Italian Lakes
 

We are staying at Bellegio for 4 nights, coming from Luzern and wanted to know if we can travel by train or bus to Lake Maggiore for a day trip? Heard it is very beautiful and we will be there end of July.
Thanks for your opinions in advance.
Pachet

I'm not familiar with public transportation, but Lake Maggiore is quite some distance from Bellagio.

Lake Lugano is the most scenic of The Lakes IMO and it's much closer. Ferry to Menaggio and then maybe an hour by bus from there.

Maggiore is really too far from Bellagio. I agree with Tuck that spending one day in Lugano does make sense---you can bus from Menaggio. Try to take the funicular up Mt. Bre if you can.

There's a very nice funicular up S. Salvatore too.

Try to take a boat cruise to visit the nice waterfront towns of Gandria and Morcote.

Here are some possible routes to do this. It would be a very long day.

(A) means segment A,e tc

Bellagio-(A)-Como-(B)-Laveno-(C)-Stresa-(D)-Milano-(D)-Como-(A)-Bellagio
note: go thru islands one way

Bellagio-(A)-Como-(D)-Milan-(D)-Stresa[lake]-(D)-Milano-(D)-Como-(A)-Bellagio option
note: backtrack islands

Bellagio-(E)-Varenna-(D)-Milan-(D)-Stresa[lake]-(D)-Milan-(D)-Varenna-(E)-Bellagio option
note: backtrack islands

Segment options:

(A) Bellagio - Como
by taxi:
by bus: http://www.sptlinea.it/pdf/estivo_2008/C30.pdf
by hydrofoil: http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/ita/c...ra_sr1a_e.html

(B) Como Lago - Laveno Mombello (Eastern shore, mid-section of Lake Maggiore)
by train: Ferrovie LeNord train (not Trenitalia), change train at Saronno, about 126min
http://www.lenord.it/website/lenord/it/home/index.php
choose: Ramo Milano
Stazione di partenza: Como Lago
Stazione di arrivo: Laveno Mombello
Enter Date and time then "Ricerca"

Note: The Laveno Mombello station is next to the ferry station. I saw families with small children on this route. Much less walking to the ferry than Stresa Trenitalia train station to Stresa boat dock.

(C) Leveno - Stresa
by boat: http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/ita/mag/nlm_ora.html
Laveno-Intra, then Intra-Isola Madre-Pescatore-Bella-Stresa

(D) Stresa - Milano, Milano - Como S. Giovanni
by Trenitalia: www.Trenitalia.com to Milano Centrale

(E) Varenna - Bellagio
by boat: http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/ita/c...ora_t4a_e.html

note: The ferry runs up around ~9:30pm. Best bet for coming back to Bellagio late using public transits.