Please sign in to post.

Bergamo or Lake Como?

I know this is like asking if you prefer bananas or bicycles, since they're so dissimilar, but we're trying to decide between the two for two nights in September. If you've seen any of my earlier posts, you may remember that we have 3 nights Milan, 2 nights Verona (opera tickets), 3 nights Stresa, 2 nights ??, 3 nights Malcescine, then on to the Dolomites and the rest of our 5 week trip that ends in Venice. We are nature buffs and love both the mountains and the lakes, so we keep leaning toward Lake Como. But I've also seen that Bergamo is a "hidden gem" that's worth seeing. I know we're including two lakes already, but they're each so different and we're happy to spend time in all three unless we'd really be missing out by skipping Bergamo. I'd love to hear from folks who have visited Bergamo. Thanks much!

(For reference, we'll be visiting FVG, Vicenza, Padua, Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna, and Venice after the Dolomites, so there'll be some culture in our trip, too.)

Posted by
8081 posts

I remember your previous posts and how much you wanted to see all of the lakes. And I’ve shared my wonderful experiences at Bergamo along with the other locations. Go to Lake Como. It isn’t what I would do, but it’s what you want to do, and it’s your trip. Have a great time!

Posted by
219 posts

@Jean: Yep, we've circled back to this after having worked just about everything else out. I remember you talked so highly about Bergamo, which I appreciated, and it caused us to seriously look into it. We're still on the fence, so I thought I'd check back in to get further insights from folks who've been to either/both. Thanks again for the info!

Posted by
7349 posts

I would say lake Como as well. Bergamo is lovely, but I would say that it is a perfect one-night stop or day trip from Milan. With 2 nights, lake Como feels like a better use of your time, and that way you will see all of the 3 big Italian lakes.

Posted by
420 posts

Bergamo is awesome but you can see pretty much everything there in an afternoon. Much more to explore at Lake Como IMO

Posted by
17603 posts

One benefit of Bergamo is that, assuming you are traveling by train, it is much quicker and easier to get there from Verona and then go from there to Lago di Garda, than going to Varenna or other city on Lake Como and then back to Lag di Gard.

From Verona to Bergamo, there is a direct train taking 1h hour 40 minutes. From Verona to Varenna takes 3 hours 40 minutes, with a change in Milan.

Then from Bergamo to Malcescine you have various options: direct train from Bergamo tomPeschiera or Desenzano and ferry up the lake from there, or direct train to Roverto or Verona, and shuttle ( booked through your hotel) from there (Roverto is only 40 minutes away from Bergamo, and also closer to Malcescine, so is the quickest option).

From Lago to Como to Malcescine you would have to go back through Milan (again) and then take the train to any of the four cities I mentioned above for ferry or shuttle.

If you really want to include Como and Bergamo, you could skip the 3 nights in Milan, and start by heading straight to Stresa for those 3 nights. If you are flying into Malpensa, there is scheduled bus service from the airport directly to Stresa, without going into Milan at all. Then head to Verona for your 2 nights and the opera. After that, take the 3 nights you originally allocated to Stresa and go to Como. Then return to Milan (1 hour if you are coming from Varenna) and head to Bergamo for two nights. That train journey is only 48 minutes and from there to Malcescine as above.