Does anyone know of companies that do day trips from Milan. I will be staying in Milan in mid September, my husband is there also,but working, so I would like to head off somewhere, perhaps Lake Como on a trip, then visit Milan's sights at the weekend when hubby will be with me.

Perhaps you can check with your Milan hotel. They usually arrange excursions.

Don't know of a tour company there, but would WARMLY recommend visiting Stresa on Lake Maggiore (just North of Milan), and taking the boat to a lovely island called Isola Bella.

Lake Como is also beautiful. There is a gorgeous Villa along the Western side of it, called Villa Carlotta. Bellagio is on the other side of the lake and it's beautiful.

If you have the money I know a company that would send a private car with your own private driver/guide.
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Hi

My wife and I went to Milan and Venice in June. We also wanted to do some day trips from Milan so we went to the tourist office to see what they had to offer. But we didn't get any information there at all so we ended up staying in the city for three days. Well, I have posted a trip report with pictures on my homepage www.gardkarlsen.com if you want to see what we were up to in Milan

Have a great trip

Regards
Gard
STavanger, Norway

A great day trip not far from Milano is Bergamo. You can get there by train (perhaps your hotel can assist you in checking out the schedules or you can check ahead of time on the Internet). It is a bit of a walk from the train station to the upper (old)city, but lots of shops along the way. Or, you could jump on a bus to make it quicker. It is a very enjoyable spot to visit. The upper city is surrounded by a wall and is fun to walk around, shop and eat.

The bus company AUTOSTRADALE runs a Sunday half-day trip to Lake Como - with an hour in Como itself and a half-hour boat trip. Here's the link:
http://www.autostradale.com/altre/girolago.htm

Since this tour is only a half-day and does NOT include Varenna, Bellagio and Menaggio - the highlights of the lake IMO - I would not recommend it.
You really need a full day to see the best of Lake Como!

You will see much more (and pay much less) if you go independantly. Here's how I'd do it:

You could take the train from Milano Centrale to Varenna, then ferry to Bellagio and later to Menaggio.
From there you can take the scenic bus ride to Como - from where you can return to Milan by train.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Bergamo. Don't know of any companies doing day trips there though.

Very easy on the train.