Milan to Lake Como ?Train
 

We will be in Milan for a weekend in October and would like to do a day trip to lake Como region. Any suggestions? Is there a train that would work? Is there a train from Como to Venice?

The easiest and most convenient is to take the Ferrovie Nord train from Milan Cadorno station. The last stop in Como is almost right at the lake shore. The regular Trenitalia station is quite far from central Como.

http://www.ferrovienord.it/en/index.htm

From Como to Venice, you probably have to use Trenitalia, most likely with a change somewhere.

www.trenitalia.com

I think this would make a nice day trip. Take the train to Varenna (about an hour) and walk downhill to the ferry dock. There you can catch the ferry that goes to Bellaggio and/or Menaggio and/or Tremezzo (villa Carlotta). Varenna itself has a pleasant lakeside walk.

For just a day trip, I would ignore the train to the comparatively "dull" city of Como and instead take the train from Milan to Varenna, as Mimar suggests. The center of the lake -- Varenna, Bellagio, and a couple of the lakefront villas will give you the taste of Lake Como that I think you are seeking.

Thank you. Sounds like what we were looking for. Do you know what train it is + where we would get it?

There are frequent trains to Varenna-Esino from Milano Centrale station. The best ones are at 8:15 or 9:15 in the morning each taking just a couple minutes over an hour to get there.
Returning you can leave Varenna at 4:22 or 6:23 in the afternoon, again for one hour trips.

Of course, I don't now if those will change by October, so you'll need to check, but that's a good guide.

Definitely take the train to Varenna. From there, it is a 10-minute ferry ride to Bellagio.

If you decide to go to Varenna, buy your round-trip tickets in Milan. The station in Varenna is unmanned. Although it's possible to buy tickets in town, it's just easier if you do it in Milan.

Alternatively, you could train to Varenna, spend a few hours in Varenna and Bellagio (or doing whatever interests you vis-a-vis visiting gardens or villas), then ferry to Como and take the train to Milan from there. In that case, buy your return tickets at the Como station.

No need to spend any time in Como. As Neopolitan pointed out, there's not much there there (at least in comparison to the mid-lake area).

I wish we had thought to take the train to Varenna instead of Como, then taxi to Como boat area, then boat to Bellagio. Good advice.