Lake Como and Lake Garda

Yvonne,

We stayed in Varenna when we visited Lake Como in 2014.
You can easily travel to Bellagio, Menaggio & other midlake villages via ferry from Varenna.
We stayed in a small 2 bedroom apartment (Casa Gialla) @ Albergo Milano.
You may want to check their website, as they have a few other apartments, as well as hotel rooms: https://www.varenna.net

We visited Lake Garda only as a day trip, so can't help you with accommodations there.

Enjoy your trip!

Thank you Priscilla. I looked at the site and will ask about the apartment. They say it will sleep 5, but I think it only has two bedrooms. Do you think Bellano is too far north of "the action"? I believe one can take a boat from Bellano to Varenna.

If your kids like active vacations, there is more to do at Lago di Garda, especially toward the north.

Yvonne,

We did not visit Bellano, so I have no idea if you will be away from "the action", but you can easily travel via train to Varenna, as it's only one stop away & it takes about 4 minutes.

You may check train schedules here: http://www.trenitalia.com
You will want to choose the following when using the trenitalia website:

• To: Varenna-Esino
• From: Bellano-Tartavalle Terme

The ferry timetables don't show frequent ferries traveling to/from Bellano.

You may want to check ferry schedules here: http://www.navlaghi.it/eng/c_illago.html
You can click on, 'Timetable' on the left side of screen, then scroll down & choose " Midlake shuttle" (dpf file)-- 2nd from bottom.

Hopefully others who have stayed in Bellano will be able to provide more details for you ;-)

Edit:

Regarding the apartment we stayed in, if it says it sleeps 5, then I presume the sofa in the living room is a sleeper one (we didn't check). One thing to keep in mind, the 2 bathrooms are not located within the bedrooms, but in the hallway.
One of the rooms is bigger & I believe it had a king size bed & the other one had a queen size bed & the room was not much bigger than the bed. The kitchen was tiny. I traveled with my mom & the 2 bedrooms worked out well for us, because I was able to sleep in my own room with the door closed, so I wouldn't hear her snoring ;-)

At lake Garda I prefer the north lake. You can check Malcesine, Riva, Torbole, Limone.
Limone is my favorite village, but it's small so accommodations may be fewer than Riva. I've been at lake Garda many times, but always had a car. Trains don't travel to the north lake, only buses. Trains are available only at Peschiera and Desenzano, two large towns on the south lake. From either you can reach the north lake by bus or ferry. Not sure if you intend to rent a car. I would, that way you could also take trips to the nearby mountains (including the Dolomites) and the Valpolicella wine region. Lake Iseo is also not far.

Last month we stayed at Sirmione at the southern end of Lake Garda. It has a great selection of restaurants and a pretty setting, but is very touristy. Exploring the maritime fortress and Grotto of Catullo were pleasant ways to pass the time, and we also hopped on a ferry and criss-crossed the lake for the views and to escape the heat. If we went back I think we would stay at Malcesine; it looks beautiful. The lake is broader at the southern end but the Alps foothills surrounding the lake are larger as you go north. At Malcesine and points north you are conveniently close to the Dolomites, which would add a different dimension to your trip if you have time.