Hi everyone, just back from 14 wonderful days in Italy , and already dreaming of my next trip!!

After zooming through Cinque Terre (2 nights), Florence (3 nights), Umbria (we stayed in Gualdo Cattaneo for 5 nights and did day trips to the surrounds every day - review of wonderful Le Case Gialle to come later) and Rome (3 nights), I'm more than sold on the idea of slow travel [no regrets on the places we went - all were so beautiful, but man, was it exhausting!!], BUT my travel companions are way more energetic than me!

So now to my question: we may be a group of 4 to 6, so which of the Northern lakes would be a good place to base for a couple of weeks, where those who wanted to just stay close could have a more relaxing time and those who are more 'edgy' or haven't been could go to Venice / Austria / Switzerland??!!

Would it work if we planned a week say near Lake Como and a second near Lake Orta? And, is May a good time to visit the lakes?

Apologies in advance for what I know is a repeated question, but I did a quick search yesterday and came up with LOTS of previous posts on the lakes - work and excitement doesn't allow me to trawl through them all right now, so this is just to get a feel of our general locations and then the 'real' research and planning can start

Thanks!

I'm not an expert but I will dare writing two things:
if you want a base for Venice and Austria I would suggest Garda Lake (the others are quite far away).
I think that May can be quite a good time to visit the lakes, of course weather in May can be a bit unpredictable but still..

Garda would be closest to Venice.So if folks are wanting to go there it may work.It seems like what you describe is not really a group but two groups-One that wants to relax and take it slow by the lakes and one that wants to zoom all over the place.

Lake Orta is very relaxing,we love it.Not too many sites to see but if you enjoy things like reading in a peaceful square by the lake,writing and veging then fabulous.If you are a need sites and things to do sort of person 3 days there would be plenty.

This could be a compromise get the zoomers to agree to stay for a few days each on two of the lakes.Then let them zoom off and meet you later. RR

Thanks for the info! *adds Garda to list of possible venues* - Had not considered Lake Garda before as I read here that it is too touristy?

Lake Orta sounds fabulous to me! Would it be a good base to go into Switzerland?

Also, would the second half of April be too wet or cold for the Lakes (by which I mean below 10degC)? We were in Rome about 10 days ago and it was HOT!!! So now we're aiming at something a little cooler, but I'm guessing the Lakes will be quite cool even in May?

Weather-wise, may is one of thebest periods to visit the lakes.. especially Como, Maggiore and Orta... not yet loaded with tourists, warm enough to ride a convirtible or lay on a beach but not so hot to be uncomfortable (actually it NEVER gets that hot on lake Como) - Lake Garda has a totally different weather: much warmer (in fact they have a great olive oil production thanks to the warmth of the climate)...
as far as getting to Venice, from Lake Como it takes about 4 1/2 hours (even less if you don't bother too much with speed limits...)

Thanks, Gio... I would much prefer Como to Garda (granted, an unfair preference since I don't know much about either!), so the info you gave is very useful

Next question please - is it convenient to get a train from Como to Venice?

Como to Venice by train takes 3.45 to 4.45 hours depending on the trains. The trip is Como - Milan Centrale and then Milan Centrale - Venice with a different train (most of them Intercity or Eurostar).

Thanks, Giula