We have never been to this area of Italy but plan on being there September of 2026. I think based on what I've read we'll stay in Vareena but plan on also visiting the area of Lake Maggiore. How easy is it to get around? Do you have to hire a driver or is there buses, etc? Any tips would be appreciated.
Posted by
new york
846 posts
How many nights do you have on Lake Como?
Posted by
New England
12063 posts
When your time in Varenna is over, move to Lake Maggiore to stay. We have visited both many times and recommend that you stay in both areas.
Posted by
Citizen of the World
3728 posts
Lake Como is 30 miles long, with enough scenery. towns and hiking to easily fill a week or more.
If you want to travel to the scenic towns of Verbania or Arona on Lake Maggore from Varenna on Lake Como—you can do that by train. Towns without train stations are served by buses.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
17086 posts
They are easy to visit with public transit (trains, buses, ferries) and there is no necessity to hire a driver o rent a car. Lake Maggiore might benefit from the use of a car if you intend to visit Lake Orta also, but it is also doable by bus or even train.
The important thing to understand is that Lake Maggiore and Lake Como are not so close to each other, so if you want to visit both you need to stay overnight in both, because it would be very time consuming to go back and forth from one lake to the other and back on the same day.
For lake Como it is best to stay in one of the 3 towns that are served by the frequent midlake ferry. Those would be Varenna, Bellagio, and Menaggio. The train from Milan reaches Varenna, but the other 2 are just across the lake and can be reached with a quick ferry ride. Varenna is very popular nowadays, in part because of the ease of access by train, and in part because of the viral publicity it’s receiving on social media (or Rick Steves), and being very small makes it difficult and expensive to find accommodations, but you can consider the other two aforementioned towns as an alternative.
For lake Maggiore the most popular destination is Stresa, also served by rail from Milan. Stresa is also convenient for the ferries to the islands, but other towns like nearby Verbania or Baveno could work. A very cute town on lake Maggiore that is worth a visit is Cannobio. If you choose to visit or stay there, just know that it is not served by rail, so you would need a ferry (from any other town) or the bus from Verbania. Orta San Giulio on nearby Lake Orta is also great to visit.