From what I can see, I will need to take a train from Stresa to Milan Central, a train from Milan Central to
Varenna and then a ferry to Bellagio. Would I be taking the trenatalia train, do I need to make reservations in advance and do you know the cost? Thank you.
Posted by
Green Bay
21394 posts
Milano Centrale to Varenna is operated by Trenord. Its a regional train, no reservations, and costs 6.45 euro.
There are also regional trains from Stresa to Milano Centrale, unreserved for 8.30 euro. You can also take one of the Eurocity trains for about twice that price. If you get an advance purchase nonrefundable Super Economy ticket, its 9 euro.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32405 posts
Given the short trips on the routes you'll be using, I wouldn't bother pre-purchasing tickets. Just buy them at the station using either a Kiosk or the staffed ticket office, perhaps the day prior to travel. You should be able to buy all the rail tickets you'll need at the station in Stresa. Use the Trenitalia website to research which trains and departure times will be most convenient for you. As I recall, the station in Stresa is staffed however the one in Varenna is not. If you need to buy tickets in Varenna, use the helpful Tivano Tours office, which is just below the station.
On the trip from Stresa to Milano Centrale, I'd probably use one of the EuroCity trains, as there are no changes (travel time 56M). The ticket you buy will include the compulsory reservations which are specific to train, date and departure time, and therefore you can ONLY take the one train listed on the ticket.
As the previous reply mentioned, the trip from Milan to Varenna is operated by TreNord, and it will be a Regionale train. Do NOT forget to validate your ticket prior to boarding the train on the day of travel, or you may face hefty fines which will be collected on the spot! The trip to Varenna is about an hour - be prepared to disembark promptly as the train only stops for about a minute.
One important point to mention - if you check the paper "Partenze" charts for the train to Varenna, you may not find Varenna listed as the destination. That train to Varenna will likely be continuing on to Sondrio or Tirano, so one of those may be listed as the final destination.
When you arrive in Varenna, it's an easy walk down the hill to the Ferry dock which is located in front of Albergo Olivedo (large yellow building, you can't miss it). Walk downhill from the station to the small bridge, turn left and cross the bridge, and then right and continue dowhnhill. There's a ticket booth at the dock, and the trip to Bellagio will be about 20 minutes.