Stay in Varenna or ???

Varenna, Bellano and Menaggio (15 minutes away by ferry) are centrally located. There are a lot of hikes to the north of Bellano outside of the towns on Lake Como’s eastern shoreline.

Varenna is charming and small, which makes it somewhat harder to find reasonably- priced lodging. You are a bit late to be booking for June, so firm up your itinerary asap, as lodging may dictate where you stay, We will be there for our third time this spring, and booked lodging last fall. We hope to return on a regular basis.
You may find more options in Bellagio, which is bigger, or Menaggio, which is quiet. All three are conveniently linked by ferry.
Varenna is on the train line from Milan. I believe track work starts June 15, so hopefully you'll avoid that.
The scenery in the Middle Lakes area is spectacular. Enjoy!

High season on Lago di Como starts at Easter.
We loved Varenna and our 6 days there.

Does anyone have any specific names of places to stay in Varenna - Menaggio - Bellano?

Bed & Breakfast il Bolentino Varenna.

hey hey amyjoy
nice to see you back. welcome to the forum. people here are willing to help, give info (good bad and ugly), different opinions but up to you to decide.
it is jubilee 2025 (holy pilgrimage) all year mostly in rome, expecting millions of people that will want to travel to other cities in italy. it will be crowded so book you place first ASAP the let us know where and we can go from there.
as davebarnes mentions high season begins at easter, many people will be traveling with italy being one of the tops places to visit. lake como is another top place and it will be crowded, especially day trippers, and hotels rates are high with some hotels/bnb's/apartments booked a year in advance, so you may get slim pickens at this late time.
booking.com
put in towns name, dates and # people. they show what's available. look at rates, email hotel if better rates and book directly reviews are from only people that stayed there. read policies & cancellation carefully, amenities, mobility issues (elevator/lift), what floor and how many stairs/steps carrying bags up.
using only public transportation or have a car? (if a car look up aaa.com/IDP international driver's permit to drive in italy)
lake maggiore and lake garda are other lakes to look at. i've been to lake garda and it's gorgeous with lots to see and do.
discovernorthernitaly.com
click regions, click lombardy
lakegarda.net
click town guides. some people like the northern part of lake in the towns and villages, some like southern part. check out the ferries offered around lake and to towns/villages.
campingspiaggiadoro.com
lepalmecamping.it
something different right on the lake with many amenities.
lakemaggiore.com/ a local's guide to lake: 7 places you can't miss
thecrowdedplanet.com/ things to do on the lake.
what other places do you plan to visit and other things you want to do. hope this gives you some ideas to help you out with decisions. come back and ask more questions. good luck
aloha

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Good luck !

amyjoy, We are staying in Varenna at Albergo Milano during the first week of June. I made our reservations last summer. You need to make hotel reservations ASAP.

Varenna, Bellagio, Menaggio, Cadenabbia are all served by the frequent Midlake ferries and boats. Bellano is not (it’s served only by the Como-Colico service) but it is a short train ride to Varenna, so it’s equally good. Last time I visited Varenna was during the month of July. It has become a zoo in summer, just like the Cinque Terre. Bellagio was also very busy, but it was ok in the early morning hours before the herds arrived (many from Varenna, which has become very popular. If you go in June you might find similar crowds. I stayed in Menaggio, which was busy but not unreasonably so.