45.99° N · 9.26° E · Lake Como
Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Cadenabbia face each other across the middle of Lake Como. The public Navigazione Laghi ferry links them all year with hops of 10 to 30 minutes, so in a day you see the three villages without a car and without hurry.
Step by step
If you arrive by train from Milan, Varenna-Esino station is ten minutes' walk from the quay. Stroll the shore before the groups arrive.
The shortest and most used crossing. Bellagio can be seen from the deck at the tip of the peninsula.
Streets of steps, the shore and, if you fancy rowing, Pescallo bay on the other side of the peninsula.
You cross to the western arm. Some boats stop first at Cadenabbia, next to Villa Carlotta.
A long walk beside the water and streets of the old town. Return to Varenna on a direct boat of about 15 minutes.
The service that moves the centre of the lake is the public ferry that runs the Bellagio – Cadenabbia – Varenna – Menaggio triangle. It carries cars and passengers, runs very frequently and cannot be booked: you buy the ticket at the quay ticket office and board. For a day going from village to village the free-circulation ticket is worth it.
It is operated by Navigazione Laghi, the public company running the Lombard lakes' navigation. In the centre of the lake there are two types of boat: the ferry, slow, cheap and with room for cars, and the fast services, which cost more and require a supplement. To hop between Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio the ferry is enough: journeys take from 10 to 30 minutes and in summer there are boats from before 7:00 until almost midnight.
Each village has its own character. Varenna is the smallest, with coloured houses above the water and the railway station ten minutes' walk from the quay. Bellagio occupies the tip of the peninsula that separates the two southern arms, with streets of steps. Menaggio, on the west shore, has a long promenade and an old town. Cadenabbia, between Menaggio and Tremezzo, is the stop for Villa Carlotta.
Navigazione Laghi charges by leg, with fares in force since 1 April 2026. The shortest trip costs €3. The one-day free-circulation ticket, which lets you hop on and off without limit within the chosen zone, costs from €8. Children aged 4 to 11 pay a reduced fare and under-4s travel free. The fast services carry a supplement. If you go with a car, the ferry charges for the vehicle separately.
The 2026 summer timetable ran from 1 July to 4 October, with the maximum number of boats. From November to March the ferry keeps running, with fewer departures: download the 2026–2027 winter timetable from the Navigazione Laghi website before going, because timetables change by season and do not always coincide at every quay.
From Milan, the regional train on the Tirano line reaches Varenna-Esino in a little over an hour; it is the most convenient way into the triangle. By car, bear in mind that parking in Bellagio, Varenna or Menaggio is expensive and difficult in season: if you are sleeping on the lake, leave the car at your accommodation and get around by boat.
It is a plan that works at any age: short journeys, an open-air deck and villages right by the quay. The ferries have a car ramp, so boarding with a pushchair is no problem. Wrap up on deck: even in summer the wind off the lake is cool.
From Bellagio you can book the kayak around the point, and from Varenna the Sentiero del Viandante towards Bellano begins.
Who it's for
What to bring
Map
What you have around the starting point.
More to do
Itineraries
Tips
The ferry is slow and cheap. The fast services (hydrofoil) require a supplement and do not accept the normal ticket without it.
The one-day free-circulation ticket costs from €8 depending on the zone. With three journeys it already pays off.
In July and August queues form at the quays by mid-morning. The first boats, which leave before 7, are quiet.
Questions
No. It is public transport: you buy the ticket at the quay on the same day.
It depends on the leg. The shortest costs €3 and the one-day free-circulation ticket, from €8. Children aged 4 to 11 pay a reduced fare and under-4s travel free.
Yes. The centre-lake ferry runs all year, with fewer boats from November to March.
Yes, it is a car ferry. But in the centre of the lake parking is expensive and difficult: go on foot if you can.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/lombardy/lake-como/things-to-do/mid-lake-ferry-triangle
