Day trip from Milan to Lake Como

melodie, My suggestion would be to simply travel to Lago di Como on your own rather than with a tour company. The town of Varenna is easily reached by train from Milan (travel time 1H:03M each way). In addition to enjoying Varenna, you can also take the Ferry to Bellagio (20 min.) or other towns on the lake. If you like ornate Italian gardens, you could tour the gardens at Villa Cipressi and Villa Monastero in Varenna. You could perhaps stay for dinner in Varenna (you might try Albergo Olivedo - they open for dinner at 19:00), and return to Milan later in the evening. That's what I did the last time I took a day trip there. If you decide to give this a try, I'd suggest buying return tickets in Milan, as the ticket office in Varenna seems to have "limited" hours. Only Regionale trains are used on that route, so DON'T forget to validate! There's lots of information in the Guidebook on sightseeing attractions in that area. Happy travels!

In 2010 we were in Como for 3 nights and enjoyed our time there. We took the ferry to Bellagio as a day trip, which was quite easy to do by yourself. The cruise took 2 hours to reach Bellagio as it stopped in many small towns along the way. It was a great time. You could take a train to Como, a cab to the lake boat ticket window, and away you go. Across the street from the ticket kiosk is the Piazza Cavour. As you face the piazza to the right is the Gelatoria Lariana, Lungo Laria 5, which serves huge portions of terrific gelato. Buon viaggio,

It is a very short (and interesting) walk from the train station in Varenna to the ferry dock. Accourding to the direction of the ferry, it can be a short ride to Bellagio. TC

Varenna is much more charming than the town of Como. You can easily get to Varenna by train from Milan all by yourself and then wander around to your heart's content before hopping back on the train. It's worth seeing. Very beautiful Alpine lake setting but still feels like Italy.