TRAIN STATIONS
You have several options to reach Lake Como by train: it all depends on the town you would like to visit.
If you look at the map below, you immediately understand how it works – the train routes correspond roughly to the red lines – but I will try to help you as much as I can.
Whatever route you choose, I highly recommend you to plan your journey with Omio and purchase tickets in advance.
- Buy your ticket in less than 2 minutes
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TRAVELING TO COMO
OR ANOTHER TOWN OF THE WESTERN BRANCH?
OR ANOTHER TOWN OF THE WESTERN BRANCH?
Read this guide if you’re traveling to Como, Cernobbio, Argegno, Nesso, Tremezzina, Menaggio or other towns of the western area.
TRAVELING TO LECCO
OR ANOTHER TOWN OF THE EASTERN BRANCH?
OR ANOTHER TOWN OF THE EASTERN BRANCH?
Jump to this section if you’re traveling to Lecco, Varenna, Abbadia Lariana, Dervio, Colico or other towns of the eastern side.
TRAVELING TO BELLAGIO?
Click here if you’re traveling to Bellagio or to the nearby towns (Nesso, Lezzeno, Oliveto Lario, etc.).
Map of train stations around Lake Como
Click the play button and explore the area
On the western branch of the lake, the city of Como is the only one to have train stations.
Como S. Giovanni and Como Nord Lago are the two main stations: both are very close to the city center and connect Como to Milan in about one hour. Outside the stations you will find bus and taxi services, so you can easily reach your accommodation.
If you want to reach other towns of the western branch by public transportation, you will have to continue your journey by bus or by boat.
If you’re traveling to a town on the left side (Cernobbio, Argegno, Tremezzina and Menaggio, among others), take the C10 bus which stops right out of the stations Como S. Giovanni and Como Nord Lago.
The bus will take you to Cernobbio in 10 minutes, to Argegno in 40′ and to Tremezzina in 50′.
If you’re traveling to a town on the right side (Faggeto, Pognana Lario or Nesso), take the C30 bus just out of the two main train stations. This bus will also take you to Bellagio in 1 hour and 10 minutes.
TRAIN + BOAT: best option if you want to enjoy the view
In case you’re traveling to Como by train and want to reach a town on the western branch of Lake Como, you can make the most out of your experience and travel by boat.
Getting around by boat is a good idea, especially if you want to reach one of the furthest destinations from Como: Tremezzina, Menaggio, etc.
If you choose this option, I suggest you to arrive by train at the Como Nord Lago station, just 5 minutes walk from the pier which is located in Piazza Cavour.
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Traveling by train to the eastern branch of Lake Como is much easier.
There is indeed a train route that starts from Milan and passes through Lecco, Abbadia Lariana, Varenna, Colico and some other towns on the eastern side of the lake.
For this reason, if you are in Milan and want to reach Lake Como by train, this branch offers a lot of choices.
Also, Lecco (40′ by train from Milan) is an important interchange point for those who are traveling to Oliveto Lario or Bellagio: just out of the station, you will find a bus that will take you to the Pearl of Lake Como in 50′.
Bellagio does not have a train station, but to reach the village you have several options.
TRAIN + BUS (from Como)
If you’re traveling to Como by train, then you have to take the C30 line from Como S. Giovanni station or just out of the Como Nord Lago station.
The bus will take you to Bellagio in 1 hour and 10 minutes and passes through other amazing and typical towns (such as Torno, Faggeto Lario, Nesso and Lezzeno).
TRAIN + BUS (from Lecco)
If you’re traveling to Lecco by train, go out of the station and take the Lecco-Bellagio line that will take you to Bellagio in 50 minutes.
This route also passes through Oliveto Lario, Limonta and some other small towns.
TRAIN + BOAT (from all the towns)
You can reach Bellagio by boat from most of the towns around Lake Como. Consider that boat trips are slower and, obviously, more expensive.
If you’re traveling from Milan to Bellagio and prefer this option, I’d suggest you to get off at Como Nord Lago and reach the pier which is located in Piazza Cavour, Como (a 5 minute walk from the train station). Or, you can take the train to Varenna and, from there, the ferry to Bellagio.
Note that if you want to take the boat from Lecco instead, the boat service on the eastern branch operates only in summer.
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This Post Has 29 Comments
From MXP Milan airport to Lecco train ticket if you buy in advance is it cheaper or same price.
Please reply thanks
Also how often bus from Lecco to Bellagio. I looked the timetable but it’s in Italian so had hard time to understand. Please help reply in English. Thanks really appreciate.
Hello Donna, ticket trains are usually the same price, whether you buy them in advance or on the spot. The advantage is that by purchasing it in advance, such as via app, you can avoid queues at the vending machines and immediately start your trip. The train from Bellagio to Lecco leaves every two hours, more or less (here is the timetable). Hope this helps 🙂
Hoping you can help I have just booked a flight into Milan and we get into Milan at 23.35pm on the 8th and then need to travel to lake como. Would prefer the train but any help for the best for this would be great thank you! Also have to be back in Milan airport at 6am on the 11th august.
On a budget and trying to celebrate my hubbies 50th birthday without to much stress
Hello Lisa, it is difficult for me to give you an answer because I don’t know which airport in Milan you are arriving at or which town in Lake Como you want to reach. If you give me more details I will try to give you a solution, but consider that your arrival time is very late and you may have to rely on a cab to reach your destination because public transportation does not operate all night!
Is there any luggage storage near Como train station and how far is Como train to Como city centre
Hello Thomas, take a look at this: https://lakecomotravel.com/luggage-storage-services/
Hi what is the earliest time for the ferry from Bellagio to operate to go to vareena or Como in July summer
Hello Tracie, the first boats from Bellagio leave around 8 am in summer 🙂
Hi, I am traveling to Lake Como from Milan. I will be staying in Lezzeno. What train station will be the best to arrive to from Milan’s airport.
Hello, train from Milano Cadorna to Como Lago, and then take the C30 bus that goes to Bellagio. Lezzeno is the secondlast town of the trip!
Hello. I love your website! thank you for all the great information.. On November 11, I will be leaving Bellagio heading to Lubaco and wondered if there was public transportation – a train or bus?
Hello, thank you very much! You mean Lubaco in the province of Florence, right? Well… quite a distance! I can’t give you more accurate information than what you would find on Google Maps, actually 😀
Hello, i am intending to travel to lake como Varenna area on July. We are arriving at Milan Malpensa Int Airport Terminal 1. According to the website it is best if we take a train to Milano centrale and to Varenna Esino. But on the link provided, Trenord.it there are no trains solution found on the date and route. Or are we able to travel down and buy a train ticket on the same day? Thank you!
Hello Sam, I don’t know what kind of search you made but you should split it in two separate parts: from Malpensa to Milano Centrale and then from Milano Centrale to Varenna. However, you can buy the tickets even on the same day!
Hey Alessandro,
Yes i’ve split them into 2 separate trips in the website “Trenord.it” as suggested in your website.
1. MALPENSA AEROPORTO T1 > MILANO CENTRALE
2. MILANO CENTRALE > VARENNA ESINO
both for 11 July. But in the website it is stated as “No travel solutions found, please search again”
Is there a limit to how early in advanced i am able to purchase the tickets via the website? Thank you so much. If i am to purchase the ticket on the day of arrival, will i risk the chance that the tickets are sold out?
Hi Sam, you search on Omio, right? This is probably because they still have to update their calendar. Please try to do the same search on trenord.it!
Hi Alessandro
We are heading to Carate Urio, Lombardia, from Milan in November but are concerned about how to get to that area as i’ve heard buses are limited in the winter, also would you suggest to stay somewhere a bit bigger ex Lecco as I’ve also heard things can be closed, Carate Urio seems like a small area but looks glorious.
Thanks in advance
Jacinda
Hi Jacinda, the buses operate regularly in winter but it is possible that no more than one passes by per hour. In any case, you can also consider the boat option. Carate Urio is not a large town so it will not be easy to find many open restaurants in November, so if you want to stay there consider possibly choosing a hotel with a restaurant or renting an apartment where you can prepare your own meals. If you want to be sure to find many open places, you should definitely choose a larger destination such as the city of Como, from which you can reach many other lake towns by public transportation. I would not recommend Lecco because, in terms of transportation, you would be limited in the winter.
Hi Alessandro, your replies are so helpful!
We are travelling to Milan (malpensa) on 13th June. We are struggling to find decent accommodation in Varenna now; although this was our preferred place to stay as the train line there is very simple. Where is the second easiest place to get to on Como? I have thought about the train to Varenna and then ferry to Bellagio but wondered if you had another, more simple idea. We will spend 3 days in Lake Como.
Thank you in advance 🙂
Heather
Hi Heather, I’m responding to you by quoting what I wrote here: if you plan to visit Lake Como for 3-4 days, virtually any town will do. In fact, local public services will enable you to reach all other destinations comfortably. Clearly, the central area of the lake is where most of the tourist attractions are concentrated, and therefore it is the one that tends to be most crowded in high season. My advice, therefore, is to first figure out which towns or attractions you do not want to miss and, from there, locate the place that allows you to reach them all most conveniently. Consider that the towns in the center of the lake are all about 15-30 minutes by boat from each other, while to go from Como to Bellagio, for example, you have to consider about 1 – 2 hours.
Hi Alessandro, thanks for the info from above and they are so useful for travellers!
i would also like to ask how much is the bus fare from como to bellagio and Menaggio ? is there something like bus day pass so we can take bus without worrying how to buy the tickets?
i am also wondering should i stay near Como San Giovanni or Como Nord Lago for two nights in como if we plan to visit other towns but also the city of como? we will come from MXP T1 on 16/6 and leave on 18/6 to Zermatt. Which station is more convenient or i can move around two stations by bus?
many thanks for your kind help!
Hi Janet, I’ll start with your last questions. The city of Como is not that big: consider that the distance between the two main stations is a 15-minute walk, so any stay in the area is fine. Also, The boat pier is halfway between the stations and both the C10 bus to Menaggio and the C30 bus to Bellagio pass through both stations. Regarding ticket prices, the Como-Menaggio route costs €4.50 and Como-Bellagio €4.10 (one way). Bus passes are valid for a minimum of one month so you should buy the single-trip or round-trip ticket (download the MyArriva Pay app!).
Hi Alessandro,
We are planning to stay in Mandello del Lario from 21-23 Dec. But I have the same concern if most shops will be closed during that period even though the hotel assured me that all shops will remain open. Wondering if we should change our base to Bellagio or Varenna? Thanks for your advice!
Hello, most of the stores and restaurants will surely be open, plus consider that from Mandello you can get to Varenna conveniently by train and, from there, you can reach other destinations in the center of the lake in a few minutes by boat. Just be sure to plan trips a few days in advance because buses and boats operate less frequently in winter.
Thank u for the information. Gives me more assurance to remain in Mandello during that period 🙂
Will be arriving at Malpensa terminal 1 – what’s the best way to get to Como S.Giovanni – can I change at Milano Porta Garibaldi instead of going to Milan Centrale.
Hello Allie, you don’t need to reach Milano Centrale. You have to get off the train at Saronno, and then take the train to Como Lago.
Hello,. Hoping you can help me decide whether it is better for us to rent a car or take public transportation. We are flying from the US to Zürich in late September where we will stay one night before traveling to Bellagio where we will stay three nights before then driving to Florence.
Should we rent a car and drive from Zürich to Bellagio or take a train/bus or ferry and possibly taxi to the hotel? We don’t mind driving, but there is an additional charge for the rental car since we will be returning it in Milan.. We’re open to traveling by train, but it truly seems to take more time and is more cumbersome with all of the changes between trains & bus or ferry before getting to the hotel. Thank you very much for your advice.
Hello Catherine, given the complexity of your trip, a car is probably the best solution!