Lake Como Without a Car: 3 Days in Varenna, Bellagio and Como

Where to stay: two nights in Varenna, with the lake on your doorstep

Evenings are a good reason to stay in Varenna. After a day in Bellagio, you step off the boat and walk back towards the colourful houses, with time to choose somewhere for dinner instead of watching the clock for a train to Milan. The next morning, the water is a short walk away. Two nights in the same place give this brief trip a sense of familiarity, even as each day brings a different view.

We would stay in the lower part of town, between the station, ferry pier and old village. Restaurants and lakeside walks are within reach, and you can go back for a jacket before heading out again. A hillside room may have a wonderful panorama, but the climb deserves a second thought when you are carrying luggage. Look at the walking route, rather than judging the location by its distance from the water.

To decide between a room near the station and an apartment in the lanes, start by comparing places to stay in Varenna on the map. Keep the pier and old village in view, then see what suits your budget for your dates. The two addresses below work for those different ways of spending the stay. The search opens for two nights on 17–19 May 2027; change them to your own dates. Results may include the opposite shore, which would change the organisation of this route.

For a first visit spent mostly out exploring, we recommend Hotel Beretta. Being roughly 200 metres from the station makes the arrival with luggage straightforward. Once settled, head down to the pier and follow the Lovers’ Walk towards the colourful houses; the next morning’s departure for Bellagio is within the same small area. That easy transition from train to lake is the reason we would choose it for this route. The Perledo address may look surprising, but the hotel is in the lower part adjoining Varenna, rather than one of the hillside hamlets above.

If you picture these two nights as a little spell of village life, consider Varennahouse. Its apartments in the historic centre keep the lanes and waterfront walks close to the rhythm of your stay. We would choose this option for the pleasure of coming home between outings: breakfast in an apartment with a kitchen, an afternoon in the gardens, then back into the village for dinner. A lake view can add to that pleasure; choose a unit whose photographs and description confirm it. The particular apartment matters more here than the property name alone.

Arrange a place to leave your bags before check-in, whether with your hotel or apartment host. It is a small piece of planning that makes the first day much nicer: you can head straight out for lunch by the water instead of taking your suitcase around the village.

Take the train from Milan to Varenna-Esino

Varenna-Esino is around an hour from Milano Centrale by direct train. Services are broadly hourly; choose your departure on Trenord’s Milan–Varenna route. Save Como for the return journey. Arriving at the southern end of the lake would mean travelling north again before settling into your accommodation.

A late-morning arrival works well, leaving time to drop bags, have lunch and explore before the gardens. From the station, the lake is the direction to head. There is no need to introduce another connection or village into this first day.

Flying into Milan? Allow a proper half-day for the journey

From Malpensa, the Malpensa Express takes around 50–60 minutes to Centrale, followed by the wait for your Varenna train. From Linate, take the M4 into the city and connect towards Centrale. Bergamo Airport requires a bus journey before the next stage: there is no railway station directly at the airport.

An afternoon landing leaves little time for gardens that day. Enjoy a quiet first evening in Varenna and choose just one garden the following day, or spend the night in Milan before starting these three days. With more time, our two-day Milan itinerary makes a natural extension to the trip.

Day 1: Varenna, down the lanes to the water

Your first few minutes in Varenna can be spent almost at water level. From the ferry area, the Lovers’ Walk follows the shore towards houses tucked against the hillside. Pink and ochre façades, little terraces and the lake just below give you reasons to pause before you have even reached the centre.

Follow the shore, then climb towards Piazza San Giorgio. A few flights of steps bring you away from the waterfront to a more open square behind the houses. Make this your first gentle loop, with a stop for lunch. There is a whole afternoon ahead for a garden, without squeezing another visit into the morning.

Villa Monastero: follow the shoreline a little further

We would choose Villa Monastero for the first afternoon. Its garden stretches beside the lake, with planting, steps and views over the water giving the walk a different rhythm from the village lanes. It is an appealing way to spend longer in Varenna while seeing another side of the place.

At 2026 prices, admission costs €13 per adult for the garden, or €15 with the house museum. Online tickets are dated and normally neither changeable nor refundable, so settle your arrival plans before buying. Check Villa Monastero’s opening days: the garden and museum follow different calendars.

If terraced gardens stepping down towards the water appeal more, Villa Cipressi’s gardens offer a lovely alternative in the village. Choose them for the views between stone and greenery, in place of Monastero. You could visit both, but one garden leaves more time to linger on the way back and enjoy an unhurried dinner. Allow around €20 per adult for the garden ticket offered, subject to your date; you explore independently, with entry at your reserved time.

Leave the rest of the day open. Walk back towards the little harbour, find somewhere you like for dinner and enjoy a first evening without a train to catch. This is where spending two nights on the lake starts to pay off.

Day 2: Bellagio’s stepped lanes and lakeside gardens

The boat is part of the day’s pleasure. Varenna’s houses draw together below the mountains as you leave, while Bellagio takes shape on its headland ahead. A direct crossing takes around 15 minutes, depending on the service. Allow for waiting and boarding too, particularly in summer; a little room between plans makes the lake much more enjoyable.

Bellagio’s waterfront feels like an open-air drawing room facing the lake. Behind the façades, lanes climb abruptly between the buildings. Walk up Salita Serbelloni and turn around: the water appears at the foot of the steps. It is a popular view, but the neighbouring lanes give you somewhere to wander beyond the familiar photograph.

Continue to Punta Spartivento, where the shape of the lake and its branching arms become clearer. Pause here before heading back into the village for lunch. We would give Bellagio the day; adding Menaggio or another villa mostly adds more departures to keep track of.

Walk out to the Melzi gardens

In the afternoon, the Melzi gardens bring you back beside the water. There is more room here than in the village lanes, with space to walk and stop to look across the lake. Allow for the walk from the centre as well as time inside; after lunch, getting there becomes part of the outing.

Admission costs €10 per adult at 2026 prices, sold at the entrance with no reservation advertised. The ticket covers the gardens; the villa remains private. Check the Melzi gardens’ seasonal dates before planning the day around them, especially in early spring or autumn.

Pick your return boat before going in. Leaving a comfortable margin lets you enjoy the evening back in Varenna, rather than spending the end of the walk counting minutes to the pier. Make sure you are looking at the right operating days: Sundays and public holidays can change the choice of sailings.

A special evening on the water, leaving from Varenna

After using the boats to get from place to place, you might want an hour on the lake simply for the pleasure of being there. A sunset boat trip from Varenna with prosecco makes sense for that kind of evening: a small Venetian-style water taxi, villas seen from the water and evening light along the shores. We would save it for a special occasion, particularly as a couple.

The trip lasts around an hour, with no more than eight guests, and leaves from and returns to Molo Riva Grande in Varenna. You are back in your village for dinner afterwards. Allow around €110 per person at the advertised starting price, subject to your date. Choose the first or second evening according to the sailings offered; for the latter, return early enough from Bellagio. Read the cancellation terms before paying too: the offer consulted requires seven days’ notice.

Day 3: take the boat down the lake to Como

On the final morning, the journey becomes the outing. Check out, walk to the pier with your bags and take an ordinary boat service towards Como. Villages pass, the shores draw closer and open out again, and the mountains shift as you travel down the south-western arm.

Give this journey a proper part of the morning: some ordinary services take around two hours and 40 minutes. Choose a departure that leaves the afternoon for Como. Fast services shorten the trip but have a supplement and different luggage rules. For this route, we prefer an ordinary boat when the timetable allows it.

From the waterfront to the Duomo, a change of scale

Como brings a more urban feel to the trip. From Piazza Cavour, head towards the Duomo and on to Piazza San Fedele. After two days of little harbours and steep lanes, the larger buildings and squares give the final day a different character. Leave time for lunch and a wander through the centre before returning towards the water.

It is a much nicer walk without luggage. Bag&Go Como, at Via Giuseppe Rovelli 4, offers day storage at around €6 per item. Advertised hours are 9am–6pm; check that they work with your boat arrival, then collect your bags before heading to the station.

Trains towards Milano Centrale leave from Como S. Giovanni, taking around 40 minutes depending on the service. Como Lago serves a different line towards Milano Cadorna, so choose your station according to where you need to be in Milan. Allow time to walk there from the centre.

We would leave Brunate for a longer stay. The funicular is tempting, but fitting it in after the boat journey soon eats into your time in Como. A flexible finish, or another night in Milan, lets you enjoy the last stop far more than rushing towards an evening flight.

If the boat does not suit your plans, travel via Lecco

You can still visit Como by taking the train from Varenna-Esino to Lecco, then the R18 line via Molteno to Como S. Giovanni. Look up the complete journey for your date: this option needs a connection at Lecco and trains running on both lines. It avoids crossing the lake to find a bus on the opposite shore.

Replace the boat fare with the rail fares in your budget. If your priority is simply returning to Milan, the direct train from Varenna is the easiest finish; Como can become the starting point of another visit.

Which boat tickets do you need?

Buy a Varenna–Bellagio return for day two and a Varenna–Como single for day three. Those cover the crossings in this itinerary. The evening boat trip is an optional treat to book separately if you fancy it.

The daily pass for fare zone 3 costs €17.50 per adult at the 2026 rate, compared with €11 for the Bellagio return alone. It therefore does not save money on this particular day. Nor should you assume a local pass includes the longer journey to Como. Choose your services and tickets with Navigazione Laghi, checking the timetable’s validity dates and operating days.

Check the luggage rules before your final crossing

Pack lightly enough to carry your bags to the boat and then to storage on the final day. The free allowance covers one item up to 60cm long, 40 cubic decimetres in volume and 20kg in weight; larger items may cost extra. Fast services have tighter restrictions. Read the boat luggage conditions before selecting your day-three departure.

At busy times, arrive at the pier early. A ticket does not guarantee a seat on every departure, and tight connections can take the pleasure out of a boat journey. Leave a comfortable margin before anything you have booked afterwards.

How much to budget for three days

Accommodation is the big variable. The crossings and gardens are fairly easy to add up; two nights in Varenna depend much more on the season, view and comfort you want. Find a well-placed address you like, then add the costs of following the route.

For two adults, allow around €285–350 before accommodation, flights and airport transfers. That covers trains from and back to Milan, the planned crossings, Monastero and Melzi gardens, storage for two bags and simple meals. Add the full price of your two-night stay, including taxes and any supplements attached to your booking.

A lake view may be worth the extra if you plan to spend time in your room. If you will be out all day, a simpler place in the right location can leave more for dinner or an evening on the water. An apartment with a kitchen gives you the option of breakfast or a meal at home, without automatically being cheaper than a hotel.

Optional experiences depend on what you would enjoy: choosing Cipressi instead of Monastero brings the two-garden cost to around €60 for two rather than €46. The evening boat trip adds roughly €220 for two at the advertised starting price. You can equally enjoy more free waterfront walks and visit just one garden. To spend less, we would simplify the visits before choosing somewhere distant that makes every evening’s return harder.

The best season for this route

We would come in spring or early autumn, when the gardens give the first two days their purpose and there is still plenty of time for walks between the villages and the water. May is a good month to consider; check opening dates and boat services for the year you are travelling.

In summer, keep the same loop without adding stops. Heat, busy piers and queues make pauses valuable. A morning in the lanes, a leisurely lunch and one garden in the afternoon already make a full day.

Winter calls for a different trip. Some gardens close and boats run less often, making Como worth considering for town walks and its connections with Milan. Two nights in Varenna can still be appealing, but do not book this itinerary expecting the same visits as in spring.

In rain, shorten the garden walks and stop more often in the villages. If boats are suspended, use the rail alternative via Lecco when trains are running. The C130 bus between Como, Nesso and Bellagio serves the opposite shore; it cannot replace a crossing from Varenna.

Book the essentials, leave time for the lake

Before booking your two nights, look at the final morning’s journey: a boat that leaves time for Como, or the train connection via Lecco. Then settle on somewhere in lower Varenna and arrange where to leave your bags on arrival.

Choose the visits next. Monastero or Cipressi suits day one, followed by the Melzi gardens if they are open during your stay. If you would like the sunset trip, pick an evening according to the departures offered and leave enough time to return from Bellagio.

If this pace appeals, look at places to stay in Varenna for your two nights, adjusting the search dates to your trip. Once you have chosen somewhere, save the useful timetables and confirmations. There is still room for the lanes, café terraces and pauses beside the water that make the trip worth taking.

A few questions before booking

Is Varenna or Como better without a car?

For this three-day route including Bellagio, we would choose Varenna. Staying there avoids travelling up from Como every day. Como becomes more appealing if your priority is the town itself, connections with Milan or a winter break.

Can you follow this itinerary with children?

Yes, with shorter walks, breaks and suitable accommodation. Check the hotel’s child policy and the operators’ child fares. Steps and cobbled passages make some walks less straightforward with a pushchair. The budget here is for two adults.