Varenna or Como (Day trip from Milan)

The city of Como has a medieval center that is interesting but the scenery is much better mid lake. I would choose Bellagio over Varenna as you are going off season. I would check with somebody local there before there before leaving Milan. Perhaps your Mikan hotel can call someone there to check. I recall being told that Lake Como gets a lot of fog early winter. The beauty of Lake Como is the views of mountains coming down to the lake. Not so good if it’s foggy.

Varenna is a wonderful visit for a day or longer. Easily done with a short train ride. Walk everywhere plan on a lunch or dinner along the lake it is magical. Varenna is all about the beauty and slowing down to enjoy this romantic town. Enjoy.

taher,

The weather may not be the best in the last week of December, so I'd suggest checking the forecast before you go. Varenna is a popular day trip as it's only an hour by train from Milan, and from there it's easy to take the short ferry ride over to Bellagio and cover two destinations with one visit.

If you haven't travelled by train in Italy before, note that the trains on that route are Regionale so you MUST validate locally purchased tickets prior to boarding the train on the day of travel. Failure to do that may result in hefty fines which will be collected on the spot. If you decide to take that trip, I'd suggest buying tickets in Milan both for the trip to Varenna and the return. Don't validate the return ticket until you're ready to board the train.

For the trip to Varenna, I'd suggest sitting on the left side of the train (when facing forward). Also, be ready to disembark promptly as the train doesn't stop for long.