Milan to the Lakes
#2
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Frank
I do not know about bus tours, but you could take the train from Milan main station to Como on Lake Como. The Como train station is right near the lake front, and from there you can take boats all over the lake (they run on a regular basis). You could make a day trip of it, train to Como, boat to Bellagio, etc, then return by train to Milan in the evening.
I do not know about bus tours, but you could take the train from Milan main station to Como on Lake Como. The Como train station is right near the lake front, and from there you can take boats all over the lake (they run on a regular basis). You could make a day trip of it, train to Como, boat to Bellagio, etc, then return by train to Milan in the evening.
#3
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You can easily make a day from from Milan to Lake Como. The frequently running trains take about 30-40 minutes from Milan to the city of Como. From there, you can catch a ferry to Bellagio. Make sure you take the "express" ferry (or whatever it's) that make only 3 or 4 stops and takes 45 minutes. The slower one takes about 2 hours. I'm not sure if the ferry from Como stops in Varenna. If not, you can take another ferry from Bellagio to Varenna (a very short trip).
Enjoy! It's a beautiful area.
Enjoy! It's a beautiful area.
#5
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Frank.
With due respect to Howard, I would not recommend catching the express ferry, which is in fact a hydrofoil, from which your views are much more restricted than on the ordinary ferry, which is a normal lake steamer on which you can sit either inside or outside, and which gives you time to really saviour the extremely beautiful lake scenery and villages where the ferry stops. Getting there, in fact is more than half the fun. Trains back from Varrenna to Milan are not as frequent, so it will pay you to check the schedule first. The ferry from Bellagio to Varrenna takes about 15 minutes, from which it is a 5/10 minute walk at most to the train station, mostly uphill unfortunately.
With due respect to Howard, I would not recommend catching the express ferry, which is in fact a hydrofoil, from which your views are much more restricted than on the ordinary ferry, which is a normal lake steamer on which you can sit either inside or outside, and which gives you time to really saviour the extremely beautiful lake scenery and villages where the ferry stops. Getting there, in fact is more than half the fun. Trains back from Varrenna to Milan are not as frequent, so it will pay you to check the schedule first. The ferry from Bellagio to Varrenna takes about 15 minutes, from which it is a 5/10 minute walk at most to the train station, mostly uphill unfortunately.
#7
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If you are taking the train from Milan and want to walk to the ferries, be sure to go to the Como Lago station. The main station would be a bit of a schleppe, tho plenty of taxis and not all that far. Not sure if the train to Como Lago leaves from Milano Centrale, so check that out. It's a great side trip from Milan!
#14
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www.fs-on-line.com shows you that there is a departure at 40 minutes past the hour (and sometimes at 10 minutes past the hour) from Milano Nord Cardona to Como Nord Lago. Cardona is where the Malpensa Express stops, if I am not mistaken.
#15
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Curt, Coco, Fran & Rex,
Thank you very much for the information that Como has a 2nd train station right at the lakeside and the details on how to get there. This is not mentioned in any of the guides we are consulting and actually does impact our planning. Much gratitude to this great forum.
Thank you very much for the information that Como has a 2nd train station right at the lakeside and the details on how to get there. This is not mentioned in any of the guides we are consulting and actually does impact our planning. Much gratitude to this great forum.
#16
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Ken, where are you staying in Milan? It was more convenient for us to take the train that came back to Stazzione Centrale since we were staying near there, rather than the other train, even though it meant a longer walk for us to the station in Como.