zurich to menaggio or como

One-night stays are not efficient-- just an afternoon and evening, bookended in this case with long travel days.

I understand but we have no choice.
Is the hydrofoil/ferry ride along the western side of the lake worth it or is it mostly the boat ride & trees?

" is this too much traveling since we will have started out in Atlanta, GA?"

IMO yes with a lot of steps. You could just take a train to Como, under 3.5 hours with one change downtown; arrival a little after 2pm. By the time you get to a hotel, get situated and walk out, it's around 3. Even then, Como to La Spezia is 5 hours on 3 trains.

We have paid reservations for 1 night in Menaggio so we won't be spending the night in Como. Our second night is in La Spezia. My questions are: 1) should be go from the Zurich airport to Como and then back up to Menaggio via hydrofoil, or does it make more sense to go from the Zurich airport to Lugano via train, and then private car or bus to Menaggio? The next day, take the train from Veranno to LaSpezia or, another suggestion? Thank you!

The most scenic area of Lake Como is mid lake where Menaggio is located. Unless, you want to pass by George Clooney’s villa, I would skip taking a ferry ride to Como.

I agree with Suki. You want to focus your time on the mid Lake area. The trip from Como to Mennagio would not be as scenic as viewing the Alps in the distance from Mennagio or Varenna. Mennagio is a quick ferry ride across the lake to either Bellagio or Varenna. I would suggest you go directly to Mennagio from Zurich via Lugano.

Thank you....this is just what we needed to know. Does anyone recommend a good car service from Lugano to Menaggio?

Thank you!

On www.rome2rio, it shows there is a bus that can take you from Lugano to Mennagio. You might want to check out this website.

Yes, there is a bus, but since we will have been traveling for 36 hours, it seems for us it is best to not attempt to take the bus. The last time I looked, we had to change twice, and then get from the bus station to the place we will be staying. That's why I thought the car or taxi would work best for us.

Get a quote from this site.
http://www.taxialugano.com/taxi-fare-lugano/

They are high (150fr)....do you have any additional recommendations?

150 CHF is what I would expect. Actually, I was guessing 200. You are in Switzerland, nothing is cheap. It will be about 1 hour to get you there, then 1 hour deadhead return. 2 hours of someone's (licensed) time with 30,000 CHF worth of machinery, and about 10 CHF of fuel. You've been, in your own words, traveling for 36 hours. Suck it up and take the bus or relax and take a taxi.

BTW, that is about how much it would cost to take a water taxi from Venice airport to a hotel in Venice.

Or to put it more in perspective, call a plumber some time and see what it costs to have him come to your house and fix something simple.

Might be cheaper to get a taxi from Como San Giovanni Station to Menaggio than from Lugano. Italian fares are more affordable.

Thank you very much for your responses. I had no idea the fares were so high, especially since most of the travel is in Italy. I'm learning quickly!!!

Don't expect to see that much if arriving in Menaggio at 2:00pm, definitely not Varenna and Bellagio, unless for quick photo opportunities (Menaggio pales in comparison to both). Como itself is not that attractive. Go to Villa Balbianello by ferry (last opening about 4:00pm), back to Menaggio for dinner.

Good advice. We just want a quick tour of Varenna and Bellagio. We will be tired but want to stay awake to adjust to Italian time! We will play all by ear. I've heard the Villa you mentioned is beautiful so we will focus on that for sure. Thanks again for your response!