Hello-

I will be in Italy for the first two weeks in September. All is set except for the last 3 days. I am flying to Rome and traveling to Pienza to start a 6 day self-guided bike trip with Cicloposse. After that, I am spending 3 days in Cinque Terre. After that, I am flying home from Milan. I will get to Milan on a Monday afternoon and fly out Thursday morning. I am dying to see Lake Como--it sounds like Bellagio and Varenna are gorgeous. I won't have a car--what do you recommend as my base? Do you think it would be easiest to stay in Como--drop my luggage and then use the ferries to see the other towns Tues and Wed? Do any of the towns have a good running path along the lake? That would be a big bonus. Thanks.

Como is not a bad base in your case as you can take a ferry to the Bellagio/Varenna/Menaggio triangle for a day. You can also take an easy train to Lugano and spend a day.

The second option would be a train to Varenna and staying mostly in the center of the lake or taking ferries to Como and up.

I would recommend seeing Villa Carlotta gardens in Caddenabbia and the hike up to the castle in Varenna, in addition to all the usual spots.

PS. I think the mid-section of the lake is more conducive to running along the lake than the town of Como, which is much busier with a lot more traffic, generally. I am not a runner, though and it's just an impression.

You want Varenna I think. Just train directly from Milan--but the town is :10 downhill from the station.

I think the best town for a runner would be Menaggio with its lakeside promenade.

Varenna is not particularly good for running. The roads in town generally have sidewalks, but they are narrow. As you come upon people walking on the sidewalk, well, somethin's gotta give and it will probably be you into the roadway. I think running on the shoulder of the lakeside road would not be safe, but perhaps someone else here will have experience doing this.

Bellagio is probably not much better, although you'd get quite a workout running up and down the stairway streets, which I suggest you do only in the very early hours before the shops open and the tourists descend upon the town.

Trail running, however, is possible from Varenna and Bellagio. Directly from the town in Varenna, although the trails are very steep and uneven. Starting farther out from Bellagio.

With only two days, I wouldn't stay in the town of Como. Most of what you will likely want to see is in the mid-lake area. If you train from Milano Centrale to Varenna Esino (the complete name of the town for Trenitalia searches), you can easily reach Bellagio and Menaggio by ferry.

Thanks for the replies! It may come down to what hotels are available that are centrally located and within my price range of ~100-120 euros. Thanks again.

Having stayed in Menaggio you will definitely find flatter surfaces there along the lakefront to run than in the other two towns.

Varenna IS lovely but you won't be running along much of the lakefront there.

Yes, if this trip is in less than a month, you'll have trouble finding hotels with availability in that price range. You'll have more luck in Menaggio.

If you strike out in the mid-lake area, consider Lecco which is at the bottom of the eastern "leg" of the lake. There was a recent thread here about very positive experiences staying in Lecco. Type "Lecco, Lake Como" into the search box and see what comes up. Good luck!

I had luck with a last minute reservation to Hotel Riviera in Caddenabbia that was Eu80 per night and may be within "running distance" to Menaggio and Villa Carlotta. It's no frills but clean, friendly and functional, very close to the ferry in Caddenabbia. A little noisy, but for the price and at the last minute, I was happy. So were our travel companions who were on a strict budget.

HOTEL INFORMATION

Name : Riviera
Address : Via Regina 43
22011 - Cadenabbia (Griante)
Email : [email protected]
Fax n. : +39-0344-40422
Phone n. : +39-0344-40422