demayco

My husband and I will be arriving in Milan on 4/16 and immediately traveling to Varenna until the 21st. I have checked the train schedules and it looks like to get to Lucca I need to go back to Milan and from what I have read the Varenna train station is unattended so I want to know if I should purchase a return trip ticket on the train when we travel from Milan to Varenna? Also I will be meeting my brother in Varenna and he wants to take the highspeed train to Lucca, but checking the fares is it really worth it to save a few hours for the additional cost?

Also we have 2 days before my brother arrives in Varenna and we are looking for some recommendations. Once he gets there we are going to visit Bellagio, Menaggio and Lugano, so after we explored the city is there something else we can do for a day that isn't too far away?

I am also looking for recommendation for day trips from Lucca. We are planning day trips to Florence and C.T. but have a few more days to fill, so any recommendation would be great. We are looking for something that isn't overrun with tourists and we are not into shopping. We would like to visit some wineries and breweries while we are there.

Any help would be appreciated.

bobthenavigator

I suggest a good guide book. Surely you had a good reason to pick Lucca. I would add the Garfagnana area to your day trips and perhaps Volterra if time permits, and read about Collidi.
You will like Lucca, but it is not known for wineries and surely not breweries.

Jean

You'll be staying in Lucca without a car? If so, you need to research your day trip options using public trans and see what appeals to you. IMO, Lucca is not terribly convenient for day-tripping without a car.

The CT is a bit far for a day trip (more than 2 hours each way), and even Florence is 90 minutes or more each way. Pisa is close, as is Montecatini Terme. If you go to MT, don't miss the funicular up to Montecatini Alto.

There is much to see in the mid-lake area of Lake Como, but advice is hard to give without knowing your interests. Hiking/walking, villas, gardens...?

demayco

We are using both Varenna and Lucca as a base. My brother has been there a few times, so we are going with his recommendations.

Jean

Then presumably your brother would have day trip suggestions that would be interesting to you....?

demayco

We love the outdoor and hiking is a must. We love architecture so love to see the older buildings, churches, etc.

demayco

Our day trips from Lucca are currently Florence and C.T. We are planning to rent a car for a day or two and my brother mentioned the Chianti wine trail. Even though he has been there before, my brother, I was checking to see what possible option anyone can recommend.

demayco

Our current day trips from Lucca are Florence and C.T. We were originally planning on staying a few days in Vernazza, but the floods changes our plans. Even though my brother has been there we are looking for options that he might not have considered Plus looking for recommendation on our way back to Milano.

Jean

OK then. Hike up to the ruins of Castello Vezio above Varenna. Time your arrival so that you'll be able to watch the resident birds of prey when they are released for exercise and training. Note the castle is closed in rainy weather.

http://www.castellodivezio.it/inglese/index.php

Choose one of the classic villas to visit. Balbianello, Carlotta, Melzi...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Como

Ferry info:

http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/c_illago.html

demayco

Jean, the castle and the birds of prey sound wonderful. Thanks!

demayco

Any advice on the trains?

TDudette

Hi demayco, Hub and I traveled by train back from Bologna to Varenna (Varenna-Esino is station name FYI) and back to Milan in 2005. At that time, the Varenna station was unmanned but had a ticket machine. We used that but at that time our Visa card worked on the machines. There was also a small travel agency that sold train tickets. It was on the right as one walked down the hill towards the ferry. It was not open on Easter Sunday or Monday and closed for lunch.

I am not familiar with it, but the highspeed train might be worth it. Looking at trenitalia, regular train to Lucca involves several changes. Since you know your travel dates, it will, in my opinion, be simplest to get your tickets at one time but do weigh the pros of an uninterrupted train trip if that's what the highspeed will give you.

If you weren't planning on doing this with your brother, Villa Carlotta is very nice. We went by ferry then walked about 15-20 minutes.

On another trip, we based in Pisa and took trains to San Gim, Lucca, Siena, Florence, Fiesole, CT and one of the beach towns whose name is escaping me at the moment. You might want to take an escorted tour for a day of wine drinking! Others can make recommendations.

Good luck with this and please share your final train experience.

TDudette

ps-I just looked at the fast train schedule (just picked a weekday) and it doesn't look faster! Am going to look at bus service next.

zeppole

Hi, demayco,

Sorry I missed your post until now.

There is a brewery in Tuscany very close to Lucca and in a beautiful area of for hiking. It is best to have a car to get there, but this might make a wonderful place for you to go that is NOT overrun with tourists.

http://www.paesaggiritrovati.it/priv...-of-a-dream_en

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ehJr1mlTOU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7sja9B4GRs

http://www.lapetrognola.com/

http://www.lapetrognola.com/storia.php

I always think it is worth the extra euros to take a fast train.

kybourbon

>>>I want to know if I should purchase a return trip ticket on the train when we travel from Milan to Varenna?<<<

You don't want to purchase your Varenna/Milan or Florence/Lucca train tickets in advance online as there are no discounts and no reserved seats. These routes are only the slow R trains and there are more restrictions on tickets purchased for these online than if you buy them at the train station. Tickets for R trains must be validated before boarding.

The Milan/Florence train trip might have some advance purchase discounts available online. All of the faster trains have reserved seating so don't need to be validated before boarding.

TDudette

Sorry, I mis-understood and thought you were buying your tickets in Italy. Someone who knows needs to correct me but it doesn't look like the fast train is any faster.

Buy your return tickets at the same time but get them in Milan. Sorry if I didn't address your question.

jent103

You are correct that the Varenna train station is unattended. You can buy your tickets from Varenna to Lucca from any train station (e.g., Milan, when you buy your tickets to Varenna). If you want to wait until you get to Varenna for whatever reason, there's a tourist office down the hill from the train station which sold us our regional tickets back to Milan. I imagine they could sell you your tickets to Lucca.

Another vote for the walk up to Castello di Vezio. If you're big hikers it won't be a big deal at all, but the views are really great. We walked up the marked cobblestone path but took a dirt path back down, seeing Fiumelatte (the shortest river in Italy) on the way. Just a little fun thing.

demayco

Thanks for all of the replies. My concern was whether we could buy train tickets in Varenna which you all have answered. The trip to Castello di Vezio is now on our schedule to do before my brother arrives. I will need to research the brewery in Garfagnana, I found info on the Bruton Brewery in the northern part of Lucca which we are going to try to visit so we may have to add the one in Garfagnana also. Please if you have any more suggestions I am all ears.