Lake Como from Cyprus: Flights, Ferries, Villas and a Three-Day Plan

Lake Como is the kind of place that looks unreal even when you are standing in it: villages in faded pink and ochre stacked above the water, villa gardens running down to private landing stages, and mountains rising straight out of the lake. From Cyprus it makes a lovely long weekend, because Milan is a direct flight away and the lake is about an hour beyond it by train.

Flight schedules, ferry timetables and villa opening dates change by season, so check with the operator before you book.

Why go to Lake Como

Lake Como is shaped like an upside-down Y, with Como town at the bottom of the western arm and Bellagio on the point where the arms meet. The middle of the lake is where most visitors spend their time: Bellagio, Varenna on the eastern shore, and Menaggio and Cadenabbia on the west, all linked by short ferry crossings.

What makes it special is how much you can see without a car. Trains bring you to the shore, ferries hop between villages, and most of the famous villas have their own landing stage or a walk from one. After the dry Cypriot summer, the green of the lake gardens is a treat in itself.

The direct flight from Cyprus

• From Larnaca: Wizz Air and Cyprus Airways fly to Milan Malpensa all year. The flight takes about 3 hours 40 minutes to 4 hours. Wizz Air's flight was running most days in October 2026.
• From Paphos: Ryanair flies to Milan Bergamo, but it is a seasonal route. Check that it is running on your dates; if it isn't, the nearest option is to fly from Larnaca to Malpensa.
• Time difference: Italy is one hour behind Cyprus all year.

Our Milan destination page has more on the city itself, and our winter trips from Cyprus guide compares Milan with the other winter routes.

From the airport to the lake

From Malpensa

• To Como town: take the Malpensa Express to Saronno and change to a Trenord regional train for Como Nord Lago, the station right by the lakefront. It takes about an hour, with one change.
• To Varenna: take the Malpensa Express to Milano Centrale (about 50 minutes), then a direct Trenord train to Varenna-Esino. That leg takes 64 minutes, with about 16 trains a day, the first at 06:20 and the last at 21:20. Allow just over two hours in total.
• To Bellagio: go to Varenna by train and cross by ferry, or go to Como and take bus C130 along the eastern shore (about 1 hour 10 minutes).

From Milano Centrale, trains also run to Como San Giovanni in about 40 minutes, which is handy if you spend a night in Milan first.

From Bergamo

The Airport Bus runs every 30 minutes from the airport to Bergamo, about 20 minutes away, and Autostradale coaches run to Milano Centrale in about an hour (allow longer, as traffic is often heavy). From Milan, take the train to Como or Varenna as above. Allow about two hours to Varenna.

Allow at least 15 to 20 minutes for each change, especially with luggage.

What to see and do

Ride the ferries

The ferries, run by Navigazione Laghi, are the best way to see the lake. In the middle of the lake, boats cross between Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Cadenabbia in about 10 to 30 minutes, and longer services run the length of the lake from Como. Boats run all year, with fewer departures in winter. Buy your ticket at the office on the quay where you can: tickets bought on board cost €1 more per passenger when the office is open.

Bellagio

Bellagio sits on the tip of the headland, with steep stepped lanes climbing from the waterfront. Walk to the point for views down both arms of the lake. The gardens of Villa Melzi, along the shore south of the village, are open until 1 November 2026 and then close for winter, reopening at the end of March 2027. A ticket cost €10 in 2026, and children up to 11 go free.

Villa Carlotta

On the western shore at Tremezzina, Villa Carlotta is a museum and a botanical garden in one, with its own ferry stop, Tremezzo – Villa Carlotta, about 400 metres from the entrance. It opens daily 10:00–18:00 until 8 November 2026, then for a winter special on the weekends of 14–15, 21–22 and 28–29 November and from 5 to 8 December, 10:00–16:00. Adult tickets cost €17.50 (2026), €7 for students aged 6 to 18, and a family ticket €35.

Villa del Balbianello

Run by FAI, the Italian National Trust, this villa stands on a wooded point near Lenno. It is closed on Mondays and Wednesdays. In December 2026 it opens only on selected days (1, 4–6, 8, 11–13, 15, 18–20, 22, 26–27 and 29 December), 10:00–17:00, with the last villa tour at 15:00. The park alone costs €15 for adults, or €25 with the guided villa tour (2026). You reach it on foot from Lenno, a 1 km uphill path of about 25 minutes, or by a paid taxi boat from Lido di Lenno that must be booked.

Varenna

Varenna is the prettiest stop on the eastern shore, and the only one of the central villages on the railway from Milan. It is small enough to see in an afternoon, so it pairs well with a ferry hop to Bellagio.

Como town and Brunate

Como has the lake's cathedral, an old town of arcaded streets around Piazza Cavour, and the Como–Brunate funicular, which climbs to the village of Brunate in about 7 minutes for a view over the first basin of the lake. It runs from 6:00 to midnight, but it is closed from 9 to 27 November 2026 for planned works.

Best time to go

• April to October: all the villa gardens are open and the ferries run their fullest timetables. Spring and early autumn are the most pleasant; summer is the busiest time.
• November to March: quiet villages, lower prices and low winter light on the mountains. Most gardens are closed, but Villa Carlotta and Villa del Balbianello have the winter dates above.

Our spring trips from Cyprus guide has more ideas for a spring break in Italy.

Where to stay

• Como: the most practical base, with direct trains to Milan, shops and restaurants that stay open all year, and ferries up the lake. Good in winter.
• Varenna: on the railway and on the ferry triangle, so you can reach Bellagio and Menaggio easily. Small and quiet in the evenings.
• Bellagio: the most beautiful base, right in the middle of the lake, but you rely on ferries and buses to get anywhere.
• Menaggio: on the western shore, with ferries across the lake and buses to Como.

In winter, check that your hotel is open for your dates before you book flights.

A three-day plan

1. Day one: fly from Larnaca to Malpensa, take the train to Varenna via Milano Centrale, and walk along the lakefront before dinner.
2. Day two: take the ferry to Bellagio in the morning and walk its lanes to the point, then cross to Cadenabbia or Tremezzo for Villa Carlotta, or to Lenno for Villa del Balbianello, if your dates are open days. Ferry back to Varenna in the late afternoon.
3. Day three: take the train or ferry to Como, visit the cathedral and Piazza Cavour, ride the funicular to Brunate if it's running, then take the train back to Malpensa via Saronno.

Practical tips

• Currency: Italy uses the euro.
• Documents: Cyprus is not in the Schengen area, so there are passport or ID checks when you fly to Italy. Non-EU nationals living in Cyprus should check Schengen visa rules before booking.
• Health: the EHIC covers necessary state healthcare in Italy, but take travel insurance as well.
• Timetables: ferry, train and villa times change several times a year. Check them the day before, especially in winter.
• Pack layers: the lake is cooler and damper than Cyprus, and evenings on a ferry deck can be chilly even in spring.