Lake Como - guide book

Rick Steves' Italy book covers the mid-lake area, around the towns of Varenna, Mennagio, and Bellagio. There is also a "Snapshot" guide limited to that region, but it is pulled from last year's book, not the 2015 edition.

We don't recommend renting a car for the purpose of visiting Lake Como. Roads can be narrow, with walls and hedges blocking any view, and parking limited. This is in answer to your second question, where you mention that you are two adults, no kids. Train travel from Milano Centrale train station to Varenna is easy and takes an hour. From there, the local ferry service gets you to the other mid-lake towns or even to the far reaches of the lake. See regional train info for next 7 days at www.trenitalia.com or approximate schedules for Varenna are also in the Milan and Varenna chapters of Rick Steves' Italy guidebook.