Lake Towns

Stresa is on lake Maggiore, Varenna is on Lake Como. If you want to visit both you must have separate stays as they are kind of far from each other to be visited as a day trip from either.

For Lake Como you may also consider Bellagio or Menaggio, which are equally pretty and just across the lake from Varenna (just minutes away). Varenna is very popular with more than just Rick Steves, so it has become overcrowded like the Cinque Terre, especially in summer.

Stresa is an excellent choice as from there you can reach the Borromean islands easily by ferry or boat. Also if you come by train, it is a major station connected to Milan.
Besides the islands, also Cannobio, Orta San Giulio (on nearby lake Orta), as well as Locarno (CH) are popular destinations in the area that you can easily visit from Stresa.

I would recommend at least 3 nights in each lake, maybe 4 in Stresa.

You might be passing through Stresa on the way from Switzerland. Lake Maggiore is also near the Milan Malpensa airport, if that is the airport you depart from,

Roy, it's hard to judge how others will fare with time and places. There's a present thread in the Italy section in which the poster wants to cram in several places/attractions in one day.

I'm not a big fan of short stays, so would choose Stresa or Varenna, probably the latter. Even without a car, at my travel pace, there's enough to do for five full days.

Roy,

As you only have five or six days, I tend to agree with other replies that it might be best to focus on one lake. Given your circumstances, Stresa on Lake Maggiore would seem like the best choice. As others have mentioned here, some of the sights you could see there....

• Take a day trip to the beautiful city of Locarno (CH). You might enjoy the scenic Cento Valli Railway that goes from Domodossola to Locarno - https://www.vigezzinacentovalli.com/en/ . Don't forget to take your Passports with you. While in Locarno, you could take a trip up the mountain to Cardada (wonderful views) - https://www.cardada.ch/en . You could also visit the historic Madonna del Sasso Monastery, which is just up the hill from the city - https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/madonna-del-sasso/ . You might enjoy taking a boat back to Stresa as it's nice to see all the small towns from the lake.
• Spend a relaxing day touring the Borromean Islands. Isola Bella is the most spectacular (IMO) with a large mansion and beautiful gardens. Isola dei Pescatori is the smallest but it's a nice place to stop for lunch. It has a small church that has a beautiful interior.
• Check the Rick Steves Italy guidebook for other sightseeing suggestions on Lake Maggiore.

Thanks for all your thoughts. Very helpful. We like the idea of using Stressa as a home base.
Safe travels to everyone.
Roy

Hi Roy,

I have stayed at Varenna once and at Stresa four times, so you know which one I love. Stresa has a variety of hotels - some from the historical time period when Stresa was on the initial train route for the rich travelers. Hemingway, royalty, etc. have stayed in some of these. Last May was the first time I stayed in one of these elegant ones, choosing the beautiful Regina Hotel. I don’t mind switching locations often or even hotels. The last three times, I stayed here my last night in Stresa:

“My last day in Italy was out to Boutique Hotel Elvezia on tiny Isola Bella - my favorite way to end time at Stresa. I took the ferry over to the island, dropped off my bag, had lunch and enjoyed time in the Borromeo Villa & formal gardens. The flowers were gorgeous as usual, and I lingered in areas since I had no need to rush. Dinner again at Hotel Elvezia was excellent as usual.”

Some other activities: take the ferry up to Villa Taranto for their gardens and also over to Santa Caterina del Sasso in the opposite direction by ferry.

Our first time to Stresa, we came by train from Wengen, also. It makes a nice contrast! I hope you have clear weather for both locations!

Bellagio is an absolute fairy tale village. So beautiful!