stevewith

Yes, the Villa d'Este can certainly arrange a transfer to the airport for you.

I am uncertain as to how to get to Lugano from Stresa, but one option you can look at is to take the airport bus to Malpensa (50 minutes) and then take the airport bus from Malpensa to Lugano (1 hour). It might be shortest, with the least amount of luggage dragging. However, it might be more interesting to go some other way.

centeno

I thought that as well stevewith. Just go back and start again! I have not seen a site for the hydrofoil yet. Maybe the hotel will know.
In Lugano, would you stay in The Splendido or the Principe or another place?

stevewith

The Lugano tourism link has links to transport options. Maybe you'll find something there. Also, you can google up ferry schedules for Lago Maggiore.

http://www.lugano-tourism.ch/en/104/links.aspx

I've not stayed in either of those hotels, and it is always better to read reviews from people who recently stayed there. You can probably find them on booking.com.

Jean

Villa d'Este is one of the great hotels of Italy, but its location is not the best for exploring Lake Como without a car. If your priority is to experience this property, then you likely won't be disappointed. But the ferry service out of Cernobbio is less frequent than the mid-lake towns and it's slow. There is no fast ferry service to/from Cernobbio.

If you're still thinking of transferring between Lugano and Lake Como by bus (to Menaggio), make sure you arrive before the last ferry of the day from Menaggio to Cernobbio or you'll have a 30 kms. taxi ride. If you train from Lugano to Como, just taxi to the hotel (about 6 kms.).

Another great hotel on Lake Como is the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio:

http://www.villaserbelloni.com/

Como slow ferry: http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/file/...olico_Como.pdf

Maggiore ferry:
http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/m_orari.asp

The Hotel Principe in Lugano is not on the water, so your access to the ferries would involve a walk or taxi to the closest dock. Maybe a mile?

neckervd

There are tons of itineraries between Stresa, Lugano, Cernobbio and Menaggio/Bellagio.
I just mentioned the easiest one's for people with much luggage and few geographical knowledge.
If you want to know them all:

Stresa - Como:
train Stresa - Milano Centrale - Como SG
train Stresa - Milano PG - Como SG
train Stresa - Gallarate - Varese FS - bus - Como
boat Stresa - Intra - Laveno - train - Saronno - Como Lago
train Stresa - Busto FS - bus - Busto FNM - train - Saronno - Como
Lago

Stresa - Lugano:
either via Como (see above) and then by direct train from Como SG or by citybus to Chiasso and then by train
or
train Stresa - Milano C - Lugano
train Stesa - Milano PG - Lugano
train Stresa - Sesto Calende - Laveno - Luino - Giubiasco - Lugano
train Stresa - Sesto Calende - Laveno - Luino - bus Fornasette o Ghirla - Ponte Tresa - train - Lugano
train Stresa - Gallarate - Varese FS - bus - Ghirla/Porto Ceresio - Ponte Tresa - Lugano
train Stresa - Gallarate - Varese FS - bus - Mendrisio - Lugano
train Stresa - Gallarate - Varese FS - bus - Porto Ceresio - boat - Lugano
train Stresa - Gallarate - Varese FS - bus - Porto Ceresio - Capolago - train - Lugano

boat Stresa - Intra - Laveno - train Varese FNM - bus - Ghirla/Porto Ceresio - Ponte Tresa - Lugano
boat Stresa - Intra - Laveno - train Varese FNM - bus - Mendrisio - Lugano
boat Stresa - Intra - Laveno - train Varese FNM - bus - Porto Ceresio - boat - Lugano
boat Stresa - Intra - Laveno - train Varese FNM - bus - Porto Ceresio - Capolago - train - Lugano
boat Stresa - Intra - Laveno - train - Luino - Giubiasco - Lugano
boat Stresa - Intra - Laveno - train - Luino - bus Fornasette o Ghirla - Ponte Tresa - train - Lugano
boat or catamaran Stresa - Luino - train - Luino - Giubiasco - Lugano
boat or catamaran Stresa - Luino - bus Fornasette o Ghirla - Ponte Tresa - train - Lugano
boat or catamaran Stresa - Luino - Locarno - train - Giubiasco - Lugano
boat Stresa - Intra - bus - Brissago - Locarno - train - Giubiasco - Lugano
train Stresa - Domodossola - Locarno - Giubiasco - Lugano

Stresa - Bellagio/Menaggio
either via Como (see above) and then bus or boat or hydrofoil
or train Stresa - Milano C - Varenna - ferry -Bellagio - Menaggio

Lugano - Menaggio/Bellagio:
Lugano Cassarate - bus - Menaggio - ferry - Bellagio
Lugano - train - Como SG - bus Bellagio

Lugano - Cernobbio:
Lugano - train - Chiasso - taxi - Cernobbio
Lugano - train - Chiasso - citybus - Como - bus Cernobbio
Lugano - train - Como SG - bus Cernobbio

Timetables:
http://www.muoversi.regione.lombardi...lanner/home.do
http://www.regione.piemonte.it/ptplw...ermateorari.do
http://www.vcoinbus.it
http://www.navlaghi.it/eng/m_orari.asp
http://orario.trenitalia.com/
http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html
http://www.trenord.it/it/servizi/motore-orario.aspx
http://www.sptlinea.it/
http://malpensaexpress.ch/orari.asp

neckervd

Hotel Principe Leopoldo is indeed rather in the suburbs, but at only 500 metres from the citybus stop Santa Brigitta (about every 10 min buses to the city center, the main railways station and the boats pier).

centeno

Thank you neckarvd for that extensive schedule. You are perhaps correct that with luggage you need a simple trip! The hydrofoil sounded great however it only runs on Wednesday and holidays. The www.navigazionelaghi.it was very kind and emailed a response to me.
I am thinking now of either renting a car in Milan driving to Stressa, day trip Lago D'orta, than up to (or down, I saw a road trip down toward Milan rather than up toward locarno and around the lake) to Lugano and than either drop the car off there or maybe keep it to get to Cernobbio? My only concern is everyone says not to drive in the lake district due to traffic, parking, windy roads etc. Any thoughts? My other thought, though expensive is to just hire a driver from Stresa to Lugano. How easy is it to get from Malpensa to Stresa? It sounds like Cernobio is not the best location; however, not to difficult to take a train from lugano to como ( or chiasso) and taxi there?