I will be ariving in Milan the morning of April 30 and plan to go directly to Bellagio. There seem to be a number of choices, and I can't figure out what would be easist, most scenic, cheapest, etc.: <BR>1. Take the bus from Malpensa to Stazione Centrale, then the shorter train to Como (S. Giovanni Station), then the longer ferry to Bellagio. <BR>2. Take the bus from Malpensa to Stazione Centrale, then the longer train ride to Varenna, then the shorter ferry to Bellagio. <BR>3. Take the Malpensa express train to Milano Cordona, then the FNME train to Como (Nord Lago Station), then the ferry to Bellagio. <BR>4. Take a bus directly from Malpensa to Como (I'm really having difficulty with this one because the website for this bus is only in Italian), then the ferry to Bellagio. <BR>5. Rent a car and drive myself. <BR> <BR>I'd appreciate any comments from those of you who have used any of these methods.

I flew into Malpensa this last summer and I was also headed to Lake Como but I stopped in Varenna. The bus to Stazione Centrale leaves every hour and is easy to figure out in the terminal. The ride into the staion is about an hour, but you'll be tired and maybe that's ok. The scedule of trains to Varenna is limited. This summer the train I took left at around 11:00, 11:30 a.m. and as I recall the next one was a rather long time. Once on that train though, it couldn't have been easier. Its a beautiful trip, and short. When you get to Varenna, just start walking toward the lake,(downhill) and its about 1/4 of a mile. The ferries leave every 1/2 hour to Bellagio and it is a quick trip, with the landing right near all the hotels. I don't know when you're getting in, but once cleared of customs, you would need to be on the bus by 9:30 - 10:00 at the latest to make that morning train. Now I know it is possible to hire a taxi to take you to Varenna. I don't know the cost, but its about the same distance to Varenna from Malpensa as it is to Milan. The Milan taxi costs about $80. Pricey, but perhaps worth the ease.

It'll take you much less than half the time to go directly from Malpensa to Lake Como, rather than going via Milan. Sorry, can't help you with the schedule and other logistics.

I can't tell you about the schedules, but will recommend arriving in Como and taking the ferry from Como. The ride is beautiful. You won't lose, though, no matter how you come, since the scenery is gorgeous. <BR>

I forgot to mention that the bus would go to the city of Como. And Paule is correct, take the ferry from there to Bellagio. It is indeed a beautiful ride!

We always rent a car and drive ourselves while in Europe as it is more flexible so this advice is for car only. <BR> <BR>There are two ways to get to Bellagio from Milan, up the west side and cross by ferry or up the east side direct. The west route and ferry is better, less stressfull driving. The east side is a small road, almost one lane in spots and not relaxing at all. We learned that by going up the east route, but returning to Milan on the west route when we departed. It was much easier. <BR> <BR>The recommendation for the ferry from Como is also good. If you have a car you can also take it that way.

We drove from Malpensa and took the stressful east side route. If I had it to do over again, I would take the train to Como and hop onto the ferry. We did not move our car once in Bellagio. The drive from Malpensa to Como is straightforward enough, but the leg from Como to Bellagio was long, winding, and, well, stressful...