wesleymarsh

I'm trying to figure out the Free-Circulation Tickets on Lake Como navigation. If I understand their PDF correctly (http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/c_dow...052013_ENG.pdf), for a 6-day pass, the cost for a 7 Stretch is 77.40 Euro. And 7 Stetches should cover me from Como to Varenna (and all stops in between), including high-speed service with a possible supplement. Am I correct?

Does anyone know how the high-speed supplement works? Do you have to go to the ticket window, show your 6-day pass, and tell them "round-trip to Como" before boarding the high-speed ferry? Or can you pay the supplement on the boat?

I plan to be based in Varenna for one week, and I probably will visit Como only once. But I plan to travel among the mid-lake cities quite a bit, and I would love the freedom to just hop on and off boats without having to purchase individual tickets.

If I limit the Stretch to Lenno-Varenna, the 6-day pass comes down to 3 Stretches, 45 Euro. Since it seems one round-trip high-speed ticket to Como will cost 32.40, there's no savings. I might as well purchase the 6-day, 7 Stretch Pass. Correct?

i_am_kane

topping

Jean

Only you can say whether the "3 Stretches" ticket will be "good enough." If it were me, I'd want the independence to go anywhere on the lake. What if you decided to go to Isola Comacina, see the gardens or have lunch at Villa d'Este, explore Lecco, ride to the north end of the lake, etc.?

The high-speed supplement is not "possible." It is definite (4,60 each way Varenna-Como). I don't know the answer to the question about where you pay, but I suspect it's at the ticket window. You would probably pay the supplement separately each way as opposed to round-trip as you're boarding in Varenna.

BTW, I recently read an article about something that I've now put on my list for a future trip. The 11th C. Abbazia di Piona is apparently a short walk from the Piona dock which is south of Colico. Some art historians believe the background of da Vinci's Last Supper is the landscape seen from this abbey which would indicate he spent a lot of time there.

http://xoomer.virgilio.it/ernsolar/M...0TesiPiona.htm

http://www.abbaziadipiona.it/
[unfortunately, only in Italian but you can use Google to translate]

wesleymarsh

Thanks Jean. I decided to purchase the 6-day, 7 Stretch Pass. I want the freedom to move at will.

mainetrvlgrl

You definitely need to do any purchasing at the ticket windows prior to boarding the ferries. I think your decision to go with the stretch pass is a good one. The ferry system is very easy to use, and you'll enjoy exploring all of the areas around the lake. We did purchase a Villa Barbianello tour/water taxi/tour of the Menaggio area in Bellagio that we LOVED, for 50 euro. It was a totally different experience to be close to shore on the water taxi. Enjoy your trip!

HappyTrvlr

Take the ferry to Lenno amd a water taxi to Villa Balboanello.
I believe we bought the supplement for the high speed ferry at the Bellagio ticket windowwhen we went to Como. The pass is the way to go. We bought one for each of the two weeks we were there and it made it so easy going from end of the lake to the other.

NYCFoodSnob

Those Italian graphics are kind of ingenious, but they're not exactly the easiest art to figure out. Hotels on the lake spend a lot of time teaching tourists how to read the multiple-boat ferry schedule.

Wesleymarsh, it looks to me like you answered your questions correctly. The 7 stretch ticket will pay for unlimited stops between Como and Varenna (if that's your planned "stretch"). I use this ticket for travel between Villa d'Este (Como) and Varenna. I almost always end my visits to Lake Como in Varenna, and I visit quite a few places inbetween.

For high speed travel, you will present the stretch ticket at the ferry ticket window and purchase the high speed supplement ticket. Most ticket stations typically open 20 minutes before boat arrival time. You will use your supplement ticket to board the high-speed ferry. I've never tried to board a boat without the appropriate ticket. As I understand their procedures, only some types of tickets can be purchased on-board, with cash, and with a surcharge. But I don't know if you can purchase a "high-speed supplement" ticket on the <i>rapido</i> ferry. As long as you're not late for the boat, there should be no need to board without the appropriate ticket.

Your calculations are also correct. If you know you will need at least one high speed round trip to Como/Varenna, you do not save any money by purchasing a 3 stretch and a separate round trip ticket to Como. And if you desire to visit beyond Lenno, that 7 stretch pass will come in handy.

wesleymarsh

Wow, such detail. Thank you. Not easy to find on the internet. Sis and I want to have lunch at Villa d'Este. NYC, you sound familiar with d'Este. Care to share? What is it like leaving that property for something, um, less, perhaps?