Large family tour from Lugano to Lake Como

Posted by acraven

Washington DC

28455 posts

I'm afraid I don't have a suggestion for you, but I think we have some repeat visitors to Lake Como here, and they may have observed tour companies operating in that area; I have not.

I'm not sure you'll get a lot of value from dedicated transportation in this case, beyond perhaps transportation from Lugano to your first stop on the lake (which might be Menaggio, Via Carlotta or Via Balbianello on the western side); public-bus service seems rather infrequent. The conventional wisdom is that the view is best from the lake, rather than from roads along the lake (which don't give consistently clear views of the lake), and there are lots of ferries serving the mid-lake stops (including Menaggio, Varenna and Bellagio). A bus or two vans would not be the way to move between those towns; take a look at the geography and you'll see why. And Varenna and Bellagio are both highly pedestrianized, so I doubt your vehicle(s) would be able to transport you around those places.

It's a short train trip from Lugano down to Como, but Como is some distance from the most popular, mid-lake area, so I'm not sure it makes sense to start your excursion with that train trip. However, Como would probably be a good place to hook up with a local transportation company if you decide you want to proceed in that direction.

Note that Varenna and Bellagio are both quite hilly. They may be difficult for people with mobility challenges unless they stay along or near the waterfront. Villa Balbianello and Villa Carlotta are both significant uphill walks from what seemed to be the nearest transportation drop-off points.