Milan to Como: http://www.visitingeu.com/western-eu...lake-como.html

Of course, if you have the money you 'might' able to sort something with the Aero Club Como

http://www.aeroclubcomo.com/En/Henglish.asp

who fly sea planes, to come and pick you up! However not sure that it would allow for a lot of luggage....train is probably the answer....
A shame that you only have one night on Como.....and Bellagio isn't very representative of the Lake.

Couldn't you also take the train from Venice to the city of Como and take a bus, boat or ferry from there to Bellagio? Less time than going all the way to Milano.

"Couldn't you also take the train from Venice to the city of Como "

No. There aren't any. All trains require a change in Milan.

There are 2 other airports in the area besides MXP. Most flights within Italy would land at Linate in Milan. A long shot is a flight to Lugano and then an hours ride by taxi to Menaggio.

According to the site below, there is a train to Como from Venice. One has to change trains. Takes 4-5 hours. Would that be comparable to trying to fly or to drive?

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...003f16f90aRCRD

ps-I didn't check to see if the change is in Milano!!

Yep, they all go to Milan.

If one is considering a train from Venice to Bellagio, most options would require a change of train at Milano Centrale.

It makes more sense to me to take a train from Milano to Varenna-Esino. From there you would be a 10-minute ferry ride from Bellagio.

If you take a train from Milano to one of the Como stations, you will be at least an hour away from Bellagio by bus or boat.

On my last trip to Bellagio, there was a local transit strike on arrival day, which included the boats on Lake Como. It was much nicer to arrive in Varenna, wait out the strike for three hours on the scnic lakeside until 5 PM, and take a quick ferry ride to Bellagio. We had considered arriving through Como, and if we had we would have had a much longer trip after the strike lifted.

Just to be clear, there is no "train from Venice to Bellagio." The closest train station to Bellagio is Varenna Esino.

The train journey Venice-Milan-Como City also requires a taxi ride from the Como station to the ferry dock. Without careful planning, you might have to wait an hour or more for a fast ferry to Bellagio.

The ferry service between Varenna and Bellagio is more frequent, and the journey takes only a few minutes.

And . . . I'm pretty sure taking the train and flying would take the same amount of time (if not more) when you factor in traveling to the airport, required check-in time, security, waiting time, the flights, and all the same at the other end.

The term 'ignorance is bliss' applied to us when we took the first train from Varenna-Esino to Milano Centrale to pick up the shuttle for the airport for a 11 a.m. flight. Hate to think what a strike would have done to that particular ride home! But I agree with you, ellenem.

Wouldn't you expect though, that the train trip would still be comparable time-wise to a plane or driving? I didn't realize about the Milano stop when I first suggested Como.

You know, the hydrofoils would be "running" in June. That might be a fun ride from Como if time permits. Maybe see Mr. Clooney on "his" beach...LOL.

From what I can see, the hydrofoils don't offer that much of a view--just speed. On departure, we took the slow boat back to Como to enjoy the view and took a train from there to our next destination.

Driving would be fastest.

We've taken the hydro foil from Bellagio to COmo to get the train or a rental car. No views really but quick. You can then walk to the train station easily.

This information is very helpful. We are now thinking that one night may not be enough. If as Alihutch says "Bellagio is the least representative of the lake", where would you recommend?
Jean, from Lake Como we head to Cinque Terre.

My best guess about Alihutch's comment is that Bellagio is the most resorty and posh of the towns on the lake, but it is by no means a large fancy town. It is small with quaint streets and alleys going up a hill. It probably has the most shopping and more resaurant options than the other towns, but, again, it is not a big place. You can walk fro one end to the other in 10 minutes. But, the views from Bellagio are incredible since it is on a peninsula at mid-lake.

Varenna might be a good option if you are looking for an even smaller town. It also offers excellent views. And as noted above, getting there is relatively straightforward. But it has only a few shops and restaurants if that is a concern to you. It would be easy to visit Bellagio but return to Varenna to sleep.

I liked staying in Bellagio for its mid lake ferry connections to scenic spots, villas and gardens. It was very easy to use the town as a base, and it is pretty, too.