I will be spending 2-3 days at Lake Como during the first week of August. Which town on the lake is the most charming? Are there any pensiones or hostels in the town? Also, I hear that August is really crowded everywhere in Europe, but is it unbearable around Lake Como? Any advice would be great. Thanks!!!

We stayed in the town of Varenna at the Albergo Milano. We had a room with a huge balcony overlooking the lake for around L150,000. Varenna is a quaint town with narrow lanes and a promenade along the lake. There is a hostel across the lake called La Primula in Menaggio. I haven't stayed there, but I have read postings at eurotrip.com by people who loved it. A ferry connects the Varenna with Menaggio and Bellagio. Bellagio seemed to be the most upscale of the towns with fancy hotels and shops. We found the easiest way to get to there was to take the train from Milan to Varenna (takes ~1 hour), even if you stay in one of the other towns, you can easily catch the ferry across, which only takes about 15 minutes.

My vote is for the Hotel Florence in Bellagio. We spent 5 days there in Sept. '97. It is a pretty & charming little town with just enough shops and different resturants. There are car ferries that can take you to Varenna (and onward to Switzerland if you wish), as well as other lake side towns. <BR> <BR> Good luck - Jill

Rachel, <BR> <BR>We visited Lake Como, specifically Bellagio, in 1997 and loved it. The town is very small and charming with wonderful lake views. It is at the tip of the penninsula that splits Lake Como. There are upscale shops, but we didn't find the town more expensive than anywhere else we've visited. <BR> <BR>We were there in early September and didn't find it very crowded (in contrast to Venice which we also visited and loved, but which was very crowded). However, there were certainly tourists we didn't have the place to ourselves. <BR> <BR>We stayed at the Hotel Belvedere which is one of the few hotels up on a hill above Bellagio and our room had a huge patio with a gorgeous view. It ran about $125/night for a double. <BR> <BR>Visit our personal travelogue of our trip at http://www.lunadesigns.com/travels/. Click on the Bellagio page, and you will see plenty of photos (be patient for them to load). At the bottom of the page is a link to the Hotel Belvedere's website and also a link to Bellagio's website, where you may find information on other hotels or pensiones.

On our honeymoon, my husband & I spent 1 week on the spectacular Lake Como, specifically in Cernobbio, which is about ten minutes by car from the city Como. We stayed at Villa d'Este. WOW. The whole experience was pure magic, & the hotel, although expensive, really made a huge impact. We rented a car & drove to Portofino for lunch. It took about a couple of hours, but it was so worth it; what a beautiful town, and we saw so much on the way. We would have driven to Venice (4 hours) but decided that it needed a trip all by itself.

How expensive (in US dollars) is Villa d'Este?

To Rebecca: about the same price as a new car, or a major downpayment on a new home.

Thanks Patrick! But can you be a little more specific? Can you recommend another very nice hotel on Lake Como? <BR> <BR>Thank you!

Listen to the lady about the Belvedere in Bellagio. We just returned from there in October. Great hotel. They gave us one of the lower rooms with the giant patio overlooking the lake. You would not be sorry with that choice. Plus, it is an easy stroll into the town. Ferries run that connect you to the cities and Carlottas castles across the lake. When you finally understand the ferry schedule completely, it will be time for you to leave. We felt that way. All that great ferry knowledge and we had to leave. Bummer. Great town though. Belvedere is good choice.