Short excursion from Milan

From Milano Centrale to Varenna on Lake Como, trains depart about hourly and take one hour. See www.trenitalia.com or www.trenord.it for schedules.

From Milano Centrale, another train line also runs to Como town, on the south end of the lake, S. Giovanni station, travel time 40 minutes but departures not frequent.

From Milano Cadorna station, Trenord also runs to Como town, Nord Lago station, travel time one hour. It's fine to go up by one train company and back by the other, but buy tickets separately, since they are different.

For me, the reason to go to Lake Como is to spend a few days there to relax and unwind, to "see how low you can get your pulse" as Rick says. I wouldn't go for just a few hours, unless you absolutely must see a large body of water from Milan. Instead, I'd stow my bags at the station and get to the Duomo area, then go to the top of the Duomo (unbelievable gargoyles and views), then walk around the center.

Where are you going to be before and after Milan, and what else are you seeing on this trip? This information would help others make better suggestions.

I agree that you should stick to seeing a bit of Milan. You might not be able to breeze thru the airport customs quickly enough to get to the train on time, and thats assuming that the flight is on time. 3-4 hours is just about right for a whirlwind tour of Milan.

nancy,

While it would be theoretically possible to visit Varenna in that time frame, you'd only have time for a very quick look and perhaps a snack. As you're arriving at 10:35, the next train to Varenna doesn't depart until 12:20 so you'd have a bit of a wait, and you'd arrive at 13:35. On the way back, the only train that would work is a departure from Varenna at 14:37, arriving back in Milan at 15:40. Therefore you'd be travelling for 2H:06M and would only have 1H:02M to spend in Varenna. You'd also be packing your luggage, so it probably wouldn't be a pleasant trip. If you left luggage at the Deposito Bagagli in Milano Centrale, it could take awhile to either deposit and/or retrieve it if there's a queue, which could make you late for your 17:15 departure.

A short visit to the town of Como on the south end of the lake may be possible. You'd first depart via Metro from Milano Centrale to Milano Cadorna at 11:25, and transfer to a train departing at 11:40 to Como Nord Lago, arriving at 12:43. I believe Nord Lago is the closest station to the lake so you should be able to easily walk to the lake. For the return trip you'd retrace your steps and use a departure from Como at 15:38, arriving Milano Centrale at 16:50. That would allow 2H:55M in Como, which may work for you. Getting back to Milano Centrale at 16:50 allows 25 minutes to connect with your other train, which is cutting it close, but if there are no "unexpected disruptions" it should work. Again, you'd be hauling your luggage which might be awkward.

Although these two options are theoretically feasible, given the short time you'd have at the lake and the uncertainty of getting back in time to connect with your other departure, I probably wouldn't try it. If there was any way you could add one night in Milan, it would be easier.

A place I really enjoyed seeing and spent a few hours there is the Monumentale Cemetery.
In the RS book he tells which city bus to take from hear the Duomo.
It is the prettiest cemetery I've visited and there are some amazing sculptures on many of the
tombs.
On the Pirelli Family tomb is a life size bronze of the Last Supper and that is just one of
many of the sites. ( as in Pirelli Tires)
The grounds are beautiful. I believe that Rick recommends seeing this cemetery.

Then take the city bus back into the center of town.

I am taking the train from Interlaken to Milan (we leave at 7:00am. I looked along our route and decided to look more into stopping off at Stresa on Lake Maggiore. Does anyone know much about Stresa? It looks beautiful.