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Lake Como Experts - Ferry from Bellagio to Varenna at night???

Lake Como Experts - Ferry from Bellagio to Varenna at night???

Old Jun 11th, 2006, 12:37 PM
  #21  
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Hi everyone:
I appreciate all the great feedback!

I think what we've decided to do - after all this great feedback - is stay on Lake Maggiore, probably in Stresa.

One of the main reasons I'm thinking of making this change is that I've heard that the islands in Maggiore are wonderful.

Also, these will be our last two nights in Italy at the end of almost 3 weeks. (Unfortunately, our plane leaves at 9:15 am out of Milan so our last night will be at a hotel near the airport.)

But thanks for all information - I still haven't made my final decision!
Carol
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Old Jun 12th, 2006, 12:31 AM
  #22  
 
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You could do both if you spend your last night in Italy in Stresa. On the morning of your flight, you can take a bus from Stresa that will get you to Malpensa in 50 minutes. These buses run during pre-dawn and morning hours. Just be sure to ask the hotel to make a reservation on the bus for you.

The Borromean Islands are indeed enjoyable (especially Isola Madre), but the view from Bellagio is spectacular.

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Old Jun 12th, 2006, 03:50 AM
  #23  
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I hated Stresa. I don't have time to post a detailed explanation now, but I think I may have posted elsewhere. I think Lake Como is much more beautiful and atmospheric. Stresa's lakefront was cluttered with cars, completely ruiing the view. The people in the tourist industry (tourist info office, boat ticket office, etc.) in Stresa were some of the rudest I've ever encountered on any trip, in any country. The streets and sites were cluttered with German tourists, and in some instances I was addressed first in German, a language I don't know, rather than Italian, which I do know and wanted to use, or English, which is my native language (as well as the unofficial international language). In late season (early October) there was no longer a public bus to Lake Orta, which I'd hoped to visit, and the tours to Lake Orta had just finished running for the season.
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Old Jun 12th, 2006, 05:18 AM
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We visited the lakes Maggiore, Como, and Garda a few weeks ago, and will be posting a long trip report soon.

On Lago Maggiore, we stayed in the Hotel Verbano, on the Isola dei Pescatori. We parked our car in Stresa, and left it unused for three days. We bought a day pass on the boats, and toured the islands, and an open-air market in Intra (Verbania). The Isola dei Pescatori has no cars, and was very quiet, except on Sunday, when boatloads of tourists descended on it for shopping. I have to agree that Stresa itself didn't appear to be very interesting. After the public boats stop running, the Hotel Verbano will send a private boat for you if you phone them.

We next went to Lake Como, and stayed at the Eremo Gaudio. That has advantages and disadvantages. It's a lovely hotel, very quiet, and the view is absolutely spectacular. The traghetti down below look like toy boats, plying their triangular route between Varenna, Bellagio, and Menaggio. On the other hand, you have to walk half a mile just to get to the edge of Varenna, and then a bit more to get to the other side (to the boat dock, for instance). And the walk back is uphill. Before we went, we figured we could always drive into town if we got tired of walking, but in fact, there's virtually no parking available in town.

Bellagio is a much bigger town than Varenna, with much more going on, but it has a very touristy aura. Then again, the lakes are a very touristy area, no matter how you slice it. It's called, after all, "Il distretto turistico dei laghi". People come there for the lakes, not to experience a genuine Italian village. The vast majority of people there are either tourists, or people serving the tourist industry. Genuine locals just living their daily lives were few and far between, although they must be there, outside the towns themselves.

Of all the lakes we visited, Lake Garda seemed to have the most local life. It also had the highest concentration of German tourists - that's where I was often addressed in German, as cmt described.

Watch for a much longer trip report soon.

- Larry

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Old Jun 12th, 2006, 12:51 PM
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I agree with many of Larry's impressions about all 3 lakes, but I will say that I didn't find the walk from the Eremo Gaudio to anywhere in Varenna long or difficult, and most anywhere you stay in Varenna you will have to walk up and down stairs, grades or hills. The only time I used a car in Varenna was to get to the train station, since I was carrying my bags.
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