My husband and I went on this tour in 2016 and thoroughly enjoyed all of it, especially our wonderful stay in Varenna on Lake Como. We loved it there so much we vowed to return some day and we did. Our 2023 Rick Steves Village Italy tour ended in the northern lake region of Italy. From there we travelled to Varenna and stayed in the same wonderful hotel again, this time with a lake view. Imagine our surprise when we learned that Lake Como is no longer in the My Way Italy itinerary. Does anyone know why?
Posted by
Green Bay
21899 posts
Nobody goes there anymore, its too popular.
Apologies to Yogi Berra.
Seriously, I suspect that it has gotten too expensive for a Rick Steves tour budget. Why is it so expensive? Its too popular.
Posted by
OP
Texas
17 posts
You’re probably right about that and I suppose Rick Steves contributed to the popularity of Varenna by stating it is his favorite on Lake Como. It was crowded when we were there in October 2023 but we were there on a weekend.
Still, it’s a magical place that we enjoyed every bit as much the second time and I’m sad that future RS travelers won’t get that opportunity.
Posted by
1 posts
We are traveling to Milan in April 20 25 and are thinking of staying one night Milan, two or three nights in Como and then three nights in Venice if you have hotel recommendations of where you have stayed in Como or thereabouts, I would love to hear it! Thank you
Posted by
OP
Texas
17 posts
When we went to Lake Como we stayed in Varenna at Hotel Royal Victoria, which is a wonderful 4 star hotel. It’s farther from Milan than Como but well worth it in my opinion. We have not been to Como but have the impression it’s more like staying in a city instead of a quaint village like Varenna. We used a driver recommended in the RS guidebook to take us to Milan for our very early morning flight home but you can get there by train.