2 weeks on Lake Maggiore
 

My husband and I are heading to Italy for a couple of months and want to spend 2 weeks on Maggiore. We rent apartments when traveling and like quiet places we can day trip to different towns. We've been to Como many times and usually stay in Varenna so we are looking for something like that. Prefer travelling by train and then ferry. thanks!

Will you have a car and what time of year are you going?

Lago Maggiore is not like Lago di Como. What was about Varenna that you liked and that you are hoping to find on Lago Maggiore?

Stresa is a sweet lakeside town with lots of amenities for travelers and just offshore are the three famous Borremean Islands, each with a different surprise on it - boat passes can be a great way to get around the lake itself. Lake Orta is an easy day trip by car as is Locarno, Switzerland at the top of the lake and even Milan though I'd go by train down there.

Try Cannobio. Very quiet beautiful town but nice waterfront with plenty of restaurants, bars, etc for when you need that

We've rented an apartment in Varenna for five nights in early Oct. Can you give me some suggestions of things that you really enjoyed? How about restaurants? We'll be close to the ferry.

We stayed three nights in Ascona a few weeks ago and enjoyed it (loved the Castello Romantik at the end of the promenade -- we splurged and stayed in the turret, the 2nd floor room, if someone is only staying a few nights). Advantages of Ascona; an easy cab ride (or ferry ride) from the train station in Locarno, boat stops in the middle of town/but a long ride to the islands unless you take the early fast boat (one hour) but the return didn't come back until about 5:00, so we took the scenic (but slow) two hour ride back. Nice restaurants and nicely preserved old town and some other attractions.

Then if you have to go south to Milan, getting to Bellizona was pretty easy via Locarno.

Do consider making time to visit the lovely botanical gardens of Isole di Brissago, near Ascona.

Most popular places around Lake Maggiore:
Locarno, Ascona, Stresa, Pallanza, Cannobio,
Small mountain villages with fine views over a big part of the lake:
Ronco sopra Ascona, Piazzogna, Ronco Gerra, Trarego, Mebbiuno, Premeno, Colazza, Incella, Brenscino.....
Google for these places

Please note that the northern tip of the lake (Ascona, Locarno) is Swiss territory.

So, when and will you have a car?
How can we answer without that?

Assumed" prefer traveling by train and ferry " means no car rental?

Public transport is excellent around Lake Maggiore, except for some remote Italian villages like Trarego-Viggiona, Colazza, Gignese, Armeno, Nebbiuno, Arcumeggia, Brezzo di Bedero, Dumenza, Curiglia, Musignano, Lozzo Val Veddasca, Biegno .....

We have no car, we have found the bus and train system quite easy and our car rental experiences quite annoying.

As to Varenna...we usually go in late Sept. or in March so it is wonderfully empty. Shops and restaurants are iffy but we are not shoppers and enjoy markets and cooking on our own. The promenade along the lakeside is lovely night or day and it seems hard to not have a lovely view of the lake. Lots of tiny communities up on the mountain behind Varenna, ramshackle maybe and not 'dressed up' for company but makes you recognize the people in the local markets are 'real' and we are not in disneyland europe.
You have given me some great places to start....thanks!