is 4 nights in varenna to much

Haven't been to Stressa but 4 in Varenna would be one more than needed for us. We loved it there-but we think more is available in CT

Jay, The answer may depend on what you're planning to do in Varenna. If you want to take day trips to explore Bellagio or other parts of the lake, then 3 - 4 days would be good. Given the circumstances you mentioned, my suggestion would be to spend 2 days in Varenna, 2 days in Stresa and the balance in the Cinque Terre. It would be nice if you had one day to add to each location, but under the circumstances I believe this is a good compromise. One nice thing is that travel from Varenna to Stresa is not overly lengthy or complicated. The trip from Varenna to Milan and Milan to Stresa are each about an hour, so very easy. One other point to mention. Although you only have two days in Stresa, you could (for example) spend one day touring the Borromeo Islands. On the second day, take a day trip to Locarno (Switzerland) via the scenic Cento Valli Railway, returning to Stresa in the late afternoon by boat. It's a really nice trip (don't forget to take your Passport). Happy travels!

Stresa is a pretty very laid back lakeside town that makes a visitor feel like it is the 1950's. If you wish to stay in Varenna you could take a ferry to Menagio then bus it to Lugano, easily done in an afternoon. be xtra aware of bus sxchedules. Hopefully while you are in CT you will visit Santa Maragarita Ligure and take a boat ride to Portofino and bus it back. Otherwise 4 days in CT is alot. Realize these towns are picturesque beauties for strolling , relaxing and sipping cafes and enjoying gelatos are what it is about. La Dolce Vita.

Thanks so much for the advice. I through Stresa out there as a possibility but am wondering if there might be other recommendations that are better for us. We enjoy hiking, and reading a good book with a fantastic book. Strolling along the lake or just taking in the sites. Not really interested in museums or cathedrals but I would like to add some medieval historical interest to our trip.We currently have 4 nights in murren which will get us our hiking, several nights in Varenna which gives us our sitting and strolling on the lake with great views. We also plan to boat all over and take in Bellagio and other lakeside villas. But I would like to see something that I can't see anywhere else. I was interested in the castle Reifwnastein in north east Italy but it appears to be to far out of the way logistically. Any thoughts on some good wineries in the Piedmont area of Italy? Places to stay for two nights that are logistically practical between Varenna and CT. We do plan on seeing Portofino and the thought has come up to spend 2 nights in Camogli for these two nights and take in the sites of Santa Marghareta, portofino, and camogli. Any opinions?? Our trip finishes off with 3 nights in Montorosso on a small Agrotourisimo (sp) working farm.
thanks for any ideas

My suggestion would be to add a night in Varenna, then head to Milan and see Stresa's sights as a daytrip from Milan (one night). We did both Lake Como (Bellagio for us) and Stresa, I felt Stresa was overkill and a bit of a letdown in comparison with Lake Como.

Jay, A few more notes on Stresa. The atmosphere there is somewhat "laid back" as JS mentioned. If you just want to do a bit of walking and enjoy the scenery, you could always take the Cable Car up to Mt. Mottarone. There's a small Alpine Gardens at the half way point that can be toured (the view from there is incredible!). From the mid-point you can take a Chair Lift right to the top and the view from there is also incredible, provided it's not too hazy. Supposedly one can see about four countries from that point, but I can't confirm that as it was a bit hazy. Cheers!

We really enjoyed Camogli, and we took the boat from there to Portofino, then hiked (walked) from Portofino to Santa Margherita. We loved Lake Como and Cinque Terre, didn't like Stresa as well.