do I need a car in como
 

hi everyone, this is my first time to write in here,,,
well i have a question , do i need to rent a car during my 3-days stay in Como ?
me and my boyfriend are going there and we are staying at Como close to piazza Cavour but we were wondering if anything around was worth to be seen and if we needed a car for that...thnx

No, take the lake ferries.
Have fun !

Nadiolina - First of all - welcome :)

Really you can see the Como area quite easily without a car by using public transport.

There are regular ferry services on the lake to get to places of interest - like Varenna, Bellagio and Menaggio.
You can find timetables on:

http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/itali...indicecomo.htm

There are also bus services from Como to Menaggio and the north end of the lake, as well as to Bellagio.
You can find details on:

http://www.sptlinea.it/

From Como you can also reach Lugano or Milan easily by train.

www.trenitalia.com

Hope this helps ...

Steve

There's also a small railway that runs between Como and Milan:

http://www.ferrovienord.it/tamtam/content.php

The station in Milan (ask, as there are several, but I think it is Milano Cadorna) is very close to the Castello Sforzesca and much more convenient than Milano Centrale. One of the stations in Como -- Como Lago -- is a few steps away from where most of the ferries dock, also much more convenient than the Trenitalia station in Como.

We had a car there and If I remember correctly, it was a huge hassle to find a place to park. I agree with the train/ferry suggestions.

I'll dissent, if for no other reason ,than.. that's what I do. Need? Certainly not... you could stay within a 50 meter radius of your hotel. But there is exploring galore that you can do much more efficiently (yes... i realize that &quot;efficiency&quot; is the antithesis of <i>dolce far niente&quot;) with a car. So much easier to get to Tremezzo... or to go to Villa d'Este - - and countless other little places not so easily reached by public transportation.

Best wishes,

Rex
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Rex: You <b>are</b> being your usual obstreperous self. From Como to the Villa d'Este by ferry takes not more than 10 minutes. And you don't have to park the ferry in a tiny, steep town!

Presenting alternative perspectives (and especially labeling them as such) is helpful. Berating someone for offering alternative info is obstreperous.

You asked for the comment, Rex, by saying that dissenting is for no other reason than &quot;what I do.&quot;

While some balk at others giving unsolicited advice, may I ask a question? Since you ask if there is anything worth seeing around there, I get the impression you are unaware of the area. Is there a reason you're staying in Como itself. Most travelers would agree that staying in Bellagio or Varenna or Tremezzo would be far more rewarding than staying in Como. I realize you may have a reason, but if you are simply staying there because you don't know of anywhere else, I'd look around before committing if that is possible.

And to your question. We were in the area for four days and left our car parked in a garage at Bellagio. We took the boats everywhere we wanted to go. I would not even consider renting a car when in the area for only a few days.

Rex,you have to agree that you didn't say &quot;I'll offer an equally good alternative thought&quot; or &quot;here's something else you might consider&quot;. Instead you said &quot;I'll dissent because it's what I do.&quot; If the main reason for giving advice is to dissent from what others have said, I think you need to rethink your suggestions.

And frankly, anyone who thinks it's &quot;more efficient&quot; to go from Como to Villa D'Este by car than boat needs to reconsider, in my humble opinion!

It depends. We like to be able to &quot;go forth&quot; wherever we are, so we rented a car. Once there, however, we left it parked the entire time, going instead, by boat, hydrofoil, ferry and on foot.

It (&quot;because it's what I do&quot;) was partially meant to be light, self-effacing humor. But I do think that ther is a palce for rplaying devil's advocate. Already, nadiolina had a preponderance of answers supporting not having a car.

My perspective on Vila d'Este was from Menaggio, and if it is very fast and very frequent from Como, then I have to plead guilty to being wronI

<i>did</i> clarify in my first post that... Need? No.

But I acknowledge that there was a scathing tone that suggested every other reply before me was somehow dead wrong.

I do not doubt that each was written from a perspective of a successful experience. My reply was too.