Lake Como

Varenna. Easy access from Milan, and easy ferry rides to the other towns on the lake. The RS Italy 2011 book will set you up, including some lodging discounts. Happy travels.

I second Varenna. It was an ideal location to tour the entire Lake Como area via ferry. Be sure to make a stop in Bellagio! We also ate the best gelato in Italy at the little shop on the pedestrian walk in Varenna.

We stayed in Bellagio. Loved the location. Great restaurants and wonderful shopping. We stayed at the Hotel Centrale.

Tom, I believe we had gelato at the same place in Varenna (not Vernazza, as I first posted)! It was the very first gelato we had tasted in Italy, on our first trip to the country. The woman at the gelato place kept saying "Fatto con frutta fresca" over and over so we knew it was made with fresh fruit. I had the canteloupe. It was, as the Italians say, "da morire" - to die for.

I enjoyed Varenna too. It has easy access by train and you can take the ferry to other locations.

Another vote for Varenna & specifically at Albergo Milano. We had a room overlooking the lake with a balcony & the views were amazing. We really enjoyed staying there.

@ Michael, In your reply to Tom, assume you meant Varenna and not Vernazza? John, I'd also suggest Varenna. It's would be a great choice for a two night stay! Happy travels!

We just came back on Sunday from our latest trip and we made the mistake this time of seeing all the touristy cities. Paris, Amsterdam, Bruges, and even Salzburg were very crowded. Our next trip will include the Lake Como area, so it actually concerns me that everyone seems to reccomend Varenna. If we are looking for a relaxing (mostly) tourist free stay would another town be better?

A lot of love for Verrana. One question, why Verrana over Bellagio? What are the key differences?

Varenna is smaller and hotels are a little less expensive. Bellagio is wonderful. A little more upscale with more restaurants and shopping available. Both have ferry access and beautiful views of the lake.

I think the reasons Varenna (not Verrana, as spelling is very important in getting train tickets) is so loved are that it's very easy to get to from Milan, it's centrally located on the lake, it's really pretty and it's less expensive to stay there than in Bellagio. To get to Bellagio by public transport, you have to train to Varenna then ferry across. John, I strongly suggest you buy the RS Italy 2011 book as it lays out all this stuff for you in a very well-organized manner. It will be the smartest money you spend on your trip. Happy travels.

I personally like Varenna better than Bellagio for two reasons. First, as another poster pointed out, Varenna is accessible by train whereas to stay in Bellagio, you'd have to take the train to Varenna & then catch a ferry to Bellagio. It's not a huge deal but when departing Varenna very early in the morning as we did, the ferries weren't running that early so we wouldn't have been able to leave Bellagio. Second, Varenna is more low-key than Bellagio & not as crowded. The room rates were more reasonable in Varenna and I loved the lakefront promenade in Varenna. It made for a more relaxing stay.