Hi there

I am travelling to Lugano at the end of December. Can anyone please recommend some clean, inexpensive but well-located hotels in Lugano? It would be great to be within walking distance of the Christmas markets. Also, can anyone let me know how to get to Bellagio from Lugano? I will have a Swiss Pass so my preference is to go by train and then ferry (if the ferries are operating).

Thanks very much.

<< ...my preference is to go by train and then ferry (if the ferries are operating)... >>

Surely, train is not your best choice; I imagine that you would have to backtrack to a rail hub in Switzerland (or maybe Lugano would work), where you could travel to Milan, then to Varenna. There must be bus service for the short (25 mile) run from Lugano to Menaggio.

Either way, but especially from Menaggio, the 8 minute ferry trip is the only reasonable way to get to Bellagio (the ferry from Varenna to Bellagio is not a whole lot longer). I don't know what reduced schedule they may observe in December, but it won't be zero. There are threads here on this forum which can supply to you the name of the website which shows the schedule. It has "navigazione" in the website name, I think.

I hope you find something to like at Lake Como at that time of year. I suspect that you will find a lot "shut down", but the beauty of the natural geography never "closes". There are simply aren't ever many reports from travelers going there, in the winter.

Best wishes,

Rex

We took a train from Lugano to Como and then a ferry to Bellagio. That was in September...

Albergo Pestalozzi is quite inexpensive (by Lugano standards) and has a great location downtown near the city park. Their least expensive rooms don't have TVs, but other than that they're comfortable and spotlessly clean. Some rooms have excellent views of the lake. The staff are very helpful.

A step up from Pestalozzi is the Hotel Delfino, also within walking distance. I've looked at their web site and it seems appealing and the one review on Trip Advisor was an unabashed rave. Moderately priced.

There is no direct rail service between Lugano and Bellagio since Bellagio has no rail service at all.

As someone suggested, there is a bus service between Lugano and <b>Menaggio</b>; from Menaggio it is a quick (10 minutes) ferry service over to Bellagio.

I think you did a poor job researching for your trip. I am quite sure there is no Christmas Market in Lugano end of December.

Beside that, Bellagio is in Italy and the Swiss Pass will definitely not cover the ride to this town. Visiting Bellagio end of Dec is not a good idea - it will be shut down like almost any place around Lake Como at this time of year.

Believe it or not, Lugano does have a Christmas Market.

Christmas Market
Via Nassa - Piazza della Riforma - Piazza Manzoni - via Canova - Piazza San Rocco - Via Carducci - Via Soave - Via Pessina
From Dec. 20th to 25th
Opening hours: 9.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m

There is even a:
Coca Cola Magic Christmas
Piazza Manzoni
Wednesday Dec. 21st
Opening hours: 1.00 to 8.00 p.m.

It was in K&uuml;ssnacht am Rigi last week and made the local paper. You could see a picture of that big truck lit up by white lights. Yuck!

But not end of December.

I'll take it on faith that there's a Christmas market in Lugano in late December (after Christmas??). Look for a hotel within your budget. (Having no idea what that is, I'll just toss out Hotel Dante as a 3-star hotel in the center of town at the bottom of the funicular.) The town is not that big, so walking distance (or short ferry ride) is certainly possible from just about anywhere.

There is bus service between Lugano and Menaggio. It takes about an hour. I don't know how often it operates in winter, but I'm sure it is not just seasonal as it is a popular route with both Swiss and Italian locals.

I agree with others in questioning Bellagio as a destination in late December. I trust you have a hotel or apartment reservation already but be prepared that there will be few restaurants and shops open in Bellagio and Varenna. Menaggio and Como are cities, and there will be more dining and shopping options open there.

Thanks to everyone for their responses.