We will be staying in Bellagio for 4 nights/3days in mid October in just a few weeks. I know weather can be unpredictable then. Much of these 4 days is so my husband can do a lot of his photography (with me doing all the planning so not sure what I am getting myself into here).

I want to do the Lake Como Greenway walk. It seems the best way to do this is take the ferry to Cadenabbia and walk toward Colonna and take C10 bus back to Cadenabbia. Is there any scenery advantage to trying to get to Colonna first and walking back towards Cadenabbia instead? Often times walks depends on what you see ahead vs side to side. If I do this walk, is it too much in a day to stop at both Villa Carlotta and Villa Del Balbianello on same day, stopping for lunch along the way? I see Villa B is a 20 minute detour. I "think" this will turn this into a 6-8 hour day with lunch, which sounds ok to me, but double checking here.

Day 2 can be shopping and walking around Bellagio and going to Varenna possibly doing the castle hike.

Day 3 can be Menaggio. I've read a little about a lakefront walk and going to a village of Nobiallo and then seeing the Casino Royale Villa La Gaeta. Is this easy to do? Pretty along the way? Any thoughts on just taking the hour bus to Lake Lugano for the day, or is that stretching ourselves too much?

Am I missing anything by not doing a boat tour? The ferries should be fine for this - right? I just think mid-October can be iffy for this. I did find a place that does a 1 hour tour around the lake in a small wooden boat - would this add anything to the experience, or are longer rides usually advisable? Any other thoughts?

Thank you. I had to switch our plans just last month, so trying to catch up on Como area.

I wouldn't want to spend an entire day on the Greenway. Just me. Parts are walking single-file in the roadway, sometimes boxed in by walls and buildings. Yes, there are interesting things to see beyond the water, walking through neighborhoods, etc., but I don't ever enjoy walking in the street. I think Carlotta and Balbianello would be a feast for the photographer. I'd walk Cadenabbia to Carlotta to Balbianello. Quite a bit (most?) of this is along the lakeside promenade. Then possibly, depending on the timetables in October, ferry to Isola Comacina.

Another place you might want to investigate for the photographer is the small village of Nesso. East side of the Como leg of the lake. Very limited ferry service, so (hopefully) ferry one way and bus the other. Look for images at images.google.com.

I love the views from Castello Vezio above Varenna, esp. on a clear--ish day. In general, views across the lake from Varenna are lovely. As you walk around Bellagio, take the time to walk to the point (Punta Spartivento). From Varenna, perhaps walk to Fiumelatte.

We haven't walked Menaggio-Nobiallo but did ride in a boat past the Villa La Gaeta. Stunning.

We've been at Lake Como as late as the end of October. Mostly great sightseeing and walking weather, but some rain. IMO, the bigger issue is the reduced ferry service if you're trying to stitch together a multi-stop day.

Oh wow - Nesso looks amazing! This looks like a photographer's dream. It seems as between ferry, taxi, and bus that I can figure out a plan. Now what to take away on the other days! Doesn't seem as if I need to go over to Lugano with so much to do in Como area.

What sort of boat did you use to see Villa La Gaeta? Did you rent your own? Did you take a tour? This boat issue is throwing me for a loop. Normally I go on boat tours when I can. A couple of things I wanted to do actually stop after October 15th, which makes me think that the boat may not be a great idea?

We hired a private boat and driver arranged by our hotel (Florence in Bellagio). This was several years ago, and it's probably much easier now to book this directly with a boat owner. Obviously, it's only enjoyable on a fair weather day with no wind.

The ferries are operating this year on a specific schedule for the entire month of October, with timetables changing again at the beginning of November. In the past, the hotels and restaurants in Bellagio and Varenna (with perhaps some others like Bellano, etc.) would come to an agreement over when the season would shift, coordinate restaurant open/closed days, etc., so that the tourist income was spread around. I don't know if it's still such a cooperative effort. Years ago, more things would close completely over the winter, but I get the sense more reliable tourist traffic in the off season has kept some places open.

Thank you - especially about Nesso!! I may just wait until we get there and make a decision on a boat and hope for the best. I'll dig around a bit more.

I will also look at the Greenway more and decide what I want to do there. Any other opinions out there about a full walk?

Thanks.

I assume you've clicked around on this website:

https://greenwaylagodicomo.com/en/tr...way-lake-como/

Some of the route is definitely a winner, but I do think they're only showing pics of the nicer bits. Reviews on Alltrails are definitely positive, a little mixed on TripAdvisor.

I did see that, which is why I thought about doing the whole thing. The pics look pretty! I also looked on this site for logistics. But will dig deeper about if we should do the entire route. Thank you!

Villa Serbelloni tour from Bellagio has spectacular views.

https://www.bellagiolakecomo.com/en/...belloni-garden

Also some great views from above looking down on the lake on the road which rises above Menaggio towards Porlezza and onwards to Lugano. The bus to Lugano has these views but obviously easier with own car, though not too many places to pull to the side on these winding, narrow roads.

There is also a fort above Varenna with great views but it’s suppose to be a challenging hike up.

I did not like being forced close to walls on busy streets.

FYI; the ferry schedule changes on Sunday, Oct 2, so as I will be there in Nov, I needed to make sure I could do as I wanted with a fall/winter ferry schedule.

janetkupfer8032, in case you didn't notice... the ferry timetables will change again starting Nov. 7th.

https://www.navigazionelaghi.it/lago-como