A day trip from Milan to Varenna, Bellagio and a cable car ride to Brunate to watch the sunset over Lake Como and the Alps.... Bliss!
My daughter and I did a quick trip to Milan mid December. The highlight of our holiday was definately our day trip to Lake Como. We went on a day that was sunny (although still very very cold).
Getting to Lake Como is really easy and cheap. We made our way to Milano Centrale (the main train station) and bought tickets to Varenna, a beautiful small village half way up Como lake on the Eastern side. The train ride was just under two hours and the trip was quite scenic.
Beautiful Varenna is a sleepy town in winter as most of the shops, cafes and restaurants are closed. However I knew this and thought it was absolutely charming and gorgeous without the crowds. There is a magnificent walk along the promenade which was quiet and so very picturesque.
After about an hour of roaming around, we took the boat to Bellagio which is also beautiful but pretty much closed for the winter season. After Bellagio we sailed back to Veranna to take the bus to Como town. The bus ride is beautiful as the road is alongside the lake for the entire trip. It also gave us an opportunity to rest our legs (my daughter even fell asleep).
Como is a much larger town on Como Lake and is still busy and open during the winter months. We didn't walk around Como but instead went straight to the cable car to take the ride up to the mountain to the town Brunate. From Brunate, you get the most incredible views of the lake and the snowcapped mountains beyond... We found a pub with outdoor seating (despite the cold) and ordered cocktails and soaked up the views and the early sunset.... we were cold but we were dressed warmly and just wanted to savour this otherworldly view.
Once it got dark, we returned to Como by cable car and took the train back to Milan...
It really was a magical day.
Enjoy!
