By train
Trains from Milan and Switzerland to Como, and from Milan to Lecco, Varenna and Colico along the whole eastern shore.
The train timetable, Milan to the lake
The regional trains between Milan's stations and Como, Lecco, Varenna and Colico on the day you choose, with their arrival.
Delays and cancellations: on the website of Trenord.
From Milan, by train and boat
The train to Varenna, Como, Lecco or Colico and the boat from there: the journeys on the day you choose, there and back.
Train and boat are separate services, each on its own timetable; 5 minutes are added to the walk between station and pier. The timetables of Trenord and Navigazione Laghi are authoritative.
The train brings you to the lake from Milan, the airports and Switzerland, and serves Como and the eastern shore on different lines.
In the west, the two main stations for visiting central Como are San Giovanni and Nord Lago. Como San Giovanni, about a kilometre from the lake, is on the line between Milano Centrale and Chiasso: regional trains to Lugano and EuroCity trains to Zurich call there. Como Nord Lago, the terminus of the line from Milano Cadorna and Saronno, is on the waterfront, two hundred metres from the piers. In the east, the line from Milan to Lecco, Sondrio and Tirano runs the whole eastern shore, with stations at Abbadia Lariana, Mandello del Lario, Olcio, Lierna, Fiumelatte, Varenna, Bellano, Dervio, Dorio, Piona and Colico. At Colico the line to Chiavenna branches off. Bellagio and the western shore, Menaggio and the Tremezzina included, have no railway: you reach them by boat or by bus. You change from train to boat at Como Nord Lago and at Varenna, where the ferry to Bellagio and Menaggio leaves a few minutes' walk from the station. Trenord runs the regional trains; those to Lugano and Ticino are run by TILO, a company owned by Trenord and Swiss Federal Railways.
How it worksMilan to Varenna and Colico · Milan to Como · Milan to Lecco · From the airports · Tickets · Bicycles
- Milan to Varenna and ColicoMilano Centrale → Varenna-Esino-Perledo: a little over an hour on the Sondrio and Tirano line; to Colico, about an hour and a half. Lecco to Varenna takes a little over twenty minutes.
- Milan to ComoMilano Centrale → Como San Giovanni: about 40 minutes. Milano Cadorna → Como Nord Lago: about an hour, via Saronno.
- Milan to LeccoMilano Centrale → Lecco: about 40 minutes; from Porta Garibaldi, 50–60. Trains from Bergamo and from Como San Giovanni also run to Lecco.
- From the airportsFrom Malpensa, the Malpensa Express to Saronno, then the line to Como Nord Lago, in about 75 minutes; from Linate, the M4 metro into the city, then the train from Centrale or Cadorna; from Bergamo, the shuttle to Bergamo station, then the line to Lecco.
- TicketsTickets are sold online, in the Trenord app, at ticket offices and at station machines. Digital rail tickets need no validation; digital STIBM tickets must be activated with Tap&Go. Tickets loaded on a card or printed on paper are validated before boarding. The Io Viaggio Ovunque in Lombardia ticket is valid for one, two, three or seven consecutive days on trains, buses, trams and the metro throughout the region, except for journeys to and from Malpensa airport.
- BicyclesOn the Trenord trains marked in the timetable a bike travels free, if the journey starts and ends in Lombardy; folded, or packed in its bag, it boards any train free.
Good forArriving from Milan, the rest of Italy, the airports and Switzerland without hiring a car
- Arriving from Milan, the rest of Italy, the airports and Switzerland without hiring a car
- Travelling along the eastern shore, where nearly every village has a station
- Walking the Sentiero del Viandante, starting and finishing at different stations on the Lecco–Colico line
- A day out from Milan without a car: by train to Varenna, then by ferry to Bellagio or Menaggio
- Starting a boat trip from Como Nord Lago, two hundred metres from the piers
- Travelling on into the Valtellina as far as Tirano, where the Bernina railway to St. Moritz begins
Watch out forThe two main stations for visiting central Como are separate
- The two main stations for visiting central Como are separate: San Giovanni serves Milano Centrale and Switzerland, Nord Lago serves Milano Cadorna and Saronno.
- Varenna-Esino-Perledo is the stop for Varenna, and it sits above the village: there is a walk down. The platform is short: avoid the last carriages when boarding and getting off.
- Getting from one shore to the other by train means going round via Milan or Lecco, while the ferry from Varenna to Menaggio takes a quarter of an hour. Between Como and Lecco the railway does not follow the lake: it runs via Molteno and takes a little over an hour.
- During engineering works some stretches are served by replacement buses: check Trenord's notices before you travel.
- During strikes trains may be changed or cancelled. Before travelling, check Trenord's notice and the list of guaranteed trains for that strike.
Where to board
First Basin2 stations
Milano Cadorna line; 200 m from the waterfront
Milano Centrale–Chiasso line
Centro Lago2 stations
A hamlet of Varenna
Milan–Lecco–Sondrio–Tirano line; walk down to the village
Lecco Branch9 stations
From Milano Centrale, Porta Garibaldi, Bergamo and Sondrio
A hamlet of Mandello del Lario
Lecco–Molteno–Milan and Lecco–Como lines
The other modes
- Boats and ferriesScheduled boats, hydrofoils and car ferries: from Como to Colico, from Lecco to Bellagio and from shore to shore across the centre of the lake.
- By busScheduled buses serve the shores the railway does not reach, starting with the western shore, and climb into the valleys.
- By carA car is useful for getting up into the hills; along the shore the roads are narrow, except for the expressway on the eastern side.
- Water taxis and private hireMotorboats with a skipper, for places the public boats do not reach and for after the last sailing.
- Funicular and cable carThree public lines that climb in a few minutes from Como, Argegno and Lecco to upland villages and meadows.
- By bicycleRoad climbs in the Lariano Triangle and cycle paths on the upper lake; on the Regina you ride in traffic.
- On footMule tracks and historic routes from village to village, with a train, bus or boat to bring you back.