VARENNA TO GALLARATE

Have you look at Trenitalia.com? That will give you all of your scheduling options. Not knowing when you wanted to travel, a quick look at a day next month all AM trains showed a connect via Milan Centrale. Easy to do. Try it yourself.

Also check out the website Rome2rio.com then confirm the options on the Trentalia. Looks like you have to go through Milano Centrale.

Thanks to both of you! @Frank - I did check the Trenitalia site. It told me I have to take a regional train from Varenna to Milano Centrale then the Metro Green Line to Garibaldi and finally another regional ride to Gallarate. I didn't want to get there and find out there was a much simpler solution (seems always to happen when I am short on time).
@Sharon - Thank you so much for the Rome2rio site. I will be using it for other connections I will be making. I tried it out and it's easy to use.

Are we talking about the same Varenna? The train station is Varenna-Esino to Gallarate. Everything I have looked at shows one transfer at Centrale in Milano. I do not see any changing of train stations in Milan.

@Frank, Now I am totally confused. What I am seeing, for example, on this Thurs is: a 2:37pm Varenna-Esino regionale 2569 changing at Milano Centrale to regionale 2150 (taking 3hr. 24min.) arriving in Gallarate at 6:01pm. - costing E8.75. (1 train change) Then a 4:37 pm Varenna-Esino regionale 2571 changing at Milano Centrale to Euro City 42 (taking 3hr. 20 min.) arriving at 7:57pm - costing E19.45. But, I am also seeing a 2:37 Varenna-Esino regionale 2569 (2:37 train from above) to Lecco switching to suburbano 10573 to Milano Porta Garibaldi switching to regionale 5366 to Gallarate taking only 2hr. 20min. and arriving at 17.07. costing E8.75(2 train changes) And a 4:37 Varenna-Esino regionale 2571 (4/37 train from above) to Monza switching to suburbano 10829 - Milano Porta Garibaldi taking regionale 20238 to Gallarate taking only 1hr. 53min. (2 train changes) Costing E8.75. I was under the impression that a suburbano was the metro (Milano Porta Garibaldi is on the green line), but I might be wrong. I'm thinking I should probably take the 4:37 one that switches in Monza and then in Milano Porta Garibaldi as it would only be 2 hrs long and get me into Gallarate by 6:30 in time for my dinner meeting at 8pm. As all of this has already exhausted me, I might just take one of the over 3 hour rides and veg out while waiting for only 1 train change! (My husband just told me to quit being so cheap, bite the bullet and hire a car as I am having dinner with an old high school girlfriend from 48 years ago....but I just can't do that - for every $ I save I tell myself I can travel more!).
Believe me, I appreciate all the help I have received on this helpline. And, you, with over 10,000 comments are, obviously, one of the most helpful!