Lucerne, Lake Como
 

My husband and I (both in our 20's) are planning a trip in late August. We're thinking about first staying a few nights in Lucerne then another few nights at a smaller town on Lake Como. Are these two places too similar to one another?

Not at all except they are on lakes - very different attractions around the lakes. Do both if possible.

I agree they are very different destinations, but be aware that traveling from Lucerne to a small town on Lake Como will take a half day or more and involve multiple trains plus ferry or bus and probably a taxi or two.

Where would you be going after Lake Como?

Jean is correct, although you can actually do this trip with only one change (in Milan).

There is at least one timing from Luzern which will take you to Milano Centrale without having to change. In Milan you change to a Trenord regional timing to somewhere mid-lake (IF that is where on the lake you really want to go) as in Varenna-Esino and those services usually run about once every two hours.

And here's another possibility: take the train from Luzern to Chur and change there for the four-hour scenery spectacular otherwise known as the Bernina Express which will take you into Italy at Tirano; change in Tirano and get down the east side of Lake Como that way to Varenna-Esino.

Yes, going by train through Milan is only one change, but it's a longer train ride than going to Como and gets you to the lake later. The Bernina Express option would 9 hours to reach Varenna.

OK, did I miss the part about only having a few hours?

I am SORRY if I am being a PITA but I do think people should be reminded of the various options.

Thank y'all. The things we want to do at each location would be different, but I started to worry. I often over analyze, wanting the trip to be just perfect.

We haven't picked a place on lake como yet. Como seems too large, and Bellagio maybe a bit too touristy to base out of. To be honest, we haven't researched the towns much yet. At the moment we've been just trying to solidify our fly in/out destinations.

From there we're going to stay a few days in the Tuscany area. Again, haven't looked too much in where we should base. We went to Florence a few years ago and visited San Gimigano, which was beautiful.

The plan is to fly into Zurich and the out of Florence/Pisa. Whichever is more reasonable back to Texas.

I assume you're going to rent a car for your days in Tuscany. Where you choose to pick up the car may influence where you want to stay on the lake.

Most recommend staying in the mid-lake area to take advantage of the mid-lake ferry service and because so many things people want to see are closer to the middle of the lake. Varenna is smaller than Bellagio and is on the train line between Tirano (Bernina Express) and Milan. You can also reach Varenna by ferry from Como.

To see which towns are served by the ferries and how frequently, check the various timetables.

http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/c_orari.asp

On Lake Como, there are car rental offices in Lecco and Como. From Varenna, you'd train to Lecco or ferry to Como. From a town on the the western shore of the lake, you'd just ferry or bus to Como.

If you wanted to travel part-way to Tuscany by train, you would start in either Varenna or Como. There are car rental offices in Siena and Chiusi, but, depending on your final destination and which train route you took, you could also pick up a car in Bologna or Arezzo. Most of us here do not recommend picking up a car IN the city of Florence because of its limited traffic zone (ZTL), but you could train to Florence and take a bus or taxi to the airport to pick up a car.

If your travel day to Tuscany is a Saturday, make sure you know the hours of the car rental office you're heading to. Most are closed on Saturday afternoons, although there is a Hertz office near the Bologna Centrale train station that is open Saturdays until 7:00p. If your travel day is a Sunday, your best option for picking up a car is the Florence airport.

You'll need an International Driver's Permit.

Lucerne - Varenna: 1 train change at Monza (NOT Milan)
Lucerne - Bellagio: 1 change from train to bus at Como SG
Lucerne - Menaggio: 1 change from train to bus at Como SG
Lucerne dp 8.46 - Varenna ar 14.23, Menaggio ar 13.29, Bellagio ar 13.30
Lucerne - Menaggio (shorter itinerary): 1 change from train to bus at Lugano, but short taxi ride from railway station to bus station,
about every 2 hrs until Lucerne dp 14.18

The direct trains to Milan also stop at Como S. Giovanni, which would allow you to go the rest of the way by boat, or even stay in Como. From Lucerne to Como S. Giovanni is less than 4 hours by direct train.