Has anyone visited the Italian Lake district. <BR>What is the best way to get there from Milan?<BR>What is the best and cheapest way to get around while there using Bellagio as the jump of point.<BR>Is it necessary to rent a car in Milan and use that to get around or just train it.<BR>Thanks for your input

Been there many times. The "lake district" is pretty large, so if you want to travel and see all the lakes, you probably will have more fun (and a lot more flexibility) renting a car.<BR><BR>Is it "necessary" to rent a car? The answer is no, but it is certainly more desirable. Otherwise, you really can't make a good circuit along all the lakes and stop anytime you wish to enjoy the scenery. If you go by train, your connections will be limited, and you won't be able to get to very many places compared to car travel.<BR><BR>From Bellagio, you can catch ferries across the lake to other places, but to my knowledge there is no train service to Bellagio, and no train service along the western shore of Lake Como. There is a railroad along the eastern shore. You can catch a train to Orta also. From Lecco you can get a train toward Lake Iseo and Garda. From Como you can get a train toward Lake Lugano and Maggiore. Train travel around the lakes will be a bit awkward but is certainly possible.<BR><BR>

For Bellagio the easiest thing to do is take the train to Como and then taxi to Bellagio. A cheaper route is to take a boat to Bellagio from Como. It takes lots longer but the ride is incredibly scenic.<BR><BR>Alternately, you can take a train to Varenna and ferry to Bellagio (a much shorter ride).<BR><BR>You can also take the train to Stresa (Lago Maggiore) and boat anywhere on that lake or to Lago di Garda and boat anywhere on that lake.

So it seems like my best bet is to take the bus from Malpensa to Como, pick up a rental car and drive to Bellagio. I have three days and 3 lakes so are you saying the the car and ferries on the lake is the most efficient ways to get around? This may be my last opportunity for a long time to see the lakes and I want to make the most of it.<BR><BR>My next questions has anyone driven from Bellagio to Pisa? If I left Bel at 6AM do I have time to sight see enroute and arrive in Pisa by late afternoon? I have to be there for a conference by 5:00PM?

One quick note on taking the ferries: Defintely pay close attention to the schedule, as the last ferries of the day run pretty early.<BR><BR>My girlfriend & I were based in Como and went to Bellagio in the afternoon. After dinner, we headed to he dock for the ferry and it was all closed up for the day. We explained our situation to our waiter. He got on the phone, and shortly after that, an old man pulled up in front of the restaurant. Our waiter told us that he could get us back to Como in about 45 minutes for 80.000 lira.<BR><BR>What we then witnessed would've made any rally car driver proud. This guy, who was probably in his late 60s - early 70s, hauled a$$ through the winding lakeside road like he was involved some car chase. Every car in front of him quickly pulled over to let him pass. My girlfriend turned green. It was a pretty unforgettable experience. If our waiter wasn't as nice as he was, we would've ended up paying for 2 rooms for one night.

CC<BR>Is that a recommendation not to drive??

Jenna, Your question is too broad. Do you mean Milan or Malpensa? Which Lakes do you plan to visit--the are 5 major ones. Why Bellagio--it is harder to access? Do you have a map? Do you know your itinerary? You need to define the specics. There are many options.

You say you have three days to see three lakes. I assume that parts of two of those days involve travel to the first lake and from the last lake. IMO, that's too ambitious. I'd pick one lake and see it leisurely and well. Como is the closest to Milan and easy to reach by train to city of Como and/or to Varenna (mid-lake on the eastern shore). There is bus service from Malpensa to city of Como. (As Bob the Navigator mentioned, to say "Milan" and "Malpensa" is to speak of two different places.) <BR><BR>Bellagio can be reached by hydrofoil from Como or by 10-minute ferry from Varenna. You really don't need a car unless you want to stop anywhere between the lake and Milan (or Malpensa) or see places away from the lake shore.

I'm going from Malpensa airport directly to Como. My plan is to pick up a car in Como go on to Bellagio and use it to get around for half a day, 3 days and leave early on the 4th day for Pisa. I am not planning to spend any time in Milan on arrival but will on the way home. You guys are great!

Sorry, I did not answer your question. I'd like to visit Como Maggiore and Lugano. I that too ambitious in 3 days? Even with a car? It's my first visit there and I have no point of reference for distance and logistics of travel.

Jenna, <BR><BR>It's up to you whether you want to drive or not. You can easily see plenty of that area by taking the ferries, but you can definitely cover more ground if you rent a car. The two factors to consider are:<BR><BR>1) Your driving skills. If you're not a very confident driver and urban driving stresses you out (at home), you can easily turn a restful Lake District vacation into a pretty nerveracking affair.<BR><BR>2) Your style of traveling. If you're a traveler who likes to see as much as possible in a short period of time, then rent a car. My girlfriend & I are not that type of travellers, so we never rented when we were there. We didn't see as much of the Lake District as we could've if we rented a car (the impromptu cab ride was a nice bonus), but oh well. We thoroughly enjoyed that part of the trip and left with zero regrets, except that the weather did not cooperate. That was obviously out of our hands.<BR><BR>The choice is yours. Enjoy.

Jenna, You want a car if you hope to see all 3 Lakes. But, get the car at Malpensa--why not ?<BR>Now, the sequence becomes the question. The drive to Stresa is very easy from Malpensa if you will be stressed. I would do that first, then drive thru Locarno and down to Lugano--spend 4 hours here enroute to Mennagio. Stay there rather than Bellagio with the car. The ferry is right there, so Bellagio is very easy to access but you do not need to mess with the car ferry. Also, much easier to head south to Pisa on your 4th day. So, I would do the 2 nites in Stresa since day one is a toughie. Then, the 3rd nite in Mennagio. That is the easy way to see all 3. One caveat ! Check out the Stella d' Italia hotel in San Mamete on the north shore of Lugano for your third nite. You are :20 from both Lugano and Mennagio--cool place. I am curious Jenna. Are you a travel agent? Hope this help. Good luck !

Sounds a bit busy for 3 days. Why not take in Como and Bellagio and surrounding areas, and enjoy them instead of running from lake to lake to lake and then on to your conference. Bellagio is very lovely and Como is very busy and crowded but has some beautiful gardens and charming small towns around the lake. I hope you are staying outside of Como and not directly in the city itself. shar

Sorry forgot the transportation issue. First trip to Lake District we took a bus from Milan for the day. Next trip we were driving in Italy so we had a car and used our car for getting around lakes and beyond. There is a car ferry from Como to Bellagio but you really don't need your car in Bellagio if that is the only place you are going on that side of the lakes. If you are exploring beyond Bellagio then take the car by all means. Shar