Sunday Morning Travel From Bellagio

There's another option, but before you seriously consider it you'll want to ask yourself the question: how much does it cost me in money & inconvenience if I miss my flight and how lucky do I feel? This other option might not work on a Sunday morning in Italy because of reduced schedules, but here it is: take the high-speed hydrofoil from Bellagio to the town of Como which is at the southern end of the left wishbone of the lake. A Malpensa airport special shuttle van operates from the Como bus station; and the bus station is near where you will get off the hydrofoil. Remember that the airport is 30 miles west-northwest of Milan, not in Milan. One of the risks is that this shuttle service to the airport has been known to cancel scheduled runs when there is not enough business from the airport and so it is unpredictable. Another problem is that I'm about 90% sure you won't be able to find online a schedule for this shuttle service, the only schedules I've found are handed out by the Menaggio TI (next t

It's about 40 highway miles from the town of Como to Malpensa, an expensive taxi ride but maybe you want to consider that after you get to Como by high speed hydrofoil. Taking a taxi from Bellagio adds another 20 miles to that but watch out because there are only 2 roads from Bellagio to Como and they both take time.

Wow. You might be in a bit of a pinch here. First, the first ferry from Bellagio to Varenna on a Sunday departs at 7:05am (I'm looking at the timetable). The train from Varenna to Milan takes a minumum 1.5hrs. The earliest that you can get into Milan is about 9:30am. Then, you have an hour ride by bus from the Milan train station to Malpensa. At best, I'm betting that you can't get there anytime before 10:30am.

There is another route from Bellagio to Malpensa via bus and private train. CLICK HERE to see how it's done from Malpensa to Bellagio. Just reverse if you can.

I guess I should just add that you don't want to go back to Milan to go to Malpensa, as Lake Como is north of Milan, while Malpensa is northwest. Sunday morning traffic won't be bad, if you go early. You never know on the A9 or the A8, though you will be going against the flow of traffic. Could you take a taxi?

Thank you all very much. I knew I could count on this forum for help. looks like I might just get a cab from Como if I can make it out of Bellagio in time. I'm a firm believer in "spend money not time. My two weeks in Italy is supposed to be a vacation but then of course it wouldn"t be Italy without some stress. I thought buying Rick's books and travel bag was supposed to guarantee perfect everything.

A friend of mine was staying in Bellagio and had to get to Malpensa as well. She paid hundreds of dollars for a driver!!!!!! I wouldn;t but she did.
I would just opt for spending the night in Milano or Malpenss and eliminating the last-minute frisson!!!!
Enough to spoil your whole vacation......

Howard, I just returned from Italy. We were in Bellagio last Thursday, had planned to leave early Friday a.m., spend the day in Milan (reservations at The Last Supper, etc.)and stay in a hotel near the airport to catch our early flight home on Saturday. We checked out of our hotel in Bellagio on Friday with the intention of catching the 9:25 a.m. ferry to Varenna and the 10:19 train to Milan. When we got to the ferry, the ticket seller said "Finito...we are on strike." The local Tourist Information person told us that the bus and ferry workers had decided to go on strike but that she thought the trains were still running. We spend 85 euros on a water taxi to Varenna only to find that the trains were also on strike. So, we waited in a park until 1:00 p.m. when everyone decided the strike was over. The next train to Milan left Varenna at 2:40 getting us into Milan too late to see most of what we had planned to see. Bottom line, in Italy be prepared for the unexpected. Good Luck.

Ellen: Your "in Italy be prepared for the unexpected" is a great quote for travelers to remember.

Howard, another option would be to stay in Varenna the last night to eliminate the ferry ride from Bellagio to Varenna to catch the train. Then you'd still be on the lake for your final night. The train from Varenna to Milan takes 1 hour (Rick lists the times in his book--6:17, 6:47, 7:25 etc. but confirm times). From the Milan Central station it's about 1 hour (a little less on a Sunday) and the bus runs every 20 minutes or so. Assuming there aren't any strikes (yikes!) you should have plenty of time to make an 11:30 a.m. flight.