Milan and Lake Como Two-Day Travel Itinerary

Milan and Lake Como make a perfect two-day trip. I loved my time there and I felt like two days was a great amount of time to explore both places.

Of course, Milan is a massive Italian city, so with enough money, I’m sure you could spend many days there without getting bored. But since I’m traveling on a budget, I have to be efficient with my trips around Europe.

Planning my trip as a budget traveler, I thought the ideal amount of time to explore the area would be two days total—one day in Milan and one day on Lake Como. And in my opinion, I was right!

In this blog post, you can read about my two-day travel itinerary for Milan and Lake Como.

Now, my two-day trip itinerary doesn’t account for travel to and from Milan. For that, you might need to spend an extra night or two, depending on the timing of your flights or trains.

I arrived in Milan on a Friday, and I left on a Sunday. So I had 48 hours to explore the city and take a day-trip to Lake Como.

If you’re interested in traveling to Milan, Italy, and if you want to fit a day-trip to Lake Como into your travel plan, check out my itinerary of things to do below.

Day 1: Milan

10:00AM–11:30AM: Breakfast at an Italian cafe

While in Milan, I enjoyed exploring local cafes, bakeries, and pastry shops. For breakfast on a budget in Milan, I suggest you grab coffee and pastries at a local cafe in the city.

That way, you can keep costs low while enjoying some phenomenal Italian baked goods.

11:30AM–1:30PM: Arco della Pace, Parco Sempione, and Castello Sforzesco

The first place I went sightseeing in Milan, Italy was around Parco Sempione, a gorgeous city park with fantastic walking trails, wide open fields, and castle. I loved walking around the park and enjoying a bit of green space within the city.

On one side of the park is the Arco della Pace, a massive, ornate arch commissioned by Napoleon.

On the other side of the park is the Castello Sforzesco, a Midieval- and Renaissance-era castle that now houses famous artwork and other historically relevant pieces. It’s free to walk through the main gates of the Italian fortress and check out the courtyard, so I’d highly recommend this sight to tourists traveling on a budget.

1:30PM–3:30PM: Grab panini or pizza for lunch

I don’t know about you, but one of the top things I wanted to do in Italy was taste lots of Italian foods.

Fortunately for budget travelers like me, there are plenty of options in Milan for cheap Italian food. My recommendation is to grab panini or pizza, because both are affordable, delicious options.

When I visited Milan, I ate lunch at Panino & Co., which actually sold pizza and salads in addition to panini. I went for the panini, and I was very satisfied with my choice—especially when I my check said I owed less than six euros total!

3:30PM–6:30PM: Duomo di Milano and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Some of the most popular tourist destinations in Milan include the Duomo di Milano and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which are conveniently located right next to each other.

The Duomo di Milano is an enormous cathedral in the center of Milan. Viewing exterior and interior of this ornate, gothic cathedral are among the most popular things to do in Milan, Italy. To save on money, I decided not to enter the cathedral, but I did spend some time taking pictures from the outside and admiring the intricate exterior.

Next to the Duomo is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a gorgeous luxury shopping mall. I recommend spending some time walking leisurely through the main halls of the mall–definitely the most beautiful shopping center I’ve ever seen.

6:30PM–8:30PM: Enjoy an Italian dinner

For a delicious Italian dinner on the cheaper side, I recommend Miscusi, a budget-friendly restaurant chain for homemade pasta. Miscusi has locations throughout Milan, so it may also be a convenient place to eat dinner in many areas of the city.

My friend and I loved our meals of fresh pasta and sauce, and we loved that we spent less than 10 euros each!

8:30PM–9:00PM: Have some Italian dessert

Why not have some Italian dessert? Maybe try cannoli, tiramisu, or gelato!

There are tons of dessert options around the city, so you’ll have plenty to choose from.

I enjoyed the best cannoli (or to be more accurate, cannolo, the singular form of cannoli in Italian) of my life at Ammu Cannoli Espressi Siciliani. They filled the cannoli shells in front of us, so they stayed super crispy.

Day 2: Lake Como

9:00AM–10:20AM: Buy train tickets and grab breakfast at Milan Centrale

We got to the Milan Centrale station around 9:00 AM. We went straight to the ticketing office to purchase our tickets in person, because we wanted some guidance on train schedules.

The attendant explained that our round trip tickets to Varenna (the town on Lake Como we decided to visit) would work at any time that day.

Since the next train left at 10:20 AM, we spent half an hour grabbing coffee and pastries at Mercato Milan Centrale.

10:20AM–11:30AM: Train to Varenna

Soon enough, we boarded the train to Varenna. About a third of the train ride goes along Lake Como, so we enjoyed some fantastic views as we traveled. We arrived in Varenna around 11:30 AM.

11:30AM–12:30PM: Lunch at Café Varenna

In Varenna, we headed straight to Café Varenna, a great cafe with patio seating on the lake. As we ate panini and bruschetta, we took in the spectacular views of the mountains along the water.

If you’re hungry when you arrive in Varenna, I definitely recommend booking it—past the crowd exiting the train—straight to the place where you want to grab something to eat. That’s what my friend and I did, and it paid off. When we arrived at Café Varenna, there were a few tables available, but no more than fifteen minutes after we sat down, a line of tourists waiting for tables had formed.

12:30PM–1:00PM: Eat some gelato

After lunch, we grabbed gelato at Riva Gelato, and we ate it at a little port nearby. Again, we marveled at the beauty of Lake Como.

1:00PM–1:30PM: Walk along Passerella sul lago

As we enjoyed out gelato, we decided to take the next ferry to Bellagio to check out another small town on Lake Como.

On the way to the harbor, we took a stroll down Passerella sul lago, a lakeside walkway with red railings and vines growing over the rocks on the edge of the path.

1:30PM–1:45PM: Ferry from Varenna to Bellagio

Around 1:30 PM, we took a ferry from Varenna to Bellagio, another well-known town on Lake Como. The ferry was packed with visitors, but the ride only lasted fifteen minutes, so it wasn’t a big deal.

1:45PM–3:45PM: Wander around Bellagio

When we arrived in Bellagio, we simply started wandering around, gazing at the gorgeous scenery. We made our way to Lungolago Europa, a walking path surrounded by green spaces and trees along the lake. Eventually, we found a bench to sit on and spent some time admiring the views around us.

Seriously, Lake Como has some of the best views I’ve ever seen.

We also made sure to wander around the town of Bellagio, too, which is filled with picturesque warm-colored buildings.

3:45PM–4:00PM: Ferry from Bellagio to Varenna

Around 3:45 PM, we hopped on a ferry back to Varenna. We enjoyed the stunning sights around us as we cruised across the lake.

4:00PM–6:30PM: Train back to Milan

By the time we arrived back in Varenna, we felt ready to catch the next train back to Milan, so we made the short but uphill walk to the train station.

Unfortunately, that train was delayed by a little over half an hour. But we made it back eventually!

6:30PM–7:30PM: Giardini Indro Montanelli

Back in Milan, we took advantage of our last hour of sunlight by walking around Giardini Indro Montanelli. Then, we felt very ready for dinner.

7:30PM–8:30PM: Another Italian dinner

Since we loved our dinner the night before, and since we wanted to stick to budget-friendly restaurants, we decided to go to Miscusi again for dinner. This time, we ate at the location by Milan Centrale.

8:30PM–9:00PM: Pick up some Italian snacks to take home

Before heading back to our Airbnb, we grabbed a couple of Italian snacks at a Carrefour Express. Getting snacks at a grocery store is a great way to try new foods without breaking the bank.

Well, that’s all for my trip itinerary for a weekend in Milan and Lake Como! The next day, we just grabbed some breakfast and made our way to the airport.

I loved my weekend in this area of Italy, from the cuisine to the sights. And I felt especially grateful for the opportunity to visit Lake Como and admire the awe-inspiring landscapes surrounding the lake.

If you’re planning your own trip to Milan and Lake Como, I hope you have an amazing time! I know I did!