Family of 3 (with a 4 year old) traveling to Lake Como for 3 nights.
Leaning towards staying in Varenna because of its proximity to the train station however also curious about staying in Bellano because I found an incredible airbnb with an absolute surreal view within the budget we have for accommodations. Is it easy to get a taxi in the area to get to Bellano? Would it be worth staying there with our limited time there?
If we stayed in Bellano, how is the food scene there compared to Verrano?
(Good food for us = pasta + pizza lol)
Posted by
2856 posts
We stayed in Bellano this summer for five nights and really liked it but there are pros and cons. We were at an air bnb above the town with incredible views. We did not have a car but walked into town. That might be difficult with a four year old. I never saw a taxi. The management company for our apartment took us to and from our rental and the train station.
Pros- well priced comparatively, a real town with multiple grocery stores (all of which we visited), good food, on train line, We had one of our best meals in Italy in Bellano. We also had great take out pizza. There is a very nice area down by the lake for walking and eating gelato. Our young adult children liked the beach there a lot (we didn't go). There is a park with huge waterfall there that we all really enjoyed. I recall seeing a playground.
Cons-less ferry service than Varenna, Bellagio, and Menaggio. Some of the routes are "fast ferries" and thus at times very expensive. One day we realized we were not going to make the last regular ferry back to Bellano from Bellagio so we took the ferry to Varenna, ate dinner, and then took the train to Bellano which was much cheaper than the fast ferry.
You would have to look at the ferry schedule to see if you can get to Bellagio at 8:30 at night but I frankly would be surprised if you could.
Overall, with a four year, Varenna might be your best bet. It is on the train line and major ferry line. It is small and I never saw a regular grocery store though.
Posted by
OP
15 posts
Beth thank you so much!!! Ugh I was hoping there were taxis that could take us from Varenna to the airbnb. The view is so worth a taxi ride but not sure if it will be worth all the hassle.
Posted by
OP
15 posts
Beth - do you remember the name of the restaurant in Bellano?
Posted by
2856 posts
Do you mean from Bellano to the air bnb? I would check with the owners about this. As I said, we were picked up and returned to the train station. The bigger issue is getting down into town and back each day from your air bnb.
I finally found the trip report I wrote. The restaurant was Albergo Ristorante All’ Orrdio. Everything was in Italian but it was all so fun.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16168 posts
The restaurant was probably spelled ORRIDO.
The “Orrido di Bellano” (the Gorge of Bellano) is a famous tourist site in the area.