Quick answer
With 3 days, spend two in Milan and take a day trip by train to Varenna, then the 15-minute ferry to Bellagio. With 4 or 5 days, keep two days for Milan and spend two or three nights in Varenna or Bellagio, which adds the villas at Tremezzo and Lenno, Menaggio and Como town. You need no car: Varenna is 64 to 65 minutes from Milano Centrale by direct train.
Train times, ferry fares and villa hours below were checked on the official sites on 5 October 2026.
How many days in Milan and Lake Como?
Milan’s main sights take two full days: the Duomo, La Scala and Brera on one day, the Last Supper, Sforza Castle and the Navigli on the other. One day trip covers Varenna and Bellagio. Everything else on the lake (Villa del Balbianello, Villa Carlotta, Menaggio, Como and the Brunate funicular) needs more time.
| Days | Milan | Lake Como | Where you sleep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 days | Day trip to Varenna and Bellagio | Milan, every night |
| 4 | 2 days | Varenna and Bellagio, then the west shore villas | 2 nights Milan, 2 nights on the lake (or 4 in Milan with two day trips) |
| 5 | 2 days | Varenna, Bellagio, the villas and Menaggio | 2 nights Milan, 3 nights on the lake |
| 6 or more | 2 to 3 days | Add Como town and Brunate, or a slower pace | Split as you like |
If Lake Como is your main reason to come, our 3-day Lake Como itinerary plans the lake days in more detail. If Milan matters more, our 3 days in Milan itinerary keeps two city days and offers Bergamo as an alternative to the lake.
Stay in Milan or sleep on the lake?
For a single lake day, staying in Milan is simpler: you keep one hotel and the trains run roughly hourly. From two lake days up, moving is worth it, because the last direct train from Varenna back to Milano Centrale leaves around 9:35pm on weekdays, and the ferry hops take longer than they look on a map.
| Base | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Milan | One hotel, trains to Varenna and Como all day | About 2 hours 15 minutes of train time on each lake day |
| Varenna | Direct train from Milano Centrale, Bellagio 15 minutes by ferry | A small village, quiet in the evening |
| Bellagio | In the middle of the ferry network | No train station: arrive by boat or by bus from Como |
| Como town | Trains to Milan about every 30 minutes, hotels open in winter | About 2 hours by slow boat to Bellagio |
Our guide to where to stay on Lake Como compares these towns and names hotels in each. For the Milan nights, the best hotels in Milan guide covers the Duomo area and the streets around Milano Centrale, where the Varenna trains leave.
3 days in Milan and Lake Como
This plan keeps one hotel in Milan. Put the lake on a Monday if your dates include one, since the Last Supper, Brera and the Sforza Castle museums are closed that day.
Day 1: the Duomo, La Scala and Brera
Start at the DuomoMap when it opens at 9am and allow two hours for the cathedral and the rooftop. Tickets with the terraces cost €22 by the stairs or €26 by lift; our Duomo tickets guide explains which one to buy.
The Duomo rooftop terraces, reached by stairs or lift from the side of the cathedral.
Walk through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele IIMap to Piazza della Scala (about 7 minutes); our Galleria guide covers what to see inside. The La Scala museumMap is open every day from 9:30am to 5:30pm and costs €12. In the afternoon, walk 9 minutes to the Pinacoteca di BreraMap (€20 with a timed booking, closed Mondays) and stay in the Brera streets for dinner. I avoid eating around the Duomo itself, where the restaurants count on passing tourists; our best restaurants in Milan list has places by area.
Day 2: the Last Supper, Sforza Castle and the Navigli
Book the Last SupperMap before anything else: tickets cost €15, every visitor needs a timed slot, and the visit lasts 15 minutes. Our Last Supper tickets guide explains when new dates go on sale. If official slots are gone, guided tours that include entry are the fallback.
From there, Sforza CastleMap is a 16-minute walk. Its courtyards are free from 7am to 7:30pm, and the museums cost €10 (closed Mondays); see our Sforza Castle guide. For lunch, my pick here is Chiosco Al PoliticoMap, a kiosk at the castle entrance on Piazza Castello with a long list of panini named after politicians. End the day at the DarsenaMap and along the Navigli for aperitivo. If you want the hour-by-hour version of these two days, use our 2 days in Milan itinerary.
Day 3: Varenna and Bellagio
Take a morning train from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino. Trains leave at 20 past the hour and take 64 to 65 minutes, and a one-way ticket costs €7.40 to €7.70 depending on the app you buy it in. App tickets need no validation, but this line has no tap-in contactless, so buy a ticket before you board.
Varenna, on the eastern shore of Lake Como, seen from the water.
In Varenna, walk the lakeside path and visit the gardens of Villa MonasteroMap (€15 with the house museum, or €13 for the garden only). Then take the ferry to Bellagio: 15 minutes, €5.50 one way. In Bellagio, walk up the stepped lanes and spend an hour in the Villa Melzi gardensMap (€10, no booking, closed for the season from 1 November). Ferry back to Varenna for a train home. Our Varenna guide and Bellagio guide have the details, and the Lake Como day trip guide compares the other routes, including Como.
4 days in Milan and Lake Como
Keep days 1 and 2 in Milan as above, then move to the lake with your luggage. Each ferry passenger can bring one bag free if its longest side is under 60 cm; bigger or extra bags pay a fare, so a large suitcase costs a little more on every boat.
Day 3: Varenna and Bellagio. Take a morning train to Varenna and leave your bags at the hotel. Climb to Castello di VezioMap above the village (€7, open daily from 1 March to 1 December), then cross to Bellagio in the afternoon. With a night on the lake you can stay for dinner without checking the train timetable.
Day 4: the west shore villas. Buy the central lake day pass (€17.50), which covers Varenna, Bellagio, Menaggio, Cadenabbia and Lenno. Take the ferry to Lenno and walk 1 km uphill (about 25 minutes) to Villa del Balbianello (FAI)Map: the park costs €15, or €25 with the guided tour of the villa, and you must book ahead with FAI. Then take the ferry on to Tremezzo for Villa CarlottaMap (€17.50), which has its own pier. Ferry back to Varenna and catch an evening train to Milan, or stay a third night. Our guide to the Lake Como villas compares these two with the others on the lake.
If you would rather keep one hotel in Milan, make day 4 a second day trip to Como instead: the train from Milano Cadorna to Como Nord Lago takes about 60 minutes, costs €5.40 and runs about every 30 minutes, and you can pay by tapping a contactless card at the start and end of the trip (Trenord’s Pay&Go). In Como, the Brunate funicularMap climbs above the town in 7 minutes for €3.60 one way.
5 days in Milan and Lake Como
With five days, spend three nights in Varenna or Bellagio and slow the lake days down.
A path through the Villa Melzi gardens on the Bellagio lakefront.
| Day | Plan | Night |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duomo, La Scala museum, Brera | Milan |
| 2 | Last Supper, Sforza Castle, Navigli | Milan |
| 3 | Train to Varenna, Villa Monastero, Castello di Vezio | Varenna or Bellagio |
| 4 | Bellagio: Villa Serbelloni park tour, Villa Melzi, Punta Spartivento | Varenna or Bellagio |
| 5 | Villa del Balbianello and Villa Carlotta, then the train to Milan | Milan or flight home |
The Villa Serbelloni parkMap in Bellagio can only be seen on a guided tour, Tuesday to Sunday at 11am and 3:30pm. It costs €13, takes about 2 hours and must be booked online. The first hour is uphill.
You can also leave the lake through Como on day 5. ASF bus C110 runs from Lenno to Como in about 51 minutes, and regional trains from Como San Giovanni reach Milano Centrale in about 40 minutes for €5.40. That gives you an hour in Como town before the train, as long as you leave the villas by early afternoon. For a boat ride with commentary on one of the lake days, our Lake Como boat tours guide compares shared and private tours with the public ferry, and you can compare boat tours on GetYourGuide.
Getting between Milan and Lake Como
All three train routes are direct regional trains.
| Route | Time | One way, 2nd class | How often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino | 64 to 65 min | €7.40 to €7.70 | About hourly, at 20 past the hour |
| Milano Centrale to Como San Giovanni | about 40 min | about €5.40 | About 17 a day |
| Milano Cadorna to Como Nord Lago | about 60 min | €5.40 | About every 30 min |
On weekdays in October 2026, the last direct train from Varenna to Milano Centrale leaves at 9:35pm, and the last regional from Como San Giovanni at 9:36pm, with a later EuroCity at 10:10pm (€16). Check the Trenord or Trenitalia app for your date. Our Milano Centrale guide shows where to find the platforms and the metro, and if you land at Malpensa, the Malpensa to Milan guide covers the Malpensa Express into Centrale.
Tickets to book before you go
- Last Supper: essential. Official tickets are on sale until 31 December 2026, and new dates appear in batches.
- Villa del Balbianello: booking required for the park and the villa tour.
- Villa Serbelloni park tour: book online for 11am or 3:30pm.
- Pinacoteca di Brera: timed booking with the €20 ticket.
- Duomo: buy on the official shop, ticket.duomomilano.it, so you can pick the rooftop option and the stairs or the lift.
Ferries need no booking: buy at the pier, online on navigazionelaghi.it or tap a contactless card on the slow boats with NaviTAP.
Best time to visit Milan and Lake Como
Go from late April to early October if the lake villas matter to you. The lake season runs from about late March to early November.
| Period | Milan | Lake Como |
|---|---|---|
| April to May | Average highs of 67°F to 75°F. Salone del Mobile on 13 to 18 April 2027 pushes up hotel prices | Villas open; hotels reopen around April |
| June to August | Highs of 83°F to 87°F; some restaurants close around 15 August | Busiest months; ferries can fill to capacity on weekends |
| September to October | Highs of 78°F to 66°F | Villas open; Villa Melzi closes 1 November, Villa Carlotta’s regular season ends 8 November |
| November to March | November is Milan’s wettest month (104 mm) | Fewer ferries, villas closed or open on set days, many hotels shut; Como town stays open |
During Design Week in April 2026, a double room in Milan averaged €598 a night against €173 in an ordinary week, so avoid those dates if you can. Our guide to the best time to visit Milan has the full calendar.
How much the transport costs
| Per adult | Cost |
|---|---|
| Train Milan to Varenna and back | €14.80 |
| Central lake ferry day pass | €17.50 |
| Single ferry hop on the central lake | €5.50 |
| Train Milan to Como and back | about €10.80 |
| Brunate funicular return | €7.20 |
A one-day lake trip costs about €32 per adult in transport before villa tickets. The day pass pays for itself from the fourth hop, since four singles cost €22. For the full trip budget, including hotels, see how much a trip to Italy costs.
To see what is open on your dates, compare hotels in Varenna and hotels in Bellagio on Booking.com. Our Lake Como travel guide covers the rest of the lake, including the towns we leave out here.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need for Milan and Lake Como?
Three days is the minimum, with two days in Milan and one day trip to Varenna and Bellagio. Four or five days let you sleep on the lake and add the villas at Lenno and Tremezzo, Menaggio or Como town.
Is it better to stay in Milan or on Lake Como?
For one lake day, stay in Milan and take the train, since Varenna is 64 to 65 minutes from Milano Centrale. For two or more lake days, move to Varenna or Bellagio so you can ride the ferries without watching the last train back.
Can you do Milan and Lake Como in 3 days?
Yes. Spend two days on the Duomo, Brera, the Last Supper and the Navigli, then take a direct train to Varenna and the 15-minute ferry to Bellagio on day 3. Transport for the lake day costs about €32 per adult.
What is the best time to visit Milan and Lake Como?
Late April to early October. The lake villas open from about late March to early November, Villa Melzi closes on 1 November, and many Bellagio hotels close from late October or early November until around April.
How do you get from Milan to Lake Como?
By direct regional train. Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino takes 64 to 65 minutes, Centrale to Como San Giovanni about 40 minutes, and Milano Cadorna to Como Nord Lago about 60 minutes, all for under €8 one way.
Do I need a car for Milan and Lake Como?
No. Trains link Milan with Varenna and Como, and ferries link Varenna, Bellagio, Menaggio, Tremezzo and Lenno. The car ferry only runs between Bellagio, Cadenabbia, Menaggio and Varenna.
Should I do Lake Como or Milan first?
Either works, but check the weekday. The Last Supper, the Pinacoteca di Brera and the Sforza Castle museums close on Mondays, so if your trip starts on a Monday, go to the lake first.