bornintheusa

Will be in Milan for 3 nights before heading home..Would like to take a day trip to Lake Como and maybe see either Bellagio and/or Varenna --is this too much to do in one day or would it better to do 2 days for this area and one in Milan-- Train from Milan to Como, see the sights, walk around..Or we could do a ferry trip from Como to Bellagio to Varenna and then train back to Como??? Which of these towns could I eliminate if I was pressed for time? Saw there is a pass for all day ferry but can't tell if it is good for all of the above places. Not sure how big these towns are and what all there is to see... Would leave Milan super early and not get back until late. Any suggestions???

bvlenci

At what time of year will you be visiting?

There is a direct train from Milan to Varenna, and it's an easy walk from there to the ferry dock. If you can get to Varenna early, you could get the all-day pass for the mid-lake area (which doesn't include Como). Of the two, Bellagio and Varenna, I prefer Varenna, but it's all a matter of what interests you. If you want to see one of the villas, the Villa Carlotta is at the Tremezzo stop of the lake boat. In Bellagio, the Villa Melzi is right on the lake, and there is a nice lake-side walk inside the garden. You can exit at the opposite end, but it would be a long walk back. Maybe you'd rather get a taxi to the opposite end of the grounds, where the actual villa is located, and walk back to the center of town along the lake-side.

The gardens of the villas are at their best in the spring, which is why I asked what time of year you'd visit. I didn't go inside these villas; the interiors of sumptuous houses doesn't interest me very much, but they would be the same at any time of year.

There's not much to do indoors on this part of the lake, which is a good argument for a day trip. If the weather is nasty, you could possibly change the day of your visit.

bornintheusa

bvlenci--will be in Milan the first week in June..so weather hopefully is good..love the idea of spending the day ferrying around to the different villages--so if I train straight from Milan to Varenna first thing in the morning what would be the best way to utilize the all day pass for the mid lake area--start at Varenna and then which other towns can I get to before heading back up to Varenna and train back to Milan..have been reading on other Fodor forums that Como is not that great and that I should consider some other towns via the ferry and skip Como all together...where do I go online to find out info on the all day pass for the mid-lake area.. Thanks for all of your help so far...

PalenQ

I stayed in Como and really liked it - but in one day I would at best transit thru it - there are direct trains Milan-Cordona station (closer to many hotels as it is nearer the city center than Milan Centrale) to Como-Nord station right opposite ferry docks -then do a circle Bellgio and Tremezzo - I was totally turned off by mob scenes at Bellagio even though it was late-September! I'd get off at Bellagio for a quick look and move on to a lesser-known but nice place like Menaggio or Varenna or others. And have a quick look around Como (really neat cathedral) to en route back to Milan.

Or train into Varenna and end up in Como for train to Milan Cordona station so as to not need to circle back to Varenna but do a north to south lake tour.

Boat passes are good deals for getting on and off more than once I believe but you can easily check fares at the dock ticket window and see.

isabel

A day trip from Milan is easy and you can see quite a bit in one full day. I took the train to Varenna, ferry over to Menaggio, then to Bellagio and back to Varenna for train return to Milan. I described the day here (including photos): http://andiamo.zenfolio.com/blog

On a previous trip I took train to Como, after visiting the town I took the ferry up the lake to Varenna from where I visited Bellagio. That trip I spent the night in Varenna. The ferry between the mid lake towns takes only about 15 minutes (between each town) but the one up from Como takes around 3 hours so that's difficult to fit in a day trip. The 'better' scenery and 'cuter' towns are the mid lake towns. But Como was a pretty nice small city as well.

bornintheusa

isabel--loved looking at your blog and your pictures of the Como lake area and Milan made me excited for my trip..gorgeous!! Can't seem to find any info on the mid lake ferry passes..any idea where I might find that. Thanks

isabel

This is the official site - http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/c_faq.asp

I just bought my ferry pass at the ferry port in Varenna, not ahead of time. They had schedules posted and I think they had printed ones you could take with you. The mid lake ferries are fairly frequent (as opposed to the trip from Como up to Varenna/Bellagio). The schedules do change with the seasons so what's on their site now may not be the schedule when you go but you can get an idea.

PalenQ

Those are regional trains going to Varenna -no need and reasons not to book in advance - no seat reservations even possible - just buy ticket at station - good for any regional train that day- ditto with Milan Cordona to Como-Nord. There are fast trains that require seat reservations before boarding Milan Centrale to Como Giovanni mainline Trenitalia station but they cost more and leave you about a mile from the boat docks -if going to Como much better to do Milan-Cordona to Como - good info on Italian trains in general in case you are taking more trains: www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Como ferries:
http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/c_tariffe.asp

http://lakecomotravel.com/getting-ar...s-and-ferries/

vincenzo32951

Re the city of Como. There's obviously a range of opinions about it. I think what you should know is that it's a bit more citified than the "villages" on the lake, and if that's what you're looking for, then it's OK. If you're looking for a quaint getaway from Milan, then it's probably not what you want.