How to do a day trip to Lake Como from Castagnola near Lugano
Alizar is planning a few days in Lugano and wants to take a day trip to Lake Como, specifically from Castagnola to Menaggio. They are struggling to find bus information for the route and are looking for schedule details and ticket purchasing options.
- Take the C12 bus from Castagnola to Menaggio, as it's not listed on Swiss timetables but is operated by ASF Autolinee.
- You can also use the Palm Express bus, but it only runs once a day and requires a seat reservation.
- Tickets for ASF buses can be purchased on board, albeit at a surcharge, so bring Euros or use the Arriva MyPay app.
- Check with your hotel about nearby ticket purchase options, as there are no ticket agents in Castagnola.
AI-generated summary-
We’ll be spending a few days in Lugano and would like to do a day trip to Lake Como. Our accommodation is in Castagnola, which appears to be on the bus route. But I can’t find anything in the local bus timetable to show buses from there to Menaggio. We’d like to go in the morning to make the most of the day. Does anyone have information on this? Much appreciated,
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Hello Alizar.
There is a bus route from Lugano to Menaggio via Castagnola. It is the route C12 operated by the Italian bus company ASF Autolinee. This route is not included in either the Swiss electronic timetable or the Swiss ticketing system. I managed to download a timetable (only in Italian) for the C12 by going to http://www.asfautolinee.it and picking out the C12 from a list of routes.
KInd regards
Roger
Hi Alizar,
From Castagnola, you can take the Postbus (Palm Express) directly to Menaggio. The journey takes 39 minutes. However the service runs only once a day. Please see attached screenshot for the bus timetable. You can also find the connection on the Swiss timetable: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/public-transport/timetable/
Please note that seat reservation on this scenic bus is compulsory. Further info on how to travel on Postbus is available here: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/bus/
Regards,
AnnaAttachments:
Thanks, Roger and Anna! The Palm Express would be too late in the day, but the #12 goes right past the hotel. However, do you know if there’s a place in Castagnola to buy the ticket, or can we board the bus without one? I understand we will need Euros for the ticket.
best, Alizar
Hello again Alizar
It would appear that ASF Autolinee are part of the multinational transport company ARRIVA. (I have been on Arriva buses and trains in Britain, where I live, the Netherlands and Sweden!)
From the Autolinee website, I learn that fares can be paid through the Arriva MyPay app.
The same entry on the website says that there is a ticket office at the company’s Menaggio depot in the Via Roma. (Not much good for a journey starting in the Lugano area!)
‘One-way tickets are also sold on board buses, but at a surcharge.’
Tickets can also be bought from ticket agents, but there appear to be none in the Lugano area nor at Castagnola. (But just check this point with your hotel!)
(The Palm Express is clearly of no use for a day trip from Castagnola to Menaggio.)
Best wishes
Roger
I’m afraid aps are a bit beyond me, Roger. I’m nearly 75 and have only recently been persuaded to get a cellphone, which I am rather useless with. I’m the kind of person who still travels with printed maps, if I can find them. It doesn’t always work well. Got lost in the souk in old Cairo recently with my badly hand-drawn map and handful of Arabic phrases. Picture Miss Marple on a bad day. Fortunately, people are generally very kind to harmless old ladies who make an attempt at speaking their language.
I may be biting off more than I can chew with this “let’s see as much as possible in Switzerland in two weeks” notion. I just hate the idea of packaged tours.
But I digress… I suspect I will throw myself on the mercy of the bus driver and see how much Italian I can remember. Worst case scenario, we spend the day elsewhere. On the offchance it works, though, I’ll pass it on whatever I learn as I am sure this excursion is one a lot of people contemplate.
best, Alizar
Hello Alizar! Thank you for your very amusing reply 5! I am of a similar age to you, and I have trouble with Apps! I would simply get on the bus with both by my credit card and Euros at the ready and say to to the driver ‘A Menaggio Per Favore’.
Best wishes
Roger
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