Day Trip to Lake Como from Milan: Getting There + What To Do

Lake Como is known as a vacation destination for the rich and famous. It’s beautiful, so it makes sense. But Lake Como is also easily accessible to the rest of us! 

If you’re looking for a break from the cities on a standard Italy trip, Lake Como is a perfect destination. 

Let’s be honest, no one has enough vacation days (at least Americans). Luckily, Lake Como is great as a day trip from Milan.

You won’t see everything, but you can still enjoy the lake. You’ll see the highlights, and if you love it, you can come back.

This post covers everything you need to know. I’ll share how to get there, what to see when you’re there, and everything else you need for a day trip to Lake Como from Milan.

Plus, what to expect if you’re traveling gluten-free.

Day Trip Overview

• Arrive in Varenna early
• Head to Bellagio via ferry
• Explore Bellagio
• Visit Menaggio (if you have time)
• Head back to explore Varenna

How to Get to Lake Como From Milan

This information usually comes later in the post for me, but it’s a big key to making sure this trip goes well for you. So, it’s not the fun stuff, but it’s the important stuff.

You want to take the train from Milan to Varenna. 

You do not want to train to Como for a day trip here. I know that sounds wrong.

The city of Como sits at one of the southern tips of the lake. Como is the city I’d recommend you stay in as a celiac traveling in Como for more than one day.

But, it’s actually quite a long ferry ride from Como to the picturesque cities you think of when you think of Lake Como. Like, 50 minutes or so on the ferry. We don’t have that kind of time on a day trip.

I use Trenitalia to book all of my train tickets in Italy. I like that I can book online or in the app and have all my tickets with me. Plus, I don’t have to wait in line at the ticket machine or for the attendants.

When booking, you’ll want to go from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino.

There are trains at 6:20 am, 7:20 am, and 8:20 am. The ride is about an hour and costs around €7. 

You’ll want to be on one of these early trains. You could go later, but getting to Varenna means less time to explore. Set an alarm for about 10 minutes before your arrival time and you can sleep on the train!

To come home, the train back to Milan runs at 7:35 pm, 8:35 pm, and 9:35 pm.

Pay attention to the train schedule and the time so you don’t miss the last train. 

On day trips like this, I plan to take the next-to-last train at the latest. 

Then I always have at least one backup train.

If you want an English-only way to purchase tickets, Trainline is a good option.

What To Do On Your Day Trip

You’ll arrive in Varenna to start your day.

Grab breakfast there if you’d like or pack it with you for the train. 

I love the gluten-free bakeries in Milan, so I’d recommend grabbing something the day before to take with you for breakfast if you’re gluten-free like me.

Once you’re in Varenna, walk around to see a bit, but head to Bellagio on the next ferry.

This makes sense for two reasons:

1. Bellagio is the most popular of the towns on the lake. This means the earlier you get there, the smaller the crowds will be.
2. Varenna is where you’ll catch the train back to Milan, so you’re coming back anyway. It makes sense to end your day there near the train station.

Bellagio

Bellagio is the picturesque town that you see most often in photos of Lake Como.  You’ll spend most of your time wandering around the beautiful streets and taking in the views. 

There is a really beautiful path along the water that gives incredible views of the lake. If you’re interested in visiting a villa and gardens, you can find one near the end of this path.

The Villa Melzi and its gardens are the ones you’ll be looking for. Tickets to visit the villa and gardens are €10 per person. 

This isn’t the most famous of the villas around Como.

But on a day trip, you don’t have lots of time. Villa Melzi is a good option that can fit with a day trip timeline.

Check out their map and website to decide if it’s something you want to spend your time doing.

In town, you’ll want to look for Salita Serbelloni. This is the street you see most often in pictures, and it’s worth visiting and trying to get your photo of the beautiful stone stairs. 

At the top of Salita Serbelloni, keep exploring! If you’re looking down the street from the top, turn to your right to continue exploring toward Parco di Villa Serbelloni and the Basilica di San Giacomo. 

Take time to see the little streets and walkways on the way. 

The best part of Bellagio is the wandering. You can feel like you’re on a movie set walking around because the town is so beautiful. 

It’s like going back in time and being in a fairytale all at once.

After you’ve wandered around, be sure to check out Smooth Operators. It’s a gluten-free gelato shop in Bellagio, and it’s so good!  Even in the morning, there will likely be a line, but it goes quickly.

Menaggio

If you want to visit Menaggio, take the ferry there before you head back to Varenna. It’s pretty fast since the two towns are relatively close to one another.

Menaggio doesn’t have quite as much to see as Bellagio or Varenna, in my opinion. If you want to visit the villas in both Belaggio and Varenna, you probably won’t have time to visit Menaggio too.

I visited Menaggio, but if I were to do it again, I’d spend time at the villas in Bellaggio and Varenna and skip Menaggio. I don’t even love gardens. But, Menaggio just didn’t have a lot to offer that was new or better than Varenna or Bellagio.

If you hate the idea of visiting villas and gardens, Menaggio is still pretty to walk around. It wasn’t bad, it was just more of the same, so it didn’t stand out.

Honestly, it just comes down to deciding what you’d like to see.

In Menaggio, walk along the water to the square and the Grand Hotel Victoria. I liked that you could see the other two towns in the distance from the shores of Menaggio because it’s across the lake from them.

There are cute shops in and around that main square. There are lots of benches overlooking the water in Menaggio. More than on the other islands. Taking in the lakeside view isn’t a bad way to spend an afternoon. But, on a day trip, you just don’t have a lot of time.

There is another good gelato shop in the main square. Gelateria Dulcis In Fundo is another gelato shop that can accommodate gluten-free quite safely. The perfect excuse for a two-gelato day!

If you’re gluten-free, you can grab lunch in Menaggio or bring your lunch. There aren’t many gluten-free options in Bellagio. I packed my lunch so I didn’t have to think about where to eat.

Varenna

From Bellagio or Mennagio, head back to Varenna. Give yourself a few hours to explore, plus time to eat dinner if you’re taking the late trains. I would plan to head back to Varenna around 2:00 or 3:00, depending on your plans.

In Varenna, La Passeggiata Degli Innamorati takes on a beautiful walk along the water. It’s very different than the one in Belaggio, so both are worth doing.

The views of the lake are one of the best parts of visiting Lake Como, so don’t skip out on them.

Head toward Riva Garibalidi and Bar Il Molo for one of my favorite views of the lake. If you happen to be able to grab a table to get a drink, you should. But that may be unlikely.  Even if you don’t get at able there are a few stairs up to a little landing where you can grab a photo of the lake.  Take in the view too, so you get a memory but still get to live in the moment. 

I think this spot is where I took my favorite photo of the day.

Varenna has another option for you if you want to visit a villa (or two) with your day on Lake Como. Villa Monastero is the villa in Varenna. For €14, you can visit the villa and the gardens.

Opening hours are listed on their website. They change month to month, so it’s worth checking.

Purchase your tickets to the villa well in advance.

You’ll have to pick a time to visit, but they don’t hold you to that time. So, you could choose 10:00 am, but still go visit whenever you get there. The day is the only thing they’re strict about. So you do have to visit on whatever day you pick.

They say this on their website- it isn’t just a hearsay thing. This is great news for you since it will make it much less stressful to visit the villa if you don’t have to worry about an entry time. 

You have time to visit both villas in the day, but you’d likely want to skip Menaggio.

If you think you want to visit both villas but you aren’t sure, visit Villa Monastero in Varenna when you arrive in the morning. Then head to Bellagio and visit the rest of Varenna before heading back to Milan. Then you’ll have a better idea of your time.

Lunch Options if You’re Gluten-Free

Being gluten-free on a day trip requires a bit of planning.

When I was exploring the towns around Lake Como, I opted to pack my lunch. I just didn’t want to deal with trying to figure out where we’d be and where I’d want to eat.

There are so many good options at the grocery store, so this just seemed easier for me. I have no regrets. It did make the day easier.

If you’re looking for a restaurant option, Trattoria La Vecchia Magnolia in Menaggio or Locanda Cavallino in Varenna would be the places I’d start with. 

Neither of those restaurants are AIC certified nor dedicated gluten-free, but they seem to do well enough with gluten-free pasta.

The good news is that if you ask questions in Italy, they understand why and can usually answer them for you. Confirm that the water and other systems they use are celiac-safe before you order. 

Varenna Vs Bellagio Vs Menaggio vs Como

With more time in the area, Como is a great base for exploring for a gluten-free traveler since there are more restaurants there. 

But, on a day trip, skip it. It’s not what you’re looking for, and you’ll be disappointed by how far it is from everything you want to see.

As far as the other three cities.

Bellagio is the most popular, but it earns it. You’ll have to deal with the crowds, but it’s better if you get there early. It was worth it in my experience. Bellagio is my favorite of the towns I saw. 

Varenna is a solid number two for me. I loved the walk along the water and the views. I enjoyed how it was pretty like Bellagio, but somehow had a different feel altogether. If you only want to visit two, these would be the best two. I know it’s the standard itinerary you see for Como. Sometimes the standard itinerary is painfully wrong. But, in this case, the masses are getting it right.

Menaggio comes in as the third-place town for me. Maybe because I visited it last? Maybe because it was about to rain? Don’t get me wrong, it was beautiful. There was a spectacular walk and excellent gelato.  By the time I got here, I was just a bit over it. Honestly, I think it had more to do with the impending rain than Menaggio. I just caught it at a bad time, but I bet you’d enjoy it!

Getting Around Lake Como

When I was planning my trip, finding information about how to travel between cities was rough. I didn’t think it would be that hard.

I generally use Google Maps to find my travel plans, and it did not work well in Como. I think because the ferries only run in certain months and aren’t technically in the public transit that Google catalogues.

All of that to say, I will share everything I learned with you so you aren’t going and just hope for the best like I was. 

The Ferries Around Lake Como

The ferries are the best way to get around Lake Como. But, they don’t run all year. They run from spring to fall. To find the ferry schedule, use this website. 

It’s best to search for the day that you plan to be in Lake Como.

But note that there are high-speed ferries that you’ll want to take. You cannot buy these tickets early.

The best thing to do is to see what times the ferry runs and record those in a Google Doc or a note on your phone. Then you only have to do the research once, and you can target the ferries that will help your day go well. 

On this day trip, most of your ferries would be around 30 minutes.

Also, since you have to buy your express ferry tickets on the day of, the lines can get long. Give yourself extra time to buy the ferry tickets and wait in line to get on the ferry.

This isn’t so bad later in the day. But it was more than I expected. Don’t plan to show up 10 minutes before your ferry. It could work out, but it’s just as likely that you’ll miss it. 

Giving yourself time helps keep the day easy and not stressful. 

Is A Day Trip to Como Enough?

If a day is all you have, then a day trip is enough to see Lake Como.

You can see the highlights around Lake Como in one day. If you aren’t someone who likes to just sit and enjoy views, you’ll be happy with one day.

I liked having two days because I could see Como in different ways. The Vespa tour on day 2 was my favorite thing we did. 

If the idea of being in a beautiful place where celebrities vacation lights up your soul, spend more than a day trip. You’ll love it here!

Ready to Look at The Rest of Your Trip?

Since you’re coming from Milan for this trip here is all of the information about Milan. It’s another Italian location you can also see quickly AND home to some of my favorite gluten-free restaurants and bakeries.

• What to do in Milan
• Gluten-Free Milan
• 2 Days in Milan