Have you ever felt that familiar pull, the one that tugs you away from the grit of the city toward something…shinier?
I have. More times than I can count, usually while stuck in some godforsaken traffic jam, dreaming of open water.
So, when Milan has you in its clutches, but your mind’s eye sees Lake Como, the inevitable question arises: how do you go to Lake Como from Milan?
There’s the train and plane, of course, and the lure of the open road. Maybe even a bus, if you’re feeling particularly masochistic.
And I’m here to lay out these options with the clarity of someone who’s seen a few travel plans go sideways.
Why Milan is the Perfect Gateway for Trips to Como
Milan. You’re likely already there, churning through the city’s predictable rhythms. And let’s be honest, sometimes you need an escape hatch.
Lake Como offers that, a shimmering promise just a stone’s throw from Milan’s relentless energy.
And here’s why a trip from Milan to lake Como makes perfect sense:
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- Proximity: Fifty kilometers. In the grand scheme of Italian distances, that’s practically next door. You can almost smell the lake air if the wind is right (and you’re not stuck behind a Vespa).
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- Airports: Malpensa, Linate, and Bergamo. These three airports are always buzzing with people coming and going. Chances are, your plane ticket already has you landing in Milan’s orbit.
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- Trains: Milano Centrale, Porta Garibaldi. These are always pumping travelers north with impressive frequency. Direct lines to Como mean minimal fuss, maximal payoff.
So, you’re in Milan. You want to be on Lake Como. Consider the logistics already handled.
How to Get to Lake Como from Milan?
Milan Airport to Lake Como
Let’s be clear. You’re not flying into Lake Como. There’s no landing strip carved into those charming hillsides. You’re flying into Milan. Specifically, Malpensa (MXP) or Bergamo (BGY) are your likely stops.
Now, once you’ve touched down, your reality likely involves a shuttle bus. Think of it as a communal experience, a shared grumble with fellow travelers.
These buses will cart you, for around ten euros a pop (eighteen if you’re foolishly optimistic enough to think you’ll be right back), to the concrete embrace of Milan Central Station.
Get ready for Fifty minutes of rumbling along. Terravision, flibco, Autostradale – they all offer the same promise of conveyance, the same utilitarian service.
You can buy tickets online, optimistically in advance, or just grab one when you arrive. Your choice.
Train from Milan to Lake Como
From Milan Central, it’s a straight shot to Como San Giovanni by train.
Forty to fifty minutes, give or take, depending on how merciful the Italian railway system decides to be that day. It’s the quickest, most direct route – assuming everything goes according to plan, which, as we all know, is a risky assumption.
Trenitalia is your best bet here. Roughly thirty-six times a day, they’ll haul a load of hopefuls north.
Book online if you’re the organized type, or try your luck at the station. The price fluctuates like everything else – evenings are kinder to your wallet than the morning rush, a small mercy for those who prefer a slower start.
At a Glance:
- Departure: Take a train from Milano Centrale (Milan Central Station) or Milano Cadorna.
- Destination:
- Como S. Giovanni Station (Trenitalia): Located in the city of Como, close to the lake.
- Como Lago Station (Trenord): Also in Como, slightly closer to the lakefront.
- Duration: 30–60 minutes, depending on the train type.
- Frequency: Trains run frequently (every 20–30 minutes).
- Cost: Around €5–€10 one way.
Milan to Como by Bus
The bus. It exists. And yes, it will get you there, eventually, from Lampugnano or Milan’s Centrale bus station to Como’s S. Giovanni. From that point, you’re at the mercy of local buses to reach the other towns, like Bellagio.
An extra layer of logistics, another timetable to decipher. An hour and a half, they say. It’s the cheapest way, certainly. Around five euros. You get what you pay for, as they also say.
- Departure: From Lampugnano or Milan’s Centrale bus station.
- Destination: Como or other towns around Lake Como.
- Duration: Around 1–1.5 hours.
- Cost: Approximately €5–€10 one way.
- Operators: Companies like FlixBus or local providers.
Milan to Como by Car
Sure, you could rent a car at one of those Milan airports and drive the fifty kilometers yourself. The lure of the open road, the wind in your hair is really tempting.
But wait. This is Milan. The “open road” is often a clogged artery, each lane a slow-moving vein of simmering frustration. I’ve sat in enough of those traffic jams, watching the minutes bleed away, to know better.
But fine if you still prefer freedom. Just be prepared for the snarl of Milanese traffic – a daily reminder of your lack of true autonomy.
And once you arrive in Como, don’t expect a red carpet. Parking will be a hunt, a circling dance of desperation, possibly ending in a costly garage or a creatively angled park job that earns you a ticket.
- Route: Drive north from Milan on the A9 motorway (Autostrada dei Laghi).
- Duration: About 1 hour (50 km / 31 miles).
- Tolls: Expect to pay around €3–€5 for tolls.
- Parking: At your own risk.
How to Get Around Lake Como
Once you’ve landed in Como, there are several options to get around the lake and soak up its charm.
Via Ferry
Gliding across the water, the sun on your face, the villas rising like improbable dreams from the shoreline. Navigazione Laghi, they call themselves. Navigators of the lakes.
And yes, it’s a way to get from one picturesque village to another. Varenna to Bellagio, Bellagio to Menaggio, the names themselves sound like a sigh.
But consider the reality. The cost, for one. More than a bus, certainly. You pay for the privilege of the view, the open air, the sense of escape. Single or return, the tickets are a transaction, a toll for passage. You can book online or queue at the dock.
Also, beware of the peak season, which is more like peak crush there. Advance booking becomes less a convenience and more a necessity, a shield against the tide of fellow travelers.
The popular route – Varenna, Bellagio, Menaggio, Tremezzo – it’s popular for a reason. The postcards are real, the beauty undeniable. But so is the crowd.
Still, there’s something to be said for being on the water, the engine’s thrum a low hum against the vast silence of the lake. Even if you’re packed in like sardines, the air is different out there. Less choked with the dust of landlocked worries.
By Bus
Surely, taking the bus means minimal fuss and maximum exposure. You buy your ticket beforehand – newsstands, the ubiquitous Tabacchi shops with their telltale “T” – a small transaction for a small journey.
And the tickets are blessedly undated, a small mercy in the face of rigid travel schedules.
Consider the C10, the “Panoramic” route. They call it that. A stretch of asphalt hugging the eastern coast, offering glimpses of the lake that are undeniably beautiful, even through the scratched windows of a bus.
It runs daily from Como’s bus station to Menaggio and then further north to Colico. Timetables are posted at the stops, weather-beaten and sometimes unreadable, mirroring the online versions, which are only marginally more reliable.
Ferry connections are noted, a reminder that you can, at some point, elevate your mode of transport.
- Como to Cernobbio: Fifteen minutes only.
- Como to Argegno: Forty minutes.
- Como to Tremezzo: Sixty minutes.
- Como to Menaggio: Seventy minutes.
Then there’s the C30, for the western shore. Departing from the slightly grander San Giovanni station in Como, it makes its way to Bellagio. Numerous charming villages, the brochure will tell you. Numerous bus stops, you’ll experience.
- Como to Torno: Twenty minutes.
- Como to Faggeto Lario: Twenty-five minutes.
- Como to Nesso: Forty minutes.
- Como to Bellagio: Seventy minutes.
By Car
Taking the car sure promises the illusion of control. You picture yourself winding along those scenic roads, stopping where you please, lingering over a view.
The reality, of course, is less romantic. It involves circling, endless circling, the gnawing anxiety of the hunt for a parking space. I’ve spent enough time doing just that in Italian towns to tell you, it’s an exercise in futility, a slow burn of frustration.
White lines, they tell you, mean free parking. A lie, mostly. They often come with the caveat of the parking disc, a small piece of cardboard dictating the limits of your so-called freedom.
Blue lines? Prepare to pay. Feed the meter, display the ticket, hope for the best. Yellow lines are a mirage, reserved for those with the correct badge, a silent taunt to the rest of us.
And then there are the supplementary signs, cryptic pronouncements about times and restrictions, a local dialect of rules designed to be misunderstood. So, you need to be watchful, constantly vigilant.
And the fuel. The cost of that supposed freedom adds up with it. Each liter a small stab at your wallet. So, yes, you can drive. But consider what you’re truly signing up for.
Milan to Lake Como Day Trip with Organized Tours
Sometimes, the thought of wrestling with timetables and traffic is enough to drain the joy from even the most picturesque destination. There’s a certain appeal, I admit, to letting someone else shoulder the burden of navigation.
Organized tours from Milan to Lake Como exist for this very reason. They promise ease, a curated experience. And here, I’ve got two such tour suggestions for you:
The Lake Como and Bellagio Tour
Ten to eleven hours. Seventy-nine euros. A transaction, really. You pay, they convey you. The brochure promises enchantment. What you get is a seat on a bus, the murmur of strangers, and a curated version of beauty.
Here’s what you’re signing up for:
- The Conveyance: A “luxury bus.” Luxury is relative, though, especially after the second hour. The vistas, however, are real enough.
- The Guided Glimpse: A walking tour of Como. Villa Olmo. Neoclassical. Gardens. Someone will point, you will look. Facts will be shared along the way. Whether they penetrate is up to you.
- The Waterborne Tour: A “private boat.” Less private than you might imagine. Still, the lake is undeniably there, water doing its age-old trick of reflecting the sky and the suffering of the world. Each branch of the lake, they say, has its own landscape. You’ll see a blur of them.
- The Village Stops: Bellagio. And then a choice – Varenna, Menaggio, Tremezzo, Argegno, or Cernobbio. Cobblestone lanes. Shops selling trinkets. The relentless march of tourism. Each town has its allure, yes, but also its crowd.
- The Return: The bus back to Milan. The day’s impressions, if any, settling like sediment.
Included in the price: a bilingual guide, headphones (to better receive the information you may or may not want), and a pickup from Duomo/La Scala or Milan Central. Efficiency. That’s the promise. Whether you find enchantment amidst the schedule, that’s a personal calculation. Find out more here.
Day Trip to Lake Como, Bellagio, and Lugano from Milan
And then you may consider the Lake Como, Bellagio, and Lugano Coach Day Trip. Ten and a half hours, door to door. Italy and Switzerland in a single day. Ambitious, if nothing else.
You’ll board an air-conditioned coach, promising a curated view of beauty. Here’s the breakdown:
- The Overture: Lugano, Switzerland. The bus will take you there. Expect “scenic beauty.” Shopping opportunities. Think of it as a brief interlude in another country, enough time perhaps for a quick, overpriced coffee and the vague sense of having “seen” Switzerland.
- The Main Event: Bellagio. The “Pearl of Lake Como,” they call it. Free time. This translates to: wander among the other tourists, perhaps buy a souvenir you don’t need, attempt to find authentic local cuisine amidst the tourist traps.
- The Waterborne Segment: Lake Como Cruise. A boat cruise. Included in the price. You’ll see the lake from a different angle. Celebrity villas. Movie sets. The guide will point. You will look. The water is still wet, regardless of who owns the houses along the shore.
- The Return: The coach back to Milan. The air conditioning, assuming it’s functioning, a small comfort after a long day of being efficiently transported.
Also included: an English-speaking guide (offering insights you may or may not absorb), headsets (should the guide’s voice need amplification), and the aforementioned boat cruise. All transfers are by air-conditioned coach. A logistical exercise, expertly managed, provided you value efficiency over spontaneity.
Thoughts
So, Milan to Lake Como. Train, bus, car, even the organized herding of a tour. Each option has its own flavor of minor misery and fleeting beauty. You’ll arrive, eventually. The lake will be there, indifferent to your mode of transport, as it has been for centuries. The journey, as they say, and all its attendant frustrations, is merely the price of the view.
