Milan to Lake Como: Train, Car or Private Transfer.

Lake Como is about 50 km from Milan. The train reaches Como (40 minutes, €5.20) and Varenna (65 minutes, €7.40); Bellagio has no railway at all. Driving takes 50 minutes to an hour and a half depending on the shore. Here is the honest comparison, updated July 2026.

Milan to Lake Como: the comparison

Option	Price	Duration	Where it takes you
Train to Como S. Giovanni	€5.20 per person	about 40 min	Como station, then taxi or ferry
Train to Varenna	€7.40 per person	about 65 min	Varenna station, then a walk down
Train + ferry/bus to Bellagio	from about €10 per person	1h 45min - 2h 30min	Bellagio (with changes)
Private transfer	fixed price per vehicle	50 min - 1h 35min	Your hotel door, on any shore

By train to Como

From Milano Centrale, regionals to Como S. Giovanni leave about hourly: 40 minutes, €5.20. Great for central Como; if your hotel is in Cernobbio or across the water, you still need a taxi or ferry from the station.

By train to Varenna

The direct regional Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino takes about 65 minutes (€7.40), hourly. From the station you walk down to the village in 10-15 minutes: with luggage, uphill on the way back, you feel that detail.

Bellagio: the special case

Bellagio has no railway: by public transport you reach Varenna and continue by ferry, or change at Como for the C30 bus. Lovely, but with luggage and timetables the trip easily passes two hours.

See the Milan to Bellagio transfer

By private transfer

The car collects you at your Milan address, or straight at Malpensa, and drops you at the hotel door on any shore: Como in 50 minutes, Bellagio and Varenna in well under two hours. Fixed per-vehicle price, pay on arrival.

See the Milan to Como transfer

And from Malpensa to the lake?

There is no direct link from Malpensa: by train you need two changes via Milan. By car Como is about 45 minutes from the terminal, Bellagio and Varenna an hour and a half. The private transfer meets you in arrivals with a name sign and takes you to the hotel door: see the Malpensa to Lake Como route.

The train: when it genuinely wins

If you travel light, the train to Como or Varenna is the rational choice: cheap and immune to traffic. The maths change with luggage, in a group, or with a hotel far from the station: add up local taxis and waits, and the door-to-door transfer often evens the bill while removing every change.

Why a private transfer

A chauffeur-driven car from your address to the hotel door, on any shore of the lake.

Fixed per-vehicle price, locked at booking
Door to door: no station, no last mile
Any town: Como, Cernobbio, Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio
Also from Malpensa, Linate and Bergamo with an arrivals welcome
Book both legs together: automatic 5% discount

The lake begins at your door

A holiday should not begin with a connection to catch. Get in the car, arrive at the lake.

Frequently asked questions

Como city is about 50 km from central Milan: 45-60 minutes by car. Bellagio is about 80 km (an hour and a half), Varenna 85 km (an hour and a quarter).

€5.20 per person from Milano Centrale to Como S. Giovanni, about 40 minutes, departures roughly every hour.

Bellagio has no station: by train you reach Varenna and take the ferry, or change at Como for the C30 bus. A private transfer is the only door-to-door option, in about an hour and a half.

The price is fixed per vehicle and depends on the destination: you see it instantly by entering pickup and drop-off in the booking form, before confirming. No meter, tolls included.

Yes: book the round trip together (automatic 5% discount) and choose your own times, evenings included. Your driver collects you where and when agreed.

Yes, from Malpensa, Linate and Bergamo with an arrivals-hall welcome, flight tracking and a name sign. Malpensa to Como takes about 45 minutes.

Book your private transfer

Enter pickup and destination, see the fixed price for every vehicle and confirm in 2 minutes.

Book your transfer