Day trips from Milan: Lake Como to Verona

Most visitors to Milan want to see Lake Como, and most of them go to the town of Como to do it. That's convenient, but it may not be what they pictured: the villages with the villas and ferries are further north, in the middle of the lake. The short answer: Varenna with a crossing to Bellagio is the best lake day, Como the shortest, Bergamo the easiest city trip, and Verona the strongest choice if you don't need a lake at all.

Day trips from Milan at a glance

Times come from Trenord and Italo and refer to direct trains. According to Trenord, trains to Como, Bergamo and Varenna run roughly hourly, but it still pays to check the timetable before you head back.

Base map: Natural Earth

Como or Varenna: the real decision

Both are on the same lake, but they make two different days.

Como is a town at the southern end of the lake, and it's quick to reach. You arrive, walk to the water, perhaps take a boat a little way north and are back in Milan by afternoon. It suits a half day or a late start.

Varenna sits on the eastern shore in the middle of the lake. From here, ferries cross to Bellagio, Cadenabbia and Menaggio. The direct crossing to Bellagio took around 15 minutes on the summer timetable. That means you can see several places from the water in one day without a car, and the narrow lakeside roads are no pleasure to drive anyway.

Winter matters here. Navigazione Laghi's general timetable currently runs from 2 November 2026 to 14 March 2027, and in early November the operator posted a notice about suspended service at the Varenna dock. Check the latest notices on its site before you travel. Bad weather can also suspend routes.

Varenna and Bellagio: the lake day

How to get there: direct Trenord trains run from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino in about 64 minutes, roughly hourly. Trenord also sells combined train and boat tickets.

What to see: Varenna has an old harbour and a lakeside walk. Bellagio lies opposite on the headland where the lake divides, and it's home to the Villa Melzi and its garden. Menaggio and Cadenabbia on the western shore are quieter.

Which order: take a morning train to Varenna, an early ferry to Bellagio, have lunch there and return to Varenna for the train in the late afternoon. Buy tickets at the office, and the operator suggests allowing about 20 minutes before departure.

Best for: anyone who wants to see the lake rather than just its shore. If you'd rather not organise it, Lake Como tours^* can be compared on Viator.

Como: the short lake trip

How to get there: there are two lines, and the choice matters. From Centrale, Trenord reaches Como San Giovanni in about 40 minutes. From Cadorna, it's about 60 minutes to Como Lago, but that train stops right by the water. If you're staying near the Castello or the Duomo, Cadorna is often the shorter walk.

What to see: the lakefront, the cathedral in the old town and the town from the water. You don't need more than that for a half day.

Best for: a late start, short Milan stays and anyone who just wants to stand by the lake once.

Bergamo: the upper town behind the walls

How to get there: direct Trenord trains leave Centrale for Bergamo in about 48 minutes, roughly hourly. You arrive in the lower town. The funicular then takes you through the walls to the Città Alta in about 2 minutes; it has been running since 1887.

What to see: Piazza Vecchia and the Venetian walls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2017, which you can walk around. Bergamo is the lowest-effort trip from Milan: no ferry timetable, no reservation, no weather risk.

How long: half a day is enough, and a long lunch turns it into a full one.

Best for: fans of old towns, rainy days, and anyone flying in or out of Bergamo airport, since the visit fits neatly into an arrival or departure day.

Verona: the big alternative

How to get there: Italo gives about 1 hour 12 for its direct high-speed train from Milan to Verona, on a route of 149 km. Tickets are usually cheapest when booked early; train connections to Verona^* can be compared on Omio.

What to see: the Roman Arena on Piazza Bra, the old town in its loop of the Adige and the courtyard with the balcony that visitors associate with Juliet. Verona's old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

How long: a full day. If you have summer opera tickets for the Arena, stay overnight, because performances end late.

Best for: travellers who see Milan as a starting point and want to fit more of Italy into the trip.

What you can leave out

Turin is a fine city on the same high-speed line, but it deserves a night rather than a rushed day. We haven't given a travel time for it here because the figures from the operators don't agree, so check the specific train when you book.

Lake Como and Bergamo in one day also sounds tempting, since both leave from Centrale. Don't: they're on different lines, and you'd get only half of each.

How many day trips fit into a Milan stay?

Milan is compact. Two full days cover the Duomo, the Last Supper, Brera and the Navigli, as our article on how many days to spend in Milan shows. With three days, one trip already fits, ideally Bergamo or Como. With four or five days, add Varenna and Verona. If you land at Malpensa, see Malpensa to Milan city centre for the way in.

The season decides the lake trip: ferry services are fuller from spring to autumn, while in winter they're thinner and many gardens are closed. More in our article on the best time to visit Italy.

How YesTrip helps you plan

YesTrip has a ready-made plan for Milan. Copy it into the app, add your hotel and put the lake day or Verona on the date that fits best. The app shows the weather for your travel days, which can decide a trip that depends on a ferry, and with the offline package you have the map in Bellagio even without a signal. YesTrip is free and doesn't book anything itself; you get your tickets from the provider.

Milan trip planDay by day, with map and tips

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