From Milano you don't need a car to take this
day trip to the wonders of a magic garden on Lake Como, Bellagio: to spend
a day in Bellagio Como lake, you just hop on a train of the "LeNord"
private train company, and in less than one hour you are in a magic place
of lakes, gardens and palaces. This is specially recommended in autumn
and spring, when often you can leave the fog and cold of Milano to reach
sun-shining lakefront views in the mild climate of the Bellagio Como lake.
Of special interest is a visit during the azalea blooming season, when
the gardens assume a wonderful set of different colors from the endless
number of azaleas and rhododendrons present in the garden
The
"LeNord" trains depart right in the center of Milano, at the
Cadorna station, the ones you are interested in, the "diretti"
(direct) to Como stop also at the Bovisa-Politecnico station in Milano,
and in the small town of Saronno before reaching Como Lago, a nice town
on Lake Como.
The recommended trains you can use for this trip
depart from Cadorna to Como at 8:00, 9:00 and 10:00 AM. Check the LeNord site for up-to-date scheduling information or if you want to
leave at different times.
Once in Como you can visit the city before walking a few steps from the train station
to the ferry landing station, and in a few minutes board the boat to Bellagio (the boat leaves from Como at 9:20, 10:00, 10:30 12:00 AM and 2:10 PM).
Since schedule changes with the season, double
check the boat schedule on the site www.navigazionelaghi.it. There are two kind of boat services, from
Como to Bellagio: one with a slow, traditional boat, and the other one
with a fast hydrofoil.
I recommend
that you spend your time on the slow boat, and admire the environment and
the small villages at every stop of the boat. During the low season of
winter (November 11 to April 4, 2009) only the fast hydrofoil is in service.
The ferry boats between Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Cadenabbia run all
year around, with different reduced schedules in winter.
For your trip back you can do the same itinerary backwards
leaving Bellagio with the boat towards Como at 3:50, 4:13, 4:42, 5:05 and
6:15 PM, arriving in Como at 5:40, 6:20, 6:40, 7:05 and 8:20 PM.
The train
leaves Como at 7:46, 8:16 and 9:16 PM, and arriving in Milano at the
Cadorna station after one hour.
Alternative return itinerary - 1
In alternative, from Bellagio you can take the ferry boat
to Varenna, on the other side of Lake Como, where you can hop on a Trenitalia train to
Milano.
The ferry runs every 20 minutes, the train every two hours.
Alternative return itinerary - 2
In alternative, in summertime, from Bellagio you can take the boat
to Lecco, on the other side of Lake Como, where you can hop on a Trenitalia train to
Milano.
