Varenna or Ballagio?

The ferries seems to run frequently. I would not let getting to Bellagio stop you from staying there, especially since you will have three nights. http://www.navigazionelaghi.it You will probably spend time in both and the ferry ride is only around fifteen minutes.

I am going to visit both on a day trip in a few weeks, I wanted to stay overnight but could not squeeze it in. So I have been researching this a bit myself.

I spent a few nights in Varenna a couple of years ago. It is a charming lake-side village...much more low key than Bellagio. It gets a lot of visitors, but I never felt it was as crowded as Bellagio. I would stay in Varenna and take the ferry to Bellagio for a visit. It is an easy walk from the train station in Varenna to just about any lodging...as long as you are fairly fit and don't have more than one small piece of luggage per person. The walk from the train station to the ferry is down hill so it would be easier than the return journey back to the train station. Still, even the uphill is very doable if you are used to walking with a small wheel-aboard suitcase or back pack type luggage.

As vftravels said, the ferry is really easy between the two towns. We much prefer Bellagio to Varenna as there is more to do. It’s not as though either of them are large towns. We will actually be back in Bellagio next week and we are really looking forward to our time there.

Given that you are at the end of your 2 weeks, I'd go for staying in Varenna. It feels more conducive to easy, end-of-trip relaxation. Bellagio was disappointing to us and did not feel very representative of the way that most Italians live day-to-day. The boat connections to Bellagio and Mennagio et al, are so frequent that you could easily daytrip around the whole lake as desired.
Eateries on Varenna felt somehow more folksy, local and down-to-earth to us. Bellagio was also more costly.
Bon chance Jansechak!
I am done. The end.

I'm with Gregg. Having been to both, I'd absolutely vote for Varenna. Bellagio felt like an upscale resort whereas Varenna felt more laid-back and less "elite" and touristy. Bellagio is fine for a day trip, however....which is what we did.

Another vote for Varenna, but we were looking for a more relaxed less touristy village. We ferried over to Bellagio, but felt it was, as Kathy mentioned, a costly resort. We are older so the serenity of Varenna suited us well. We went to Bellagio for a meal as there are many choices there. You have to decide which fits better into your life style.

As you can see, every has a different favorite (I strongly preferred Varenna). But they are quite easy to get between, so don't let that be the determining factor.

Thank you ALL so much for your thoughts, insight and suggestions; I'm grateful! I think we will stay in Varenna and tour the lake with ease from the ferry dock being so close by. We prefer full service hotels and the only reservation I have at this point in Varenna is Villa Varenna, a B&B; supposedly very nice; good reviews and walking distance to train station . We had pretty much planned on Ballagio so I'll continue my search for lodging options in Varenna. Any suggestions??

The Albergo Milano in Varenna is popular with the RS crowd, and its very nice. Some rooms have private patios with great lake views. But note that its Bellagio, not Ballagio. That will help with searching online.

I second Stan's Hotel Milano suggestion. We were at their then-new Casa Rossa for a week and enjoyed our stay (see also Casas Gialia and 3 Archi). Their cat has one of the more exotic appearances that one might ever see! Owner Bettina's daughter's teacher agreed to my request that her class in nearby Mandello and mine, proceed with an ongoing exchange of hand-written letters, part of my 'International Pen Pal Club' extra-curricular activity involving children from all over the globe.
Tante belle cose Jansechak.
I am done. The batello

Possible battello boat trips around the lago:
-Abbazia di Piona (unique herbal remedy liquor)
-Villa del Balbianello (extremely picturesque)
-Nesso's stone arch bridges
-Lenno (our fave quieter village; chillax @ S. Stefano trattoria
-maybe see whether the historic steamer Concordia still does its Sunday-only lake run?
I am done. The Clooney.

We loved Hotel du Lac! It is right at the lake's shore, and some rooms have balconies overlooking the lake. Our room was huge and had all the amenities you could want. The breakfast room/ dining room is like a Florida room of windows and there is a terrace off of that should you want to dine outside. The food was excellent. The young lady at the desk, Tatianna, is the best and ever ready with information you might need. This was a slurge for us, but one that was well worth it.