Day trips from Milan: train or tour, what each costs, and the closures that change the plan

💡 The Short Version: Lake Como is 39 minutes to Como or 1 hour 4 minutes to Varenna by train, from €5.40; Bergamo is 53 minutes; Stresa on Lake Maggiore 59; Verona 1 hour 13 by Frecciarossa; Turin about 1 hour 5 from Milano Porta Garibaldi, not Centrale. Lugano is 1 hour 15 and the Bernina Express to St Moritz a 14-hour day. Closures change the plan: Lake Garda’s boats stop from 2 November 2026 to 12 March 2027, the Borromean palaces close on 8 November, and Villa Melzi’s gardens close on 1 November. A tour from €63.50 saves the train and the changes and gives you a guide; entries are priced separately. Or book now: the Lake Como, Bellagio and Lugano tourad is from €63.50 for 10 hours, and the Bernina Red Train and St Moritz day tripad from €89 (GetYourGuide).

The day trips compared

Entry prices are the operators’ own, for one adult. A tour’s price is GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” price. “From” train fares are Trenitalia’s lowest regional fare, one way; the Trenitalia app shows the fare for your day.

When a tour is worth it

A tour earns its place where one day takes more than a direct train: a lake day that sails and drives, or the Bernina line, where the Swiss ticket, the Tirano connection and a fixed return are the product. For Bergamo, Verona, Turin and Cremona the train is direct, and the tour buys a guide. A tour saves the changes and the planning. The listings do not always say which entries are included, so check before you book.

Trains from Milan

Trains leave from Milano Centrale, Milano Cadorna and Milano Porta Garibaldi. Trenord runs the regional trains to the lakes and Bergamo; Trenitalia and Italo run the high-speed trains.

• The ticket: regional fares are fixed by distance and need no seat reservation. Frecciarossa and EuroCity fares include a reservation and rise as the train fills.
• The stations: the Frecciarossa to Turin leaves from Porta Garibaldi. The Trenord line to Como Lago leaves from Cadorna; the Como San Giovanni and Varenna trains leave from Centrale.
• Contactless: ATM’s tap-in system works on the metro, not on Trenord trains. Milan public transport has the rules.
• Strikes: a national rail strike runs from 21:00 on 29 October to 20:59 on 30 October 2026, with others on 20 and 21 November and 3 and 4 December. The Ministry’s strike list has the hours, and Italian rail strikes can be called at short notice.

The trips

Lake Como

39 minutes to Como · 1 hour 4 to Varenna · tours from €63.50

Bellagio has no station. The train to Varenna and a ferry across is the quickest way to the middle of the lake; Como has the boats to Tremezzo and Villa Carlotta. The Lake Como guide has the ferry fares, the villa dates and the tours.

Bergamo

53 minutes · tours: none needed

A walled upper town above a modern lower one, joined by a funicular on a €1.70 ticket. The Bergamo guide has the opening days and the airport bus.

Verona

1 hour 13 minutes by Frecciarossa · walks from €30

The Arena, Juliet’s House and the squares, all on foot from the station. The Verona guide has the train times, the opera season and the VeronaCard.

Lake Garda and Sirmione

51 minutes to Desenzano · bus €2.20 · no boats 2 November to 12 March

The station is in Desenzano; a bus takes you to Sirmione’s castle and Roman caves. The Garda guide has the fares and the combined Verona day.

Lake Maggiore

59 minutes to Stresa · boats from €4.00 · palaces close on 8 November

The Borromeo family’s palaces on Isola Bella and Isola Madre. The Lake Maggiore guide has the boat fares, the day ticket and the hours.

The Bernina Express

Tirano 2 hours 32 · St Moritz 2 hours 11 on · tours from €89

A Trenord train to Tirano and the Rhaetian Railway over the Bernina Pass. The Bernina guide has the Swiss fares in francs and the last train back.

Serravalle Designer Outlet

Shuttle €25 return · five departures a day

Serravalle compares the outlet’s own shuttle with GetYourGuide’s listing.

Turin

Frecciarossa 1 hour 5 to 1 hour 8 from Milano Porta Garibaldi · from €27.90 · no tour from Milan

The Frecciarossa leaves from Milano Porta Garibaldi, not Centrale, and arrives at Torino Porta Nuova; a Fast Regional from Centrale or Garibaldi takes 1 hour 55 from €12.90. The Frecciarossa back leaves Porta Nuova at 17:00 and reaches Milano Centrale at 18:02, 1 hour 2 minutes.

Palazzo Madama on Piazza Castello in Turin, with the Mole Antonelliana’s spire at left. Photo: Georgius LXXXIX, Wikimedia Commons.

The Museo Egizio is €18 (over-70s €15, students aged 15 to 18 and university students €3, ages 6 to 14 €1, a family of two adults and two under-18s €36). Tickets are sold online only, none at the door. It is open Monday 09:00 to 14:00, Tuesday to Friday and Sunday 09:00 to 18:30 and Saturday 09:00 to 20:00, with last admission one hour before closing. The Mole Antonelliana and the National Cinema Museum are €18 for the museum, €9 for the panoramic lift and €23 for both (concessions €16, €7 and €20), open from 09:00 to 19:00 and closed on Tuesdays. From 7 October to 8 December 2026 the museum-only ticket is reduced for everyone because some exhibition areas are closed for an installation, and the museum is shut on 12, 13 and 14 December. The lift ticket is separate, and a limited number go on sale online 19 hours ahead. A day by Frecciarossa is €55.80 in fares plus €18 for the Egizio or the Mole.

Lugano

1 hour 15 to 1 hour 18 · from €26.00 · Swiss prices in francs

The EuroCity from Milano Centrale takes 1 hour 18 minutes, from €26.00 on Trenitalia, and a Trenord regional takes 1 hour 15; trains back leave Lugano at 17:02, 18:02 and 19:02, 1 hour 15 each. From Malpensa the TILO S50 runs to Lugano every hour. Switzerland is in the Schengen area, outside the EU: carry a passport.

Lugano and Lake Lugano, with Monte Brè on the left and Monte San Salvatore on the right. Photo: Mazzardi Luigi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Monte San Salvatore funicular from Paradiso takes about 12 minutes every 30 minutes and is CHF 25 single or CHF 32 return (children aged 6 to 16 CHF 11 and CHF 14). It runs daily 09:00 to 17:00 from 25 October, and the funicular and the Vetta restaurant close from 9 November 2026 to 12 March 2027. The Monte Brè funicular, from Lugano-Cassarate by Suvigliana, is CHF 17 single or CHF 26 return (children aged 6 to 15 half price). Lugano is also sold inside the Lake Como boat tours: the Lake Como, Bellagio and Lugano tourad is from €64.50, rated 4.8 from 11,719 reviews.

Cremona

1 hour 8 minutes direct · from €8.40 · Museo del Violino €14

A direct Trenord train leaves Milano Centrale at 08:20 and 09:15 for Cremona. The Museo del Violino in Piazza Marconi is €14, open Tuesday to Friday 11:00 to 17:00 and Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 18:00. A day is €16.80 in train fares and €14 for the museum, and there is no tour from Milan.

Cremona cathedral and the Torrazzo bell tower on Piazza del Comune. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Pavia and the Certosa

Pavia 29 to 34 minutes · the Certosa about 43 minutes · Certosa €10

Pavia is 29 minutes by Intercity from €9.00 or 34 minutes by Fast Regional from €4.60. The Certosa di Pavia has its own station on Trenord’s S13, about 43 minutes in all from €4.10, changing at Rogoredo. The monastery is open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 16:00, with last entry 30 minutes before closing; while summer time runs it stays open to 18:00 (certosadipavia.it). The ticket is €10 on site or online, €2 for ages 18 to 25, free under 18, free on the first Sunday of the month and with the Lombardy museums card, and it is closed on Mondays, 25 December and 1 January. Monza is 11 minutes by Trenord from Centrale.

Venice, Florence, Bologna and Rome by train

These are rail days: Venice 2 hours 29 minutes by Frecciarossa from €37.90, Florence 1 hour 54 from €49.90, Bologna 1 hour 4 from €47.90 and Rome about 3 hours 10 from €74.90. Each city has its own guide: Venice, Florence and Rome, and Venice’s day trips cover the trip the other way. The coach tours from Milan are 12 to 15 hours: Venice with a city tourad is from €129, Cinque Terre with a cruisead from €118.15, Genoa and Portofinoad from €105.78 and Florence and Pisaad from €179.

Before you choose a day

• Passport: carry one for Lugano, St Moritz and any tour that includes Lugano. What to book before you go to Milan has the entry rules for Italy.
• Which to take: Como or Bergamo for a short train; Verona for a city day; a tour for the Bernina line.
• Getting to the station: Milan public transport covers the metro, and airports to the city shows how the trains connect with Malpensa. Where to stay in Milan compares the areas, and 3 days in Milan fits a day trip into the week.