Lake como area on motorcycles
 

Hi, my husband and I are planning a trip to the lake como area around the 2 of sept. We will be arriving from southern France by train and need information on a good place to rent bikes. We will just be renting one. We are both very experienced riders. Also we need help on where to stay and ride. We need to be on as tight a budget as possible. We love hiking swimming and quaint small towns. Thank you in advance for your time. Oh we are 50ish and in good shape.

I did a lot of research one year, looking for a Vespa rental in the area near Varenna. I found nothing. I even asked a few locals who own motor bikes (Davide at Villa Cipressi), and got shrugs when I asked about rentals. That was a few years ago, maybe things have changed. Good luck.

Presumably you are experienced enough to know you want something more than a Vespa, which would be a poor choice for that terrain. I am not surprised no one rents Vespas up there.

Lago di Como is a luxury area (not much swimming either). You will do best budget-wise if you look for lodgings and restaurants away from the lakeshore, although you will probably want to do plenty of your riding in view of the lake. Be aware that on nice summer weekends (Sept is still summer) that traffic in the area can be intense (and parking, even for a bike, next to impossible in the lakeshore towns).

The historic character of the lake is more oriented toward villas and utilitarian tourist towns, rather than quaint. However Bellano and the Piona Abbey are places you might want to check out, and here are motorcycle itineraries

http://www.lakecomo.it/en/sports/sports/motorcycling

Not all lodgings welcome motorcyclists, and you will sometimes see places that do hanging out a sign that says "Bikers welcome!" (or the equivalent in German and Italian). Some of the reason for this is bikers who come in groups and who start revving their engines and they crack of dawn before leaving. Other places are just generally trying to cater to a relaxation type clientele. It's not as bad as in other areas of the alps, but don't let it ruin your trip if you aren't immediately greeted with open arms when you roar up or asked to park at some remove from the bedrooms if you plan to check out very early.

sandralist: This thread is a year old -- it was topped by an advertiser . . . .

This site gives a good run-down of motorcycles available for rent:

http://www.rental-motorcycle.com/eur...pe_rental.html