Mom's 60th Birthday - Help planning Lake Como Trip

What is it about Bellagio that caught your eye?

These 7-9 folks - any mobility issues, any kids (ages), any very elderly?

First trip or return for you and her and the others?

Anybody have any problems with boats or buses (dizzy or sick on them)?

Jessica, what part of the country are you coming from - what sort of weather are you (they) used to?

Addressing #3.

We stayed in Varenna and one day rode the ferry to Menaggio, took the bus to Lugano, the train to Como, and then the ferry back to Varenna for dinner. It was an easy and delightful day !

I love doing trips like that with my adult kids for my "big birth days.". My 60th was in Switzerland with a group of seven. We will return next year for my 70---with grand hidden this time.

As to your trip----we have not been to Bellagio so I cannot compare the two, but we absolutely love Varenna and specifically Albergo Milano. They have a variety of accommodations that would suit a group, inclluding a ground-floor two-bedroom, 2-bath apartment that sleeps 5 ( Casa Giallia); a one-bedroom Partment with terrace and partial lake view that sleeps 3 ( Casa Tre Archi), and regular hotel rooms with lakefront balconies. Our favorite of these is the top floor room in Casa Rossa. It is large, bright, and airy, with a well-equipped kitchen corner, and modern bathroom. French doors open onto a large terrace with a table and gorgeous views over the lake. Youncould all meet up there for lunch or a before-dinner aperitif----assuming everyone can climb four flights of stairs. There is no elevator.

Dinner on the hotel terrace (Ristorante La Vista) is superb.

The cooling class with Chef Bruno at Il Caminetto would be fun for your group. You get a nice lunch with wine, and go home with recipes you will actually use.

To go from Varenna to Venice, you return to Milan and transfer to a fast Frecce train to Venezia Snta Lucia. That trip is 2.75 hours.

I suggest you go straight to Lake Como and put Milan last. Reason? Flying back to the US from Venice is tough, because most flights depart Marco Polo Airport very early in the morning. We see many questions from people asking how to get to the airport that early in the morning---public transport may or may not accommodate their schedule, so are left with the option of a private water taxi for €120. And a 4:30 or 5:00 am wake up is jot to everyone's liking.

This may not be true for where you are flying, but at least check the flight schedules before committing to a specific order of travel.

Between May and Septemberi would have a tough time choosing, although I always love May travel. We were last in Varenna at the very end of September and it was cool/drizzly, but I imagine it could rain in May as well.

If you plan to do Venice, fly in there and out of Milan. Generally easier to get flights at decent times from Milan versus Venice.

As Lola noted most US bound flights leave Venice at 0'dark ugly, making for challenges to get to Venice airport, or just plain $$$.

After Venice go to Lake Como and finish in Milan

May vs. Sept? Check historic weather records and see what you like. May would probably have more flowers in bloom

Thanks Everyone. The input is extremely helpful and I appreciate the response.

To answer one of the responders, all adults will be traveling, no kids and no elderly. This will be the first time to Lake Como. My mom, sisters, and I went to Rome, Florence, and Venice on a tour for her 50th birthday. We are from New Mexico so it will be quite the flight to get there.

I would also go straight to Venezia and end in Milano. Venezia is a great place to get over jet lag, if anyone suffers from it, and very peaceful away from San Marco and Rialto areas.

If you want to visit Lugano, I'd stay in Menaggio. I prefer Menaggio actually and was there a couple of weeks ago (with a car). I find Varenna too smallish for my taste (also too many Gringos from the US) and Bellagio has too many tourists per square foot, and I feel too crowded. Menaggio has tourists too, but it doesn't feel as crowded, and in summer they have nightly music concerts in the main Piazza Garibaldi on the lake, which I truly enjoy while eating at those sidewalk cafes. Mussolini was executed just a couple of miles south of Menaggio between Menaggio and George Clooney's villa in Laglio, (if you are interested in history or if you are a paparazzo).

I also drove to Lugano while in Menaggio. It's a 45-50 min drive mostly along the Lugano lake (or under a tunnel, if you are in a hurry). I presume the bus takes a bit longer, but probably not by much.

I was in Lake Como and Milan last month - spent three nights in Varenna, then spent the day in Milan before taking a late afternoon train to Florence.

My preference would be Varenna over Bellagio. Both have lots of tourists during the day, but Bellagio seemed overrun when I visited. Roberto mentioned Menaggio above. It has a large lakefront promenade where I spent some time just relaxing one afternoon, and it seemed like it would be a pleasant, lower-key place to stay. However, I thought Varenna had more of a quaint atmosphere, and it was especially lovely in the evening, after the ferries stopped running. I also have friends who spent the entire month of September in Lake Como a couple of years ago, and they swear by Tremezzo.

With four nights, I think you could fit in a cooking class; I wished I had spent an extra day so I could do that. With only three nights (and 2 1/2 days), my time was taken up with touring villas, riding the ferry, and simply enjoying Varenna and the gorgeous weather.

Regarding Milan, I was there for about eight hours. I reached the Duomo right after it opened (no lines!!), toured it including the rooftop, explored the Galleria briefly, grabbed a panzerotto for lunch at Luini, wandered up to Sforza Castle and relaxed on the lawn for a bit, saw the Last Supper, and visited a couple of churches before my 16:30 train to Florence. Since you would have a full day, you could fit in more than that.

Regarding flights home from Venice, Delta has an 11:00 am flight from Venice to Atlanta. I don't know if it would arrive in Atlanta early enough to connect to New Mexico or not, but the later flight makes it feasible to depart from Venice. The Venice contingent could also consider spending your last night somewhere on the mainland in order to make it easier to get to the airport for an early flight.

Varenna is beautiful. We were there last month. Yes it is crowded with Americans, but the evenings are wonderful. Far as a cooking class try Lake Como Food Tours. We had a great time doing their class. It's held in the neighboring village of Mandello and is very hands on. The chef is great. We made a wonderful lunch.