Which lake: Lugano or Maggiano?

Hi,
Como is most easily accessed from Zürich. Three hours by train each way to Como S Giovanni so it's a tiresome day trip, but worth it if you're ready for it! From Como Town it's easy to hop on a boat on the lake.

Do you mean Lake Maggiore? I agree with poster above that Lake Como is preferable, followed by Lugano.

Definitely Maggiore - and also definitely Stresa or around Stresa. Stresa is a very pretty town and has an easy train connection to Milano Centrale and to Brig in Switzerland. There are plenty of hotels of all price ranges there including some old "palace" type ones with great atmosphere.

Right off Stresa are the Borromean Islands. 3 of them which you can visit. Isola Bella has a château on it (belonged to the Borromean family) and formal gardens. Isola dei Pescatori - fishermen's island - has lots of small restaurants all serving lake fish.

You can boat to other towns around lake Maggiore: Intra and Verbania on the northern shore, Arona at the southern point.

https://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/discovering-lake-maggiore-and-its-borromean-islands

Buon viaggio!

The poster balso states the reasons for choosing Lake Como. Lake Maggiore is a wonderful place to visit but Lake Como or Lugano work better with the OP's situation.

Thanks, Suki, for noting my typo. I am using the phone to type and my fat fingers often press the wrong key.

Thks for all the replies so far. It's gonna be a tough decision. I wonder if it's a better idea to rent a car. Train tickets without a 1/2 fare card are $$$.

Along Lake Lugano's Italian shores, are there any charming towns or villages that are accessible by boat or bus from Lugano?

Maggiore and Como are nice, but I am concerned about the travel time.