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C12 bus line from Lugano to Menaggio

Posted by on

My family and I are making the long journey from the Berner Oberland to Lago Como in one day, and a critical part of the journey is proving difficult. We are planning to take the C12 bus from Lugano to Menaggio – on a Sunday. So of course the schedule is different than it would be on weekdays, and we just want to make sure we're reading it correctly.

We are working with this timetable: http://www.asfautolinee.it/wr-resource/upload/ORARI%20PDF/ORARI_ESTIVO/C12.pdf?cbck=wrReq93922

It looks like the times that we need are on pages 5 and 6.

If I am reading the schedule correctly, there are no Sunday departures from Cassarate Terminal Bus station, where a bus usually departs for Menaggio. There are, however, two afternoon departure times on Sundays from Station Nord – 15:41 and 15:50. It seems that it would be more convenient for us, since we will be arriving at the train station at 15:17 and it would be a shorter distance to travel to Station Nord.

Am I interpreting this correctly? It's going to be a long travel day with an 11 and 7 year old, and I really want to be sure we're not going to screw up the last little leg of this journey by turning up at the wrong bus station!

(This same question is also posted on the Switzerland board...)

Posted by
34221 posts

I can't look at the linked schedule right now but my instinct would be to stay on the train all the way to Milano Centrale, get the next Trenord to Varenna and hop across to Menaggio on the ferry.

Or if the train stops at Como it is a little walk to the lake boat terminal but you can get either a normal all stops boat ora much faster (but much less view) hydrofoil to Menaggio.

If there are just the two buses just a few minutes apart I wouldn't be confident....

Posted by
28437 posts

Italian buses on Sundays--probably not the most dependable means of transportation. Still, it's encouraging that there are multiple buses that day. The one time in my European travels that a bus simply did not show up was in Catalunya rather than Italy, but it was on a Sunday, and it cost me a pre-paid night in a hotel.

I think you have found the right schedule, but the departure times I see are 1435 and 1550.

Posted by
16200 posts

Buses to Menaggio depart from Lugano Stazione Nord at 15:50, 18:45 on Sunday.
Those are your only choices for Sunday and holidays.

Not sure where you got the 15:41 departure. That is actually the arrival time of the bus coming from Menaggio (presumably the one departing Lugano a few minutes later at 15:50).

Going all the way down by train to Milan, and up again from Milan to Varenna is another option, however much longer. The bus ride from Lugano to Menaggio is only 1hr. You need more than that just from Milan to Varenna.

Posted by
9 posts

Ah, yes. I see now that I was looking at the Menaggio -->Lugano time and thinking it was a departure from Stazione Nord at 15:41. Thank you, everyone! Guess I'll cross my fingers that all goes well for that 15:50 departure.

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