The San Giovanni train station in Como opened in 1875 and was rebuilt in 1949. The Milano-Chiasso line runs through this station and it is infact the last station before crossing the border into Chiasso, Switzerland. It is located in Piazzale San Gottardo in Como and is probably the most commonly used railway station by tourists and visitors to Lake Como. The main trainline operators for this station are; Trenitalia and Trenord.
It is around a 15-20 minute walk from here into the very centre of Como. Trains coming from Lugano, Bergamo and Milan Linate Airport stop here. If you plan to visit Zurich in Switzerland, you can catch a train from this station that will take you directly there in approximately 3-4 hours. Alternatively, you can take the train from this station into Milan Central Station and then board the ‘frecciarossa’ high speed train down to Florence. The journey from Milan Central to Florence on one of these trains only takes approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Transport Links
- C10 bus travels mainly along the lakeside through the villages of Argegno, Lenno, Mezzegra, Tremezzo, Cadenabbia, Menaggio right round to Colico at the north eastern part of Lake Como. Take this bus if you are wanting to reach any of the villages on the western branch of Lake Como near the lakeside.
- C20 bus takes you on a more panoramic route up into the mountains and only goes as far as Argegno and then turns off to the left climbing up into Val d’Intelvi. This bus passes through the following villages; Cermobbio, Argegno, Muronico, Castiglione, San Fedele, Pellio Inferiore, Ramponio, Verna, Scaria, Lanzo.
There are usually taxis outside the station, however you can find taxi numbers on a sign that is out in the parking area in front of the building.
Important Information
If you are taking the bus from one of the villages to San Giovanni Train Station, you must inform the bus driver that you wish to stop here ‘San Giovanni Stazione per favore’ Not all bus drivers tend to stop here if no-one has requested it. If this happened it would mean that you would arrive in the centre of Como and then have to walk with your cases or rucksacks to the train station (which isn’t really that far, but in the heat it is!)
Once you have purchased your train tickets, please remember to get them stamped in the yellow ticket machine before boarding the train. Failing to do so can be expensive and the conductor can issue you with a hefty fine.
Although the station has a small parking area immediately outside, this is often full. There is however a large car park (parcheggio on a blue sign) on your left just before you go round the bend towards the train station approximately 30 metres from the station. This is on Via Venini Corrado e Giulio and you usually get a ticket from the manned wooden office.
Facilities
Metered parking (although not a lot of spaces – in the blue lines)
Bicycle rack.
Small cafeteria
Toilets
Disabled Access
Newsstand
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