Short answer. The cards on this page cover seven products for getting out of Milan, and they are not seven versions of the same thing: four coach trips to Lake Como (three of them continue to Lugano in Switzerland), a long day to Switzerland on the Bernina line, a hop-on hop-off boat ticket on Lake Maggiore and an entrance to the park of Villa del Balbianello. The Como and Bernina trips leave from Milan; the last two products do not include any transport from the city. We read all seven cards on 24 October 2026 and describe only what they say.
The seven products at a glance
| Product | Cancellation | Length | Departs | Meeting point | Live guide | Rating (reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Como tour | free until a deadline | 10 h | 08:30 | Largo Cairoli 18 | English, Spanish by ticket option | 4.3 (49) |
| Lake Como, Bellagio and Lugano, guided | free until a deadline | 10 h 30 | not given | Porta Garibaldi station | English | 4.7 (38) |
| Lake Como, Lugano and Bellagio with private boat | free until a deadline | 10 h | 08:45 | Piazza IV Novembre | English and Spanish | 4.6 (42) |
| Lake Como, Bellagio and Lugano day trip | free until a deadline | 10 h 30 | not given | Porta Garibaldi station, in front of the main entrance | English | 4.6 (35) |
| Bernina Red Train from Milan | free until a deadline | 13 h | not given | Largo Cairoli 18 | English, Spanish, Portuguese | 4.5 (73) |
| Lake Maggiore hop-on hop-off boat | not refundable | not given | 09:30 on the card | Piazza Guglielmo Marconi | listed, see text | 4.2 (97) |
| Villa del Balbianello Park | free until a deadline | 1 h | not given | Via Guido Monzino 1 | none | 4.5 (53) |
Ratings are the averages shown on the cards. All seven have at least 35 reviews. The cards give the deadline as a number without the unit, so read the terms on the card.
Lake Como by coach
The only coach trip that does not leave Italy is the Lake Como tour (10 hours). It includes an air-conditioned coach, a boat trip across the lake in every season, a guided walking tour of Como and an audioguide in eight languages. The card describes two seasonal programmes without giving their dates: in summer a visit to Bellagio and a longer boat trip, in winter a funicular ride up to Brunate for the view. Food, drinks and tips are not included.
The other three trips combine the lake with Lugano, and the cards agree on little else. Two of them, from the same operator, look alike: both last 10 hours 30, meet at Porta Garibaldi station, keep groups to 25 people or fewer and include a 2-hour lake cruise with audio headsets and the coach. We do not know why the operator lists two cards; neither gives a departure time. The third (10 hours, from Piazza IV Novembre at 08:45) is run by a different operator, caps groups at 30, has a bilingual guide in English and Spanish and includes a private boat. Its description says you pass Villa del Balbianello from the water and mentions a lunch in Bellagio; meals and drinks are excluded, so lunch is paid separately.
Lugano and the Swiss border
Three of the Como trips continue to Lugano and the Bernina day goes to St. Moritz, so four of the seven products cross into Switzerland. None of the cards lists the documents you need to cross the border, so check yours before you book. The cards also do not say how long you stay in Lugano or in Bellagio, and no card includes hotel pick-up.
Bernina Red Train: a very long day
At 13 hours, it is the longest of the seven. The card lists a return coach between 07:00 and 20:00, a ride on the Bernina Express in second class, a visit to St. Moritz with a chocolate house and free time, a guide in English, Spanish or Portuguese and an audioguide in eight languages. It does not say which stretch of the line you ride by train or how long you stay in St. Moritz. Food, drinks and tips are not included. At 13 hours it fills the whole day, so plan nothing else around it.
Lake Maggiore and the Borromean Islands
The Lake Maggiore ticket is only a hop-on hop-off boat, from Piazza Guglielmo Marconi. The data list a live guide in five languages (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish) and audio in English and Italian, but the inclusions name only the boat ticket, so we cannot say what commentary you get. The description names Stresa, Isola Bella with the 17th-century Palazzo Borromeo, Isola dei Pescatori and Isola Madre with its botanical garden. Admission to the palaces and gardens on the islands is excluded, and the card does not explain how to reach the boat from Milan, nor does it give a duration. We found no train ticket in the catalogue, so the journey to the lake is yours to organise.
Villa del Balbianello Park
The park entrance lasts about an hour. The card lists only the entrance to the park: it does not say whether the interior of the villa is included, and it gives no transport from Milan. The card lists FAI - Fondo Ambiente Italiano as the supplier and has no live guide or audio guide, and you are asked to arrive 15 minutes before your slot.
Two gaps among the cards
We found no product for Bergamo, so there is nothing to show you for it. Railway tickets to the lakes are not among the cards either; we have not read timetables or fares, so we do not give any. For tours inside the city, see Milan tours and experiences.
What does a card give you?
The details above are those shown on the cards on 24 October 2026. Each card gives a ticket on your phone, a purchase page in your language and the cancellation terms. Read the card for what your date and option include.
