Lake Como with small kids

@Faith

Sorry I can't think at the moment of a place that will work for 5 with a garden on a budget in Varenna. I'm sure there must be one, btw - what is your budget. We all have different ones.

Varenna is a very nice place and very romantic but very quiet. Except for along the main road heading south out of the town - probably where you will be parking your car unless you use the not-free parking structure near the church - I'm hard pressed to think of more than a few feet together of level and flat pavement. Most of Varenna is steep stairs and steep inclines and cobblestones so it will be walk the twins and carry the baby because the stroller probably won't be much fun.

You ask, "does the Rick Steves Italy book have enough written about Lake Como to make it worth a purchase."

There are 20 pages in my tablet version of RS Italy about just Varenna and many more about other parts of the lake. Is that enough, too few, too many? It worked for me.

If you have the time and and can manage the steep grades with the twins I think they might really enjoy it and so might you. If the idea of going slow so they can get up and down the grades and over the humps and rocks doesn't sound like so much fun maybe it won't be.

Personally, my wife and I could easily return for 4 more days with very little persuasion.

Faith,

I'm not sure there's a lot in Varenna that would interest 3-year olds, but there is one possibility that comes to mind. As I recall, there's a Falconry / Birds of Prey demonstration at the Castle of Vezio, which is uphill from Varenna. Getting there could be an issue if you plan on using a Stroller for the 11-month old. It would be much easier with a Snugli or other carrier, but my memory is a bit foggy on transportation options for kids of that age. You could also tour the elegant gardens at Villa Cipressi and Villa Monastero (might interest your twins for a few minutes anyway).

IMO, the Italy Guidebook has enough written about Lago di Como to be quite useful for general touring. It's got good information about the Ferries and other places on the lake such as Menaggio. There are some nice Gelato shops down on the path that leads along the lake (from the Ferry docks & Albergo Olivedo to the main part of town), so you'll definitely be able to enjoy that.

I don't know of any self-catering places (especially for "budget travellers), but I'm sure there must be some. You may want to post your questions on Trip Advisor as well.

Happy travels!

Thank you both for your responses. It's very helpful and gives me some things to think about. And now I definately know that the RS Italy book is worth the purchase! I was afraid it would only have 10 or less pages and I would be disappointed.

Budget for us means around $100 or so a night. I did find one in the next village up the hillside that would work, since we have a car. It's small, but has a little kitchenette. Also, a couple of options further north of Varenna, which with a car, would also work. Now I am checking availability to see what our options really are. Since we are traveling in May, not too busy, I have had some positive responses as far as openings go.

Also, thank you for your advise about the cobbly steep hills and steps. Something to ponder. We do have a carrier for our little one and the girls are used to walking/hiking. So maybe with Papa's strong arms once in a while, they could be okay.

I think the ferry ride itself would be a delight for our girls and walks along the lake. I have read on some descriptions of apartments about walking trails. I wonder if those are all up/down hill or if there are some long walks if we drive up to the top of the mountain that wouldn't be too hilly. But we are mostly looking for nice, quiet family time without too much "here and there" and discovering the beauty of somewhere new.

I was at Lake Como last year and I remembering seeing small "pocket parks" with playground equipment for the children. There were a few of them in each town and always kids playing.
Usually families with small picnics and it looked like a great way to spend some time with kids.
Happy Travels.

Dear Faith,

I admire your spirit - Europe with kids that age suggests you have a "can do" attitude and that's marvelous - instills a lifelong love of travel in the kids. Rick has traveled with his kids...I think you may find tips in older posts?

Is this your first trip to Europe? While Varenna is really, really lovely, I have to say in my humble opinion it didn't strike me as a "small kid" kind of place - when we were there this past summer with our three teenagers we saw a tiny strip of beach rocks in front of one of the gelato shops. We did see older kids (8, 10 12-ish) feeding ducks there, but I don't think it would be a place for your kids to wade in the lake or spend more than a few moments. We tried to find a beach with no luck and our kids wound up climbing down a concrete drainage trough to the shore where they threw rocks in a game of "skip." Maybe we missed a beach, but we were there for three days.

Also, as someone else said, the paths are not stroller friendly - uneven, narrow, steep at times and minimal railings (O.K. for adults). We saw two parks and neither had play equipment that I can recall. Just more of a town square with pretty trees. Most of the shops had curios and other breakables.

Villa Monastero was very beautiful - it's a long stretch of lakeside gardens...however, the paths we took were right along the shore and remembering how our kids could bolt in an instant when they were three, I would be concerned about a slip or a trip.

If you are not married to Varenna (you don't say if you are starting in a big city or really want to see Italy over somewhere else) I think some of the big cities like Paris or London may have more to entertain your children? And perhaps more options in the way of budget accommodations too. Paris especially - our kids loved the Tuilleries, the Ferris Wheel, the fresh baked goods, the boat rides, the donkey carts in the park by the Eiffel Tower - it was a kid friend-lier town.

I don't want to plan your trip for you...sorry - just offering some advice based on our own experience. Happy Travels!

Also if you want a day trip to Lugano in switzerland from Lake Como Rick has this link in his Italy guidebook.

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/switz/lugano.htm

You might want to consider an apartment with the kids. Varenna with the kids might be a little isolated. We rented a two bedroom apartment in Lezzano which is beautful and spacious. The living room had a pullout. The apartment on the first floor did have a small yard. It is about 10 to 15 minutes south of Belliagio which is another great place to stay. Just realize that you have to watch the kids it is a hilly area with on a lake. Also we drove it and I don't mind driving but for some the roads are very narrow. By the way in Bellagio you can pretty much get a ferry to any place and it is a beautiful town. We did do the drive to Lugano that was suggested in an earlier post and liked it a lot. Also we were there in may and the weather was very changeable. So it can be very nice but also chilly. Not cold but a bit cool.

Thank you all for your ideas, tips and suggestions. All very much appreciated. The reason that we chose Lake Como is because we live in Germany. I am an american married to a german. We are looking for a quiet and relaxing week away and somewhere new to see. We were in Italy once before, when the twins were 10 months old. We went to Lake Garda that time and we loved it. We want more of Italy, but without the LONG drive further south with our three little ones. And we are looking more for quiet and relaxing, rather than cities and busy-ness. I have heard good things about Lake Como and it's beauty. I realize that there will be some hill walking and we plan to carry the baby in a backpack carrier.

We will be renting either an apartment or house, all self-service, so that we can have space and be able to do our own cooking vs. eating out all the time. I have had some luck at finding a few in or close to our budget.

If you know of some walks/hikes in the area that wouldn't be too difficult for 3 1/2 year olds, please let me know. Our girls are somewhat used to taking short hikes and walks, but I have seen in pictures that the hills and mountains can be quite steep. Anyone know of any that maybe we can drive to the mountain top and hike along where it's not too steep?

Again, that's for your input. Always great when fellow travelors can help each other out.

Hi Faith,

Have you tried: http://www.agriturismo.it ? We've had good luck with this site and there are some great search options: http://www.agriturismo.it/en/farmhouse/search, including swimming pool, horse back riding, playground, educational farm, etc...

Sorry that I can't be much help re the Varenna region, but agree that a rural, water vacation is enjoyable with young kids, especially if you are close enough to urban sites that you can visit if you want to. On our last trip to Europe, our kids' (then 4 and 5) most memorable experience was staying on a working farm near Salzburg with a playground, horse, trampoline, goats and kittens.

Have fun,
Lara