How to take a train from Milan Malpensa to Lake Como

There is no direct train from Malpensa airport to Lake Como. You will need to either take a bus or train to the central train station in Milan. Then transfer to a train heading for Lake Como. Varenna is one town on Lake Como that has a train station relatively close. It’s not necessarily the closest town on Lake Como, but it’s very nice.

Rick describes the steps in detail, along with recommended towns to explore, in his books. Just a ferry ride away from Varenna are Bellagio and Menaggio. I would also recommend the website Rome2Rio for researching transportation options.

lita,

I agree with the previous reply and would also recommend Varenna as a "home base" on Lago di Como. It's very easy to access and the station is only a short walk from the main part of town and some nice hotels.

As mentioned you'll first have to travel via the Malpensa Express from the airport to Milano Centrale. When you arrive at Centrale, walk into the larger part of the station and look for the Binario (track no.) of your train to Varenna. The station is officially listed as Varenna-Esino., but you may not see that on the display board. It may instead display the final destination as Tirano. Double check using the train number.

Both trains are operated by Tre Nord and both are Regionale trains. That means you MUST validate your tickets in the machine prior to boarding the train on the day of travel. Failure to do so can result in hefty fines collected on the spot! You should be able to buy the tickets for both trains at the airport rail station, either at a ticket office or using one of the ticket machines.

The trip from Milan to Varenna is 1H:03M. You might want to sit on the left side of the train (when facing forward) so that you can see the lake views. The train will go through a tunnel just prior to arrival so be ready to disembark! Make sure you're familiar with the door release mechanism as the train doesn't stop for long.

When you exit the station, go down the stairway to the street and then walk to your hotel. You can practice the walk using Google maps. If you're staying at Hotel Olivedo, it's an easy downhill walk. If you're staying in one of the hotels in the piazza by the Duomo such as Hotel Royal Victoria, it's mostly flat.

You may find it helpful to pack along a copy of the RS Italy guidebook for choosing hotels, and for reference during your trip.

train or bus from the airport?

Several years ago I took the train. Maybe they've worked the kinks out. After a somewhat long wait to buy a ticket, the scheduled train didn't arrive and I had to wait quite a while for the next one. If I'd bought the Trenitalia ticket to Verona then, I might have missed the train from Milano Centrale.

In March I again flew into MXP to get to Venice. I decided to take the bus. They are more frequent than the trains, and there were several places to buy a ticket and find out when the next bus was leaving. There are 2 companies, 1 has buses every 20 min, the other every 30 min. One takes 60 minutes, the other 70. The train takes about 55 minutes.

The bus was comfortable, luggage safely stowed away and the bus stops right outside the station. With my US chip credit card, I quickly bought my Trenitalia ticket, easy peasy.

Maybe they've worked the kinks out.

No, they carry 11,000 masochists and penitents any day.

You'd better not suggest the bus when you don't know at what time they will deal with Milan's ring road.

Please note: if you go to Varenna, you have to backtrack to Milano Centrale. But if you go to Como (from a tourist point of view, maybe not the best choice on the lake), you may board your train in MXP and switch train in Saronno for a direct one going to Como Lago, the small station in front of the main pier. This is actually the shortest train path from MXP to the lake.

In June, I got a train from Malpensa to Como San Giovanni as I was staying in Como itself. There were 2 options, one going to Milano Porta Garibaldi, then to Como, and the other with 2 stops which I got. This train stopped in Saronno, then Como Camerlata.

If you are planning on travelling to Varenna, then I think you have to go to Milano Centrale and get another train from there.

Dario, you're right. I meant to add rush-hour considerations but I forgot. Thanks.