Please sign in to post.

Day trip from Varenna, Italy to Lugano - is it worth it?

My family and I will be in Varenna, Italy for 5 nights (first visit to that area). Is it worth it to spend a day in Lugano? If so, what mode of transportation would you recommend? I would rather take the train but will drive if it's easier. Thank you for your help!

Posted by
8 posts

Oops, sorry about that. I'm new to this so thanks for the suggestion.

Posted by
32327 posts

Minnie, I suppose a day trip would be feasible, but it would be better to spend one night and a couple of days in Lugano if possible. Travel by train would be the easiest method, but the trip will take 2-3 hours each way. The routing shown on the Trenitalia website seems a bit complicated, and doesn't provide a good choice of departure times. The route that I'd use is a departure from Varenna at 07:37, arriving Milano Centrale at 08:38. There's a departure from there at 09:10, arriving Lugano at 10:10. Total travel time is 2H:33M. On the return trip, there's a train departing Lugano at 19:48, arriving Milano Centrale at 20:50. The last train of the night departs for Varenna at 21:20, arriving Varenna at 22:36. Fares EACH WAY should be about €27. Note that all of the rail times shown are subject to change. If you decide to make a day trip to Lugano, I'd suggest buying all tickets in advance, as the schedule suggested above wouldn't allow any time for visiting ticket offices. There's a Travel Agent just below the station in Varenna, so you might pay them a visit and make all the arrangements. Most of the trains are Regionale, so DON'T forget to validate. Happy travels!