BELLAGIO
 

I'm planning a 3-day stay in the Lake Como area and have booked a room at the Hotel Florence in Bellagio. I won't have a car so I will have to arrange for other means of transportation for sightseeing. Besides enjoying the beautiful scenery, what are some of the best things to do/see while in the area?

You can take the ferry from there to the western side of the lake and go to the gardens at Villa Carlotta

Lots of towns and villas to explore.
Varenna and walk to the old gardens of Monesterio.
Villa Carlotta as mentioned above.
Villa Balbianello -- my favorite -- I could live here!!
Boat to the town of Bellano and walk to see the pretty (but not huge) gorge (L'Orrido di Bellano).
Trust me 3 days will not be long enough!

You won't need a car. Several folks on a recent thread, me included, talked about driving to Bellagio, then never using the car again until they left.

They boats were a highlight. We took a boat trip even when we had no destination, just for the lovely ride.

Train in to Varenna. Take the ferry to Bellagio. Enjoy hiking around the town, eating in the restaurants, take other ferries across the lake to other small towns, watch people, relax.

Well...I THOUGHT I had booked a room at the Hotel Florence, but there was an error on the part of either the booking agency or the hotel, I'm not sure which. Now that I have no reservation, I'm wondering if anyone might suggest a good hotel in Bellagio/Lake Como. Thank you for all of your helpful comments about things to do in the area.

Great advice from the posters above. Try the HOTEL BELVEDERE in Bellagio. We were there in 1999 and enjoyed the hotel. It is recommended on this site frequently.

Just take the ferries, explore, wander around and have a relaxing time. Beautiful area to see. Gotta get back there soon!

Forget using the "booking agency"...e-mail them directly using their website:

www.belvederebellagio.com/

and do it soon....

Are you saying you can't get the Florence after all, or just that the agency failed to book it? The Florence is my first choice for my return visit to Bellagio. We stayed at Hotel Du Lac last time because it was air-conditioned and the Florence was not, but even in hot weather the evenings seemed cool, so I don't think that's really an issue. Anyway we had a top floor room at Du Lac which was a great location right on the lake and we had two small balconies from your huge room. It was nice, but just won't win any decorating awards.

Why not try again at the Hotel Florence? It's really worth the effort. FAX or email your request, but be aware that they are probably not yet open for the season. When are you going?

Many will recommend the Belvedere, and I see a vote for the Hotel du Lac. There is also a Hotel du Lac in Varenna which I think is a bit more charming than the du Lac in Bellagio. We're also big fans of the apartments at La Limonera in Bellagio.

Have dinner at the Bilacus in Bellagio. Reservations highly recommended.

My family stayed at Hotel Belvedere in 1971. The view from the terrace is super and it's only a short walk to catch the ferry.
Enjoy !

I also tried to get a room at the Hotel Florence for September,and they were fully booked over 7 months in advance!

So we're ending up at the Belvedere.I may try again later at the Florence just in case they have any cancellations.

When are you going, calvinitaly?

"Have dinner at the Bilacus in Bellagio. Reservations highly recommended."

More that recommended, reservations are necessary in busy season. We made our first stop there upon arrival and tried to make a reservation for any of our next three nights in Bellagio. They were booked solid. We tried back three or four times during the week and could never get in. We even asked how late we could come and probably be able to get a table and they weren't very cooperative, just telling us we HAD to have a reservation. So alas, we never did get to eat at this highly recommended restaurant.

Regarding the Hotel Florence -- if you can and do book a room, request one on the upper floors overlooking the lake.

We've stayed there twice and the first time was perfect -- a huge room with large windows that overlooked the lake with sheer curtains that billowed in the breeze (divine for afternoon napping).

The second time we stayed, we were in a room that had a shared terrace that was just above street level. There was no privacy (although the couple in the next room was very nice). The room had been redone with heavy, dark curtains, and the floor space was so minimal that we had to leave our suitcases zipped and standing upright. It was a big disappointment and claustrophobic with the curtains shut to provide some privacy.

That said, I would stay there again, but would insist (as nicely as possible, of course) on a room on one of the upper floors. It is in a perfect spot, the breakfast is good, and the price is reasonable.

Good luck.
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And yes, definitely try to get to Bilacus. The food was very good and if the weather is nice, you can eat out on the terrace.
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Tries2Pak, do you know if there are rooms on the upper floors with balconies? The Web site doesn't indicate where the balcony rooms are located.

Thanks, Carol

Carol -- the rooms with balconies are on the upper floors. The balconies, at least ours was, are small -- room for 2 people to stand side-by-side for the most part.

If you go to this website:
http://www.bellagio.co.nz/florence/Florence.html

--you can see the front of the hotel and the small balconies.
((c))

I just read that rooms 18 & 20 are particularly nice -- roomy with balcony & lake view.
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Does Hotel Florence have its own website? If so, can someone post it for me? Thanks.

Again, thanks for your great suggestions. I booked at the Belvedere. Hotel Florence contacted me and offered their apologies because of their error. We're all human. Thank you Intrepid1 for your suggestion on contacting the Belvedere directly. We will be visiting in May and am diligently trying to make all arrangements. Very stressful.