Lake Como is situated in northern Italy along the border with Switzerland. The lake is a quick hour or so north of Milan, which makes for a great day trip. Lake Como was on our bucket list of places to visit until we finally had the chance during a recent trip to Milan.
Our journey consisted of two legs. First, a train ride from Milan to the village of Varenna. Second, a ferry from Varenna to Bellagio. On the morning of our trip we left the Park Hyatt Milano and took a taxi to the Milano Centrale Train Station. We purchased two round trip tickets for less than 15 euros per person at the ticket window. We walked to our platform and caught our train to Varenna!
The village of Varenna is perched on the East side of Lake Como. It’s a convenient point to catch the ferry to Bellagio. Bellagio is on a peninsular tip which forms the intersection of the “Y” shaped Lake Como. (The combination of the train to Varenna and the ferry to Bellagio, are the most direct scenario for a half day trip.) Before we knew it, it was a little over an hour later and we had arrived at Varenna!
When the train stopped in Varenna, we made our way from the train station down to the marina. Ferries run on a regular schedule so you will see them coming and going quite often. For details, you can check the official website. (Tip: The website is in Italian, but in the top left-hand corner is a link to switch it to English.)
Ferry tickets were about 5 euros each way. The boat ride from Varenna to Bellagio took approximately ten minutes. Arriving by ferry offers an excellent view of this Italian Lake village, so have your cameras ready to take pictures or video of the beautiful scenery around you.
Upon arriving in Bellagio, we disembarked from the ferry and wandered through the streets and alleyways. We quickly came upon a place for lunch. We sat, enjoyed our lunch and the beauty that surrounded us. Looking north we could see the snow cap covered Italian Alps.
As the day went on, the town filled up with visitors. It’s a popular destination, so factor in the crowds. We continued to wander through streets and quaint shops in search of a cameo ring for our daughter. The shop owners were very hospitable and friendly.
In the afternoon, we caught the ferry back to Varenna for a little exploring before catching the train back to Milan.
After saying good bye to Varenna, we took the hour and fifteen minute train ride back to Milan. All in all, it made a great day trip and we arrived in Milan with plenty of time for dinner. Are you planning a trip to Milan? If so, consider a day trip to Varenna, Bellagio and beautiful Lake Como.
