Day trip to Lake Como from Milan

There is no train station in Bellagio so the easiest route is : ferry to Varenna, then train to Milan....

Have a wonderful trip!

The ferry also goes from Bellagio to Como and very nice.

When you say this will be "after Christmas" do you mean late December/early January?
If so keep in mind weather will be cold, the days will be short (probably sunset ~5:00pm) and the ferry schedule will be in reduced "off season" mode. The season ends mid to late October in the lake districts and services are cut back and some businesses close or reduce hours.

I'm sure the lake is beautiful every time of year in its own way but the tourists will be looking elsewhere. Dress warmly, check the train and ferry schedules ahead of time and I would keep an eye on the weather and have alternate plans if it looks like it is going to be raining or stormy.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

Tod,

Thank you. It will be right after Christmas. We wil be in Milan for 5 days bcluding Christmas day and one of those days I was looking at doing Lake Como, weather permitting of course. I know it’s off season so ferries will be less in number so thinking on how to do it without being stuck without a ferry in one of the town lakes.

Would you be able to point in the direction where I can look up the ferry schedules?

Thanks.

We did a day trip from Milan to Como in late July. It was through Get your guide. The tour included a bus ride from Milano Centrale to a ferry dock that takes you to Bellagio. The first ferry was about 15 min. We had a couple hours to explore Bellagio and then a ferry ride around lake Como that was about 2 hours. The ferry took us to Como where we had an hour to explore Como, then a bus ride back to Milano centrale. It was a good tour with a multilingual tour guide where all transportation was included.

The current schedule runs through November 3rd, 2024 so I would guess that sometime in October the new schedule of times would be out. The page to watch is this one: https://www.comoanditslake.com/timetablenavigation.htm since it covers all the different ferry options and explains the service and options.

The current schedule is here: https://comolake.today/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Lake-Como-Boats-TimeTable-2024.pdf

You can search specific routes into the future here:https://www.navigazionelaghi.it/en/tickets-and-timetables-lake-como/
But I don't think I would trust it for searching past November 3rd since I don't think anyone knows for sure what that is going to be right now.

Hope the weather treats you well, enjoy your Buon Natale,
=Tod

@hiredman,

Thank you, appreciate all the information. What would be your suggestion as an alternative to Lake Como if the weather situation does not pan out?

Thanks.

Bergamo, about an hour from Milan.

I would DIY the loop mentioned a few posts above. Train to Varenna Esino, ferry to Bellagio, ferry to Como, train back to Milan (either from Como Lago or from Como San Giovanni). This is the better order, because you can stay in Como later if you want.

As an alternative it depends on what you want to do post Xmas. Milan is within an hour or so of many places large and small.

Large northern city is Turin, medium size Bergamo, Verona (chic and walkable) and Brescia (under rated Roman ruins) and south into Emilia Romagna are smaller cities (in a row) Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and the big capital city of Bologna which are foodie destinations. Florence is a stretch at 2 hours best time on the train.

If you want to replace the lake experience you could look at Lake Garda (before Verona) as the train stops directly on lake and the normally touristy areas may be vacant enough to be charming. But if the weather is keeping you away from Lake Como then I wouldn't count on weather on Lake Garda being significantly better.

Maybe someone with more experience around Milan can suggest a less well known local town that is interesting and closer than the more well known tourist destinations.

Have a great trip,
=Tod