I know that it is possible to take a bus from Malpensa Airport to Como and then a hydrofoil to Bellagio. The only problem is that the buses don't seem to run very often. We arrive at Malpensa at 2:00 PM and the next bus is not until 5. This will get us in to Bellagio around 7 at the earliest. We are looking at options to get there earlier. Any one know what a taxi would cost from Malpensa to Bellagio, or just Malpensa to Como from where we could take the ferry?

Arriving at 2PM means getting out of the terminal more like at 3PM... If there is no delay.

No, I would NOT take a taxi, which will be EXTREMELY expensive.

Find a cafe at the airport, enjoy Italian Capuchino, which is the best in the world. A cheese cake which is like NOTHING you're used to in the great US of A... And wait for the bus.

If you don't want to wait for the bus you can take a train into the city or a cab..make your way to Centrale and take a train to Varenna from there..they run about every two hours and the trip takes less than 1 1/2 hours...ferry from Varenna to Bellagio takes about 10 minutes. You can take a train to Como if you prefer and the ferry or a hydrofoil from there. Be aware that the hydrofoils, while faster than conventional ferries, are totally enclosed so you won't get to see as much scenery. Up to you what you do with your time but I'd rather be moving than sitting in the airport terminal waiting for a bus.

Intrepids' idea is good too, of course.

The question is, how many pieces of luggage you have, in relation to the number of different forms of transportation that you'll use in order to get from the airport to your hotel...

There is a window just outside the arrivals door at Malpensa next to the bus window that will arrange a car & driver (seems there are always several on hand). I have only done this once, but we had an excellent driver in a nice big mercedes. Seems like it took less than an hour to the Menaggio ferry (tho might also have been Cadenabbia?), which whisked us across to Bellagio.

Malpensa is actually about as close to Como as to Milano so going directly from the airport puts you on the road up the west side of the lake fairly soon. That is a road with views of much of the beauty that is Lake Como. It was somewhere near/under $50 including a happily delived tip. They tell you the fare at the airport when you tell them where you are going. Would be a nice treat to yourselves!

It would be much more compicated (crossing through Como) to actualy drive to Bellagio up the east side of the branch. It would take much longer and cost correspondingly more, maybe twice as much.

Thanks for all the responses. I believe we will see how long it takes to get through immigration/customs and then if it more than 1.5 to 2 hours wait for the bus we will check into the car and driver option. $50 seems like a very reasonable price to arrive a couple of hours earlier our first day. The bus must cost at least $10 per person?

I think it's more like 100 euro for a car. And yes, the bus is around 10euro each. We bused to Milan Centrale and easily hopped on the Train to Varenna. Have your options ready so you are prepared once you land and get through customs!

Hi again, with more current info.

I spoke with my husband earlier and realized he had probably done this on his way to Bellagio 2 weeks ago! He paid 70 euro. He said it was the middle of the afternoon (as it was when we did this before) and they were all willing to take the fare from what he could see. I believe the suggested fare is 90.

He told me that you just say thanks, you'll think about it when they tell you the fare and then the driver will come forward and discuss the matter. Or you just go to where they are parked at the curb and say you want to go to the ferry at Menaggio (or the other place which is closer) and the driver will open the bidding! Who knew! (I am not much of a bargainer.) Sorry for the outdated info from earlier.

If you can get a limo for only 70 Euros all the way to Bellagio, that's a good deal. The best public transportation option is to take the SPT Como airporter bus Line C250) at 16:45, arriving Como City at 17:47 (11.20 Euros one way); then connect to the hydrofoil departing at 18:00 and arriving Bellagio at 18:43 (8.70 Euros). For two persons, the bus/hydrofoil will cost nearly 40 Euros, so 70 Euros for a limo is really quite good!!!

www.sptcomo.it (bus from Malpensa and all along Lake Como, including service to Bellagio and Menaggio)

www.navigazionelaghi.it (Lake Como boats and hydrofoils)

GAC - thank you for the very detailed information.
Sounds like 70-90 Euros for the ride from Malpensa to Como. We will have our options ready when we arrive. I hate to arrive at our hotel the first day after 7 pm and have to hurry to unpack, take a shower, and find a place to eat. I usually pass out by 9:00 the first night.

We took a taxi from Malpensa to Como 2 weeks ago and the cost was 90 Euro. The taxi had a meter and we didn't negotiate for the price, just paid the fare per meter. We arrived after a 4 hour delay to find out that the 14:15 bus was no longer operating. There was a new paper edition of the bus schedule posted on the pole by the bus stop. We were too exhausted to even think about taking the train to Como and risking another change of schedule along the way. We then took the ferry to Bellagio and it cost 6 Euro each.

Can anyone tell me the best way to get from Milan to Lake Como by car, and how long it takes?

I'd add that the bus to train station and train up can be a lot after a long flight. We did this and just missed our train and had to wait 2 hrs for the next one. 90 euro is worth it for a private car!

train service from Malpensa airport to Lake Como runs every 30 minutes, DAILY. See my several other postings which give the details of this inexpensive alternative.

NOTE THAT THE SCHEDULES OF THE AIRPORTER BUS BETWEEN MALPENSA AIRPORT AND COMO CITY HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO THREE PER DAY. SEE WWW.SPTCOMO.IT

HOWEVER, TRAIN SERVICE CONTINUES TO RUN EVERY 30 MINUTES, WITH A TRAIN CHANGE IN SARONNO.

To Traveling:

From where in Milan and to which part of the lake?

Schedules for the commuter train service between Malpensa Airport and Lake Como (Como City) can be found at
www.ferrovienord.it

Note that this service is NOT operated by the Italian State Railway (Ferrovie dello Stato, www.trenitalia.com) but rather by a regional line (Ferrovie Nord).

This is why the schedules are NOT found in the trenitalia website!!!!!!!!!

Depending on your flight arrival/departure time, the DIRECT, SPT Como airporter bus might be much more convenient than the train (which requires a change in Saronno). Schedules found at www.sptcomo.it

coco:
From airport in Milan to Varenna or Bellagio. Thanks.