RRT25

My wife and I plan to travel via train from Venice to Bellagio (then Bellagio to Milan after a few days).
Is this a fairly "easy" trip, or must we change several trains, etc...? Thanks for the help.
Also, how long should it take? Grazie.

NeoPatrick

It's really pretty easy. I think the easiest way is to train to Milano where you must change trains and then on to Varenna. At Varenna, you need to walk downhill from the train station with your luggage (unless you can catch one of the two or so taxis) and take a boat across the water to Bellagio. It's about a 10 to 15 minute walk to the boat landing.

There is only one train change (the one at Milan) unless you take a train from Santa Lucia in Venice which needs to change at Maestre, but that is no big deal either. It will take 5 to 5.5 hours from Venice to Varenna, depending on when you go, boats are usually pretty frequent from Varenna to Bellagio and take about 10 minutes or so.

Eloise

You can't get there from here - at least not by train.

You have to take the train to Varenna, with a change at Milano Centrale; this will take about 4.5 to 5 hours.

In Varenna, you have to take a boat to Bellagio.

You can look up trains at www.trenitalia.com.

And you can look up boats at http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/itali...indicecomo.htm

WallyKringen

Train to a number of places where you change to boats or buses. For example, Lecco (via Milan, of course), then bus or boat to Bellagio.

Or train to Como Nord/Lago then bus.

Or train to Milan (Centrale - the main station) then from outside the station, take bus nr. 30 to Bellagio (SPT Como company).

Or Train to Brescia and bus from there.

Or train to Varenna and boat to Bellagio.

In Venice, ask a travel agency to put this together for you, too many options - you'll get there, no worries.

Dukey

The EASIEST way IMO is to take the train from Venice to Milano Centrale and change there for a train to Varenna; the later takes about an hour and 25 minutes. The lake views begin at Lecco so sit on the left side of the train facing forward for those.

There are mostly second class coaches on the Milan-Varenna segment although one or two of the coaches might have a small First Class section. Don't waste money on those as it is very hard to tell the difference between the two seating areas. You will not need a reservation for the Milan-Varenna segment, either. Those trains run about every two hours.

Neo has given you good advice for arrival in Varenna. When you get to the ferry dock there is a ticket booth. There are two types of ferries which cross: those for foot traffic only (less frequent) and those with foot and vehicular traffic (more frequent); take the first one that shows up; they leave from two different docks which are almost next to each other. Be aware that some of the ferries may stop in Menaggio first.

While you are waiting you can hang out at the hotel restaurant acxross the street; buy something from one of those mobile vendors who are often set up next to the dock or just sit on one of the public benches and gaze at the lake.

NeoPatrick

Wally, was right that there are other options, but the train to Varenna for a boat is clearly the easiest. Most of those others have very limited service to Bellagio. Nothing like getting to one of those other towns then having to wait 6 hours of more for the next bus or boat. With going to Varennna, there's no hassle, and in fact it's easier to get from the train to the boat there than the connections between transporatation of most of those others options.

I guess you can ask a travel agent to put this together for you if you are totally helpless about such things, or you can simply walk up to any ticket window and buy a train ticket from Venice to Varenna, and buy your own ticket at the boat window in Varenna -- this is not rocket science.