Milan & Lake Como Post Cruise

[Toledo Cruiser]

We are sailing on the Seabourn Spirit in early Oct. We'll have two days pre cruise to explore Venice (we've been there once before). Once we disembark in Venice we plan to take a train to Milan and look around the central city for the afternoon. The following day we'd like to take a train to Lake Como for a day trip in the Lakes area. Our flight home leaves the following morning. Can any of you CCers chime in with "must dos" or "don't bothers" for Milan and the Lake Como area? Thanks so much!

[Cruisin'cockney]

Milan:

Shopping on Corso Buenos Aires and the Galleria

Sightseeing at the Duomo and La Scala

 

Como:

Visit Como town and Ballagio by the waterbus service. Also Villa Balbianello in Lenno.

[floridafolks]

We are sailing on the Seabourn Spirit in early Oct. We'll have two days pre cruise to explore Venice (we've been there once before). Once we disembark in Venice we plan to take a train to Milan and look around the central city for the afternoon. The following day we'd like to take a train to Lake Como for a day trip in the Lakes area. Our flight home leaves the following morning. Can any of you CCers chime in with "must dos" or "don't bothers" for Milan and the Lake Como area? Thanks so much!

We are leaving home today to head to FLL for our TA to Rome. We will take the train to Milan(tickets purchased easily online at the Trenitalia site to get the advanced mini fare) and base out of there to see the Lake district before heading to Switzerland. At present I can only give you plans , but if you keep thread alive I can give you what we experienced when we return.

 

In Milan, in addition to what has ben said, you might be interested in seeing The Last Supper. The tickets are difficult to get unless you take it as past of a tour, which we did not want. We were able to have our concierge at the hotel obtain the tickets for us so we are all set for that.

 

We have been to Lugano/Locarno on Lake Maggiore several times, so this trip we are exploring Lake Como. One day we will take the Trenitalia regional train from Milan Central Station to Varenna and then use the boat to Bellagio. On the 2nd day we are taking the Le Nord train from Cadorna station to Como- it is much less cost than the Trenitalia train and the station is closer to the Lake and funicular to Brunate.

 

Some might say why not stay in Bellagio or on the lake rather than make two day trips. With all the luggage from the cruise we really like just plopping it at the Milan hotel and we are using frequent stay points to stay free at the Park Hyatt which is near the Duomo and Galleria.

 

I will let you know how things turn out when we return, if you wish.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I have been to Lake Como and it is breath-taking. I stayed in Bellagio but another great place to stay would be Varenna. From Milan Central you can take the train to Varenna and then take a ferry over to Bellagio. The ferries criss cross the lake.

[julieawill]

We spent a couple of nights on Lago di Como in the town of Varenna while on our honeymoon in 2003. We loved it! If you can stay overnight, I highly recommend it. To awaken in the morning and throw open the windows to the view of the lake below and the incredible mountains across the lake is the stuff of dreams.

 

We stayed at the Hotel Victoria, which is right across the square from an old church. We happened upon a wedding party as it was arriving at the church. All the guests were waiting outside the church when the bride arrived with her father. He helped her out of the car to the cheers of all the onlookers, who fell in behind the two as they made their way into the church. What a fantastic celebration.

 

It's an easy, romantic walk from the hotel to the ferry dock, where we caught a ferry over to Bellagio and spent the day. Bellagio lives up to its billing as the most romantic town in Europe.

 

You will have a wonderful time.

 

Julie

[TLCOhio]

We are sailing on the Seabourn Spirit in early Oct. We'll have two days pre cruise to explore Venice (we've been there once before). Once we disembark in Venice we plan to take a train to Milan and look around the central city for the afternoon. The following day we'd like to take a train to Lake Como for a day trip in the Lakes area. Our flight home leaves the following morning. Can any of you CCers chime in with "must dos" or "don't bothers" for Milan and the Lake Como area? Thanks so much!

 

Hi, Ohio NW neighbor! Nice that you are sailing on Seabourn Spirit. Did that ship for the Greek Isles and Turkish Coast on our first cruise in June 2006. Nice ship!

 

For Lake Como, it is a wonderful area. Are you flying out of Milan? Below are some visuals for Belegio and nearby on the lake. Wonderful, relaxing area.

 

For Venice, you might look at this earlier posting that I did with many options and visual potentials shown for this city that is so great for "walking around".

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226&highlight=venice

 

Are you going to stay on Lake Como or just visit it as a day-trip? Questions, reactions??? Don't be shy!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 38,825 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Here is a sampling of some of my visuals from visiting nearby to lovely and charming Bellagio. First, is a scene from a royal estate just south of Bellagio. Second are two views from the nearby, the across the lake town of Varenna. You can see how the "drama" of the mountains and the lake make things so beautiful. This is a very relaxing and interesting setting for starting or finishing a tour of Italy where you will experience certain of its busy and intense cities.:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Toledo Cruiser]

Thank you so much for all of your suggestions. While I've been doing some reading it always helps to learn what has been good experiences for others.

 

Cruisin'Cockney-the Dumo, La Scala (hope to see a concert) and the Galleria are all on the list. I didn't know about the Villa Balbianello, so will look into it. Thanks!

 

Florida-That's so neat that you're leaving soon! I would LOVE to hear your reactions to the areas we'll be visiting. I'll keep the thread going until you can give us a mini review. I have a short tour booked so we can get in to see the Last Supper. Thought we might not get back that way so we should see it.

 

Julie-I'll bet it would be great to stay in the Lakes area, but with luggage and a morning flight out of Milan, staying in Milan seemed like the thing to do. We'll be at Lake Como on a Saturday, so I'll keep an eye out for brides, but, alas, not Catherine and Wills ;).

 

Rebecca- Rick Steves had suggested taking the train to Varenna and then using ferries to get around the Lake, so thanks for the confirmation. I wasn't sure which other town to visit around the lakes, but the common theme so far seems to be Bellagio.

 

Lastly, Neighbor Terry-Your pics are fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing, makes me sad to have to wait until Oct! Yes, we are flying out of Milan to return home. We'll just be on a day trip to Lake Como. I have looked at a couple of other threads that have your pics of Venice on them and they're outstanding. My hubby also loves photography, so you're giving him something to "shoot" for. This will be our first time on Seabourn, so we're looking forward to what I hear is a great experience! How do you know that we aren't from Toledo, Spain? Just teasing you! Are you from nearby?

 

Another question from you knowledgable travelers: We didn't get out to Murano or Burano on our last trip to Venice. What's the concensus out there-worth the time and effort? Thanks so much for all of your responses!

[Toledo Cruiser]

I posted my last reply about the time the boards were being updated, so I think something odd happened with it.

 

Terry, I see you're from Columbus. Can't help myself..just have to say GO BLUE!!!

 

Any hints or tips on the islands around Venice? We have half a day before boarding the Seabourn Spirit in Oct.

 

Thanks!!!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

One thing I wanted to point out. I have been to Lake Como twice. The first time at the end of March and it was clear as a bell and fabulous. The next time we went in summer and it was hot, muggy and overcast. So two completely different experiences. I haven't been in October but I suspect it will be nicer than say August.

[floridafolks]

Florida-That's so neat that you're leaving soon! I would LOVE to hear your reactions to the areas we'll be visiting. I'll keep the thread going until you can give us a mini review. I have a short tour booked so we can get in to see the Last Supper. Thought we might not get back that way so we should see it.

 

 

We just returned from our Transatlantic cruise and trip extension in Italy and Switzerland. I will give a few thoughts on the pertinent part re Milan and Lake Como:

 

FANTASTIC!! We too based in Milan and loved not having to fool with getting luggage to the Lake district. We stayed at the Park Hyatt and it was wonderful-great location near the Galleria, Duomo, and La Scala.

Unfortunately, there was no performance on the evenings we were there, but we went to the La Scala Museum one morning and it included a visit inside the Opera House. That was fun observing set-building for an upcoming performance from box seats. We also had the concierge get us tickets to the Last Supper with the English guide at 9:30. We had seen it before, many years ago. They have had a "cleaning" done since then, so it was nice to see how things had changed. Now they only allow small groups in for a brief period of time.

 

We spent two days at Lake Como. We took the train both days. One day we based out of Como(going up to Brunate) and the other day we based out of Varenna. If you only have one day for the Lake district, I would definitely say take the train to Varenna and then use the boats- a day pass is 12E or 3.7E per trip. We loved Bellagio! We also loved going to Tremezzo and visiting Villa Carlotta and its gardens. The azaleas were beautiful! The boats ran quite often. If you take the train to Varenna, be sure and get a return ticket before you leave Milan, as the train station in Varenna is not manned. There is a small travel agency in Varenna that sells tickets, but I would not want to rely on them being open when you pass by.

 

Have a great visit- You will be so glad you made the trip to Milan and Lake Como.

[Toledo Cruiser]

Thank you Florida Folks for the great mini-review of the Milan & Lake Como area. You included lots of good tips that will help in planning our day in Milan and then the Lake Como area. I would like to try to get tickets to a ballet at La Scala for our first night in Milan. Would you say that would be a good idea? Also, how long is the train ride to Varenna and did you purchase the ticket at the station or on-line before leaving home? About how long is the boat ride from Varenna to Bellagio? Thanks, again!!!

[floridafolks]

Thank you Florida Folks for the great mini-review of the Milan & Lake Como area. You included lots of good tips that will help in planning our day in Milan and then the Lake Como area. I would like to try to get tickets to a ballet at La Scala for our first night in Milan. Would you say that would be a good idea? Also, how long is the train ride to Varenna and did you purchase the ticket at the station or on-line before leaving home? About how long is the boat ride from Varenna to Bellagio? Thanks, again!!!

 

Depending on the hotel you are staying in Milan, I might ask the concierge to get tickets to La Scala if you htink they are hard to come by. My husband would have been in heaven if there had been a opera performance while we were there- no luck. He would have loved to experience the acoustics in there. As to the ballet, that would be your call. Getting to see inside La Scala anyway you can would be a worthwhile event in my book.

 

The train ride from Milan to Varenna is about an hour on a regional train. We bought round trip tickets at the Milan Central station when we arrived by train from Rome. It is a big station, but they have a huge ticket office. We preferred to buy in person rather than from a machine. I did purchase the Rome-Milan tickets online ahead of time as we went on an express train with reserved seats.

 

I can not remember exactly how long the trip from Varenna to Bellagio was- it is a short trip under 15 minutes. It is very scenic riding the boats from Varenna to Bellagio to Tremezzo(Villa Carlotta) to Menaggio. All the segments are very quick. They have a schedule online, but there seemed to be more choices than those listed. If you need more detailed info, let me know.

 

Also, at the Tourist information office in Bellagio you can pick up some walking tour maps. (Bellagio has become so popular that you will hear more English there than Italian.) They have several self-guided walking tours of various length, so you can choose which one meets your time schedule.

 

Have a great trip.

[Toledo Cruiser]

Thank you for your response, Floridafolks. Your comments will be a great help in planning our days in the area!