Varenna to Bellagio ferry: the 15-minute winter crossing, 18 sailings a weekday

Eighteen departures from Varenna and eighteen from Bellagio every Monday to Saturday: that is the winter pattern Navigazione Lago di Como runs from 2 November 2026 to 14 March 2027. The first ferry leaves Varenna at 07:20 and the last at 21:20. From Bellagio the day starts at 06:05 with a foot-passenger sailing that calls at Menaggio, and the final departure is at 21:00.

On Sundays and public holidays there are 17 sailings each way, all direct: from Varenna between 07:55 and 21:10, from Bellagio between 07:35 and 20:50. A foot passenger pays €5.50, a small car with its driver €10.10. Drivers heading for Varenna should read the section on the pier works first, as it matters more than the price.

Eighteen weekday crossings each way until mid-March

Navigazione Lago di Como winter timetable, 2 November 2026 to 14 March 2027; a reduced service with its own timetable runs on 25 December 2026 and 1 January 2027. Checked 30 October 2026.   Navigazione Lago di Como – Lake Como winter timetable 02/11/2026 – 14/03/2027 (PDF) · 2026-10-30

€5.50 on foot, from €10.10 with a car: the stage-three fares

Lake Como fares are set by the number of fare stages between two piers, and Varenna to Bellagio is three stages. A single for an adult on foot is €5.50 and for a child aged 4 to 11 €2.80. Under-4s travel free if they do not take a seat. There is no return discount: a return is simply two singles.

If you are driving a hire car, use the column that includes the driver: €10.10 for a car up to 3.5 metres long, €12.70 up to 4.5 metres and €16.80 above that. Anyone else in the car buys an ordinary passenger ticket. A bicycle with its rider is €6.70.

Passenger and ferry fare tables in force since 1 April 2026. Checked 30 October 2026.   Navigazione Lago di Como – vehicle ticket prices from 1 April 2026 (PDF, Italian) · 2026-10-30

Which landing stage: look for the word Traghetto

Both villages have one pier for the car ferry and another for the ordinary passenger boats, and they are not interchangeable. If your ticket says Varenna (Traghetto) or Bellagio (Traghetto), go to the ferry ramp. The exception is the Varenna works: on the sailings named in the notice, foot passengers board from the passenger pier.

Straight across the middle of the lake

Varenna sits on the eastern shore in the province of Lecco. Bellagio is on the point of the headland where the lake splits into its Como and Lecco arms, in the province of Como. The winter leaflet gives 15 minutes for the direct run; the two weekday exceptions, 07:35 from Varenna and 06:05 from Bellagio, detour via Menaggio on the far shore and take half an hour.

Practical points for visitors

• Driving to or from Varenna

  A notice of 23 October 2026 stops cars boarding or landing at Varenna on a list of sailings until the repairs are finished, with no end date. The list uses autumn run numbers, so ring the freephone 800 551801 before relying on a particular winter sailing.

• Paying with a contactless card

  NaviTap lets you tap a Visa, Mastercard or Maestro card, or Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay, on the reader when you board and again when you get off. It charges the adult fare only and does not cover children, bikes, luggage or cars.

• Luggage allowance

  Each passenger carries one bag free if its longest side is no more than 60 cm and its volume no more than 40 litres. Extra or larger bags are charged.

• Allow time at the ticket office

  The operator suggests arriving at the ticket office about 20 minutes before departure. Places on board are limited to each boat's maximum capacity.

• Arriving by train

  Varenna-Esino station, run by RFI, has two platforms and a bus stop outside. RFI lists it as having no assistance service for disabled passengers or those with reduced mobility.

• Bad weather

  Strong wind or heavy waves can cancel sailings. Ticket offices and the freephone number have the latest position.

Other boats and buses around Bellagio and Varenna

The ferry is not the only boat between these villages. Some ordinary boats and fast hydrofoil or catamaran services on the Como–Colico line also call at Bellagio and Varenna, from the passenger piers, and their times are in Quadri 1 and 2 of the same winter leaflet. Fast (SR) sailings carry a supplement of €3.00 over three stages. The same line also reaches Bellagio from Como; those sailings and fares are on the Como to Bellagio boat page. On land, ASF buses C130 from Como via Nesso and C136 from Asso and Civenna reach Bellagio.

From Varenna's ferry ramp you can also cross to Menaggio on the Varenna–Menaggio ferry, whose last weekday sailing leaves at 19:50. If you land in Bellagio and want the western shore, the short hop to Cadenabbia takes 10 minutes and runs 24 times each way on weekdays.

Varenna – Bellagio in winter: visitors' questions