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Day Trippin' to Lake Como and Varenna, Like a Boss

Where: Varenna, Italy
July 6, 2012 at 11:22 AM | by | Comments (2)

Sometimes you just need a little bit of a vacation from your vacation, and we found exactly that when hitting up Italy's Lake Como for the day. Not that we didn’t love the sights and sounds of Milan, but at some point pounding the pavement in search of the city’s treasures is just a little too much. That’s why we gladly handed over €6.25 in exchange for a ticket and an hour ride between Milano-Centrale and Varenna-Esino.

The train was pretty uneventful, except that we told two older women that they couldn’t sit with us (blamed squarely on our lack of Italian language skills). Don’t worry—we realized our problem, and quickly fixed the situation. Don't make our mistake, and be sure to enjoy the trip northwards towards Lake Como, with all its awesome scenery. Be sure to sit on the left side of the train, as views of the lake start appearing around Lecco.

Gallery: A Day Trip To Lake Como

From the train station, it's just a quick stroll down to the shores of Lake Como. Watch for signs telling you where to go, and it’s pretty clear that walking downhill will take your right to the water. Another friendly tip: skip the restrooms at the train station and look for something a little more up-to-date down in the town.

We walked the alleys, streets and stairs, soaking in all the different viewpoints of Varenna, vistas usually only seen on postcards or The Travel Channel. It didn’t take long for us to realize that this was one of the best slices of Italy that we had the opportunity to visit, so if you’re on the fence about adding Lake Como and Varenna to your itinerary—just do it, so worth it.

We’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, as those alone should confirm the need to visit Varenna the next time you’re anywhere near Northern Italy. Of course we couldn’t resist crossing the lake to check out another town, so stick around to hear our thoughts on Bellagio as well. Not surprisingly, it was equally awesome.

[Photos: KJB/Jaunted]

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Great advice

Thanks for this - my sister and I are off the Milan tomorrow and planning to hit up Lake Como on Monday, so it's good to know how much it'll be and where to get the train to. I was just going to go to Como but Varenna sounds nicer and closer to the places we'd like to see.
iamirv on July 7, 2012 at 12:25 PM #Permalink

Glad To Hear

Yes, definitely worth the time, effort, and cost.

If you get up early you can probably see Como, Bellagio, and Varenna. Take the train to Como or Varenna--connect to Bellagio thanks to the ferry--and then head back from the city that you didn't visit first. We just ran out of time, but that's what we'll do next time.

kjb on July 12, 2012 at 6:31 AM #Permalink

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