Trenes a Como

The lakeside city of Como is less than an hour north of Milan and very close to the Swiss border. This stylish resort is a place to linger, but it's also a perfect base to explore the beautiful countryside on the shores of Lake Como. Express boats speed to the head of the lake (at Colico) in just a couple of hours all year round. Some prefer, however, to stick to the slower services, which stop off at lakeshore communities like Bellagio, Menaggio and Varenna. Around the city of Como itself, there are beautiful hillside walks and endless opportunities for coffee and cake.

The main railway station is Como San Giovanni. One of the least beautiful buildings in town, it is located about a ten-minute walk west of the city centre. This is where all Trenitalia trains stop, as well as all trains from Switzerland. A second station called Como Nord Lago is closer to the lake. It is used only by local services from Milan.

Como San Giovanni station is on one of the main rail routes running north from Milan to Lugano in Switzerland. From Como the railway runs in a tunnel under Mount Olimpino to emerge in the Swiss town of Chiasso just five minutes up the line. Local trains run through the tunnel to Switzerland at least twice each hour. EuroCity trains leave Como every two hours for Lugano and Zurich, running via the new Gotthard Base Tunnel - fast, but not good for sightseeing! There are a handful of northbound regional trains each day which use the very scenic old Gotthard route. There is also an excellent local train service from Como San Giovanni to Milan with two to three trains each hour serving this route during much of the day.