We are planning 5 or 6 night in the Lake Como area in May. Can you help me with where to stay? Should we stay in Como and do day trips or stay in Bellagio which is smaller and do day trips around the area.
We like to park ourselves in 1 hotel/city and not move around. Is this the trip to split it and do 3 days in each Como and Bellagio?

Also, How many days does one need in Milan?

Hi Alane, this is rather a personal decision. If you are interested in the textile industry, Como city might be of interest; hiking, Varenna (which I thought was more intimate than Bellagio). My hub and I stayed in Bellagio in March so some of the hotels were not yet open. We stayed at La Pergola and enjoyed it but it isn't smack in the middle of things: https://lapergolabellagio.com/en/ That being said, we went all over on the ferry...it ran frequently

Use the search engine for trip reports about this area for more ideas.

We trained from Milan to Como to Varenna (station is Varenna-Esino btw). We made Milan a day trip from Verona on another trip, but maitaitom and his family spent more than one night and stayed busy. Off to find his TR...

Editing to add Tom's TR: We Still Didn’t Drink All The Vino: Mai Tai Tom’s 2018 Return To Italy

I would not stay in Como which is at the southern end of the lake. The most scenic part is mid- lake where Menaggio, Cernobia, Bellagio and Varenna are located. We always have stayed in Bellagio, in the upper part of town, farther away from all the tourists.

You should develop a sightseeing list to figure out where you'll likely spend most of your time. Study the ferry timetables to see where the stops are and the frequency of service to understand what you can see/do from different points. Many of the most popular sights are in the mid-lake area (Varenna, Bellagio, Menaggio, Cadenabbia). You can make a day trip to Lugano by bus from Menaggio or by train from Como. You can make a day trip to St. Moritz by train from Varenna.

https://www.navigazionelaghi.it/en/t...les-lake-como/

I was there in November. I stayed in Como. I loved it, loved it, loved it. I do admit I needed to stay there because I arrived November 6th, departed November 9th and the ferry schedule changed on November 6th. I didn't really think there was much to Bellagio to spend the number of days that you're thinking of there. I did travel by ferry to the cities that you mentioned but I really thought that Como as a larger City had more to offer.

I was there in November. I stayed in Como. I loved it, loved it, loved it. I do admit I needed to stay there because I arrived November 6th, departed November 9th and the ferry schedule changed on November 6th. I didn't really think there was much to Bellagio to spend the number of days that you're thinking of there. I did travel by ferry to the cities that you mentioned but I really thought that Como as a larger City had more to offer.

Bellano, Dervio and Varenna are best for day trips by car to the high mountains:
BERNINA:: Chiesa Valmalenca - Alpe Palu/Lago Palu, Bernina Diavolezza, Silvaplana - Piz Corvatsch
CEVEDALE: Pejo (thermal spa with gondola up to 3000 metres above sea level), Santa Caterina Valfurva
and to Bergamo and it's valleysan Pellegrino, Lake iseo, Darfo (spa), Capo di Ponte (Unesco site)

We stayed four nights in Bellagio. One problem it’s so gorgeous we didn’t want to leave and visit other lake areas, Bellagio is the most beautiful town and definitely recommend visiting. Enjoy!

Loved, loved the Grand Hotel Tremezzo.
For us mid lake worked well as we could take the boats to all the wonderful little towns.
One of my all time favorite birthday dinners was at Al Veluu in the hills a short drive from Tremezzo. Sitting on the terrace overlooking the lake at night was magical.

Mennaggio, Varenna, Bellagio, the island in the lake, Isola Comancino. Just a few of the fantastic towns.

Our least favorite place was Como. Too busy, crowded, full of graffiti. Boat dock jammed with people trying to find what boat to take. I’m sure there were nice places in Como, we just didn’t find them on our own.