We're thinking of finishing a June trip with 3 nights at Lake Como and need to choose a home base there - Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio? Any hotel recommendations? Also, we're wondering whether to turn in our rental car in Florence and take the train to the area. Any thoughts would be appreciated! Elizabeth

We spent a week in Mennagio in June 1997 - when it had rained for a month and the lake was flooding and we had an expensive, but not nice, vacation rental from The Parker Company, so I may not have the most unbiased advice.

The driving in this area was kind of nuts, so it might be best to do it by train. I would probably pick Bellagio or Varenna - we visited the former for the day but have not been to the latter. I have read lots about this area on the AOL boards - you will get some good advice there. I think Colleen from CA (who is on these boards sometimes) loved Varenna - she put her trip report on AOL last June I think. Bellagio seemed nice. Mennagio is small with one main very busy street running through it - our apartment was in a villa right on that street. I do not remember it as peaceful.

Elizabeth,
We stayed in Varenna in May and absolutely fell in love with it. We stayed at the Hotel Royal Victoria, right in the center of the little town square, and were very happy with it. Queen Victoria stayed there once during her reign. They had comfortable beds and bathrooms with nice, fluffy towels! Their web site is www.royalvictoria.com. We had tried to stay at the Villa Cipressi, several doors down, but they were full. The Villa Cipressi has a fabulous garden, and reasonable rates also. The Lake Como area is breathtaking, and Varenna had a Swiss-like feel to it. Everything is just a 3 or 4 block walk, at most, and the townspeople were extremely friendly. Like Pauline's experience, the weather was absolutely horrible when we were there, with gale-force winds and driving rain at times, and STILL we loved it! I can't imagine how we'd have felt if the weather had been good! Also, the best meal of our entire Italy trip was there. If you decide to go, e-mail me and I'll give you more information.
As for getting there, just take the train from Florence to Milan, then change to a local train that's heading for Sondrio or Tirano(Varenna is along the way). A car would be useless, as you can ferry to any town along the lake once you're there. Again, I can't recommend the area enough, it's so quiet and restful. I dream of returning there someday. Let me know if I can answer any questions. Joyce

We stayed in the Hotel de Lac in Bellagio.

It is a great little town with shops and restuarants.

Many rooms face the lake. Great breakfast.

One of the best restuarant experiences was in Bellagio, I can find the name if you like.

Great Travels!

Rick T

I've narrowed it down to Bellagio or Varenna, and am still listing the pros and cons of car vs. train. Thanks for all of the useful in-put! Elizabeth

We had a wonderful stay in Como itself at the Hotel Firenze.
The furnishings at this Hotel are sparse, but we had a comfortable king size bed. It is well maintained and the staff were friendly. The breakfast was beyond the usual continental. Its is very well located within walking distance to the lake (one Block) and major shopping areas.

It took us just over an hour to reach our hotel from Malpensa Airport by Train. The train was modern and very convenient. I've heard the driving can be horrible in the rain and fog.
We prefer the city of Como. The other lakeside towns are small and touristy. The ferry ride to the various lakeside towns was very enjoyable.
Debbie

>>We prefer the city of Como. The other lakeside towns are small and touristy. >>

My tastes are different on this. I was put-off by how large Como was and how much traffic, and couldn't wait to get out of the city and to the smaller towns. We stayed in Bellagio and visited Varenna, etc., and I loved doing it that way. To each his/her own, eh!