How To Get From Milan To Lake Como

 

Traveling from Milan to Lake Como is extremely easy, whether you are visiting for a long vacation or looking to do a day trip from Milan to Lake Como transportation is easy. For tips on how to get from Milan to Lake Como by train, bus or car, continue reading. Milan is such a beautiful city, but Lake Como is a whole different ball game. From its lakeside villas, nearby breathtaking mountains and gorgeous promenades, Lake Como is such a stunning place to visit and considering how easy it is to get to from Milan, there is no reason to visit even it for the day.

 

Lake Como is also such a great destination in its own right, and you can happily spend days or weeks exploring the many beautiful towns on Lake Como, you can even rent a boat to explore around the lake,  as well as pick from a wide range Lake Como tours some which might include transport from Milan as well as private boat.

 

Lake Como is Italy’s 3^rd largest lake, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. So, the distance between Milan and Lake Como, from your traveling route- totally depends on where inside the Lake Como you’re going to stay.  Here in thing guide, we will let you know the complete details about the best route, fare range, traveling ways, and duration of your journey.

 

 

How To Get From Milan To Lake Como By Train

 

The best way to get to Lake Como from Milan city by train, and it is also the most convenient way to travel too as well as being affordable in price and comfort. There is are two railway lines that connect Milan and Lake Como – from Milano Porta Garibaldi, and from Milano Nord Cadorna.

 

The first option to get to Como from Milan is via the train from Milan Centrale or Porta Garibaldi and then on to Como S. Giovanni, a station about 10 minutes’ stroll from the lakefront. The trains departing from the two stations use the same route, the only difference is that with the trains from Centrale, you have fewer stops. Another thing to note is that the Porta Garibaldi trains have few trains running as they make stops at almost every station. This results in the journey taking almost twice as long.

 

The journey time from Centrale to Como is only 36 minutes, via the Porta Garibaldi to Como route the journey time is over an hour. Train ticket prices vary too, between €4.80 for slow regional trains and €14 for speedy trains. Still much cheaper compared to train travel in London.  For more on options and Milan to Lake Como train costs, you can buy tickets online via Trenitalia, or in-person on the station but for the fast trains on Trenitalia, I would recommend booking these in advance sometimes as some journeys do sell out. 

 

• Express trains from Milan Central Station to Como: comfortable trains, very few stops and shorter travel time (under 40 mins). Trains stop at a station named Como San Giovanni, with only a few minute’s walk to get to the lake from the station and boats around the lake.
• Regional trains from Milan Porta Garibaldi to Como San Giovanni: have more stops to get to Lake Como and travel time is about 60 minutes travel time.
• Regional trains to Como Lago: depart from Milano Cadorna, Milano Domodossola, Milano Bovisa. All take around 60 minutes with a lot of stops, but you arrive right in front of the lake and the boats.
• Regional trains to the east side of the lake: take a train from Milano Central to Tirano and stop at Lecco, Varenna or Colico. Varenna is especially good: 60 minutes rail trip and you can get to a boat at the centre of the lake, to reach Bellagio in 10 minutes.

 

Departure timing and nearest stations

 

Trains from Milan to Lake Como operates each day a week.  The first departure starts at the 5:30 AM while the last departure leaves just after the 11:00 p.m. there are numerous trains are operating and you can get a train within an hour of the interval at peak timing. The nearest starting train stations are Milano Centrale or Milano Porta Garibaldi train station while the arrival train station is Como S. Giovanni. For train timetables for the Milan to Lake Como trains check out Omio which will have train times and prices for the different railway lines.

 

Traveling By Bus From Milan To Lake Como

 

Travelling by bus from Milan to Lake Como is another easy and cheap options. This way you also get to take in views of the towns too along the way. 

 

Departure timing and nearest stations

There are about three local bus companies which run services from Milan to the Lake Como – Trenitalia, Trenord, and BlaBlaCar. The fare ranges from 4€ to 6.80€ with the overall journey being 1 hour and 10 minutes, from Milan central station to Como train station.

The total distance between Milan and Lake Como is around 51 kilometers and the first buses leave at 6:30 a.m. while the last departure ends before 11:00 p.m., with an interval of 1 hour between buses.

Overall, traveling by local transport can be very pleasant as well as great option if you are on a budget as tickets are as low as 4€. Even with the cheap prices you still get a comfortable seat and many of the buses also offer hotspots and charging points. You can check bus tickets and times on Omio. 

 

Traveling from Milan Malpensa Airport to Lake Como

 

I have detailed the closest airports to Lake Como for each of the towns in my other post as well. Malpensa airport is located north of Milan, and the closest airport to Lake Como. In the event, you are heading straight to Como from Milan airport. From Malpensa airport to Lake Como, you have two options. The first option and I think the easiest is taking direct TILO trains,  running daily from the airport to Como S. Giovanni. This train takes about an hour and a half. These new direct trains operate between 7.12 am to 11.12 pm and run about every two hours, and cost €17 every way. Again use Omio to find out the times of the earliest train once you land in Milan.

 

The second option, includes a train change. From Malpensa take an express train heading to Milan and get off at Saronno station, from there,  you can hop on a train to Como Nord Lago, the station right next to the Lake Como. The journey time between Malpensa and Como varies between 50 minutes to 1 hour 20, depending on connections, and tickets cost €10.90 each way.

 

Traveling from Milan to Bellagio & Varenna

 

Bellagio can be reached very easily from any from Milan centrale or Como by a train or local transport. You can take a train from Milan Centrale to Bellagio – there are departures every hour with the ticket fare of 7€.

Varenna distances from Milan is about 73 kilometers, and it takes 1 hour and 30 minutes of time to get to the picturesque town by train and the fare cost of 6.80€.

 

So, have you been to Lake Como? Did you take the train, bus or drive? How did you find the transportation?

 

Also See

• The Best Towns To Visit In Lake Garda
• How To Get To Lake Garda From Verona
• The Best Way To Get To Cinque Terre From Milan
• How To Spend 48 Hours In Milan

 

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