We are taking a road trip through Italy and will spend about 3 days in the lake area. We will have a car but do not intend to drive once we arrive. Which towns are easiest to reach by car, Bellagio, Varenna, Stresa, Menaggio, or? We just want to have an easy time getting to the town with the car and then leave it parked at our place of lodging. Thanks for any advice you can give.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
You say "in the lake area."
Which lake? Como or Maggiore?
You mention 4 villages on 2 different lakes: Stresa on Lake Maggiore; and then you mention 3 other villages that are on Lake Como.
If your destination is Lake Como, then Varenna is popular with travelers reporting in here--it's at the mid-lake area of Lake Como, on the east side of the lake.
Posted by
California 🦋
5220 posts
Sara,
I presume you will be needing the rental car after you leave "the lake area", if the answer is no, then you are better off returning the car in Milan.
It's very easy to get to Varenna (Lake Como) from Milan via Regional train that takes 1Hr,5mins. & it costs €6.5/person.
You can easily visit Bellagio & Menaggio via ferry boat from Varenna.
Varenna is a small lakeside village & you will not find parking at your place of lodging.
If you decide to drive to Varenna, you can park at a lot at the end of town & it will cost you around €20 /24 hours.
I have not traveled to Stressa (Lake Maggiore), but hopefully Roberto will see your post & tell you the best way to get there & where you can park.
Have you considered traveling to Lake Garda? If you have a car, you can drive to the northern part of the lake & visit Limone which Roberto's favorite.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32212 posts
Sara,
Unless your hotel provides parking and is outside the central part of whichever city you're staying in, you may have to contend with ZTL (limited traffic) areas and resulting fines. As I recall, there is some parking in Stresa but I can't remember which area it's in. Parking in Varenna is limited in the main part of town but some hotels may offer parking facilities (Albergo Olivedo?). Menaggio is on the opposite side of the lake from Varenna, so it will take you longer to get there (depending on where you're coming from). I normally use trains to those areas, so haven't had to deal with this issue.
Posted by
Glostrup, Denmark
1323 posts
I vote for Lake Garda :-)
I usually stay in a mobile home in http://www.camping-serenella.it/ between Garda and Bardolino, but another option is http://www.hotelsportsman.com/.
The beach is just across the (car free) path and you can walk to either of the two cities and visit a large variety of shops, restaurants, and the traveling market (if your dates fit).
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15196 posts
I don't know what you define as "Lake Area". If you define with that term the area of Italy where Lake Garda, Lake Iseo, Lake Como, Lake Lugano, Lake Maggiore, Lake Orta, and other lesser known lakes are located, it is a very large area. You can't stay on one lake and visit the others in 3 days, especially without using the car.
First you need to decide WHICH lake (in 3 days you can visit one, possibly two if you choose lake Maggiore and Lake Orta which are next to each other).
Once you have chosen the lake, I can recommend a town or two on that lake.
But whichever lake you choose, the option of not using the car defeats the purpose of spending money on a rental car. You have a car, then use it. Of course there will be instances where taking a boat might be the fastest or even the only option (for example to visit the Borromee islands on lake Maggiore) and will add enjoyment to your trip. But overall visiting the lake also using the car will greatly enhance your ability to visit more places because boats are slow and boat service isn't always very frequent. If you choose Lake Maggiore or Lake Garda, the car is much more efficient. Lake Como can easily be done without a car especially if you stay in Varenna. The other towns worth seeing are across the lake from Varenna, so the boat is the faster option. If you stay in Menaggio, then a car is useful to visit nearby Lugano (CH) and its lake.
For Lake Garda I recommend the North Lake towns. For Maggiore, Stresa or surrounding towns is good, especially for taking boat trips to the islands. You should use the car to visit the north lake (Cannobio, Locarno) and lake Orta from there. For lake Como, since you have a car, stay around Menaggio. You can visit Varenna and Bellagio by boat, but you can visit Lugano by car and the entire Como Branch of the lake (the best branch) all the way to Cernobbio (by car is faster as it is on the same shore as Menaggio).