Day trip to Lake Como

Since there is an inexpensive regional train from Milano Centrale to Varenna every hour, I don't see much downside. From Varenna, you have the midlke shuttles to Bellagio and Menaggio.

I'll add that you don't need to (indeed, cannot!) book any train or ferry to get to Varenna, Bellaggio... So if you see that the weather is appropriate, you just buy tickets at the Milano Centrale Station and hop on the next train to Varenna.

One other minor point to mention with rail tickets from Milan to Varenna. You MUST validate (time & date stamp) locally purchased tickets prior to boarding the train on the day of travel, or risk hefty fines.

The trip from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino is 1H:03M. You'll need to walk down the hill from the station to reach the Ferry dock (it's not far).

Thanks for the helpful answers!

Follow up question - Stop in Como for a visit along the way, or take train directly to Varenna?

We took the train from Milan this summer to Varenna. I believe Como is on the other side of the lake. We never made it over to Como. We rented a boat and drove around the lake but Como was too far for the time we had. Varenna has some beautiful lakeside restaurants for lunch/dinner if the weather is good.

Como is not along the way to Varenna; a look to the map would show they are on opposite branches of the lake. What you could to: train to Varenna - ferry to Bellagio - ferry to Como - and go back to Milan through a different railway itinerary. There are two different railway lines from Milan to Como, served by different station; the commuter line leaves from Como Lago, near the ferry dock, and goes back to Milano Cadorna. The long distance line stops at Como S.Giovanni, somewhat distant from the city center. You have to study the train and ferry timetables with a bit of attention to determine your time allowances in Varenna, Bellagio and Como.

For just a day trip, I wouldn't try to get all the way to Como. Varenna and Bellagio are charming on their own and can be reach easily by the mid-lake ferry. If you try to get all the way to Como, you will spend most of your day cruising the lake.

Thanks for help. We took train to Varenna, then ferry to Bellagio. Reverse for return trip. Lovely day!

Another thing to consider. On our trip to Varenna about a year ago, the train station is one of the few that does NOT have a ticket machine or ticket booth. You must purchase train tickets from the travel agency behind the station OR purchase your return ticket before you leave Milan.

Rick

Good point. We bought ours using Trenitalia app while on ferry back from Bellagio, when we could define our timeline. Tim SIM card from Rome train station.