Lake Como from Milan | Everything you need to know 2025

You can read more about getting to Milan and finding accommodation on a budget on our Weekend in Milan blog post. Try out our DIY Trip Builder, entering Milan as the specific destination for a great value trip! Accessing the lake once in Milan is very easy as the trains run regularly and are inexpensive. Trainline is a great app for researching train times and prices. 

Two great options for a day trip to Lake Como:

Option 2) Alternatively you could see a little more of the lake and visit Como after you have seen the Golden triangle. A much busier day but you do get to see more. Buy a one way train ticket to Varenna. Explore Varenna and then take a boat to Bellagio. Explore Bellagio for a couple of hours and then take a ferry on to Como. You can then buy a train ticket back to Milan from Como. This is the option we did.

Train to Lake Como from Milan

Varenna is beautifully pictureque from the moment you step off the train. The station has a beautiful mountainous backdrop with lots of brightly coloured flowers and perfectly pruned trees. It was even more beautiful than I imagined. There are signs indicating where to go for the “Ferry Boat” and the swarm of people leaving the train will all be heading in that direction.

What to do in Varenna

Get a lakeside coffee

We stopped by the lake to have a coffee, some croissants and just take in where we were. In order to save money, we didn’t want to eat any meals in restaurants whilst here. By enjoying a coffee and pastry, we got to experience sitting at a table, next to the lake, and feeling a little bougie for half an hour.

Piazza San Giorgio

Walk towards Piazza San Giorgio, the centre of Varenna. The Piazza is overlooked by the church of San Giorgio, a 14th century church. Explore the cobblestone alleyways leading too and from this Piazza. There is a little beach by the Hotel Royal Victoria, a great place to go for a swim in the warmer months.

Villa Monastero

Lake Como is famous for its villas, and this is the one to see in Varenna. Explore its ornate botanical gardens and enjoy the beautiful views over the lake, be aware it is only open between March and November.

If you are planning on travelling on to Como after Bellagio, head to the ticket office on arrival in Bellagio. You will see a ticket office as you get off the boat, don’t do what we did and wait in this queue, it is the wrong counter. You want to follow the lake round into the busier area of town where you will find another ticket counter opposite the Hotel du Lac. There are both fast and slow boats between Bellagio and Como. The fast boat takes around 45 minutes and currently costs €14.80 during the week. The slow boat takes 2 hours and costs €10.40 in the week. We got the fast boat as we were limited on time. The boats leave every hour, with a 2 hour gap between some services. The most ideal time was sold out, so we ended up leaving Bellagio a little earlier than we’d have liked. I have attached the current fast boat timetable from our visit below. It may have changed since then but it gives you an idea of what to expect.

Visit the Basilica of San Giacomo

Once you get to the top of the stairs, turn left and head towards this 12th century Romanesque church. You will see its tower as you approach before entering the cobbled square in front of it.

Visit the botanical gardens of Villa Melzi

One of the most popular attractions in Bellagio, villa Melzi was built in the early 19th century as the summer residence of Francesco Melzi d’Eril, vice president of the Italian Republic. Although the villa is closed to the public, you can still enjoy its impressive gardens. Tickets to enter the gardens are €8 and children aged 11 and under enter for free. The ticket allows entrance to the gardens, chapel and museum. The gardens are open between March – November and close during the winter months.

Take the tourist train

Probably best for those with children, but a great way to see more of Bellagio with a short amount of time. Our son Leo was getting a little bit bored but the “choo choo train” definitely cheered him up! It is €5 for adults and €2.50 for children age 3-12 and takes 30 minutes to do the full circuit. You can get on and off (it stops by the Melzi Gardens which I mentioned above) or just enjoy the whole route. You can pay with card or cash and it departs close to where you got off the boat from Varenna.

Get a street food lunch by the lake!

As I mentioned earlier, we were on a tight budget and so decided we weren’t going to eat lunch at a restaurant. There is a street food stall close to where you will get the tourist train which is a fantastic cheap alternative. Panini’s were €5 and a margarita pizza was €3.50. A bottle of Peroni was €3.50 or €4 for an Aperol Spritz. There are a few benches around there looking out onto the lake, I would argue a much better (and budget friendly) experience than sitting in a fancy overpriced restaurant!

Take the Funicular to Brunate

The entrance to this is pretty close to where you will get off of the ferry, so a good first activity. The Como-Brunate Funicular has operated since 1894 and connects Como to the town of Brunate. It is used by both locals and tourists. It runs every 30 minutes and the journey only takes around 7 minutes. It is just under €6 for the return trip so is a great budget friendly activity. Once in Brunate you will get to enjoy panoramic views of the lake.

Visit the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (Como Cathedral)

The cathedral is located in the spectacular Piazza Duomo within Como town. This is a lovely place to walk around and maybe stop for a bite to eat. The cathedral is magnificent and said to be one of the most important religious buildings in northern Italy. Further into town you have ‘The Basilica of San Fedel’ which is also worth checking out.

Explore Villa Olmo

Set this as your destination on google maps but walk along the lake front passing Tempio Voltiano, a museum and impressive building and a World War 1 memorial. There are some little beaches to stop by and admire the views. It is a lovely walk allowing you to enjoy the cities best side.

Villa Olmo is an impressive lake front neoclassical villa with beautiful gardens. It was designed to be a summer retreat for the aristocracy. Admission to the villa is free and it is open Tuesday – Sundays 10am – 6pm.