My husband and I will be traveling to Italy the first two weeks in September, flying in and out of Milan. We would like to spend the last few days in Lake Como after visiting Venice. From what I can determine from the travel guides, we will need to travel back to Milan and then to Lake Como. Is there a more direct route in getting to Lake Como from Venice? We will be using trains and buses during our visit.

By train you will have to travel through and change trains at Milan, but it is no big deal. There are trains Venice - Milan Central approximately hourly, and the same frequency Milan Central to Como.Journey time is almost exactly 4 hours. There is at least one train on which you don't need to change - the 1300 from Venice.

we drove betwen these two cities. The route is main roads and very easy driving.

I agree with Tony. The train is quite easy. We have done this in reverse, Como to Venice and had no problems. Suggest that you stay in town center in Como, close to lake. There are many hotels there to choose from in all price ranges. We like the Barchetta Excelsior, right on the square overlooking the lake (get a lakeside room with balcony). This is a 4 star hotel and quite nice. Try to make it to Bellagio if you can. There are boats on the lake you can use if you dont have car. By the way, the train station in Como is short walk to lakefront where most of the hotels are located. Have fun and I know you will love Como. I agree that is has to be one of the most romantic places on earth.

<BR>Brenda, could I suggest you see Lago di Garda also, or instead of Como? We just came back from both, wrote about our trip on here, and far prefer Garda over Como - more scenic, and more quaint, smaller villages around the lake, easier to drive around.

Thanks everyone for your comments on train travel and additional recommendations for the Lake region. I will certainly look into them.