After my recent rant about public transport, I thought I needed to make up for it with a positive experience. And what better example than a picturesque Italian escape? It is no secret that Milan is one of my favourite city destinations, and from there, Lake Como is just a stone throw away – even with public transport. I have done the day trip to the world-famous lake twice. Once in autumn and once in spring. Both times, it was amazing, relaxing and absolutely worth it.
If you are staying centrally in Milan, you can easily reach Lake Como and Como town by train from both Milan Central station arriving at Como San Giovanni or Cardona station arriving at Como Nord Lago. The journey from either only takes little over an hour and is extremely affordable. From either, you’ll arrive close to the shore of the lake, just outside of Como town; a pleasant 5-minute walk will take you right into the centre and to the shore, where you can take a ferry to get to other towns located around the lake or simply tour it for pleasure as I did.
When I went to Como last, I left Milan sometime in the late morning after a slow and relaxed start (or probably a gym session…?) and an extensive breakfast at the hotel I was at. I had absolutely no rush, took the metro to Cardona station where I waited for the next available train to Como. There’s no point stressing over departure times as the trains are a regular service and you’ll never have to wait long for the next one. When I arrived, I bought my ticket for the ferry that tours the southern part of the lake from Como up to Torno and Moltrasio, returning on the western shore via Cernobbio.
You can buy your ticket at a kiosk sort of place right in front of the different piers facing the lake and you can choose your departure time. I decided to first have lunch and take the boat later on. And just to be clear, it is a relatively small boat; maybe ferry isn’t even the right word to use, but it is still more of a public transport-getting from A to B kind of situation rather than a yacht where you chill with a glass of bubbly while admiring the view of your room at the Mandarin Oriental from the lakeside.
In search of a cute little restaurant, I strolled around town, found a place where I could sit outside despite the season of the year and had risotto al funghi. The food was good, but nothing I particularly need to recommend to you here. I partly opted for sitting outside because my lunchtime would have made any Spaniard proud, and most restaurants were pretty much empty by the time. And if there is one thing I really do not enjoy, it is eating in an empty restaurant.
After rounding off my lunch with a delicious espresso, I walked back to the pier to take the boat. Although it was only at the end of March and not even cherry blossom season yet, it was not too cold to sit on the open deck of the ferry, which made the experience all the more special and enjoyable since I had unobstructed views. I took so many videos of the beautiful shoreline that I ended up running out of battery on my phone. It was lucky that the train back to Milan had power outlets to recharge.
I think that lake Como is such a beautiful destination that is so easy to reach and so different from the bustling city of Milan, that it would almost be a crime not to go when you have come to this iconic fashion city. For me, the little town of Como isn’t really a place I would come to specifically shop or do things. I just found it very pretty to walk through, grab coffee and recharge the soul with wonderfully Italian, slightly Alpine aesthetics.
Como town is just very pleasing and comforting. Small and slightly uneventful, which make it a perfect destination for a chill and scenic day trip. And because it can be reached so effortlessly by train, it makes it a perfect last-minute destination, too. You don’t need to plan ahead; just board the train. So, if you are shopped out in Milan and long for something quiet, you have a most beautiful alternative.
The comfy traveller's diaries 