Please give me suggestions for visiting Italian lakes in May. I will be taking the train down from Vienna. I have a week to spend before arriving in Milan.
Posted by
11609 posts
The three largest lakes are Maggiore, Como and Garda. All are beautiful but they are different from each other too. I suggest spending all week on one or two of the lakes. On Lake Maggiore stay in Stresa, Lake Como stay in Bellagio or Varenna and Lake Garda stay in Saló or Malcesine.
Posted by
171 posts
If you're looking for towns with train stations and good connections, that would be a good base on the major lakes, Stresa (Lake Maggiore), Varenna (Lake Como), and Desenzano del Garda (Lake Garda) are good options. Without a car, the ferry boats are a great way to get around and see other towns on the lakes.
On Lake Maggiore you have the 3 Borromean Islands in the lake, and you can also visit towns like Baveno and Pallanza by ferry from Stresa.
On Lake Como there are many nice towns to visit by ferry mid lake from Varenna, and it's also a nice ferry day trip down to Como, or up to Collico at the north end of the lake, stopping at whatever towns you might like to see along the way.
On Lake Garda there are beautiful towns (Lazise, Bardolino, Garda, Sirmione) that can be easily reached by ferry from Desenzano, but ferry connections are not that easy or practical to reach towns at the northern part of the lake.
Posted by
Washington DC
28249 posts
Finding lodging in towns accessible by public transportation for May might be a challenge. Do not delay your search.