best way Menaggio to Lugano

Bus from Menaggio. Take the ferry to Menaggio and then the bus to Lugano. It's a short ride. I know that you said no bus but your train option may be to return to Milan to change trains for Lugano. It's a 2hr37min journey by train via Milan.

Larry's got it right (as usual). You said you have no car: that's good because you don't want to drive from Menaggio to Lugano. You'll know why after you've done the bus ride.

Debbie, Another option you could consider would be to use the Hydrofoil or other Ferries from Varenna to Como. If you're planning to use the fast boats, it's important to note that service from Varenna on the Colico / Como run is somewhat "limited". The current schedules show a departure at 06:33 on weekdays. There are a few more runs from Bellagio, so you could always take the 20-minute trip from Varenna to Bellagio, and board the Hydrofoil there. You'll need to verify the schedules closer to the time you'll be travelling. Upon arrival in Como, take a Taxi from the dock to Como S. Giovanni station. The train from there to Lugano is only 28-minutes! 2nd Class Fare currently €16.50 PP and trains depart every two hours. That's probably the method I'd use. Happy travels!

Thanks, Larry, Kent & Ken - you guys are great! We will take the hydrofoil down to Como and then the train as Ken suggests, after reading other posts about the "harrowing" bus ride option. Plus I love the scenic opportunities via boat and train. One other question if you don't mind. After Lugano we are headed to Montreux, and want to take one of the scenic train rides that go by the Matterhorn inbetween those two towns. We are debating whether to (1) take the full Glacier Express route and first take a train from Lugano to St. Moritz (is there one?), then take Glacier Express down to Zermatt (I know it's 7+ hours), spend night in Zermatt, and then from there another train to Montreux; or (2) take another shorter-route train from Lugano to Zermatt instead. Our goal is incredible scenery, but we are wondering if we will see spectacular scenery on the shorter route too, which would save us some travel time on our journey. Also not sure if we want to go to St. Moritz or not. Any thoughts or suggestions on which route or train offers the most bang for the buck? I've researched the otions and am a little confused.

FYI, The bus ride from Menaggio to Lugano is not harrowing. I took it rd trip and found it relaxing and somewhat scenic. Approx 1 hr one way. There is a short segment that is a little curvy but that's it.

Debbie, I travelled by Bus from Lugano to Tirano last year (which partially runs along Lago di Como), and although I wouldn't consider the ride "harrowing" it was certainly interesting. There were a couple of very narrow sections where the Bus had to pass large Caravans / Motor Homes. The clearance between vehicles was literally only a few inches (I'm not exaggerating - I have pictures!). While it wasn't a problem, this did add about 15-minutes to the journey as the Bus had to move VERY slowly to avoid hitting the other vehicle.

Debbie, Regarding your question on the scenic train routes and the Matterhorn, I'm not entirely clear on your plans? Since you want to visit both St. Moritz and Zermatt, one method you might consider would be: > Take the Bus from Lugano to Tirano (despite my previous note, it's actually a very pleasant journey). You board the Bus at the rail station in Lugano. You can't miss it - it's bright yellow with "Bernina Express" on it. > Use the Bernina Express from Tirano to St. Moritz. Use the Glacier Express from St. Moritz to Zermatt. You can also take the regular trains from Tirano to St. Moritz, which are faster than the Bernina Express (travel time on regular trains is ~2H:25M). > On the trip from Zermatt to Montreux, change trains in Visp (the trip from there to Montreux will be about 2H:40M). Cheers!

Don't pass on the bus ride from Menaggio to Lugano because you think it would be "harrowing." The bus ride isn't harrowing, you're not driving so you can just sit back and enjoy it.

Thanks all. We have decided to do both the Bernina Express and the Glacier Express, staying overnight in Tirano before heading from St. Moritz to Zermatt. Three questions. (1) We want to get the best possible seats on each of these trains for scenery and comfort. Do you suggest the panorama trains? Someone said they get too hot? (2) I think it's about 3 hours on the Bernina and 7 on the Glacier, correct? and (3) any tips on where to stay overnight in Tirano and Zermatt? Looks like most of the hotels in Zermatt are really pricey. I'm looking for a resonably priced one, preferably with a Matterhorn view and in Swiss-style. Suggestions?

We stayed at Hotel Daniela in Zermatt and it was fairly pricey but did not break the bank. Our room had a perfect view of the Matterhorn so the hotel was worth the price. The breakfast was one of the best we have ever had in Europe. The sister hotel is the Julen-costs more but has a pool that Daniela guests can use. We were very lucky that the view of the Matterhorn was not obscured by clouds, fog, etc.

I too suggest taking the bus from Menaggio, very short trip, 30 minutes max. Very easy. Take any of the many ferrys that leave Varenna every 30-45 minutes. Easy to catch the bus, stop at the local information spot in Varenna for schedule. Not "harrowing". Harrowing is driving yourself around Italy. The bus ride isn't long, maybe 35 minutes, my wife and I did this 2 summers ago. Plus you to travel over the Swiss border through a couple of scenic small towns. Taking the train back to Milan, then transferring to another train to Lugano is going to cost more $$ and waste more of your day. You're looking at 4+ hours if you can sync the train schedules just right. The buses get off right in the heart of Lugano, the Train station is located above Lugano on a hill you will need to hike down from. My two cents.

Riding the Glacier Express from St Moritz to Andermatt and then taking a bus to Grindelwald was the least favorite thing on our tour of Switzerland. The train took 5 hours stopping at multiple small cities and stopped a number of times to let other trains pass.
You will like Lugano and if you have time take a boat ride to Morcote and hike up to the church on the hill. Another trip I did not take was to San Slavatore via the funicular and people that went had a great view of Lugano.

Hi, I have a similar question and wanted to get clarification on how long the bus ride from Menaggio to Lugano because I see 30 mins and one hour. We are trying to catch a 6:10 pm train to Zurich from Lugano but will be coming from Varenna. I'm taking a cooking class that finishes at 4pm so is two hours enough time to take the ferry to Menaggio and bus to Lugano? Thanks!

Neema, you can see the schedule for the C12 bus from Menaggio to Lugano here: http://www.sptlinea.it/Lineeeorari/Orariolineeinpdf/Reteextraurbana/tabid/245/language/en-US/Default.aspx It shows the journey as just under one hour (like 57 minutes). You end at the bus station and would have to transfer to the train station, which I believe is about 1 km away. The bus departing Menaggio at 17:05 does not reach Lugano bus station until 18:02, so you would miss the train (8 minutes is likely not enough to make the transfer from bus to train, unless I am wrong about the distance between the two). The previous bus departs Menaggio at 15:52 and arrives Lugano at 16:49. If your class does not end until 4 pm you could not catch that bus. You might check the train schedules to see if the train from Varenna to Milan will work.