4-5 days northern Italy

To me the lakes are about nature and relaxation, though of course you can suss out other things to do. What kinds of things does the teen like to do?

If you stay in Stresa you wouldn’t have to go to Milan
There is a direct bus to MXP from Stresa

Do you think 5 nights in Stresa is a bit long? Or would the day trips keep everyone entertained. My teenager (unsurprisingly) likes shopping although her bags are already full!

We had initially thought about staying at Stresa and/or Como, before heading to Milan for the final night.

This past July, my family stayed in Stresa then drove to Milan for the flight. It's less than a 1 hour drive and there are buses that will take you to the airport.

Do you think 5 nights in Stresa is a bit long?

We stayed four nights and squeezed in a day trip to Milan for The Last Supper. There's a lot to do around Lake Maggiore.

• Borromean Islands
• Alpyland - alpine coaster right up the mountain from Stresa
• Funivia Del Lago Maggiore - bucket cable cars up the mountain in Laveno; 90 minute ferry ride
• road trip to Cannobio/Locarno
• Milan might hold more interest for a bored teen than the lake towns. If your teen is interested in shopping, have them research some stores they'd like to check out. Lots of vintage shops and fashion-related stores in Mialn, of course.

Thanks so much for the info, did you have any recommendations for good areas/hotels airbnbs to stay without it costing a fortune? The Grand Hotel looks pretty fancy but I'd rather not spend that much if possible. Ideally we'd like to walk to town and have a view and would prefer 2 bedrooms. Not asking for much I know!

we'd like to walk to town and have a view and would prefer 2 bedrooms.

When my spouse and two teenagers stayed in Stresa this past July, we stayed at Cavour 30TRE (aka Hotel Moderno) in the Premium Room which offered a separate sleeping room with two single beds (basically a 2BR/1BA). Situated right in city center and right across the street from the ferry dock. Free breakfast. Sliver of a view to the water. Nothing fancy but quite serviceable. No pool.

Another economical option is La Luna Nel Porto in their Cosy Suite Lake View room. This hotel was actually my first choice as it offered more space but it was booked. Just a 5 minute walk south from Moderno and also across the street from the ferry docks. They offer multiple day stay discounts too. Full lake view w/ balcony. No pool.

My wife and I were in Como a couple weeks ago and it the most crowded place we went on our trip to Italy, we both found it to be quite overstimulating. It's also quite difficult to get around, but we stayed in a town (Lezzeno) that was mainly serviced by bus and not ferry, so part of that was on us. If you stay in the city of Como, it might be on the train line down to Milan, but it also takes a longer ferry or bus to get to the main tourist towns of Bellagio/Varenna/Menaggio. If you stay in Varenna, you could go down to Milan first and take the train up to Varenna, as there's a train that runs on the east side of the lake. My main takeaway was just to not rely on the busses, and the ferries outside of the ones in that main "triangle" of Bellagio/Varenna/Mennagio are quite infrequent.

I haven't been to other lake locations, but I heard that Lugano (still in Switzerland) is quite nice, it also looks like the train goes through Visp, which is the gateway over to Zermatt and the Matterhorn. I went from the Bernese Alps down to Zermatt when I was in Switzerland and it was great.

Lake Garda is also easily accessed from Milan. If your teen is into watersports there are a lot of options (we did parasailing in Lazise), and I’m assuming early September would still be warm enough. There’s also biking, a castle to explore in Sirmione, a cable car from Malcesine, or even theme parks.

hey hey susierichman
another lake to look at is lake garda "lago de garda"
lakegardatravel.net
search the headers on top of page with: town guides, things to do, getting around. so many things to check out in the different towns & villages, water activities and sports. there are camping resorts to look at in the lower lake area may be worthwhile looking at.
campingspiaggiadoro.com
laroccacamp.com
campingsanfrancesco.com
sisanfamilyresort.com
camping-cisano.it
campingbelvedere.com
there are restaurants, shops, stores, laundry, parking if you have a car, water activities/beaches, bike rentals, ferries for the lake. read up about each place, minimum length of stay, linens included? bring towel & bathing suit, pack light (each person carries own luggage. these are budget friendly, more room to move around, how big you want (bedrooms/bathrooms), lake views. mobile home style/maxi-caravans, apts
usual check-in times 3-4pm and check-out 10-11am
wanderlustpulse.com
madonna della corona, church built into mountain
funiviedelbaldo.it (mountain cable car)
if you are renting a car make sure all drivers obtain an IDP (aaa.com/IDP) mandatory in italy. read up about driving, law/rules, signage, gas/tolls.
look at bus/ferry schedules going to other towns/villages, a ride on the lake.
getyourguide.com (a third party reseller, some despise it some like it)
i've used them in different cities with no issues. look at the tours/activities that is offered, scroll down page to company running it and go direct to website for more info.
check schedules for airlines flights and departure times, make sure enough is given to get to airport before checking in.
we've been to bardolino several years ago for their annual wine festival "festa dell uva". it was fabulous, the lake is beautiful with lake and mountain views, fun times to enjoy. you can stay on the lake and just do day trips to the towns without going away.
may be to early to book, email them or keep it bookmarked. just another option to check out while researching for places to stay and enjoyment for the whole family. there's more to italy than shopping, guess important for teenagers.
have lots of fun and enjoy, it will be a great family adventure.
aloha

Thank you everyone for the insghts, much appreciated!