A Weekend of Milan Escapes
Two Days Out of Milan, Not In It
This two-day plan swaps a full day in Milan for two of its best rail-reachable escapes: Lake Como’s Varenna and Bellagio on day one, Bergamo’s walled upper town on day two. Both trips return to Milan by evening, so your hotel booking in the city never changes. If you’re also covering the Duomo and the Last Supper this trip, the Milan guide handles the city side; this one is just the two best reasons to leave it.
Book these before you go: compare Milan hotel rates on Booking.com , a Lake Como day tour on GetYourGuide if you’d rather not manage the train-then-ferry handoff solo, and a Bergamo Città Alta tour on GetYourGuide if you want the funicular and the old town narrated rather than self-guided.
| Day | Destination | Travel time from Milan | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Lake Como (Varenna and Bellagio) | ~65 min train + ~15 min ferry | Lakeside villages |
| Day 2 | Bergamo Città Alta | ~48-50 min train | Walled hilltop town |
Do You Need to Book Lake Como in Advance?
No. The Trenord train and the Varenna-Bellagio ferry both sell same-day tickets, at the station and dockside, so there’s nothing to reserve weeks out the way there is for Milan’s Last Supper. The only real planning decision is which town to see first, and Varenna should be it.
Day 1: Lake Como (Varenna and Bellagio)
Trenord regional trains run from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino in about 65 minutes, roughly hourly, for around EUR 7.40 one way. Bellagio has no train station of its own, a detail that trips up first-timers expecting a direct route: Varenna is the actual rail gateway, and a public ferry connects the two towns in about 15 minutes for roughly EUR 5 dockside. Spend the morning in Varenna, its lakefront promenade and the walk up to Castello di Vezio are quieter and cheaper than anything in Bellagio, then cross for an afternoon among Bellagio’s stepped lanes and boutiques. Round trip, ferry included, runs close to two hours each way, so this fills a full day rather than a rushed half one. Check current timetables on trenord.it and general trip planning on lakecomo.is . Return to Milan by early evening.
Should Day 2 Be Bergamo or a Second Lake?
Bergamo, if this is only a weekend. It’s shorter, cheaper, and needs no ferry crossing, which matters after a long first day, and it gives the trip a genuinely different register: a walled medieval hilltop town instead of a second stretch of lakeside villages. Save Lake Maggiore for a longer version of this itinerary.
Day 2: Bergamo Città Alta
Trenord trains cover Milano Centrale to Bergamo in about 48 to 50 minutes, roughly hourly, with around 15 trips a day. The walled upper town, Città Alta, sits well above the train station and the modern lower city, so take the funicular rather than attempting a flat walk-up on a tight schedule. Once up top: Piazza Vecchia, the Colleoni Chapel, and views over the Lombardy plain from the Rocca. Full details on the funicular and opening hours are on in-lombardia.it . This is the lowest-key, lowest-effort day trip on the whole family of Milan escapes, genuinely doable as a half-day if your evening train home is earlier than planned.
Where This Goes Next
If two days out of Milan leaves you wanting a third, the 3-day itinerary keeps this exact plan and adds Verona by fast train, and the full ranked list of all seven escapes is in the Milan Escapes guide .
Buy the Varenna train ticket the morning you travel; there is no advance-booking advantage here, and a fixed departure time only limits you if the weather turns.