Lake Como, Staying Menaggio

ofelia,

Menaggio is probably not the most convenient place to stay if you're planning a lot of day trips. Varenna or even Bellagio would be easier.

Regarding your questions.....

1. No, it shouldn't be difficult to take the Ferry, but all that will take time. You didn't say when this trip will be taking place, so difficult to offer more detailed information on the ferries as there will be a schedule change in the spring.
2. I don't have any recommendations.
3. Yes, you can easily catch a train from Varenna to Tirano, and then connect with one of the trains there that travels the Bernina Express route. You could perhaps travel to Davos, Pontresina or other location, have a quick walkabout and then return to Varenna. Going all the way to Chur would likely be too far for a day trip.
4. I'm not that familiar with Menaggio so don't know of any.

Hopefully one of the others will have more specific information for you.

I like Menaggio. It’s very quaint also and has lots of restaurants and hotel choices as it’s a bit bigger than both Bellagio and especially Varenna. Every night in summer they have live classical music on Piazza Garibaldi, the main plaza on the lake where most sidewalk restaurants and cafes are (the area is entirely pedestrianized). There are lots of choices of good restaurants in Menaggio, even just in the same plaza. You can’t possibly try them all unless you stay a long time. Bellagio may have a bit more since it’s the most popular tourist town, but not much more. Varenna is much smaller than the other two so obviously can’t have the same number of choices as Bellagio.

Both Varenna and Bellagio are across the lake. The passenger ferry coming from the north (Colico) in nearly all cases, stops first in Varenna, then goes across to Menaggio, then from Menaggio goes to Bellagio and so on all the way to Como. The one coming from the south (Como) does the reverse, stops in Bellagio then Menaggio then Varenna. The crossing time from Menaggio to Bellagio is 8 min, from Varenna to Menaggio is 5 min. therefore you can very easily stay in Menaggio and take day trips to the other two, as ferries are frequent.

As I said I generally had dinner in Menaggio (or in any case on the same side of the lake), because I enjoyed the classical concerts while dining at the many restaurants on the plaza. I only had lunches at Bellagio and Varenna when I was in Menaggio (although I’ve also stayed in Bellagio in years past). If you have dinner in some of the other towns across the lake (like Bellagio or Varenna) and stay late, you will need to rely on the taxi boats to return to Menaggio, which are rather expensive unless you are in a big group. That is true no matter what town you choose. Dinner will have to be on the same side of the lake where you sleep because You can’t really go back across by ferry late at night.

I also enjoyed Menaggio because it’s a quick drive to Lugano (Switzerland) and my wife loves the place (if not the prices). By car (I had a car) you can be in downtown Lugano in 45 min or less from Menaggio. If you don’t have a car there is a bus that goes back and forth, I imagine in about one hour. I don’t know how late it runs but probably not late enough to have dinner in Lugano and make it back by night. But you can certainly visit Lugano during the day by bus.

Not sure about hiking trails. But nearby you can visit Villa Carlotta (in Tremezzo) and also the spot where Mussolini was captured and killed by the partisans before his body was displayed upside down in Milan (Villa Maria in Giulino di Mezzegra).

EDIT: below is the Menaggio - Lugano bus schedule.
http://www.menaggio.com/ita/e-lakes/Orari_bus.pdf

You asked about train connections from Menaggio to Switzerland. I don't think anyone so far has addressed that specific question. We stayed in Menaggio for several days on a prior trip and I don't remember any trains going through Menaggio. The train goes through Varenna on the east side (the other side) of the lake. We did take a bus from Menaggio to Lugano (Switzerland).

Thank you all, you have provided good input on Lake Como - Menaggio and local areas.

Ken - you are so correct that i didn't say when we will be in Lake Como, we are traveling there in late May - 5/24 - 5/31. My concern was the late night travel from Bellagio to Menaggio, if we had dinner at Bellagio and the ferry stopped running before we were done with dinner, say after 9:00p. Also, I thought the train from Varenna would be a more enjoyable ride since you could possibly have a cocktail and move around more on the train vs the bus, right? Or do they not allow any moving on the train and not offer any cocktails?

Roberto - your input is very alluring for staying in Menaggio and I appreciate your information on the train to Switzerland. We will not have a car and my husband is very interested in the train for a more enjoyable scenic route.
Great information on dining - do you have any favorite restaurants that you could recommend? Also, when do the summer concerts start at the Piazza Garibaldi walkway - do you know if they begin in late May while we plan to be there?

Kent - thank you for the bus information to Switzerland.

I’m confused about the train experience you envision.
First of all, whether you stay in Bellagio, Varenna, or Menaggio you will still use that train to get from Milan to your eventual destination. So you will experience the train no matter what. And you will experience that train at least twice, the day you arrive and the day you depart (unless you want to also experience the ferry from Como).
If you choose to stay in Bellagio or Menaggio you will get off the train at Varenna, walk to the dock, then take the ferry across to the town of your choice. If you decide to stay in Varenna, then the train takes you there.
There is no train that can take you from Varenna to Bellagio or to Menaggio. Those towns are not served by rail.
The train we are talking about is a commuter train. You can move about but there are no cocktails or drinks of any type served on board. It’s not a tourist train like the Napa Wine Train in California.
For a scenic view off the lake, the best choice is the ferries. You can have some nice views of the Lecco branch of the lake from the train, but the rail goes partially inside tunnels in the mountains, so in that case any view is obstructed.
The most beautiful branch of the lake is the Como branch (from the midlake down to Como) and that branch isn’t even served by rail. I recommend to take a trip from whichever town you stay to Como and back with the rapid ferry (45 min each way) for an amazing view. You can also arrive or depart that route instead of the train via Varenna. You could experience both routes if you want. Arrive by train and depart via ferry via Como (or the reverse).
In summary I would like you to understand that in all likelihood you will use the train only to get there and/or to depart, and you will use that train to do so no matter which town you choose to stay.
Lastly, the most direct way from that area to Switzerland is with the bus from Menaggio to Lugano.
You can also reach Lugano by train, but in that case the fastest way would be a fast ferry to Como (about 45 min) then the train from Como to Lugano. The Menaggio to Lugano bus ride is overall much faster (1 hour in total).

Roberto - I understand the train situation from Menaggio to Lugano which only leaves from Como. Or a train from Varenna to Switzerland is available, as well. Correct? No Napa style trains with cocktails is available and understood. ;)
What is the difference between taking the train from Como to Lugano vs taking the train from Varenna to Tirano to get to the Bernina Express route that Ken mentioned? Does the train to Lugano have the same option?

In summary -
1) the bus from Menaggio to Lugano is about a 45 min one-way trip
2) the train from Como to Lugano is how long one way?
3) the train from Varenna to Tirano then connection to the Bernina Express is how long one-way?

I want to travel on the cocktail trains please...….
Seriously, we stayed in Menaggio in 2010, so I can't recommend any restaurants that far back.
As far as hiking; there is a great trail straight up above the town to the area where trenches were dug in WW1.
They are all still there, and a beautiful cross too.
The views of the lake are stunning from so high up.
We went to the Tourist Office in the main Square, they told us which bus would take us to the top, then we walked back down afterward.

Thank you S.J. - we will look into the hiking trail, it sounds wonderful.

Roberto - can you recommend any of your favorites restaurants in Menaggio? And maybe some bars?
I will look into when the live classical concerts start and hopefully, they'll be playing when we are visiting.

Menaggio to Lugano (bus): 1 hour
Menaggio to Como (fast ferry): 45 min
Como San Giovanni station to Lugano (train): 30 min
Varenna to Tirano (train): 90 min
Tirano to St. Moritz (Bernina train): 2h20min
Tirano to Chur (Bernina train): 4 hours

The top restaurant in Menaggio (and probably the whole midlake) is Il Pozzo on Piazza Garibaldi.
The bar I frequented the most was Bar Del Pess, on the same Piazza, primarily because my hotel room was above the bar. I also ate at other places, but don’t recall the names.
May is probably too early for the concerts. I think they perform from late June to early Sept.

Please be aware that a bar in Italy may not look like what you think. It’s not like an American Bar. A bar in Italy is more like a coffe shop (like Starbucks or Peet’s) the only difference is that, unlike Starbucks, the Italian version of the coffee shops will also serve wine, beer, hard liquor, and cocktails, just like an American bar. When I first visited the US I ordered an alcoholic drink at a coffee shop (maybe it was Peet’s) in San Francisco and they looked at me like I was crazy.

Haha! Thank you Roberto - I am most grateful for all your information. I appreciate you and you knowledge of Lake Como. We will remember the difference of bars from US compared to Italy but we will certainly enjoy.

Google Navigazione Laghi for timetables. We always have stayed in Bellagio since eating dinner elswhere and getting a ferry back was problematic.