We are considering a short trip to the Lake Como region either in late Sept or early Oct depending on what remains of that great ex-PHX J fare. The plan is to fly into Milan, spend one night and the following day there, overnight and the following 3 days, stay in Lake Como before returning to Milan for a coronavirus test and the trip home.

Our goal is to avoid the tourist crush and enjoy cool but not cold temperatures, ideally daytime in the 60s to low 70s, and view some fall colors around the Lake. We just don't want to be freezing cold while out on the water especially if we decide to rent a boat for a day.

Are we better off going in early Oct, or is it too cold and quiet by then? Or is that the ideal time to go given our requirements.

Como, as well as all the major lakes in the area, have "micro-climates" that are usually warmer than the surrounding environs.

Things vary according to the year, but I'd say that September/October is too early to see any autumnal foliage, especially now with global warming. In mid-late October you're likely to see fir trees and pines turn golden at (much) higher altitudes than the lakes. Late October/November is where you see more autumnal foliage but I have to say that NW Italy woods often lack the drama of places like New England. Below, for instance, is how my father's area (NW Italy, Piedmont, ranging from 500 to 2500 metres of altitude) looks like in early November.


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Temperatures in September will be in the low-mid 20s C, up to the low 20s in October if it's sunny.

As for being quiet: Como is a medium sized town in Milan's commuter belt and there's a lot of industry just south of it, so it won't be deserted. Also, if you're going there on a weekend there'll be plenty of day trippers from the city: it's not cold enough to go skiing yet and it's too late to head for the seaside.

Note that Como is a rainy area and rain ramps up in the fall. There's a lot of variability (you could have perfectly sunny days but the chance of a rainy period is significant) so be prepared.

Thank you all! So assuming fall color is off the priority list and rain avoidance is a priority, is the last week of Sept or the first couple weeks of Oct a safer bet?

No one can say for certain. Usually September is better than October. But then again, last year the final week of September and the first of October saw record rainfall over much of NW Italy. I wouldn't fret too much about it: sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

The two weeks are statistically interchangeable. The only reason I raised rain is that you shouldn't be surprised but be prepared. The fact that there is risk of rain shouldn't put you off of a visit to Como.

Thank you - we ended up shifting dates around trying to catch what's left of that ex-PHX cheap J fare, and ended up with Oct 2-12, so our tentative plan is:

Oct 3 evening arrival and 4 and 5 in Milan
Oct 6 morning to Lake Como, and 7, 8, 9 there for full days
Oct 10 depart Lake Como for either Florence or perhaps Geneva or Zurich by train for a day trip and overnight stay
Oct 11 return to Milan in the evening to overnight near MXP
Oct 12 fly out in the morning

Depending on the weather reports we can shift and juggle some dates around inside of the trip to avoid any stretch of rain in the Lake area

are you on AA 199? In any event, best place to stay when flying out of MXP is the Sheraton at Terminal 1. It's a short covered walk right into the terminal. Given AA recommend 2 hours for check-in, the Sheraton really reduces the morning scramble.

Have a 9am flight on LH to MUC, but we will probably do the last night at the airport Sheraton to avoid trying to get out of an unfamiliar city to the airport first thing in the morning. Just trying to figure out if it's the last night or last two nights so we can store the bags in the room and do the day trip to Florence or Geneva from the airport train station.

I'll be honest but a day-trip to Florence is a bit of a waste; it takes roughly three hours from Como and it's a bit of a faff. Maybe Bologna's a bit better, the city is just one hour by high speed train from Milan and is one of Italy's least visited but greatest destinations.

As for Switzerland, maybe I'd choose Bern over Geneva and Geneva over Z�rich but only because of the lake. Neither city is to my taste.

I am pretty sure that the Sheraton WILL NOT store bags for you. I remember asking them once and the reply I got was that for security reasons, they are not allowed to store items for people who are not checked in and guests at the hotel (and if you are checked in/a guest, you could just put your items in your room).

I'd also agree that day tripping to Florence starting in Como is not a practical idea - it's 2 hours from Milan to Florence by train and that's not even dealing with getting from Como to Milan (another hour plus connect time). If you are set on visiting Florence, you'd be better off adding that day in the middle of your Milan stay (and that still leaves 4 hours of train riding in a day). As noted, Bologna is only a 1 hour train ride.

Ending your trip in Lake Como and then going to MXP is a pretty efficient way to leave Como and arrive at MXP.

What I meant was we will switch the last two nights to the airport Sheraton and just stay there and use the airport train station to get to Geneva or Bologna or wherever we decide to go for that one day unless we decide to go from Como to Geneva, stay for a day and overnight, then head back to the MXP Sheraton for the final night.

Ah, that works. One minor annoyance to be aware of when planning train journeys from Milan Malpensa is this: if you want to go to, say, Bologna or Geneva from MXP you need to catch a "MXP Express" (which is just a suburban train stopping at all sorts of stations but let's not get there) to Centrale, not Cadorna. For reasons unknown to man, Lombardy is seemingly hellbent on keeping the MXP Express running every 15-20' but to two different Milan stations. Cadorna's good if you want to reach Como, but effectively useless for anywhere else that isn't in the Milan commuter belt. So you've got to time it and aim for the Centrale trains. From there it's easy, you just change platform for the Cisalpino to Geneva or Frecciarossa/Italo to Bologna.

Another place worth considering, perhaps, is Lugano. There's some very nice villages along the lake there, reachable by ferry or coastal walkways, and - better still - it's about 1h30 direct from MXP as it's one of the very few places that aren't Milan which have a rail link to MXP.

Agree with others. Forget CH. Getting from Como to Geneva will take about six hours as you have to switch trains in Olten, a station at the heart of the Swiss railway network. You can make it to Zurich in under three hours, but it seems a shame to waste a whole day with travelling when the immediate lakes area is so nice. Florence is too far, and I agree with the suggestion of Bologna.

Another place worthy of consideration for a daytrip is Turin, where I studied. Admittedly it's fallen a bit in disrepair thanks to a city council with a combined brain wattage insufficient to power a potato clock but... it's still a beautiful city with some great museums. The best Egyptian museum this side of Cairo, a delightful museum of Oriental art, amazing squares and piazze and great architecture throughout. Food's great too and it's just 50 minutes from Milan or a 90min bus ride from MXP.