Milan to Varenna

My experience is Train from Varenna to Milan,then Milan to Venice.We never took train from Milan Airport.Hotel in Venice that we stayed at twice on a Canal five minutes from Piazza San Marco,Hotel Colombina very nice with great staff and breakfast,they will also take you to Murano on private boat.In Varenna we have stayed two times at the Hotel Olivedo on the water front but upgraded to the Villa with views of the ferries coming into the dock and Alps to the north.They give you a nice breakfast and have good dinners.
Mike

I've done those same stops 2 years ago. From MXP you need to take the Malpensa Express Train to Milano Centrale train station. Then from Milano Centrale there is a direct train to Varenna. On the kiosks or trenitalia website you'll see it as Varenna-Esino. So you will only need to change trains in Milan Centrale. Both trips from the airport and to Varenna you'll need to validate your ticket.

From Varenna to Venice you will also change trains only once, again in Milano Centrale. From Milan to Venice is a high speed train. If you book around 90 days out you'll get discounts and cheap fares. But you are locked into that specific train time.

When I did the trip, a frequent user on here Ken also pointed out that in Varenna there wasn't a staff member and to buy your return ticket from Varenna to Milan when you are in Milan.

I would not want a car in Varenna. Driving around there is tricky, and parking is very limited. The train is quick and comfortable, and Milan to Varenna is very inexpensive---around €7 each way. You can save a lot on your tickets from Milan to Venice by buying them 90 days in advance on Trenitalia. You can include the ticket from Varenna to Milan, even though it is a regional train, in the advance purchase and save yourselves the trouble of buying at the Milano Centrale station. (It is true that there is no station agent and no ticket machine at Varenna.). You can also buy the outbound ticket from Milan to Varenna on Trenitalia, but as a single journey ticket it will only be available for purchase one week ahead of the travel date. Or you can buy it on the Trenord website, along with the Malpensa Express ticket.

http://www.trenord.it/EN/

As for lodging suggestions, I have two:

In Varenna we enjoyed our 3-night stay at Albergo Milano in 2010 so much we returned this year. The lakefront rooms are right above the lake, not set back across a plaza like Olivedo's. We have stayed in the annex (Casa Rossa) both times. The top floor room is very spacious and has a large balcony. The restaurant there is excellent and the setting, on a lakefront deck, is very pleasant.

There are many nice hotels in Venice and it is hard to single out one. We now stay in an apartment when we go to Venice. But our first visit, ten years ago, we stayed in La Calcina and liked it very much,mso I still recommend it. It is in Dorsoduro, a very good area, right on the Giudecca Canal. Which means younwill see cruise ships going by in the morning and again in the evening if you are in your room. You may or may not find that interesting. A really nice aspect of this hotel is the rooftop terrace (Altana) which we could reserve for private use for an hour----I assume you still can but did not confirm that. An hour up there around sunset, with a bottle of wine, is magical.

Another place I like, just from reading reviews and seeing the location, is Hotel Dinesan American. It is also in Dorsoduro, but on a small side canal with lots of Venetian atmosphere. Their canal view rooms look very nice on the web page, but I haven't seen them personally.

When purchasing a ticket from the Milan train station, watch out for all the people that will want to help you purchase your ticket. You don't need their help. When I was there this September, it was a little confusing regarding which window I needed to go to purchase our tickets. I preferred to talk to a person rather than buying the ticket from one of the ticket machines. The train station had a railroad official behind a podium that will help direct you to the right window. I was surprised to hear how many of our tour members paid a person to help them purchase a ticket from one of the ticket machines. Also, make sure you clearly specify that you want a ticket to Varenna. I have heard stories of people buying a ticket to Verona by mistake. Make sure you validate the ticket before you get on the train. It is easy to forget to do that.

That is why I advise purchasing the train tickets in advance on Trenitalia and TreNord.

We did this a couple of years ago. Also liked Albergo Milano in Varenna. Beautiful view of the lake from our room with private patio. We did not buy any rail tickets before arriving at MXP - no worries, its pretty simple. Note the rail station Varenna-Esino is very small and has no ticket office, so you need your ticket from Varenna to Venice-Ste Lucia ahead of time. Buy at Milano-Centrale if you can or there is a travel agency just down the hill from the Varenna-Esino rail station that sells tickets if needed. Yes you have to change at Milano Centrale both times, but it is not intimidating or confusing. Can't see any benefit to having a car. You will want to take the ferry to visit other places around Varenna anyway.

Christine,

Travel from Milan / MXP to Varenna is very easy, but unfortunately you'll have to change trains in Milano Centrale. Here's the route to take....

• When you've collected your baggage and gone through Passport control, go to the airport rail station and buy your tickets (you'll need at least two). The official name for your destination is Varenna-Esino so that should avoid any confusion with Verona. It woud be a good idea to buy your outgoing tickets from Varenna to Milan at the same time, but don't validate them until the day of travel (more on your outgoing trip below).
• The first train you'll take is the Malpensa Express which goes from the airport to Milano Centrale. The trip takes ~52 minutes. NOTE that they also operate a route to Milano Cadorna, so be sure to board the correct train. BE SURE to validate your ticket prior to boarding the train or you'll risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!
• The Malpensa Express will arrive on one of the outside tracks (Binario 1 or 2, can't remember). Go from there into the main part of the station and use the electronic displays to locate the track where your next train will be departing from. The display may not show "Varenna" as the destination, but rather Tirano or another location. Use the train number to reference or have a look at the paper "Partenze" charts to confirm.
• Prior to boarding your train to Varenna, again BE SURE to validate your tickets. The trip to Varenna will take ~1H:03M and you'll go through a tunnel just prior to arrival. Try to sit on the left (when facing forward) for lake views. Be prepared to disembark promptly as the train doesn't stop for long.
• Milano Centrale now has gates to restrict access to the tracks, and there will be people checking tickets before allowing anyone inside. If you don't exit from the track area, not a problem. If you do decide to exit, be sure to allow lots of time to get back to the tracks as there may be a queue.
• You should be able to walk to your hotel as everything is pretty much downhill from the station. However there may be a Taxi waiting if you'd prefer that.
• While the station in Varenna may not be staffed, there's a helpful Tivano Tours office near the station which sells tickets.

For the trip from Milan to Venice, you can either buy your tickets when you arrive OR pre-purchase online and save some money. Note that your destination station will be Venezia Santa Lucia. However, you MUST be willing to commit to a specific train as the high speed trains have compulsory seat reservations which are specific to train, date and departure time and can ONLY be used on the one train listed on the ticket. If you board the wrong train by mistake, again possibly hefty fines!

The trip from Venice to Padova is VERY easy (I travelled that route in September), and there are both Regionale as well as Freccia trains on that route. It's a short trip and the time difference between them isn't that much so the Regionale would be fine (again, DON'T forget to validate). When you arrive in Padova, you can either take a Taxi to your hotel or use the Tram as there's a stop right outside the station (do you know which hotel you'll be using first?).

When is this trip taking place?

We just did this two weeks ago - it was very easy! You definitely do not need a car. We flew into Milan, and purchased tickets to Centrale from the kiosk at the airport. We had purchased our tickets to Varenna in advance (but it is not necessary) and had them printed at Centrale (downstairs, take a number.) Also note, the train you get on will not say "Varenna-Esino" as the destination - it lists the final stop (which was Lecco, I think.) Sit on the left-hand side of the train for spectacular lake views.

Coming back we took the train to Centrale (make sure you purchase a round-trip from Centrale - there is no ticket office in Varenna, the train station is now a cafe) and then transferred to the Venice-bound train (tickets purchased in advance, with reserved seats.)

In Varenna we stayed at the Royal Victoria hotel and we loved it. The views are spectacular, and there is a lot of outdoor seating from which to enjoy them. We had a room with a small balcony - it was worth the cost. We walked from the train station, but it is at the farther end of town and if I did it again I might consider a cab (there are several waiting) although it was a nice, scenic walk.

We took the ferry ride around the lake at sunset - it was a highlight of the trip. We loved Varenna and can't wait to go back. Have fun!

Going along with everyone else, train from MXP to Milan Centrale then to Varenna if you are looking to do that.

That being said, I did rent a car from MXP, and drove to Varenna. Parking was hard to come by in the center of Varenna, but there is a parking structure, which was a little pricey, a few steps away from the square. The roads are narrow and very curvy. Surprise! Those are actually two way roads. The roads seem to widen as time passes. Depending on where you are staying, and how much walking up steep hills are, a car is a perfectly good option.

We rented a car from MXP, drove to Varenna, then down to Portofino area, then back to MXP and filled the tank once in the 12 days that we had the car on the way to return it.