Dear All,
My husband will be in Milan for business during the first week of May. I'd like to meet him there and have a long weekend at the Lakes. Reading the strands, it seems that there is a bus from Malpensa airport to Lake Como- where on Lake Como should we be looking to stay? If you could please recommend yummy spots to eat and a moderately priced hotel- no more than 150GBP per night I would be grateful! Thanks so much, T

I'm confused. As I read your post, your husband will already be in Milan, and you want to meet him in Milan and go together to Lake Como. If that's the situation, you'll be starting from Milan and not the Malpensa Airport.

You don't say where you want to stay on the lake, but most people choose the mid-lake area of Varenna/Bellagio/Menaggio. The easiest way to reach these towns is to take a national train from Milano Centrale station to Varenna Esino (about an hour). Stay in Varenna or walk down to the ferry dock and go to Bellagio or Menaggio. Look at these websites for train and ferry timetables:

http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/com/nlc.html

If you want to stay in the town of Como, you need to take a LeNord regional train from Milano Cardorna Nord station (or Malpensa) to Como. Look at this website for timetables:

http://www.lenord.it/website/lenord/en/home/index.php

There are many hotels in your budget range. Two that I recommend in the mid-lake area:

www.albergodulac.com [Varenna]

www.hotelflorencebellagio.it [Bellagio]

Thanks so much all of your ideas are very helpful. T

Tech,
My wife and I will also be in Milan an d Como during the first week of May. We get to Como on the 4th and lv on the 6th. We are staying at the Rive al Lago which we got for 55E per night not including breakfast.

P.S. I looked on the Rail Europe web site and the schedule is from Milan Central to Como. A 40 min. trip for 12E pp.

I believe that the Malpensa to Como bus was cancelled at the end of December 2007. Unfortunate, because that was an easy way to get there.

Your room budget is adequate for the majority of hotels in the area.

Jean is correct- most tourists stay in either Bellagio, Varenna or Menaggio. Varenna is a small town with a fishing village feel. Bellagio has more going on.

One idea for you, Bergamo and Lugano are convenient alternate airports for Lake Como if those are any easier.

Jay is evidently staying in the town of Como. Most of us prefer the cute smaller towns midlake--that is, Varenna, Bellagio, Menaggio.

Another way to get to Bellagio is by train to Como and then by hydrofoil up the lake to Bellagio.

Instead of Como, you could stay at Stresa on Lago Maggiore and visit the beautiful Borremean islands. There's a bus from Stresa to Malpensa -- assuming you'll be flying out of there.