Day trip to Lake Como thoughts on plans

If you have time in Como, take the funicular up to Brunate for spectacular views of the city, the lake and the alps.

Interested in the answers given. I'm also planning a day trip from Milan this summer. We are hesitating between Como or Maggiore.

Late to the party here but these prior threads might be useful regarding your planned day trip:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/june-train-from-milan-to-varenna

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/milan-to-lake-como-tirano-train-interruptions-from-june-15-september-15

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/is-lake-como-getting-crowded-like-the-ct-and-ac

If you haven't bought your ferry tickets yet and aren't lucky enough to have no one using the ferry that day, your itinerary will probably look something like this:

9 am - Train to Veranna from Milan
10am - 11:30am - Explore Veranna
11:30am - 1:30pm - Waiting in line at the ferry
1:30pm - Ferry to Bellagio
2:00pm - 4:00pm - Explore Bellagio/late lunch
4:00pm - 6:00pm Waiting in line at the ferry
6:00pm - Ferry to Bellano
7:00pm - Take the train to Milan - be happy that you got a seat, because at the next station in Varenna 1000 people will want to board the train at the same time

Seen with our own eyes from our apartment at the ferry doc in Varenna and experienced at the train station in Varenna in May 24. Like in a crazy zoo.

I was in the Lake Como area about two and a half weeks ago. It was a rainy/drizzly morning and everything was still packed. Long lines and waits for the ferries. Tour groups on the ferries so they were crowded. High speed hydrofoils between Varenna and Como sold out in the afternoon, when the sun did come out (otherwise, it’s a 2.5 hour one way ride on the regular ferry. They do all have restrooms). Restaurants in Varenna were very busy for lunch, especially seaside. That said, our group of 4 did snag a seaside table without much of a wait. Bellagio was also jammed. We didn’t really see it, as we mostly stood in line for the ferry (we took the wrong ferry; some go all the way from Varenna/Bellagio down to Como, others do just a loop between Bellagio-Varenna-Lenno). Plan accordingly! We were able to walk around Varenna, and when we got up towards the church away from the seaside it was a bit less crowded.

Thank you all for the feedback! I opted to schedule a 4 hour boat charter instead that will start from Veranna and end in Como so I can avoid the ferries. I will this will make our journey a bit more relaxed.

How in advance should we get back in Varenna to take the train back to Milan ? Or would it be better to go back via Como or elsewhere since it seems that Varenna is quite busy.

I was worried about this but can’t speak on prior experience. I decided to take the train from Milan to Veranna and then from Como back to Milan. Hoping that will be a little better.

And jamies could you share your itinerary for that day ? Thank you!

I plan to take the train around 9:00am or so from Milan to Varenna then it's pretty simple because we have chartered a boat for most of our time. Something like this:

10:00am-1:00pm - Explore Veranna
- Stroll the Lover’s Walk (Passeggiata degli Innamorati) along the lake
- Visit Hotel Villa Cipressi (Walk through the beautiful botanical gardens)
- Visit Villa Monastero (Explore the historic villa and its botanical gardens)
1:00pm - 5:00pm - Charter Boat through Como Classic Boats
- Will have a stop in Bellagio but mostly exploring Lake Como from the boat
5:00pm - Drop off in Como where we plan to take the train back to Milan

Thank you for the update! I am going to book a charter to avoid ferries too (July 2025). And based on all the posts here, I think I will leave Varenna a day early due to the train situation. I actually thought (previously) that I could leave Varenna in the morning, have lunch in Bologna, and get to the Rome cruise terminal on the same day as the cruise departs. What was I thinking?