Transport from Bellagio to Milan
 

Hi
Can you please advise me the best way to get to Milan from Bellagio in early June.

"Best" is relative.

My "best" is "fastest": Train from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino. Walk down the hill to the ferry. Ferry to Bellagio.

Or, of you want to get TO Milan ... do it the other way around. Ferry from Bellagio to Varenna-Esino (take 100s of pictures), walk up the hill ...
I wonder if they have cleaned the toilet at the station of Varenna-Esino since last June. It was filthy then :(
Sit at the right side of the train for lovely views.

Thanks ellenem and kovsie. How long does the Ferry take and would I have to buy the train ticket in advance ? Just how steep is the hill ? thank goodness for wheeled luggage !
Will remember to sit on the right.

Depends where in Milan you want to go - trains from Varenna do to Milano Centrale. Trains from Como (bus to Como from Bellagio - the buses stop right at the Nord de Milano train station (not part of Trenitalia.com - the state-owned railway - and these trains go to Milano Cordona station, much closer to the center of Milan and cathedral, etc than Centrale is.

Cheapest would be bus to Bellagio and train to Cordona and perhaps the fastest and easiest as well.

You need not buy ferry tickets in advance if you go that route.

Can't really remember, but I think the ferry takes +- 15 minutes. The people in Bellagio will know. Tickets for the ferry can be bought at the little office where the ferry stops.

We bought the train tickets on-line and in advance, and I would recommend that. It is a very small station and the person in the office did not speak English. No problem if you only want to say "Milano" but more complicated if you have more complicated queries.

2nd class tickets are fine.

The hill is not very demanding.

When you are in Bellagio, take the ferry to Mennagio, walk to the Hotel du Lac and have a coffee there ... or a glass of something cold ;) I loved the view from there.

Best "most scenic" - but not fastest - might be ferry from Bellagio to Como, then train from Como to Milano.

yes that ferry to Como would be the most scenic but the buses quicker I think and much cheaper. Not sure but suspect so.

The train station at Varenna-Esino is no longer staffed. If you don't want to buy tickets ahead of time, you can buy them at a cafe you see (on a corner on your right) on your route up from the ferry to the train station. I think the cafe is the Bar Baretta.

Thanks everyone helpful as always. We are staying at The Westin in Milan so will check out which station is closer which will help make the decision on the route. The Ferry does sound like a lovely way to farewell Lake Como .

Como has two train stations - the Nord de Milano one and the Ternitalia (FS) one which is about a mile from the boat dock - buses I believe go right there - those trains of course go to Milano Centrale. San Leandro might be the name of the Como mainline station, not sure - but take regional trains if possible to avoid a lot more charge and mandated seat reservations (if regional trains are even available - I am not sure.)

In the town of Como, the Trenitalia station is Como S. Giovanni, and the Trenord station is Como Nord Lago.

You could do a circle. Train from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino (Trenitalia), ferry to Bellagio, ferry to Como, then train to either station in Milan. Or the reverse. But in either case, you need to know the time of the last ferry departure from Bellagio to wherever. Ferry timetables for June are not yet posted, so you'll have to check later.

http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/c_orari.asp

The Trenitalia website shows both Trenitalia and Trenord timetables. You can't buy Trenord tickets on Trenitalia, but you can buy them on the Trenord website. Use Italian spellings for all towns, and Varenna-Esino for Varenna.

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...0080a3e90aRCRD

http://www.trenord.it/en/tickets/tickets.aspx

Thanks PalenQ and Jean. Lake Como has been on the bucket list so excited now that it is so close. We have 2 nights at Villa dEste before going to Bellagio so should be fantastic.