My wife and I are arriving in Milan and taking two nights before heading east to Venice. We thought that we can stay in Lugano and enjoy some of Switzerland while spending some time in the Italian lake district. We will have a car. We think it may be nicer to stay in Lugano rather than Bellagio/Como and take a day trip there, possibly. Does Lugano have a nice selection of hotels and restaurants? Is it close enough to the lake district to zip in and out? Our departure to Venice will likely be to drop the car off in Milan and take the train to Venice.
Posted by
Green Bay
21356 posts
Lugano is in the lake district and on a very nice lake, has lots of nice hotels and restaurants. It's just that you may be paying a 20% premium to be staying in Switzerland over Italy.
Posted by
OP
Toronto, ON, Canada
9 posts
Thank you.
Posted by
Coraopolis, Pa, USA
1018 posts
We spend a week every second year in Switzerland with my cousin Lena and her family. We are ALWAYS in sticker shock at the expense of things in Switzerland. My cousin finds an apartment and pays for us to stay there, otherwise we probably wouldn't go there as often as we do. Everything, absolutely everything, is more expensive in Switzerland as opposed to Italy. You could stay in Como or Varenna, both on Lake Como, and take a day trip to Lugano. Last year we spent 3 nights in Varenna in the Hotel Olivido, right on the lake. The place was a well-kept antique. Buon viaggio,
Posted by
Kansas City
462 posts
I'd stay in Italy. Lugano looks and feels similar to some of the larger lake towns on the Italian side except that its in Swtizerland and therefore is a bit more organized/efficient and MUCH more expensive. If you're looking for sterotypical Switzerland, Lugano isn't it. Save some money, stay in Stressa, Como or a smaller town on the Italian side. BTW, you might want to consider dropping your car in Como or anyplace but Milan. Traffic in most European cities is nuts so either choose an airport or suburban location if you can. If you drop in Como, its a quick train ride to Milano to board your train to Venice. If you're heading towards Venice anywat, you might even think about dropping the car in one of cities where the train stops in route to Venice.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16234 posts
Do the other way around. Base in Italy and visit the Canton Ticino on a day trip. Italy is cheaper for accommodations and food. Find a place in Menaggio, rather than Varenna. Menaggio is very pretty and from Menaggio you can take boats to both Bellagio and Varenna. From Menaggio, you can also easily drive to Lugano in half hour. Another option is to stay in Cernobbio, although I prefer Menaggio because it's really easy to get to Bellagio and Varenna.