# Two nights on Lake Como from Milan by train and boat: Brunate, Balbianello, kayaking in Bellagio and the Orrido An hour from Milan by train: a night in Como and another in Bellagio, with Balbianello and the Greenway, a kayak around the point and the Orrido of Bellano; all by train and boat. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/lombardy/lake-como/itineraries/two-nights-balbianello-and-bellagio · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Dónde: Lake Como Lake Como is explored by boat, and in two nights you see it from the city to the centre without getting into a car. You arrive by train at Como, go up to Brunate and sleep beside the quays; the next day you go down the west shore to Villa del Balbianello and walk a stretch of the Greenway before crossing to Bellagio. On Sunday you paddle round the point, cross to Varenna and return to Milan by train from the other shore. ## Getting there from Spain Fly to Milan (Malpensa or Linate) or to Bergamo. From Milano Cadorna, Trenord regional trains reach Como Lago in about 60 minutes, for €4.80. The return is by the other shore: from Varenna-Esino to Milano Centrale, in about 64 minutes. You do not need a car at any point; with one, in fact, you would complicate things with the car parks at Bellagio and Varenna. ## Where to stay? AccommodationAreaWho it suits Ostello BelloComo lakefrontDormitories or a private room with bathroom, two minutes from the boats Hotel FlorenceBellagio quay squareThree-star with a wisteria terrace, from €190 a night Hotel OlivedoOpposite the Varenna quayAlternative to Bellagio for the second night, five minutes from the train; no under-14s ## With children It works well with children who can walk: they like the funicular and the Orrido, the boats are short and the Greenway can be cut short wherever you like. The kayak requires age 8 and being able to swim. For the second night with children under 14, sleep in Bellagio: Hotel Olivedo does not admit them. ## El plan ### Friday · 10:00 · Funicular to Brunate Train from Milano Cadorna to Como Lago and, a few minutes away, the 1894 funicular: 7 minutes up and a stroll to the San Maurizio viewpoint. €3.60 each way. Check that you are not caught by the works closure from 9 to 27 November 2026. ### Friday · 12:45 · Lunch at Crotto del Sergente A short taxi ride to Lora, in the hills. Trout ravioli, lake-fish guazzetto and more than 200 wines. Kitchen from 12:00 to 14:00; closed on Wednesdays. Book on their website. ### Friday · 16:00 · Ostello Bello Leave your rucksack on the lakefront and stroll along the Como shore. Aperitivo in the hostel garden. ### Saturday · 09:00 · Boat to Lenno and Villa del Balbianello Navigazione Laghi boat along the west shore to Lenno. From the Lido di Lenno, Bellagio Boat Service takes you to the villa in a few minutes with the garden ticket, from €24.90. Booking is compulsory. ### Saturday · 12:30 · A stretch of the Greenway From Lenno to Tremezzo on foot along the signposted path, among villas and villages. Wear comfortable shoes: there are cobbles and steps. ### Saturday · 15:30 · Boat to Bellagio and late lunch at La Punta Boat from Tremezzo or Cadenabbia to Bellagio and a walk to the point. The kitchen does not close from 11:30 to 22:00: perch, agoni and missoltini. ### Saturday · 18:00 · Hotel Florence On the quay square. Ask for a room with a lake view and have a light supper on the wisteria terrace if the restaurant is open. ### Sunday · 09:00 · Kayak around the point On foot to Pescallo: the 9:00 departure with Bellagio Water Sports, in a group of eight at most, about 90 minutes. Book beforehand. ### Sunday · 11:30 · Boat to Varenna and the Orrido di Bellano A 15-minute ferry to Varenna and a short train to Bellano. The walkways of the gorge, 45 minutes; €5 with the train or boat ticket. ### Sunday · 13:30 · Lunch at Locanda Cavallino Back in Varenna, opposite the quay: perch risotto and tables outside. Open from February to October; call to book, the website does not publish the hours. ### Sunday · 16:00 · Train to Milan From Varenna-Esino to Milano Centrale, about 64 minutes. ## Un consejo más Buy the one-day free-circulation ticket for the mid-lake boat in Bellagio: on Sunday you make three journeys and it pays off. ## Cuándo no ir Do not try to fit Balbianello, the whole Greenway and Bellagio into a Saturday in July with your own car: the shore traffic jams and car parks eat the day. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How much does the getaway cost? The budget depends mainly on accommodation: Hotel Florence publishes rooms from €190 a night, while the hostel in Como does not publish rates. Trains, boats and tickets are paid separately, as is the kayak. ### Can you do it in November? Not as it stands: Hotel Florence and Locanda Cavallino close in winter and the funicular stops from 9 to 27 November 2026. Out of season, sleep both nights in Como. ### Do you need a car? No. Train to Como on the way there, boats around the lake and train back from Varenna. ### Why not return from Como? Because from Varenna the train goes straight to Milano Centrale and you do not have to retrace the whole Como branch by boat. ## Dónde dormir without a car - **Hotel Olivedo**: Hotel Olivedo is the yellow house you see as you step off the boat at Varenna. It was built in 1896 by Mr Bertarini as a coal store for the lake's boats; it later became a hotel, gained a third floor and, during the Second World War, a fourth. Today it is run by the family's third generation and keeps its period Liberty furniture. If you come to the lake without a car, few addresses are as convenient: the jetty is in front of the door and Varenna-Esino station about five minutes' walk away. The rooms There are 20, spread over two buildings. In the main house there are 10 superiors with a balcony and lake view, a large bed and original Liberty furniture, and 4 standard attic rooms, plainer. In the annexe next door there are another 6 with a lake view, in a modern, sober style, some with a private balcony and with a shared terrace. All have a private bathroom, wifi and satellite television, and can be set up with a double bed or with two beds. The superiors are the only ones the hotel lists as wheelchair accessible; tell them when you book. The website does not publish an official star rating or room prices. It does publish the extra bed, at €60 a night, and Varenna's tourist tax, €3 per person per night. Breakfast, bar and restaurant Breakfast is served from 7:30 to 10:00, Italian and continental, with gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan and lactose-free options. The bar is open to guests from 10:00 to 18:00. On the ground floor is Locanda Cavallino, the house restaurant, also open to those not staying here, with tables outside facing the water. What to know before booking The hotel is open from February to October; in November, December and January it is closed. It does not accept children under 14, because of the period furniture and the soundproofing of a historic building, nor animals. Cancellation is free up to seven days before arrival; after that, the stay is not refunded. Check-in is from 14:00 to 22:00 and check-out until 10:00; if you arrive later, tell them beforehand. Getting there From Milano Centrale, the regional train on the Tirano line reaches Varenna-Esino in a little over an hour. You walk down towards the lake and the hotel is on the piazza by the jetty. By car you take the SS36 towards Lecco and Sondrio and the Mandello del Lario and Varenna exit; the website does not mention private parking. From the jetty the boats leave for Bellagio and Menaggio in a quarter of an hour, and the Sentiero del Viandante starts on foot. - **Hotel Florence**, desde 190 € / night: Hotel Florence is on Piazza Mazzini, Bellagio's arcaded square facing the jetty, so you step off the boat and in two minutes you are at reception. According to the house, in 1864 Luigi Gramatica turned an old harbour inn into a hotel, and it has been run by the same family ever since; today their descendants are still at the helm. It has three stars and is one of the village's historic establishments. The rooms There are four types, with furniture made by local craftsmen, air conditioning, television and wifi: Standard with village view, 18 m², from €190 a night. Standard with lake view, 25 m², from €290. Superior, 30 m², with a balcony or terrace over the lake, from €320. Suite, 40 m², with a living room and a balcony or terrace over the lake, for three people, from €380. These are starting prices published by the hotel; they change by date. The website does not publish the number of rooms or check-in and check-out times: ask when you book. The restaurant and the wisteria terrace The most photographed part of the hotel is its garden above the lake, with tables under a wisteria pergola that in spring is covered in flowers. There and in a large room with 19th-century vaults is the house restaurant, also open to non-guests, with seasonal Italian cooking, meat, sea and lake dishes. Breakfast is served in that same room. There is also a cocktail bar for the aperitif. For guests there is a small spa with a hydromassage tub, sauna and Turkish bath, without treatments or massages. It is used privately, by two people at most at a time. When it opens and how to get there It is a seasonal hotel: the website announced reopening in April 2026 and the restaurant open until 15 October 2026. For winter, write to them first. Reception is staffed 24 hours and small animals are accepted. Travelling without a car is the natural way: the mid-lake ferry drops you in front, a quarter of an hour from Varenna, where the Milan train stops. By car, bear in mind there is almost no room in the centre of Bellagio: the hotel says the nearest municipal car park with free spaces is about 600 metres away. - **Ostello Bello Como**: Ostello Bello is a small Italian chain of hostels with a lively social scene, and the one in Como is on Viale Fratelli Rosselli, on the west lakefront, two minutes' walk from the jetties from which the boats leave for Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio. It is the cheap bed for sleeping in Como and setting off on the first boat, or for ending the day with an aperitif in the garden without taking the car. Dormitories and rooms There are mixed shared dormitories of 5 and 6 beds, and 6-bed dormitories for women only. For those who prefer privacy there are double rooms, twins with the beds under a mezzanine, triples, quads and family rooms. All the rooms, dormitories included, have an ensuite bathroom with shower. There is air conditioning, wifi throughout the building, lockers in the rooms, a USB socket by each bed, safe and hairdryer. The website does not publish fixed prices or check-in and check-out times: you see the price when you book, and reception is staffed 24 hours, so you can arrive on the last train. What is included and what is not Included: the shared kitchen, with free pasta, vegetables and basic ingredients to cook with; water, tea and filter coffee; a welcome drink; soap, earplugs, an iron and a computer for free use. Paid separately are the buffet breakfast, the aperitif, towels, padlocks and laundry. There is an automatic left-luggage facility for suitcases, paid and open 24 hours: useful on the day you check out and still want to catch a boat. The common areas The bar is open 24 hours and faces an inner courtyard. Behind it is a hidden garden with hammocks and a barbecue, a terrace, a cinema room, a work area, board games, table football and ping-pong, and instruments for anyone who wants to play. There are acoustic concerts and activities in the evenings. It is a place for people who travel wanting conversation; if you want silence, ask for a private room. Getting there and what is nearby From Milan, the train takes about 40 minutes, according to the hostel. From Como San Giovanni station you walk down in about ten minutes; Piazza Cavour is seven away and the Duomo ten. The Brunate funicular leaves from the other end of the promenade, and the seaplane base is on the lakefront, a few minutes away.