best lake town to stay for 3 nights using public transit

How about Stresa on Lago Maggiore? Have you looked there?

I forgot about Stresa. that might be perfect and lodging is very reasonable. easy train connections.
We'd like to walk/hike around, leisurely bike, eat nice but not $$$ dinners.

We stayed in Varenna just a month ago. I did like the atmosphere and feel of Varenna more than Bellagio, BUT, I felt like options for food and drink were better in Bellagio. What about staying in Bellagio where you feel like the price is right, and spending your days in Varenna/Lenno/Menaggio?

now I'll have to decide between Bellagio and Stresa. Stresa is certainly easy train access. Would love a comparison of both.

I haven't been to Stressa. What I can add, however, is that I'm a pretty low key, "not fancy" person. I can be kind of turned off by "snooty" behavior. I did not expect to enjoy Bellagio. It was even raining when we were there and we liked Bellagio well enough. The restaurant food was good, the service was attentive and friendly and the pricing was moderate. We also stopped at an enoteca and did a tasting. We were soaked and didn't feel like we looked fit to be seen in the somewhat crowded shop. However, the employees were super friendly and provided a lot of info without being snooty. We do enjoy wine and have been learning about European wines as we travel the various countries and have had a bad experience (Burgundy) with staff that initially was rather elitist. We felt very comfortable at the enoteca in Bellagio.

thanks. we are also low key people. I'm also adding Como to my list. I also thought Bellagio might be too snooty for us, so that's good to hear.

Stresa is a really nice town. The Hotel Milan Speranza Au Lac is very comfortable, right on the waterfront and adjacent to the ferry terminal. The top floor room has stairs to a rooftop patio.

Ferries:

w.stresatravel.com/Tomassucci_Web/ferries.htm#.XdDBaSMwjK0

To get to the Funivia, the cable car, walk up the lakeshore road, trun right and dowhill at the cafe.

elaine,

Varenna is a good location for exploring the mid lake area by Ferry. I found Bellagio to be a bit more "upscale" and preferred to stay in Varenna. It's not as convenient for exploring by rail from Varenna.

Stresa is a good location with easy rail access, and in addition to the sights in Stresa such as the Borromeo Islands, Mt. Mottarone, etc., there are also some interesting day trip possibilities. For example, you take the scenic Cento Valli Railway from Domodossola (short rail trip from Stresa) to Locarno, CH. That's an incredibly beautiful (IMO) lakeside city with some interesting attractions such as the Madonna del Sasso Franciscan Monastery and the mountain area of Cardada & Cimetta. You would then return to Stresa in the early evening by Ferry, perhaps via Aliscafo. The last time I did that trip, my hotel in Stresa arranged all the tickets and had them waiting at the front desk within about half an hour.

If you decide to try that, one point to note. The Cento Valli (FART) rail station in Domodossola is underground and not at ground level like the regular station.

It is possible that Hotel du Lac in Varenna is not taking reservations for next September yet. Did you contact them directly, or try to use a booking service like booking.com?

And did you consider Alberto Milano in Varenna? We like that hotel a lot, especially the large room in the Casa Rosa annex building.

If you're already going to Venice, you could stop at Sirmione on Lake Garda, which is about halfway bt Milan and Venice. Your train stop would be Densenzano and you could take the bus to Sirmione. It is a lovely walkable village with a castle, an old Roman grotto and ferry connections to other villages on the lake.

I also wondered about Sirmione. that's a good idea. We could also add that for 2 nights on our way to Venice. Would Stresa and Sirmione be too repetitive? And which do others prefer between Stresa and Sirmione and why?
I have somewhat crossed off Bellagio because of the increased hassle/travel time. This is a midway stop between an active week-long trip and meeting friends in Venice for another active leg.

The Borromean Isles are a major plus for Stresa. And I'll second the recommendation for the Centovalli train trip.

I love Stresa and I recommend it if you arrive at the Malpensa airport, which is nearby. I sometimes stop there upon arrival when I fly to Malpensa. 3 nights would be ideal.

If you prefer something on the way to Venice, then lake Garda is an option. I like the north side of the lake best, but since in your case that might be a detour, then you can stay in either Desenzano or Peschiera, along the Milan to Venice railway. Sirmione is the star attraction between the two, but it doesn’t have rail service. You would need to take a bus or taxi from Desenzano or Peschiera. It’s up to you. Sirmione is a very popular day trip destination, so it might be crowded on weekends, even in September. I prefer Peschiera to Desenzano due to its historic significance, although both are nice. You can visit the more beautiful north lake by boat from either town or by bus also.

elaine,

Sirmione is not a good location for "public transit" as it doesn't have a rail station, which means you'll have to get to either Desenzano or Peschiera to access the trains. It's going to be more difficult to go anywhere unless you only want to use the ferries to tour other points on the lake. Sirmione can be dreadfully crowded at times, so it wouldn't be my choice. If you decide to stay on Lake Garda, Peschiera would be a better choice. You could also consider Malcesine, which is part way up the lake (but again no rail station). Of the two, I much preferred Stresa. It's relatively close to Milan, has good ferry access to points on the lake and good rail access, and easy access to Switzerland.

As someone else mentioned, it's probably too early to be booking hotels in Varenna or elsewhere for next September. Check on that again early in the new year.

Stresa is my favorite lake town in Italy. Arriving from Malpensa, there’s an Alibus (need reservations) that will leave you off in front of the Hotel Milan Speranza in Stresa. I’ve stayed at that hotel, and it has a nice breakfast. The last time I was in Stresa, I took the ferry over to Isola Bella to stay my last night on Isola Bella at Elvezia Albergo Ristorante - such a wonderful, peaceful setting! I’m planning to be in Stresa again this September and might do the same during this trip.

I see you mentioned September. The Stresa Music Festival runs until early September. I really enjoyed attending one of their events last time I was there.

And just for comparison, I’ve stayed at Varenna on Lake Como and taken the ferry over to Bellagio. It’s a nice area; Stresa’s history & islands just put it higher on my favorites list.

I think Stresa is wonderful for Isola Bella and it's ferry lines. But to me, the actual town is kinda meh and small. Sirmione is more beautiful aesthetically but it depends on what you want. Also, it's on the way to Venice so you'd be saving time. True you have to catch a bus to Sirmione after the train but it's short. With the northern lakes you have to backtrack back to Milan to get to Venice. Anyways, they are all great choices and you can't go wrong either way.