irenen

Can someone advise me what is the best way for a female travelling solo to spend my last 30 hours in Italy. I have 2 weeks learning Italian in Florence followed by 4 nights in Bologna as a base,taking day trips. I leave Bologna on 10 July, mid morning, and fly out of Malpensa at 8pm on 11 July. I just assumed I would spend my last night in Milan, but have since read that Malpensa can be reached easily from Lakes district. Is this correct? I have never been to the Lakes area, and would love to see it, if only for a day or so. Should I just train from Bologna to somewhere in the Lakes area (where exactly) and go straight from there to the airport, bypassing Milan? How easy is it to get to the airport from this area, and how long does it take? Any suggestions for a pleasant, well located hotel, not luxury prices?

ellenem

What means of transport will you be using to reach the airport. Private car? Public transport? Budgetary restrictions? This may influence our answers.

irenen

Sorry, I should have made that clear. I will be relying on public transport throughout my trip. I will be on a flexible budget, ie I'm not interested in luxury, but am interested in comfort and cleanliness. So a middle of the road hotel suits me fine, as long as it is in an area I can walk around in safely, with lots of people around.

I do appreciate any advice.

Jean

Either would be a nice last day, but finding that "middle of the road" hotel in the summer just six weeks from now might be a challenge. You might start looking in both places and decide where to go based on what's available. What's your budget?

The easiest lake to visit before heading to Malpensa would be Lake Como. Bologna to Varenna-Esino (via Milano Centrale) would take about 3 hours by train. The easiest way to Malpensa from Varenna (or Bellagio) is to return to Milano Centrale from Varenna by train and then take the Malpensa Shuttle Bus. This journey would take 2-3 hours depending on the wait for the next bus and any traffic delays. If you decide to do this, buy your return ticket from Varenna to Milan when you're at the Centrale station. The Varenna station is unmanned.

It is possible to get to Malpensa without going back to Milan. It involves taking a fast ferry to Como, a commuter train to Saronno and connecting there to the Malpensa Express Train. The journey would take 2-3 hours.

Check train schedules between Bologna, Milan, Varenna:
http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

Check ferry schedules:
http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/com/nlc_ora.html

Check train schedules between Como, Saronno, Malpensa:
http://www.lenord.it/website/lenord/en/home/index.php

NorCal

One of our favorite places is Lugano, where we have returned time and again. It is smaller, and has less-hype that Como, etc. But, it is a small, beautiful city on Lake Lugano, plus it has easy train connections to Milan. By the way, it's in Switzerland; so, it has all of the organization of my Swiss relatives, and the Mediterranean influence of Italy. Truly, the best of both worlds.

TuckH

>> One of our favorite places is Lugano <<

Mine too, as I've said many times here on Fodor's. However in your case - needing public transport to Malpensa and with only a day or so - I'd suggest Stresa on Lake Maggiore. You'll get a very nice taste of The Lakes there; you'll find a lot of info on it by using the 'search' function here.

happytrailstoyou

We just returned from Bellagio, Lake Como, which we loved.

However, an ideal town, under your circumstances, is Varenna, on Lake Como. It is one hour from Milan by train, and it is a charming place.

From Varenna you can visit Bellagio and other nearby towns by ferry.

Check if Albergo Milano has a room for you or if they can suggest where you might find a room.

(Rick Steves explains everything in "Italy 2008," which you can read in any good bookstore.)