We have a few extra days to spend before we board our ship in Venice this October, and we plan to take 2-3 days for a side trip to Lake Como. We plan to rent a car and drive, stay 2-3 days and return. Any suggestions, comments, experiences that would help ??
thanks

if you are interested in cars, we made that drive a few years ago and we stopped at the ferrari factory in maranello... it was august and the factory was closed but my husband got a kick out of just seeing the town...
we stayed at villa d'este in como and it was superb and wonderful...
i think you can also stop in verona..

Hi bluemoose56, On a train trip from Verona to Milan, we passed a train stop that looked like a "portal" for Lake Como-it may have even been Como can't find in my notes-so you might want to check trains. That being said, on another trip we stayed in Bellagio but "trained" from Milan to Varenna and took ferry over. Other Fodorites should say how busy ferries are in October. We were there in March so didn't notice any huge lines of cars. Also, do read about the town of Como and see if you'd prefer its activities or be on the lake itself. Your travel approach might be different-from Como town, boat trips to Bellagio take much longer. Drive to Bellagio from Como around an hour I think-other input???

Ferries between Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio were not busy at all at the beginning of October, 2005.

Drive from Como to Bellagio took 1 hour almost exactly. Winding local road.

-e

We drove Bellagio to Venice at the end of September of last year. It's about an hour to an hour and a half of of winding and local roads from Bellagio to the autostrada, but once you get on the autostrada, it's straight and fast. Not a bad drive at all. And Lake Como is wonderful - very different from other parts of Italy and incredibly picturesque.

I would stay in Varenna and get out early when you leave to avoid the Milan traffic. You will enjoy Como.