Quick answer
Take a direct Trenord train from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino (about 65 minutes, €7.40), then buy a €17.50 central lake ferry day pass and hop between Varenna, Bellagio and Menaggio. The whole day costs about €32 per adult before villa tickets, and you do not need a tour.
Train fares, ferry prices and timetables below were checked on the official Trenord and Navigazione Laghi sites on 5 October 2026.
How to get from Milan to Lake Como by train
Three train routes reach the lake directly from Milan. They leave from different Milan stations and arrive at different stations on the lake, so check both names before you buy.
| Route | Journey | Trains | 2nd class, one way |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milano Centrale to Como San Giovanni | about 40 min | about 17 a day, almost hourly, 6:43am to 9:43pm | about €5 |
| Milano Cadorna to Como Nord Lago | about 60 min | about every 30 min, 5:43am to 10:43pm | €5.40 |
| Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino | 64-65 min | about 16 a day, roughly hourly, 6:20am to 9:20pm | €7.40 |
Como San Giovanni is the main station, on the hill above Como town. Como Nord Lago (often shown as “Como Lago”) sits on the lakefront next to the ferry piers. It is slower to reach from Milan, but you step off the train at the water.
About the Como San Giovanni fare: Trenord’s own route page shows €5.40 in one place and €5.20 in its FAQ. Expect about €5 and go by the price the app shows when you buy. Check the Varenna fare in the app as well.
Varenna-Esino is on the line to Lecco, Sondrio and Tirano. It is the only one of the three that drops you in the central part of the lake, where Varenna, Bellagio and Menaggio face each other across the water.
How to buy and validate train tickets
Buy on trenord.it, in the Trenord app, from the machines or at the ticket office. A regional single ticket is valid for 6 hours.
- App or website tickets do not need validating. They activate at the departure time you pick, and you can start them early with the “Attiva anticipatamente” option.
- Tickets loaded on a rechargeable card from the machines: tap the card on a validator or turnstile before you board.
- Paper tickets at stations without a working validator: write the date, time and departure station on the ticket by hand before you travel.
Pay&Go contactless works on the Milano Cadorna to Como Lago line since 16 July 2026. Tap a Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Amex card or Apple Pay or Google Pay on the reader when you start and when you finish, and show the same card to the conductor. If you forget a tap you are charged €10 (€15 from 2027). Pay&Go is not available from Milano Centrale to Como San Giovanni or on the Varenna line, so buy a ticket for those.
The classic day trip via Varenna
This route keeps your time on the water short and lets you see three towns. The times below are an example to plan around. Check the real departures in the Trenord app and the Navigazione Laghi timetable for your date.
- Morning: Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino, about 65 minutes.
- Varenna, 1.5 to 2 hours. Walk the lakefront and visit Villa Monastero.
- Ferry to Bellagio, 15 minutes. Have lunch and see the Villa Melzi gardens.
- Afternoon ferry to Menaggio or to Tremezzo for Villa Carlotta.
- Ferry back to Varenna and an evening train to Milan. Trains from Centrale run until 9:20pm, but look up the last train back from Varenna before you set out.
What it costs per adult: €14.80 for the return train plus €17.50 for the central lake day pass, about €32 before villa tickets. Four single ferry hops would cost €22 (4 × €5.50), so buy the day pass if you plan four or more.
Two other ways to do it
Como town plus one lake village. Take the train from Cadorna to Como Lago (60 minutes, Pay&Go works), see the cathedral and ride the funicular up to Brunate. A slow boat from Como to Bellagio and back takes about 4 hours of your day. The hydrofoil is much faster (about 45 minutes each way) but costs a supplement.
Varenna in, Como out. Take the train to Varenna, hop around the central lake, then take the hydrofoil from Bellagio to Como (€12 plus a €5 supplement) and the train from Como Lago back to Cadorna. It works on paper with the fares and timetables above. Check that a hydrofoil runs on your day.
Lake Como ferry tickets and day passes
The public boats are run by Navigazione Laghi. There are three kinds:
- Battello: the slow passenger boat, which stops at many piers. Regular fare.
- Servizio rapido: hydrofoil or catamaran. Regular fare plus a supplement, fewer stops, no bikes.
- Traghetto: the car ferry, only between Bellagio, Cadenabbia, Menaggio and Varenna. Foot passengers ride it too.
| Ticket (adult, 2026 fares) | Single | 1-day pass | Fast boat supplement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central lake (Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio, Cadenabbia, Lenno) | €5.50 | €17.50 | €3.00 |
| Como to Bellagio | €12.00 | €27.00 | €5.00 |
| Como to Menaggio | €12.00 | €27.00 | €5.00 |
| Como to Varenna | €13.50 | €29.50 | €5.50 |
| Como to Cernobbio | €3.00 | €8.00 | |
| Whole lake | €32.00 |
A return costs double the single. Children aged 4 to 11 pay €2.80 for a central lake hop, and under-4s travel free (one per adult, without a seat). Over-65s pay €4.40 on weekdays. The day pass does not cover the fast boat supplement.
Buy at the pier ticket office or online on navigazionelaghi.it. If the pier office was open and you buy on board instead, you pay €1 extra.
NaviTAP lets you pay on board with a contactless card or phone. Tap the validator when you board and again before you get off. The system charges single fares and stops at the day pass price if that is cheaper. One card can pay for up to 5 people (tap again within 60 seconds for each extra person). It does not work on hydrofoils, catamarans or the steamer Concordia, or if you travel with luggage, a bike, a pet or a vehicle. If you forget to tap out, you are charged the whole-lake day pass.
You may read about a Trenitalia train and boat combo ticket for Como to Varenna at €23.60. It ended on 30 September 2026.
Check the timetable for your date
Ferry timetables change with the season. The autumn timetable runs from 5 October to 1 November 2026, with fewer boats than in summer. The winter timetable from November had not been published when we checked. Boats also have a capacity limit, so on summer weekends and in August you may wait for the next one.
Varenna or Bellagio
You can see both in one day. They are 15 minutes apart by ferry and €5.50 one way. On autumn weekdays the car ferry from Varenna to Bellagio runs roughly every 30 to 60 minutes from about 6am to 10pm.
Only Varenna has a train station. Bellagio has no rail link, so you reach it by boat, which is why most people arriving by train start in Varenna.
What to see in each town
Varenna. Villa Monastero is a house museum with a botanical garden. Tickets cost €15 (free under 15). In October it opens 10am to 6pm and the house museum is closed on Tuesdays. In November it closes at 5pm and the museum also closes on Wednesdays.
Bellagio. The Villa Melzi gardens cost €10 (free under 12), with no booking: you pay at the gate. They open daily 10am to 7pm, then 10am to 6:30pm from 12 to 24 October and 10am to 5pm from 25 October. The gardens close for the season on 1 November.
Menaggio and Tremezzo. Menaggio is on the central lake day pass. Villa Carlotta has its own pier (“Tremezzo - Villa Carlotta”) and costs €17.50. It opens 10am to 7pm until 18 October 2026, then 10am to 6pm until 8 November.
Villa del Balbianello is at Lenno, also covered by central lake fares. Booking is required: €15 for the park, €25 with the 50-minute guided tour inside. There is no car access. You walk about 25 minutes uphill from Lenno or take a paid taxi boat from Lido di Lenno. Check the closing days on the FAI site before you go.
Como town. The funicular to Brunate leaves from Piazza De Gasperi near the lake, takes 7 minutes and runs every 15 minutes from 6am to midnight. A return costs €7.20. In the cathedral, tourists can walk a free route along the side aisles, and a paid ticket opens the transept, choir and upper walkways.
When a guided day tour makes sense
Doing it yourself costs about €32. A tour costs more, and it makes sense if you want someone else to handle trains and boats, or if you want to add Lugano in Switzerland on the same day.
Most tours from Milan follow the same format: a coach or minivan from Milano Centrale, Porta Garibaldi or Piazza IV Novembre, 9 to 11 hours in total, a walk in Como town, free time in Bellagio and a boat ride of 30 to 60 minutes. Many stop in Lugano, so bring your passport. Lunch and tips are usually not included.
As an indication, large-group coach tours listed in October 2026 cost about €70 to €150 per adult, with small groups at the top of that range. Prices change by date, so check the listing.
Before you book, check where the tour picks you up, whether the boat ride is a public ferry or a boat for the group, and how many hours you actually get at the lake.
When to go
For a full day, go between late March and early November. That is when the villas open daily and the busier ferry timetables run. Summer weekends and August bring the biggest crowds on the central lake ferries. The boats run all year, with fewer departures out of season.
If you want more time on the water, our guide to Lake Como boat tours compares the public ferry with shared tours, private boats and self-drive rentals.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Lake Como from Milan?
About 40 minutes by direct train from Milano Centrale to Como San Giovanni, about 60 minutes from Milano Cadorna to Como Nord Lago, and 64 to 65 minutes from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino.
Should I visit Varenna or Bellagio?
You can see both in one day. They are 15 minutes apart by ferry and a single ticket costs €5.50. Varenna has a train station and Bellagio does not, so start in Varenna and take the boat across.
Can you visit Lake Como without a tour?
Yes. Buy a Trenord train ticket in the app, then a ferry ticket at the pier, or tap a contactless card with NaviTAP on the slow boats. Coach tours from Milan cost roughly €70 to €150 and often add a stop in Lugano.
How much does a DIY Lake Como day trip cost?
A return train to Varenna (€14.80) plus a central lake ferry day pass (€17.50) comes to about €32 per adult, before villa tickets and lunch.
Can I pay for the train and ferry with a contactless card?
On the train, only on the Milano Cadorna to Como Lago line, with Trenord's Pay&Go. On the ferries, yes with NaviTAP on the regular boats, but not on hydrofoils or catamarans. In both cases you tap in and tap out.
Do the ferries run in October and winter?
Yes, all year, with fewer boats out of season. The autumn timetable runs from 5 October to 1 November 2026. The winter timetable had not been published when we checked.