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Lake Como -- Where to spend 5 nights in May?

We're doing a month in Switzerland and Italy this coming May. I have everything booked and figured out except the 5 nights in mid-May that I have set aside for Lake Como.

We will be coming from 2 nights in Locarno and 1 night in Lugano, and at this point I think we will be on the train (my husband is thinking of changing this to a car, but I feel like we'll rent a car to have it parked a lot?). I want to find one spot on Lake Como for 5 nights. From there we will take the train to pick up a car in Verona and go to the north side of Lake Garda and beyond.

  1. As a stop between Lugano and Verona, what is our best place to stay? Lake Como looks to have so many gorgeous places, and seeing that we're also doing other gorgeous lakes, I'm willing to take the 4th or 5th most stunning town on Lake Como in exchange for easy in and out travel. We will be there for 5 days, so will have time to take the boat to the #1 & 2 gorgeous spots.

  2. Does taking the train from the east side of Lake Como to Verona still including going down to Milan? I was hoping to avoid Milan, but maybe that's silly. My goal is to minimize travel times (including wait and transfer times).

Posted by
5 posts

I would recommend Il Caminetto in Varenna. It is a restaurant, cooking school & has an apartment across the street. You can take the ferry to the towns on Lake Como. There is a train station in Varenna & Chef Moreno will pick you up. We took the class & stayed there several years ago & I would go back if he is still working.

Ilcaminettoonline.com
Check the reviews on Trip Advisor.

Posted by
35 posts

I would recommend staying in Varenna. It’s a charming town in the mid lake area and has easy access by ferry to other picturesque places.

It also has a railway station which will certainly help with your travel arrangements. No need for a car here at all.

Our apartment was located near the ferry and was only a 10 minute walk to the station. Perfect.

Posted by
1082 posts

I will add to the idea of staying in Varenna, we stayed at the Alberto Milano and loved it. Easy access to the ferry and a short ride to the main part of the lake where Belagio is located.

Posted by
771 posts

I will second all the comments so far. We stayed in Varenna at Albergo Milano for 5 nights 3 years ago in May. Varenna is beautiful and is also the hub for the ferries going around the lake, so you have easy access to all the towns. We did the cooking class with Chef Moreno and loved it. We were also heading to Verona from there and found taking the train to Milan and transferring was the easiest. Albergo Milano may be booked at this point, but try to eat dinner there, La Vista restaurant, on a nice evening--there is a dining terrace overlooking the lake which makes for a stunning view.

Posted by
17577 posts

I will also endorse Varenna.

You expressed a concern about travel times to Verona. From Varenna it is very simple, although you do have to return to Milan (that is where the east-west train heading to Verona originates). At 10:37, 12:37, or 13:37, you can take a train from Varenna that will get you to Verona in 2 hours 51 minutes, with a single change at Milano Centrale. The transfer time is 30-35 minutes; long enough to be safe and not so long as to be boring.

Posted by
1321 posts

I found Varenna way to sleepy....I prefer Bellagio - and the fact that RS recommends it is a negative to me...on my visit to Stresa on Lake Maggiorie all I saw was tourists and their blue RS books. You can always take the ferry back to Varenna to catch the train.

Posted by
17577 posts

But why blame Varenna for your experience in Stresa? We have been to Varenna twice and have yet to see a RS book, or to encounter many Americans for that matter. Mostly Brits, and a few Australians.

Varenna is a very small town, however, and there is not much to do there apart from the cooking class, the walk up to the old castle or the little Fiume, and/or ride the lake boats to visit other villages. We did ride over to Menaggio to try kayaking but all the boats were taken, so we went for a swim instead. The water looked cleaner there than at Varenna ( too many geese and swans for our taste).

But the views are lovely and it is a nice place to "chill" for a few days on a hectic vacation. And the connections to Verona are decent, which is what I believe the OP is looking for. Bellagio would add another layer of complexity ( the ferry ride and timing to match with the train departure from Varenna).

Posted by
1130 posts

While I thought Varenna is charming, I also found it very sleepy; especially for 5 days. I also prefer Bellagio. It’s a short ferry ride from Varenna and a good place to stay for 5 days.

Posted by
386 posts

Thanks everyone! I did find that the accommodation selection in Bellagio was really great, and the setting looks fabulous, but I was concerned about coordinating the ferry and trains to get to Verona without creating an arduous day of travel.

Posted by
1321 posts

I have never had issues with the ferry connections between Bellagio and Varenna. I don't it would be an issue especially after spent a couple days in Bellagio the system becomes quite understandable and many many people do it all the time

Posted by
1321 posts

Lola - not blaming my experience in Stresa just pointing out that when you travel to places in RS tour books expect to see the books - we found it amusing that a chunk of the people we encountered at the café/bar were from Seattle or the PNW.