We will be traveling from Lauterbrunnen to either Stresa or Menaggio, and after 3 nights, traveling on to Padua. I am seeking advice as to whether we should stay in Stresa or Menaggio. I know they are on two different lakes. I had originally planned to go to Menaggio because it seems Lake Como is the one usually recommended rather than Lake Maggiore. But I have found it difficult to find out why that is, other than just that a lot of Americans go to Lake Como. So one of my questions is why would a person choose Lake Como over Lake Maggiore.. Also, it appears that there is a more direct train from Lauterbrunnen to Stresa, than to Menaggio. I believe that if we train it, then to get to Menaggio, we will need to pick up a rental car in Lugano to drive to Menaggio. This is doable, but then we would probably just continue to keep the car and drive all the way to Padua later that week. We have driven in Tuscany and we have ridden trains from Rome to Florence and then on to Nice, so we've done both types of travel, but not in northern Italy. Which plan would provide us with the most interesting sights and experiences. Train to Stresa and then train to Padua? Or train to Lugano, auto to Menaggio and auto on to Padua? Thank you for all advice. p.s. I've read Rick's guidebooks, but I still would like some more information from people who have done these things and stayed these places. Rick seems to have little interest in Stresa, as he describes it as "lacking appeal" and Lake Maggiore as "lacking the cozy charm of Lake Como". I'm looking for more details explaining these assessments please. I know his recommendation is to stay in Varenna but it would take us longer to get there, so I guess I also want to know if that longer travel time would be worth it. Thank you again.
Posted by
Green Bay
20405 posts
You can take a bus from Lugano to Menaggio, they go fairly frequently. Renting a car in Lugano would not be a good idea as it would have to be returned to Switzerland or suffer a huge drop fee in Italy. The car can't be rented again until it is back in Switzerland and guess who pays the cost of that.
But you a right that train logistics are much easier to Stresa than Menaggio and a lot of people love Stresa and the Borromean islands.
You could also get to Menaggio by taking the train to Como San Giovanni station (either by going to Luzern and then south to Como, or to Milan and then back north to Como). At Como, a local bus to the lakeside (or taxi), then a ferry to Menaggio. Or Milan to Varenna and the mid-lake shuttle ferry to Menaggio.
Posted by
Missouri, USA and Essex, UK.
1009 posts
I stayed in Stresa for two nights a few years ago and took the train to Milan onto Varena for a two-night stay on Lake Como. (requires an easy changed at Milan Central station). All this coming from Switzerland. The Borromean Islands are the main attraction for Stresa and they are well worth a visit. You can do all three islands in a day. Just take the water taxi and go in-between them. (just remember what company you used - you can book the taxi when you get to Stresa- they are all trying to get your business along the front across the main road from most of the hotels).
The town of Stresa around the market square is "nice" but we were ready to move on after two nights. Many of the tourists here seemed to be older and the vibe felt a little slow. I preferred the vibe of Lake Como and the villages around Lake Como have much more charm. Put it this way, I have plans to go back to Lake Como - not so much Stresa. I liked it - don't get me wrong, but there is a reason why most tourists go to Lake Como.
If you have time - you could do both.
Margaret
Posted by
OP
120 posts
Thank you Sam, for posting a few more details about transportation options. And thank you mpaulyn for posting a short summary of your experience in visiting both Stresa and Varenna. I do appreciate your suggestion that we do both towns, but we don't have time for that. I have gone onto google maps and "virtually" wandered the streets of both towns. Simply going by appearances, Varenna looks more like an Italian village, and Stresa, more like a cosmopolitan vacation spot (popular in past decades), so I'm guessing that perhaps this is why Varenna is described as having more charm? Is this correct? Or is there more definition to what "charm" means? We will only be able to spend 3 nights (two full days) in either town. It appears that in either town the major activities would be visiting lovely garden areas and/or shopping. When I have read about Menaggio, I've read that there are also nearby hiking opportunities and I also read in Rick's guidebook that there is a possibility of taking a cable car up to a mount outside of Stresa and hiking down. So, assuming that we will spend one day sightseeing villas and gardens, and/or shopping a bit in either the Lake Como or Lake Maggiore area, and one day taking a hike in the hills above the area, with also the possibility of visiting Lake Orta if we are staying in Stresa, can anyone tell me what we would miss (other than the look of an Italian village, rather than a dated cosmopolitan vacation town) by choosing Stresa rather than Varenna or Menaggio? (We've visited hill towns in Tuscany, and will be staying 5 nights in Padua, traveling to various Italian villages in northern Italy, and so this is why I seem to be rather discounting the Italian village charm
component :-) ).
Posted by
11367 posts
The mountains are set back from Lake Maggiore while they almost come straight down to Lake Como. Lake Como is where wealthy people in the silk business from Milan built their elegant lakefront villas. These are two differences which led to the development of tourism. I like both lakes, Lake Garda too, but have returned to Lake Como more. The only Lake I didn’t like was Lake Orta.