I was thinking it would be nicer and more convenient to book a car service to drive us from, say, Menaggio to Bellinzona next May. We will have been staying in Bellagio, so otherwise would be taking the ferry then train. Does anyone have any recommendations or should I be contacting our hotel in Bellagio about this? Thanks in advance!

In my limited experience, (mostly Italy and Spain) there is ALWAYS a car service anywhere! The problem is cost. I would begin by asking your hotel for recommendations..

I used car services often during a trip to Sicily last May and they worked out very well...I did get recommendations from here, from my hotels, and from TA......never had anything close to a bad experience......Loved that way of traveling. In Italy Ii think the NCC emblem is one good way of ascertaining trustworthiness but honestly, what bad could happen..ask your hotel in Menaggio first. Or just Google and ask a few services for the price..they will probably not vary too much....tell them how many persons, how much luggage and if you require an English speaking driver.

Thanks, exscrunchy! We'll be staying in Bellagio but I figure the least we could do is get ourselves to Menaggio. From there it's only an hour or so according to Google so I thought perhaps it was doable. I appreciate the encouragement and some idea of where to start looking!

Buses from Menaggio to Lugano railway station are rather frequent.
Trains from Lugano to Bellinzona (15 min journey) run at least every 30 minutes.

Private transfers must not be booked long aahead, but they are way more expensive.

Thanks, neckervd, the bus information is helpful and we might take advantage of that. I thought we'd explore the hired driver option since we don't exactly travel light!