Hi all!
My partner and I are doing a day trip to lake Como from Milan on March 7th. The original plan was to take a train from Milan to como, ferry to Bellini and then take a car to Varenna to end our day. However, I’m not seeing any ferries that go from Como to Bellano. We would be happy to skip Como itself, and were originally excited about Orrido di Bellano which is why we picked Bellano. Not sure if anyone has any tips, suggestions or a best way to do this! Our only “musts” are ending the day in Varenna and taking a ferry/boat at some point. Open to other routes or towns. Thanks in advance!
Posted by
Washington DC
28533 posts
You can find Lake Como ferry schedules here: https://www.navigazionelaghi.it/en/tickets-and-timetables-lake-como/. The winter schedule is currently posted, which is what you need for a March trip.
There's a rail line along that (eastern) side of the lake; the station for Bellano is called "Bellano Tartavalle Terme". It appears there are hourly departures from Milano Centrale with a travel time of 69 minutes. That would be by far the fastest way to get to Bellano. The train makes a number of stops along the way, including one at Varenna-Esino (for Varenna).
There's also infrequent bus service between Bellano and Varenna; take note of the color-coding indicating when buses run. https://arriva.it/app/uploads/sites/7/2020/12/linea-d21-1.pdf
I'd hope to make a last-minute decision about this side trip. I think you might run into chilly, damp weather in early March, and that might not be the best time to go to Lake Como, or at least not for a rural hike. There aren't a lot of indoor sightseeing options along the lake aside from some museums in Como. As I believe you know, Como doesn't have the sort of small-town charm you'll find in places like Varenna and Bellagio.