We will be de- jetlagging in Varenna for 2 days......best advice on what to do , where to eat etc....AND the best way to get to Venice without a car....??? train....??? which train???where to get the tickets???

My own choice would be TO rent a car - - but to each his own (I would also favor Menaggio or Bellagio over Varenna - - but who's to say?) <BR> <BR>Unless you are severly budget-constrained, I think I would recommend you research a private driver to get you from Malpensa to Como - - or all the way to Varenna - - and perhaps the sane return plan to get you to Milano Centrale (train station) when you are ready to head to Venice. <BR> <BR>You'll have no problem buying your point-to-point tickets at the station when you find you are ready to head to Venice. <BR> <BR>I think there is a slightly more direct routing from Varenna (involving one (ywo?) connection(s) - - though not if you are starting from Como, Menaggio or other "eastern" (edge of Lake) Como area points of origination. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

Dinner in Bellagio at the Ristorante Bilacus. Take ferry from Varenna, turn left, at the Arch over the road turn right and walk up the hill. This is the same "street" as the tobacconist. Family-run restaurant. Little English spoken but not really necessary. Fixed price menus and/or ala carte. Don't know when you're going, but we needed reservations both nights in October 1999 -- we were able to make each the morning of the same day. Outdoor dining on a terrace in the summer.

Just so you know, there are no train personnel at the Varenna train station. You can buy tickets to Milan at the tobacconist/newstand down the hill from the station (toward the ferry landing).

I'll also recommend Bilacus in Bellagio. Make reservations and ask for a table outside (weather permitting, of course).

Thanks for all of the info,,,,I have certainly done my homework BUT........nothing like first hand advice. I LOVE this site!!

Hi All! I have most of my planning done for my trip to Italy leaving the states May 30. I have read in the guide books that the train station in Varenna is not staffed; however, will I be able to purchase tickets to Bologna at the tobacco shop? Thanks Kathy

Kraines,
Just look for the conductor when you board and pay him. Since there is no ticket office at the station there is no fine for paying onboard.

I think that Henry is right about the unattended station(s). Another possibility in Varenna is the travel agents office down the hill from the train, next to the cafe at the main road (proabably only open nine to five tho').

Maybe things are still the same, but resurrecting a five year old thread about the way things were in 2001 is a kind of &quot;dangerous&quot; way to get good and current information. It would have been better to start a whole new post on the question after five years had lapsed since the old information was given.

Five years old or not I think the station at Varenna-Esino remains unmanned. I'm wondering if they ever fixed the broken validation machine on the platform????

we're doing the same, and I was looking for some activities on the lake. There's the castle above Varenna that looks like a nice walk, and we'll be journeying out the 2nd day by ferry. I found this tourist-y page:
http://www.travel-italy.com/communit...sm_of_como.php

I'm also hoping to visit the MotoGuzzi Museum in Mandello del Lario - a short hop by train? It looks like very narrow visiting hours, though! M-F 3-4 p.m.
http://www.motoguzzi.it/museo.asp?lin=ita

How are you planning your Varenna journey? Looks like the only sure bet is back to Milano Centrale and via treno to Varenna. Our arrival time is sooooo close to the bus to Como - any hitch and we'll miss it. We're spending 1 night in Milan on the way to Venice and planned on buying our train tix at the station when we get there from Varenna. It's all depending on whether 1st class is a priority and how firm you want to be on vacation about your travel times. We will be on the earliest train to Venice!

I used the Varenna train station in May 2005. Yes, it is still without staff, and yes, it still has the little machine to buy your tickets to Milano. One day it worked, and the next time, it was broken. I used the same travel agency recommended above to buy my tickets.

I have read that the Varenna-Bellano walk is nice (about 2&amp;1/2 hrs one way).
The walk up to the castle is nice (but just so that you know the climb is probably 700 to 1,000 vertical feet).

The boat ride to Lecco is nice. Mandello is on the way to way to Lecco (check the boat schedules).

We could not get the ticket vending machine to do anything.