111op

Hi, I'll be in Bellagio from Sunday through Tuesday. Please help with the logistics and the detailed directions for visiting various places.

1. Do I need reservations for Villa Carlotta or Villa Balbianello? How do I get there? I think there're some old threads.

2. I seem to remember reading that the train station in Varenna is not manned. If so how I do buy a ticket from Varenna to Milan? Since I'm coming from Switzerland, I'll be getting off in Varenna and leaving from Varenna.

3. Is there something I should be aware of regarding the ferries? Should I buy a day ticket, if such a thing exists, etc.? I expect to be doing the usual amount of sightseeing.

Thanks!

111op

By the way, when I look at the schedules on bahn.de, I see the Varenna station listed as Varenna-Esino. Is this the right station? I assume that the train station is within walking distance of the ferry stop? Thanks again.

Shanti

I went to Villa Carlotta last year & bought the ticket when I got there. I was staying in Varenna & took the ferry over & walked to the villa. I don't know about Villa Balbianello.

The train station in Varenna is not manned. There's a ticket machine & it was extremely confusing trying to figure out how to get it to work. Some other tourists were also trying to figure it out & eventually we did get our tickets - unfortunately, I don't remember what we did, just that it took us about 15 or so minutes to figure it out. But ask someone local before you go to the station on your way to Milan.

Other than that, the train to Milan worked well. It was an easy way to get in and out of the city.

I don't know if there's a day ticket. I only went to one town during any day so only bought a round trip ticket.

Have a wonderful time. Lake Como is beautiful.

111op

Thanks. It looks like the ferry stop for Villa Carlotta is Tremezzo. I assume the Villa is within walking distance of the ferry stop?

There've been directions for Balbianello posted on this forum before, but it seems like that's more difficult to get to.

Also I think that there's a restaurant in Varenna that's supposed to be good. It's listed in Time Out, but I forget the name. Have people tried this? I guess the only thing is to make sure to leave before the last ferry from Varenna to Bellagio.

Please feel free to add other sightseeing suggestions. I've put Carlotta & Balbianello at the top of the list, but it seems like there're a few other villas -- Melzi, Serbelloni (I think this one is a hotel?), etc. What are the things I really have to see?

Thanks again.

enroute

Not sure about Trmezzo, but you can walk to Villa Carlotta from the Cadenabbia stop, if needed. 10 - 15 minutes. I don't think you need reservations.

On of my favorite attractions is going up to the castle in Varenna. Another is taking the ferries across the lake for the views and for that I use every excuse.

-e

Shanti

It's a bit of a walk from the ferry stop to Villa Carlotta - maybe a kilometer or so, but it's a pretty walk.

One of the really nice things about Lake Como is that you don't "have" to see anything.

You can just hang around a town, or go on the ferry, or go for a walk. It was rather cool & drizzling a lot when we were there, so we couldn't do any water sports but that's another thing you can decide to do, but you don't have to.

I ate at several restaurants in Varenna and while they were fine, none of them were exceptional - although some of them had great views. The gelato place was pretty good.

111op

Thanks. I think that I'm too used to making a list and crossing things off it. This should be a change.

I should have checked Time Out Milan before posting. But the Varenna restaurant they list is "Vecchia Varenna." Regarding Balbianello, they claim boats leave every 1/2 hour between 9:45 and 3:45, and a footpath is open Tue, Sa-Sun. It'd be good if someone could confirm this.

Thanks again!

111op

Thanks. I think that I'm too used to making a list and crossing things off it. This should be a change.

I should have checked Time Out Milan before posting. But the Varenna restaurant they list is "Vecchia Varenna." Regarding Balbianello, they claim boats leave every 1/2 hour between 9:45 and 3:45 from the Lenno jetty, and a footpath is open Tue, Sa-Sun. It'd be good if someone could confirm this.

Thanks again!

111op

Thanks. I think that I'm too used to making a list and crossing things off it. This should be a change.

I should have checked Time Out Milan before posting. But the Varenna restaurant they list is "Vecchia Varenna." Regarding Balbianello, they claim boats leave every 1/2 hour between 9:45 and 3:45 from the Lenno jetty, and a footpath is open Tue, Sa-Sun.

Ok, I've found the webpage for Balbianello here:

http://www.fondoambiente.it/en/beni/...propreties.asp
Thanks again!

NeoPatrick

We waited and waited for a small boat once to Balbaniello from the nearby ferry docks without success, so we walked -- maybe 25 minutes to half an hour but pleasant. But when we got there the house itself was unexpectedly closed so we could only see the grounds. I understand that actually getting inside the house is not always possible regarless of posted hours.

This last trip there, we booked a small boat tour from Bellagio (near the passenger boats dock) that was wonderful. They only take about 12 or 15 people by small boat, and take you on a full guided tour inside the house at Balbianello. I highly recommend doing it that way.

The walk from Varenna/Esino is about 10 or 15 minutes and is all downhill (obviously uphill going back). If leaving from there, you can get a ticket about half way up the hill at a small travel agency -- pretty obvious as you go up the hill. Or you can buy a ticket at any travel agency during your stay there.

Some of the passenger boats actually stop right by Villa Carlotta. Check at the docks for that. Otherwise, if you must take the car ferry, it isn't a bad walk.

JJBhoy

I've read reports in the past of the travel agent in Varenna selling un-necessarily expensive rail tickets - don't know if that is a common problem or not.

We just bought our ticket from the conductor on the train after boarding at Varenna - no problem.

Jim

111op

What is the ferry stop for Villa Carlotta? Is it Tremezzo? Or is it Cadenabbia as someone else mentioned?

I'm always afraid of buying tickets on the train because it will be more expensive. But I guess if the station is unmanned, maybe that's ok. Still I prefer to do this ahead of time.

Maybe I can buy the ticket in Tirano. I think that's in Switzerland still, but I think that I'll have time there because I need to switch to the train to Varenna there (I'll be coming from St. Moritz). Or try a Bellagio travel agent who I hope won't mark things up unscrupulously.

Do you remember what the price was for the Balbianello tour, Patrick? According to the website, the tour is 11 euros. I tend to have trouble paying extra for something that I could do myself.

Maybe I'll call them and see if I could reserve. Presumably this way they will have to guarantee that I can get in. The way the webpage is phrased, it does sound like if you show without reservations, you may not get in.

Thanks again.

NeoPatrick

I think it was 15 but that included the boat trip there and back -- along with a fun "tour" of that part of the lake.

The agent we bought our train tickets from did NOT overcharge us. We knew first what it would cost and that was exactly it.

111op

Thanks. 15 sounds reasonable if the price the villa charges is 11.

What's the cost of the Varenna-Milan ticket? I can't seem to find the info on the trenitalia website. It doesn't allow for online booking -- not that I really want to book it now -- so I can't see the price.

ellenem

I believe Tremezzo is the stop that is right by Villa Carlotta. You can also get there from Cadennabia, but will have the longer walk described by Shanti. Here's a link to a map of the major towns which are stops on the boats.

http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/com/nlc_ora.html

You might find a mid-lake one-day ticket handy which covers bouncing back and forth between Menaggio, Bellagio, Varenna, maybe some others at mid-lake.

On the pages for the link above there are links to schedules for the various boats. They're not all on one schedule but grouped by the kind of service offered, for example, cars, no cars, high speed, and so forth.

ellenem

I plugged in tomorrow's date at trenitalia.com and got this info for Varenna-Esino to Milano Centrale:

1st class 7.45
2nd class 4.95
about 1 hr 10 mins to 1 hr 30 mins depending on the train

NeoPatrick

Those prices sound about right. I see we paid 9.70 for two tickets from Varenna to Milan at the little travel agency last summer. They've probably gone up .10 since then.

But I was way off on that 15 to Villa Balbianello. I thought that sounded too cheap. I see I wrote 60 euros -- so must be 30 per person for the boat trip and the full tour of house and gardens.

111op

Thanks. I'll try to call Villa Balbianello directly. I don't like to play extra if I don't have to.

Thanks for the prices of the Varenna-Milan ticket. I tried departure next week and it wouldn't let me do anything. Thought that was odd. Any other tricks I should know about trenitalia?

Budman

Villa Balbianello is closed on Monday. You can take the ferry to Lenno, and it's a nice stroll around the lake and onto the Villa.

111op

Thanks. I noticed that. Tuesday will be the only day I can do this since I'm leaving that day to go to Milan. I won't get in until Sunday late afternoon, I'm thinking.