We will be traveling from Venice to Como (referring to the town, not the lake area generally) in October. We have a full day for the trip. My husband starts a cycling program the following day so he wants to get there by early afternoon. I assume we should take a train but am uncertain on the route. Do we go Venice to Milan and then a train to Como? I've also considered renting a car because thought I might enjoy having one while husband rides in the Lake Como area for the next couple days. Thoughts on renting a car in Venice and driving to Como (and then I'd keep the car in Como)? Seems like there are some neat little towns we could stop along the route. Is it hard to drive (and park) around the Lake Como area? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32813 posts
If you have a car you won't see any of the lake. The roads all are inland. You will also have a very hard time parking it. For example, at Varenna there is no street or open parking in the town - there is one of the infamous ZTLs to prevent it, and you need to park along the narrow road south of town. That is where everybody parks so may take a bit of walking back into town. Or there is a paying multi storey car park right next to the church. A bit difficult to use because it is somewhat dark inside and the spaces are very small. That's why I park on the road.
On the other hand the lake is absolutely made for boating. There are passenger ferries going from everywhere to everywhere, fast hydrofoils if you want the fast ride but not the view, and even carr ferries across the middle of the lake. Using boats to explore the big three mid-lake destinations of Varenna, Bellagio, and Menaggio will take a couple of days, and you can add other villas and towns to hop on and off at which could take another few days.
Use the train and the boats. Bin the car.
Posted by
🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️
3167 posts
I love to drive in Italy and will be doing so again this fall but only when trains are not available for a particular part of my itinerary. I would definitely only make your trip by rail. Once you arrive in Como a car is useless. Touring the lake by boat is the way to travel. When in Como, take the funicular to Brunate for a spectacular view of the city, the lake and the alps. By train or bus, depending on how long you’ll be in Como, you can even take a day trip to Locarno or Bellinzona, Switzerland.