If this is your first time taking the train from Milan to Lake Como, the experience can feel slightly intimidating. Milano Centrale is a huge, busy station, with platforms numbered up to 24, multilingual signage, and the constant rumble of trains arriving and departing. The good news: the trip to Como is straightforward, and once you have done it once you will laugh at how simple it actually is.
We work at Lake Como Tourist Center, three minutes from Como San Giovanni station, and we walk newly arrived travellers through this exact route every day. Here is the step-by-step, written from the perspective of people who would rather you arrived relaxed than confused.
Step 1: Get to Milano Centrale
Milano Centrale is connected to the city by metro (lines M2 and M3), tram, bus, and the Malpensa Express. If you are coming from a hotel in central Milan, the metro is usually the fastest and cheapest option — around €2.20 for a single ticket. Allow 20 to 40 minutes from anywhere in the centre, including the walk inside the station to the platforms.
Arrive at Milano Centrale around 20 minutes before your train departs. The station is enormous, and finding the right platform takes a few minutes the first time.
Step 2: Find the Departures Board
Walk into the main station hall and look up. The huge yellow and black departures board lists every train leaving in the next hour, with destination, departure time, train number, and platform (binario). Trains to Como appear with destinations like Chiasso, Bellinzona, Zurich Hauptbahnhof, or Como San Giovanni itself. Note the time of your train and the binario number.
Platforms are not assigned until about 20 minutes before departure for regional trains, so do not panic if your train shows no platform yet. Check the board every couple of minutes.
Step 3: Buy Your Ticket
You can buy tickets in four ways:
- Trenitalia or Trenord app — the easiest method. Download it before you leave, pay by card or Apple Pay, and the ticket sits on your phone. No need to validate.
- Trenitalia.com or Trenord.it - you will receive your tickets on your mail. No need to validate.
- Ticket machines at the station — available in English and most other major languages. They take cards and cash.
- Ticket counters — useful if you need to ask questions, but expect queues at Milano Centrale.
If you don't want to buy your ticket online, do it directly at the station at one of the green Trenitalia machines spread around the station. The machines have English language options. Choose Milano Centrale to Como San Giovanni, select the regional fare (around €5.40), pay with card or cash, and take the printed ticket.
Avoid the third-party ticket counters with fancy signage — they sometimes charge service fees on tickets you can buy directly. The official Trenitalia counter is staffed and helpful if you are confused.
Step 4: Validate Your Ticket
If you bought a paper ticket from a machine, validate it before boarding (if from app or website, you don't need it). Look for small green or yellow boxes mounted on the walls near platform entrances — they look like little ATMs. Slide the ticket in, wait for the date stamp, take it back out. Done.
Skipping this step (only for printed tickets) costs you €50 if a conductor checks your ticket. Digital tickets through the official apps are pre-validated and do not need this step.
Step 5: Find the Right Platform
Once your platform (binario) shows on the board, walk toward the platform area. Milano Centrale's platforms are at one end of the station, accessed through a wide concourse. Check the platform display when you arrive — it shows the train destination and departure time. Confirm it matches your ticket.
Trains heading to Como San Giovanni stop here as part of longer routes to Switzerland, so the on-platform display lists Chiasso, Bellinzona, Lugano, Locarno or Zurich as the final destination. That is correct — Como San Giovanni is the forth stop after Milan. Pay attention not to drop off the train earlier in Como Camerlata, wait the next to dropp off in Como San Giovanni.
Step 6: Board the Right Train
The trains are double-decker or single-decker units with standard seating. Hop on any carriage — seats are unreserved. Find a seat with a luggage rack within sight if you have a bag. Sit on the right side facing forward if you want to glimpse the lake on the final approach.
Trains depart on time in Italy more often than the cliches suggest, particularly on Trenord routes. Do not assume there is a buffer.
Step 7: The 40-Minute Journey
The train pulls out of Milano Centrale and immediately heads north. The first ten minutes go through Milan's industrial outskirts. After that, the scenery shifts toward farmland, then small towns.
Around 20 minutes in, you start climbing toward Como and you'll see the Alps passing by small villages close to Como. Last 5 minutes, you will catch glimpses of Como city from South. Have your ticket ready — conductors sometimes check during this stretch.
Step 8: Arriving at Como San Giovanni
The train stops at Como San Giovanni, you step off, and you are in Como. The station is a single grand building from the late nineteenth century, with a stuccoed facade and a clock tower. Follow the signs marked Uscita (Exit) — they take you through a short tunnel and into the main hall, then out onto Piazzale San Gottardo.
Just outside the station you will find taxis, a bus stop, a small bar for espresso, and signage pointing toward the lake. Free Wi-Fi works inside the station if you need to check directions.
Step 9: Walk Three Minutes to Us (and Then to the Lake)
From Piazzale San Gottardo, head down Via Borgo Vico — the road slopes gently downhill toward the lake. After three minutes of walking, you will see our tourist centre at number 42, on your right. This is the moment we want to meet you.
Why stop in? Because the next decision matters. Are you going on the water today? Public (and crowdy) ferry with their famous queue) or a private taxi boat? Where do you want to be by sunset? We will help you decide based on the weather, the day, and what is actually open. Then we send you the rest of the way down the road — five more minutes — to Piazza Cavour and the lakefront.
Before You Leave: What to Pack in Your Bag
For a day trip, a small backpack is enough. Take a refillable water bottle (public fountains in Como are drinkable), sunscreen, a layer for the evening because the lake gets cool quickly after sunset, comfortable walking shoes because the historic centre has cobblestones, your ID or passport, and a charged phone for offline maps. If you plan to swim, throw in a swimsuit and a quick-dry towel.
Leave the rest in your Milan hotel. Heavy luggage on a day trip turns a relaxed afternoon into a tedious one. If you must bring bags, our luggage storage is three minutes from the station and runs all day.
What If You Miss Your Train
If you miss your scheduled regional train, your ticket is still valid for any other regional service to the same destination within the validity window — four hours from purchase, or 90 minutes from the time you stamped it if it was a paper ticket. Just walk back to the platform area and board the next train.
If you bought a high-speed Frecciarossa ticket and missed your specific train, you have less flexibility. Go to the Trenitalia counter at the station and they can sometimes rebook you on a later service for a small fee. The honest takeaway: for the Milan-Como trip, regional tickets are not just cheaper, they are more forgiving.
Returning to Milan in the Evening
The last regional trains from Como San Giovanni to Milano (Centrale or Porta Garibaldi) is around is between 11pm and 11.30pm - pay attention to arrive at station on time. Trenord trains from Como Nord Lago to Cadorna stop earlier, usually around 10:30pm. Check the exact times before your visit because they vary slightly by season.
We recommend not pushing the last train. Catch one with at least 90 minutes of buffer before any flight or onward connection. If you are returning to a Milan hotel, even a 9pm train gets you back to Milano Centrale by around 9:40pm with plenty of time for dinner.
Saving Time at Como San Giovanni on the Way Back
Heading back to Milan, give yourself ten minutes to walk back uphill from the lakefront to the station, plus another five at the platform. The walk uphill is gentler than it looks — the same Via Borgo Vico you came down. Stop in at our tourist centre on the way for any last-minute logistics, leftover luggage, or a recommendation for where to grab a quick coffee.
Inside the station, you can use the bar for a final espresso, the restrooms before the train, and the small newsagent if you want a bottle of water. Trains heading toward Milan board on platforms 1 to 4 depending on the service. Listen for the announcements or check the boards — destinations toward Milan include Milano Centrale, Milano Porta Garibaldi, and sometimes Roma Termini for high-speed trains continuing south.
One more practical tip for the return: validate any new paper ticket you buy at the station before boarding, even if it is for the same route. The validation rule applies in both directions.
Just arrived at Como San Giovanni? We are 3 minutes walk away. Via Borgo Vico 42.