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I would like to go to bellagio after 4-5 days in venice, and am interested in the hotel belvedere. I wonder whether I will need a car, while there. I am not so concerned about getting to the hotel, but about exploring the area and the towns flexibly. I like biking and sailing. Will I be able to rent a small boat? Is the land too hilly to bike easily? Any input would be appreciated - 1st trip to Italy.

I assume you like things flat (makes sense to me) when biking although some don't.
You can certainly explore the other two closest towns (Varenna and Menaggio)...at least the parts that most folks seem to think are worth seeing (Menaggio is the largest of the three area-wise and quite spread out if you want to see the whole place) on foot. I did it last May and enjoyed exploring in a relaxed manner.
The ferry system will take you, and your bike, and your car to most places.
Varenna is hilly, Menaggio somewhat less so.
This may be a golden opportunity for you to ditch the automobile and have a look around at a slower pace.

I liked having a car, but we were in Menaggio. From Bellagio, most of your exlporig by car invloves first crossing by ferry to one of the other two sides. A small, but not trivial, pain in the neck.

Best wishes,

Rex

You can easily explore the area without a car using Bellagio as a base. The ferry service is convenient from there. You can use a bicycle for some of your exploring. However, as a previous poster wrote, there are some hills. Still, over four-five days, you'll have ample opportunity for both bike and non-bike exploring.

The ferry crossings take about 10 minutes, the boats are frequent, and the trips are wonderful.

I loved hopping on and off the ferries; watching the place I had just left recede and then watching the town I was approaching emerge ever larger as we came near. It was magical.

The TI in Bellagio is at the passenger ferry dock and the folks there are most helpful. Pick up a pocket ferry schedule and other info on walks/sights in the area.

thank you all. I will skip the car, and enjoy the ferry and the walking, and the biking