Easiest and fastest way from Lake Como to Milan airport

-Are you actually coming from Como or another city on/near Lake Como?
-Are you trying to get to Malpensa Airport - MXP?
--MIlan has 3 airports.

These details will get you better answers,
=Tod

We will be staying in menaggio till Sunday and flying out of Milan Malpensa airport The next day.

About the only faster way is taxi or town car. I don’t know at what time your flight departs. If you’re flying out of the Schengen Zone, you should be at the airport at least 3 hours before scheduled departure. I’ve given up the hassle of trying to get to the airport from a night’s stay not very close to it. With the hassles involved, I now spend the last night at a hotel near the airport unless I have an afternoon flight. Greatly reduces the stress.

The most straightforward way is probably looking at Mennagio -> ferry to Varrena -> train to Milan -> train to Milan Malpensa which is never going to be fast. The Varenna to MXP section is about 2:15 at the best of times.
The ferry to Como from Mennagio is >2 hours all by itself so again not fast.

I haven't done it but it looks like there is a bus from Mennagio to Como (the C10) the is about 1:15 and runs pretty regularly. You could then get a bus from Como directly to MXP and this probably the fastest way but the MXP bus looks like it runs once a day at 11:50 arriving at MXP in about 50 minutes. If you time this right it should be about 2:15 of travel time.
If the the ~1:00pm arrival time at the airport works for you then this is an option. If it doesn't than you are probably looking at travelling to the airport area the day before to make your flight.

The only other option I see is a train from Lugano, Nord train to Mendrisio change to MXP train in Mendrisio which is about an 1:30 but gives you multiple options for getting to the airport before 1:00pm. But getting to Lugano is limited but maybe you could hire a car if time is critical?
Note that Lugano is also in Switzerland so there is a border crossing in there and back into Italy during this airport transfer.

You're right to be concerned - this isn't an easy trip to make quickly,
=Tod

Thank you for your replies. We fly out the next day on Monday. We have contacted our hotel in menaggio to see if they have any good ideas

When staying on Lake Como we always have stayed at MXP the night before our flights.
We use a driver service to pick us up from MXP and to take us back to Villa Malpensa where we spend the night.

Easiest and fastest way from Lake Como to Milan airport My husband and I are traveling out of Lake Como on Sunday afternoon to the Milan international airport. Looking on maps Google it seems like there are a lot of bus stops and train stops. Does anyone have a easier way please

You should be aware that there is a train strike on Sunday in Lombardia. Going by train may not be an option

https://www.trenord.it/en/news/trenord-informs/notices/regional-transport-strike-saturday-8-th-sunday-9-th-october-2022-key-timeframes-will-not-be-guaranteed/
https://www.cgsse.it/calendario-scioperi?page=6

hey hey jenny
i could say a helicopter, but i totally agree with philip. hire a town car or a taxi. bite the bullet without stressing/frustration.
we were in geneva and going to annecy. the train took 2 1/2 hours going a round about way with stops. found a private taxi van for the 35 minute drive, apartment to apartment, for 95E. so so worth it, no carrying luggage on train, not knowing where to go after getting to train station, paying taxi there to our apartment.
easiest and fastest from lake como to milan airport may be a mute answer since you have bus, ferry and train stops. book now,
find a taxi/private transfer in menaggio. what time is flight out of MXP on monday? good luck
aloha

I flew out of MXP a little over a week ago. From the time I arrived at the airport train station to the time that I went through check in, security, passport control and was at the gate it was 1 hour. My airline, British Airways, was not open for check-in until 2 hours prior to the flight. I am not sure what the benefit of arriving 3 hours would have been for me in my particular circumstance.

I came from Florence the same day, but I had an afternoon flight and easy train connections. I also wonder if moving closer to the airport the evening before might be a good plan.

From Menaggio, take the ferry across the lake to Varenna then the train to Malpensa airport (change trains at MILANO CENTRALE).
That is the cheapest way.
The most convenient (and probably fastest way) is to hire a private car, but it will cost you plenty

We did MIlan to Como last summer and there wasn't an easy way. to get anywhere. On our transit day, there was a strike. That gave me a bit of anxiety. Maybe it isn't always this way but it wasn't a complete stoppage. We threw ourselves at the mercy of an EuroCity agent who booked us on a 9 am train and in a quiet car. It was the last train of the morning that he would guarantee would run. It worked for us.

Perhaps you could go from Como-ish to Milan Centrale, spend the night and then take the Malpensa Express from there the next morning. There are lots of reasonable hotels around the station and places to eat. I think it's a one hour train ride to the airport. It seems like a less stressful, civilized way to travel.