We will be taking this trip next July. I understand there's a train from Malpensa direct to Lake Como without having to go into Milan proper. Is a reservation required, or should we just purchase our tickets when we get to Malpensa? Is there a fairly direct train route from Lake Como to Innsbruck? We haven't decided yet where in the Dolomites to visit. We were in the Val Gardena area a few years ago and loved it. You kind readers provided some suggestions to us a while back, and we'll be considering those, but any suggestions re train connections from Innsbruck to the Dolomite area would be appreciated. Thanks for your help!
Posted by
Bend, OR, United States
1167 posts
You can look up the train connections here: http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml "Fairly direct" is subjective but unless you have some special reason for going to Innsbruck it is really out of the way.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
Barbara, as I recall, if you use the Malpensa Express and disembark at the Saronno station, you can then board another train that goes direct to the town of Como (the station is called "Como-Lago"). I'd suggest just purchasing your tickets when you arrive. WHERE in the Dolomites are you planning to go? The trip from Innsbruck is very easy. For example, there are direct trains from Innsbruck to Bolzano with a travel time of only about two hours. Cheers!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17444 posts
The service that goes directly to the town of Como, without going into Milan proper, is the Le Nord train, which operates the Malpensa Express service. You ride the ME as far as Saronno as explained by Ken, changing there for Como. You can catch a ferry there to other points on the lake. As for the Dolomites, the connection to Val Gardena from Innsbruck would be by direct train to Bolzano, local bus (excellent service) from there. If you would like to consider a different area, I can highly recommend Val Badia, at the upper end, known as Alta Badia. The villages of Colfosco and Corvara are charming and have less traffic than the Val Gardena villages. To get there from Innsbruck, you would head to Brunico to catch the bus into Val Badia. This usually involves one change of trains, at Fortezza. As for gettin gfrom Lago di Como to Innsbruck, that depends on where you will be on the lake. If Como itself, you can get to Innsbruck with ony 1 train change by going through zurich. It is a bit faster to go via Bellinzona, Chur, and Sargans, but this takes several train changes. Either way it is 6 to 8 hours. If you are startin gin varenna, you could head up to Tirano and ride the scenic Bernina Express to Chur, and then head to Innsbruck from there. Again, this is not a short journey. I'd break it up with an overnight stop in Switzerland.