Hello All, I will be flying to Milan, and would like to travel to Lakes District in September with my husband and 2 year old son. We would like to stay 4-5 days in somewhere, where we can go on day trips, just relaxing and having nice food. We could rent a car, but would rather use public transport. Any tips on where to stay, best way of getting there, etc would be great. Many thanks for your help

Hi S,

We very much liked our stay on Lake Orta.

You will want a car.

Details at http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-europe.cfm

If you have a car I usggest the combination of Lago Orta and Lago Maggiore--only about :45 apart.

Without a car, I suggest taking the train from Milano Centrale to Stresa on Lago Maggiore and using it as your base.
www.stresa.net

Stresa-Hotel La Palma

Stresa is a very nice town on Lago Maggiore. You reach it by train from Milan or directly by bus from the airport.
From Sressa you can take a boat to islands. I recommend Isola Bella with its nice palace and gardens and Villa Taranto for the magnificent park.