Lake Como vs lake Garda

Rick touts the Lake Como mid-lake area (e.g., Varenna) in his books and videos.
Roberto, a contributor here who is Italian, he likes Lake Garda.
So most people here go to Lake Como, but Roberto may see this topic and explain to you why he prefers Lake Garda.

Thanks Kent ,a
You are right about Rick's pick and it looks wonderful but not certain there is enough around lake Como for thre days. Lake Garda appears to have More options in surrounding area.

Yes Doug, both are lovely, but there are probably more diverse things to see and do around Lake Garda. I think the choice might depend on a few things, including: (1) where will you be coming from and going to, (2) would you mostly prefer to stay put and relax during those days, or be on the go seeing sites, hiking, doing water sports, etc., (3) will you be traveling by public transport (train and/or bus) or in a private car, and (4) will there be kids in your travel group?

Doug,

The answer will probably depend on what type of "lake experience" you're looking for. I have the same questions that Larry posted. A few thoughts......

• Lake Como - as mentioned, Varenna is the usual favourite with many here. It's a beautiful town on the east shore of the lake. There aren't any museums or other tourist attractions, but it makes a good home base for day trips to Bellagio, Menaggio or other locations on the lake. Touring some of the ornate gardens in Villas along the lake (including in Varenna) is an enjoyable way to spend a day. It's a great place to just relax and enjoy Il dolce far niente and enjoy a slower pace for a few days.
• Lake Garda - a very large lake with many possible locations to stay. However, transportation is not as convenient for those travelling by public transport. Of the towns at the south end of the lake, only Peschiera and Desenzano have rail stations, while Sirmione is only accessible by bus or taxi. If you're travelling with kids, Gardaland is easily accessible from Peschiera. The towns at the north end of the lake (Limone, Malcesine, etc.) are accessible by boat from Peschiera or by bus. If you decide to focus on the north end, having a rental car will help although that raises other issues. In terms of sights, Limone has a small museum and Malcesine has a cable car that goes up the mountain. Lake Garda has more opportunities for adventure sports.

I'm sure Roberto will be along shortly to offer his expert comments.

Will you have a car? Varenna is easily reached by train. The best parts of Lago di Garda are not accessible by train. You drive, or go by boat from the train stations at the south end.

We have been to both ( Varenna on Como and Malcescine on Garda). Both are lovely. Garda is more appropriate for active sports--hiking and windsurfing in particular. But. . . .Varenna feels more "Italian." Garda, in particular the north end, is within the German-speaking area of Northern Italy and is frequented by visitors from Germany seeking an active water - based holiday. Many of the restaurants in Malcescine have menus in German as well as Italian. Out hotel -keeper spoke German as his first language. That was fine with me as I speak German much better than Italian. Roberto, an Italian who posts here says that the Italians speak of Garda as the "German sea".

I think your choice should be determined by which fits better in your itinerary, and whether you will have a car.

Is it 4 nights or 3 nights or 2 nights? I don't like using days, because different people count days differently (sometimes including or not the travel days).
I've visited all the 3 major lakes in Italy (and many minor ones too) and frankly they are all beautiful, so wherever you go you will feel satisfied. You should base your decision not on Rick Steves' (who prefers Lake Como) or people like me (who probably prefers the other two), but rather on your overall itinerary. If you are going to Venice and/or Verona or the Dolomites only, lake Garda is a good choice, as the others require you to go out of your way. If you go to Milan only, then Lake Como makes sense, since it's near Milan. If you just go to Malpensa airport, then lake Maggiore is just 30 min away.
In terms of transportation, lake Garda is probably the one that would be best visited by car, although public transportation is available. Varenna on lake Como is very easy to reach by train from Milan, and that is probably why Rick Steves likes it. Lake Garda probably offers the most activities. It's a windsurfing paradise, with auto safari, theme parks, nearby Verona (beautiful city), the Dolomites a short drive away, and the Valpolicella wine producing area. I disagree that it is not Italian. The entire lake is on an Italian speaking region. However since it's the closest to the Brenner pass, it is the lake where most Germans (and Dutch, for whatever reason) spend their holidays.
Lake Como is very beautiful also and laid back. So for R&R it would work perfectly too. The best part is the mid lake (Varenna, Bellagio, Menaggio, and smaller villages around). All towns in all lakes are connected by boat service.

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to answer my question.
This will be the end of our 17 day Italian romp for 4 60 + seniors. While I am certain we would enjoy either place I'm just getting concerned Como may be a little to relaxed. We have the June 7,8,9 and on the 10th we will go to airport for flight out on 11th.
We planned on utilizing train transportation for this segment but car is not out of the question.
We leave on the 11th out of Milan Airport international.
Our interest is primarily enjoying the Italian (food, wine and people) culture and like many people I have a historical interest in Roman History.

If you fly out of Milan Malpensa You could also go to Lake Maggiore then. Stay in Stresa the whole time and visit both lake Maggiore and lake Orta (plus Switzerland's Locarno). If you have a car, you don't even need to move closer to the airport. You just drive to the airport and return the car the morning of the flight. From Stresa to the airport is a 35 min drive nearly all freeway once you cross the little hill behind Stresa.

Doug,

Expanding on Roberto's suggestion, Lake Maggiore and Stresa would also be an excellent choice. There's enough there to either keep your group active or just relax, as you prefer. Some of the activities you might enjoy there......

• Tour the elegant Borromeo Islands and especially Isola Bella, which has both an elegant Villa as well as ornate gardens (complete with Peacocks).
• Take the Cable Car to Mt. Mottarone, where you can tour beautiful alpine gardens or take the lift right to the top for incredible views (provided it's not hazy).
• Take a day trip to Locarno (Switzerland) via the scenic Cento Valli Railway. You'll first take regular train to Domodossola and then transfer to the C.V. rail (the station for that is underground). The trip is about two hours as I recall, and in Locarno you can have a look at the beautiful Madonna del Sasso Franciscan Monastery, take the Cable Car to Cardada (have lunch on the patio at the restaurant right beside the cable car station), spend some time in the Casino, walk along the waterfront, shop in the pricey Bucherer Store if you're in the market for a $10K Rolex or a $10K Vertu cell phone, or just enjoy the city where an International Film Festival is held each year. In the late afternoon, take a boat (perhaps an Aliscafo) back to Stresa. If you decide to do that, be sure to take your Passport since you'll be in a different country.

It's also very easy to get from Stresa to MXP without going through Milan (hopefully Roberto or one of the others can confirm that).

Thanks Ken and all those who took the time to reply. Now we have three choices of great locations not a bad quandry to find one self in.

1. Varrena might be to laid back for three days
2. Lake Garda may be two touristy aimed at water sports
3. Stressa may provide the answer for balance between culture, scenery and variety of attractions.
Thanks to all who replied.

Actually all three offer everything. Water sports are not limited to lake Garda. It is true that lake Como is probably the most laid back, but 3 days isn't a long time either.
However since you mentioned that you are departing from MXP airport, then lake Maggiore might be the best option. Lake Maggiore is closer to the airport than Milan itself (the Milan Malpensa airport is half way between Milan and lake Maggiore).
To go from the lake Maggiore to the airport directly these are the options:
1. If you have a rental car (which I think would be good to have while you are in that area), it's a quick 40-45 min drive (mostly freeway). If you are staying in Arona, on the south lake, it's even closer, although I like Stresa better.
2. By train, from either Stresa or Arona, you would take the train to Gallarate (on the way to Milan), then a taxi from Gallarate to the airport (10 min). You could also take the train all the way to the airport. Basically from Stresa, instead of getting off at Gallarate, you go a bit further to Busto Arsizio, then you change to a train coming from Milan to the airport. It's a bit of back tracking, therefore the train trip is 1h40m. Getting off at Gallarate + a taxi is quicker. It's 35 min from Stresa to Gallarate (25 from Arona), then 10 min by taxi or bus from Gallarate train station to the MXP terminal T1. Check the train schedule from Stresa to Gallarate here:
www.trenitalia.com
3. By bus from either Stresa or Arona to the Malpensa airport. It's called ALIBUS, and goes directly from Stresa to the airport (and passes from Arona too). The trip from Stresa is 55 min. The schedule is below:
http://www.safduemila.com/alibus-2015-malpensa.lagomaggiore.html

If you do chose the Alibus to the airport from Stresa, you have to make reservations the day before.

if no one else mentioned it.;.....know that going straight up the hill from Varenna is a significant hike to an old castle and cemetery....take good shoes and a water bottle, this is like a 3 or 4 hour outing including lots of photo stops.

Jumping in here, since we're trying to figure out where to stay on our last night before flying out of Malpensa the next morning at 10:30am.
Would it be too risky to stay in lake Maggiore the night before with a morning flight and a car to return? I wasn't sure about traffic. It will be on a Monday morning. How much time should we give if we were to do this? We'll be coming from the Dolomites, so Lake Maggiore sounds like a great place for our last day.

Thanks!
Theresa

45 minutes drive from Stresa to Malpensa. Traffic is never heavy on a weekday as it's not a densely populated area.
Add 15 min. to account for getting lost at Malpensa and fueling the car, plus another 30 min. for car return paperwork, gather luggage and walk to check in.

You should be at the check in at least 2 hours prior to departure for a US bound flight, therefore make sure you drive out of your Stresa hotel at least 3.5 hours prior to scheduled departure.