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Car in Lake Como

I am considering a trip to Italy with my wife and two adult aged children once Italy opens its borders to Americans. We would fly into Milan and spend two days in Lake Como before going south to spend a week in Tuscany. Is a car necessary in Lake Como? I can hire a driver or take the train from MXP to the Hilton in Lake Como, so I am unsure if I want to rent a car for our time in Lake Como or get a rental after our visit to Lake Como to go to Tuscany. Any thoughts on how important having a rental car in Lake Como for a two day visit would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Posted by
8566 posts

Not needed. Save your money for other parts of your trip.

Get your rental after visiting Lake Como.

I got my rental in Chiusi because the Hertz rental company is a 5 minute walk from the train station. Was an easy train ride to Chiusi from Rome. I’m Sure others will suggest getting your rental closer to Milan to make your way South into the Tuscany region of Italy. Milan to Chiusi by train is only 3 hours. From Chiusi to Siena is an hour.

Posted by
4534 posts

Sometimes I rent a car in Europe, often I don't. So I'm not averse to them. But I don't know what I would have done with one at Lake Como. We took the ferries everywhere and walked from the ferry landings to visit the towns and villages.

Posted by
2281 posts

hey hey christschieder
haven't been to lake como but have been to lake garda. was able to park right in front of hotel and the car stayed there until we left. check for parking, cost for daily fee, how close to hotel. like others have said you have train and ferries available and your feet. i would take a train to near tuscany and drive the hills. there are wineries and vineyards in the piedmonte area with not that many tourists like tuscany would have.
don't know what will happen after the virus with travel, will they charge more to make up for what they have lost or will there be discounts just to be happy to have tourists.
how old are your adult children and looks like you'll be using hilton points. will your points cover a room for you and wife and a room for your kids.
tripsavvy.com/lake como will give you info about area, things to see and do. have your gang research and what's important, wants and do's
italymagazine.com/get to know lake como. do your research before going so no stress. same thing with tuscany, where, what, when, what and who. stop at a city center piazza at tourism kiosk what they offer. you only have one day since your arrival will take a whole day to land, get to your place, check in, jet lag
don't forget that check in is after 2-3pm, do they have early checkin and luggage storage, get an IDP from AAA for $25 and 2 passport size photos for every driver. some rental cars demand it or if stopped by police will ask. just be prepared.
aloha

Posted by
3514 posts

A car would be a waste of money at Lake Como. It would take most of your time trying to find parking and driving between the villages around the lake would take much longer than crossing the lake by boat between them.

When I visited there, I flew in to MXP, took the train to Como, and used the fast, frequent, and affordable ferries to get around to see what I needed to on the lake. Taxis are also plentiful to get around in the villages if you need that. The hotel I stayed at was right on the lake but had no parking for guests. You had to pay and park elsewhere. Get your rental car after leaving Lake Como.

Posted by
32514 posts

Unfortunately the Hilton Como is down at the end of the lake nearest Milan, and so is at the much less beautiful end of the lake. It is a reasonable distance by bus or on foot to the boat docks. Be careful with the boat docks. Unlike at other towns and villages around the lake which only have one dock shared by different boats, at the south end of the lake all the docks are separate and on different piers along the edge of the lake. I have before now had to run from the slow boat dock (my fav boat) to the hydrofoil dock which was a fair distance away. Be sure you know which boat you want, and leave enough time.

The Hilton, in common with most European Hiltons, charges €26.50 per day to park.

The way to see the lake and beautiful villages is by boat, especially the slow boat, especially as you get to the nice part towards the midpoint of the lake, on the west side and then over towards Bellagio and the beautiful village of Varenna.

Cars are useless in that area. The houses and estates have high walls so you can't see either them or the lake, and most towns and villages have ZTLs. Don't enter those under penalty of a high fine. The ZTLs up the lake don't have the big traffic lights and big signs like in the larger Italian cities, sometimes it is only marked by a small sign fairly high up the wall and on a small sign (like Varenna). Still patrolled by both officers and cameras.

There is a car ferry Varenna, Bellagio, Menaggio, but the rest of the lake is passenger boats only.

I expect that you may be either staying on points, or perhaps the Hilton was suggested by a travel agent, but if not and you can look further up the lake for your hotel you may well be more satisfied with your lake Como experience - a really beautiful place as you head up the lake.

Posted by
870 posts

I totally agree with Mark. We had a rental car to use after we stayed at Lake Como......it was parked the entire time at our hotel. You can see this beautiful area on a boat and walk the streets after taking the ferry to wherever you want. A car would be useless until you are ready to leave. We drove from Lake Como to Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland after our stay......we had to put the car on a ferry, carefully drive it through these tine villages on our way to Switzerland......tho incredibly beautiful and memorable it was also very stressful!

Posted by
1357 posts

Renting a car depends on your plans. Back in 2010 we took the train (about an hour) from Milan to Varenna (great place/walkable) and spent 2 nights. While there we visited Menaggio and Bellagio via ferry and they were both walkable as well. We definitely didn't need a car for what we did. Have fun!

Posted by
5187 posts

You’ve received sound advice from previous posters.

My 2 cents advise is to reconsider your plans, and stay somewhere by the mid-lake where you can experience more lakeside villages via frequent ferries.

My mom & I enjoyed our stay in Varenna a few years back. You can easily travel to Varenna via train from Milano Centrale
( Milan’s central train station). The train journey takes a bit over an hour.

Italy is so beautiful, enjoy it!

Posted by
1542 posts

We based on the west side with a car, near Lenno, and dipped into Switzerland a few times. With such a short time frame as yours, it is not worth renting a car. The main roads around the lake are narrow and busy. I guess the Hilton is in or close to the town of Como itself, which may be practical for such a short visit, with ferry access to around the lake. Bellagio, Varenna and Lenno are all better choices if staying longer. If there is a change of plan and you want to see a bit of Switzerland (Lugano/Bellinzona/Morcote area), the west side of the lake is a better choice.

Posted by
11052 posts

We only had a car on the first of four trips there. Hotel Belvedere had parking and we never used the car at all once we arrived. We have hired drivers from MXP or taken train. Parking is difficult and ferries take you all over the lake.

Posted by
32171 posts

I agree with Priscilla and would also suggest that you stay somewhere in the mid-lake area. If you stay in Como, you'll spend more time in getting to places that you may want to see. A car is not necessary and will be more of a hassle. Varenna is easily reached from Milan in about an hour by Regional trains.

You may not need a car for Tuscany either, depending on where you plan to visit in that region. Note that each driver listed on the rental form will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. You'll also have to be extremely careful to avoid the ZTL (limited traffic) zones which exist in many towns (hefty fines for each pass through them!).

There are potentially expensive caveats to be aware of in Italy with both train and car travel.