Lake Como ferries

Cathy,

We were in Varenna last October & took the ferry to some of the lakeside villages ( Menaggio, Lenno & Bellagio).

Since you will be staying in Mandello del Lario, you will need to take a ferry to Bellagio then another ferry to Como.

According to the ferry schedule, the ferry from Mandello L. to Bellagio will take about 55 minutes, then you may have to wait for another ferry to take you to Como which will take 2 hours or 1 hour on the fast ferry (more expensive)

You may be better off taking a bus to Como.

Here is the ferry schedule from Mandello L. to Bellagio: http://www.navlaghi.it/c_download/E2015_NLC_Ramo_Lecco.pdf

Here is the website to see ferry schedules:http://www.navlaghi.it/eng/c_illago.html

We went to the town of Como on a day trip but was not too impressed with it. I must say, we did find a great pizzeria there!

We actually took a bus from Bellagio & it took about an hour & the scenery of the lake was amazing!

Just wondering... why Mandello del Lario vs. Varenna or Bellagio?

Cathy,

If you decide to take a bus to Como, you will need to take the train to Lecco (12 minutes travel time) then bus C40-D41 from Lecco to Como.

Here is the bus schedule (effective Sept. 12, 2014 - June 8, 2015):http://www.asfautolinee.it/Portals/5/Documents/Orari/I1213/brianza/40-41.pdf

Here is the ASF Bus website:http://www.asfautolinee.it/linee-e-orari/orario-linee-in-pdf/extraurbana-brianza

Click on: 'C40-D41 Como-Erba-Lecco' ( 8th from the top) to download bus schedule (pdf as above)

Hope this helps!

Priscilla,

Thank you for the info on the ferries, and the bus option. We are going to Mandello del Lario to visit the Moto Guzzi Museum because my husband and I are motorcycle enthusiasts, and my husband is a "car guy". So we are mixing in car and motorcycle musuems/factories into our trip of Italy. We are looking at how to get from Mandello del Lario to the MV Agusta Museum near Malpensa Airport near Milan, since we are flying out of Milan. While in Mandello del Lario I was looking at what else we could do for a day trip. Is Bellagio worth a day trip?

Thank you!

Cathy,

Is Bellagio worth a day trip?

We enjoyed cruising the mid-lake... the views of the lake with the Swiss Alps in the background are just magnificent!

The best photos were taken as we approached each of the villages ( Tremezzo, Menaggio, Bellagio & Varenna)

There is 'Villa Carlotta' in Tremezzo but we didn't visit it as there were many stairs to get to it.

There is not much to do in Bellagio, it's a good place for R&R... there are many restaurants, bars & posh shops.

We walked on the waterfront promenade, enjoyed a good meal, then we headed back to Varenna where we were staying.
I traveled with my elderly mother, who was tired, as this was our last destination at the end of our 2 week trip.

In Varenna, there are some shop, art galleries, restaurants & good gelato. There is a nice lakeside promenade that connects the ferry dock to the village center.

I'd read about some trails you can hike but we didn't do any of this... you can rent a kayak if you'd like, however, we didn't do this either.

I'm sure others will chime in with more information or you can just google, 'Bellagio, Italy' & you can read about what to do & see there. You can also start a new post with your question.

Have a wonderful trip!