gawlergirl

We are 2 couples travelling for 2 weeks in September and would like to spend 3 nights in Como area, where is the best town/place to stay given that we would be travelling by train. We would prefer an apartment with views rather than a hotel, any suggestions!!

HappyTrvlr

Mid-lake is best for ferry conncections and scenic views..
Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio,etc. Train service to Varenna.

Dukey1

Of the three mentioned above, Menaggio is the largest and may have apartments to rent (they all might but you never know).

Be aware that Menaggio and Bellagio are both short ferry rides from Varenna (you can see all three of these towns from each other as they are directly across the lake from one another).

bobthenavigator

The train runs to Varenna but the best apartment option is in Bellagio--look at La Limonera. The ferry is a :15 ride but aware of your departure schedule andhave your tickets bought in advance. The station is a :10 walk up/down hill from Varenna.

Mimar

To clarify what Bob said, the ferry dock is downhill from the Varenna train station, and both of them are in Varenna.

When we were in Varenna, the train station was not manned, and we bought our train tickets at a cafe about halfway up the hill on a corner on the right.

Jean

When you get to searching the train schedules, the full name of the Varenna station is Varenna Esino.

http://www.fsitaliane.com/homepage_en.html

Residence Lalimonera is a great option in Bellagio.

http://www.residencelalimonera.com/

gawlergirl

Thanks for the replies, would it be best to catch train from Milan to Como then ferry to Bellagio, or train to Varenna then ferry to Bellagio. The other couple fly into Milan from Australia that day so not sure about doing too much changing of transport.

Jean

The last time I compared the overall travel times between the two options, it was basically the same. It's two trains and a ferry either way you go. I prefer taking the trains to Varenna, but that's just me. One of my favorite views of Lake Como is on the walk from the Varenna train station to the ferry dock.

You can't check the timetables yet for September, but once the summer schedules are posted you can search the travel and connecting times. Obviously, the critical point is whether your friends can arrive at either Como or Varenna before the last ferry departure of the day.

Search trains from "Malpensa Aeroporto" to either "Como Lago" or "Varenna Esino":

http://www.fsitaliane.com/homepage_en.html

Then search ferries from either "Como" or "Varenna" to "Bellagio":

http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/c_orari.asp