We're a young couple doing our two-week honeymoon in Northern Italy. We fly into Milan and are planning to head to Lake Como immediately for about three days.

Any thoughts on:

*Which city to choose as our home base?

*Where to stay in said city? (We're on a budget--trying to stay around 100 euros a night)

*Specific activities/places/sights not to miss in that city? (Or the whole Como region?)

Many thanks in advance for any advice you can share.

I would recommend Bellagio over Varenna as there are more restaurants, wine bars, cafes and shops in Bellagio. If you want to be more immersed with the locals then Varenna may be more appropriate, it is also smaller then Bellagio, which realy isn't that big either.

The ferries run between all of the towns. The one item to watch for is what time the last ferry of the day is. If you would like to be in another town for the evening you may need to come back earlier due to ferry schedule, which also makes later dinning options in Bellagio available if you are staying there.

Are you renting a car or taking the train/bus from Milano ?

Most of the towns are quaint and interesting to see, Lenno, Mennagio, Varenna. Bellagio, only parts of Como, many others that are smaller. Perform some searches on the forum and read some of the guide books, and web sites. These will help identify many of the attractions that may interest you, and which towns may attract you.

You could easliy go to Switzerland from the Lakes area easily by bus, about 1 hour from Mennagio. Also that ride is very nice as you will pass some other lakes that are not connected to Lago Como.

If you enjoy hiking, trails, or mounations, the lake is surrounded by these with great trails and roads. Many a romantic prominotory can be found all around the lake.

Many of the towns have villas & gardens open to the public. Some are pretty & interesting. My favorite is Vlla Ballibiano in Lenno. Visually stunning.

I have stayed in apartments in the area. Since you will be there long enough, apartment may be a option. They tend to be cheaper then hotels and you get so much more space and typically surronded by locals not tourist.

There is a city outside the lakes area , but nearby Milano, northeast of Milano, Bergamo. This may be a nice place to spend a day or two before you fly back from Milano. It has a old town center, scenic, very good restaruants and attractions.

Are you driving? All the difference.

What time of year will you be traveling? In high season, you will not find much in Bellagio around 100 euros a night. OTOH, if you're honeymooning in November or December, you will find many places closed in Bellagio and some of the other villages.
Although Lake Como is undeniably beautiful, you might also want to consider heading just a bit farther north to Lugano in Switzerland. The Hotel Pestalozzi in Lugano is in your price range and many rooms have beautiful views of the lake. From there, you can day trip all around the Ticino, walk to the pretty villages of Gandria and Morcote, take funiculars to the top of the nearby mountains. You can also day trip to Lake Como from Lugano. Getting to Lugano from Milan is easy.

Many thanks for the responses so far.

bobthenavigator & Lorenzi--We weren't planning on driving until after we made our loop through Venice and headed down to Tuscany, though nothing's set in stone. Is there a specific reason to/not to drive? I understand that our options will be different each way. We're more likely to be happy just experiencing whichever location we end up in for a couple of days, and won't necessarily feel the need to get 'out' any more than the ferries will allow to other towns, if that helps. However, if there are things that we just shouldn't miss that are only accessible by car...

Lorenzi--Many, many thanks for the fantastic insights. From reading some other posts, I was getting the impression that Bellagio was simply a tourist trap. Although some people have said that part of the fun of staying in the more 'tourist-busy' places is that once the day-trippers leave, you are able to experience the town in its calmer state. I'll have to look into the apartments in Bellagio. Any specific recommendations from your personal travels?

BTilke-We will be there in late June, which is obviously not going to get us any cheap deals . I wasn't sure about these smaller towns, if they'd be more or less expensive than the big cities. I'm realizing that everything's likely going to cost more than our budget says it should--so I guess I'll just have to save a little more over the next several months!

I haven't been to Lugano, though my travels have taken me through northern and central Switzerland. I'll have to look into it as well. It looks to truly be almost due west of Bellagio--could prove to be an interesting alternative. Thanks.

I would opt for Varenna--that is where the train goes and it is less expensive than Bellagio.

I agree with Bob. I've stayed in Varenna, at the Villa Cipressi, the Eremo Gaudio (spectacular view) and in an apartment. Check www.craigslist.org for vacation rentals, on the san francisco bay area site check under "vacation rentals", type in Italy. there is an Italian woman who rents three apartments at reasonable prices. Varenna is a very serene, peaceful lakeside town. Eat at the Hotel Olivedo, run by Laura,with an iron fist, or at the Victoria Grill in the small town square (good pizza and minestrone soup). You can always take the ferry to another town...
Best Wishes !!

Here are a few links on apartments.

http://www.travel-library.com/apartm...taly/bellagio/

http://www.residencelalimonera.com/

http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/lake-como.htm

http://www.como-rentals.it/holiday%20apartments.htm

Can't find the rental I had above Bellagio a couple of years ago. If I do find it I'll send it. Stayed at the apartment from web site como-rentals. Not anywhere near a luxury suite but suited the trip at that time as it was cheap. It is situated in a residential area and I enjoyed watching the locals tend their gardens each night and was near the trail points for some of the major hiking trails in Mennaggio. However it's a 20 minute walk down to Mennaggio.

Realy don't need a car as there is constant bus & ferry service between the towns. You'l be able to get around with no issues. Car only helps if you like exploring by driving around. Also there is not always a direct route with a car and you would need to travel up and down the lake shoreline and take car ferries to get across. Based on your response you won't need a car to enjoy the lake towns.

Regards Bellagio, I have stayed in Bellagio & Mennaggio. Enjoyed both, for different reasons. Mennagio more locals and easy access to hiking trails. However when I just wanted to sit around and relax , enjoy a selection of restaurants, wine bars and cafes, Bellagio was better suited for that. Especially at night when the ferries stop running. Depending on the time of year some ferries stop around 7:00pm. Here's the ferry web site.
http://www.navlaghi.it/italia/sede/indicesede.htm

If you are flying into Milano and going directly to the lake their is a bus that leaves several times a day from Malpensa to Como ( the town) then theirs buses to all of teh lake towns. There's a bus spot at one of the terminals for the lake.