Menaggio v. Bellagio?
 

I have a business trip to Milan coming up in May. Will be meeting up with a friend and colleague there and we plan to spend a week in the Lake Como and Lake Lugano areas.
Which would make a better base for 3 days or so along Lake Como--Menaggio or Bellagio. Our hotel budget is somewhere in the range of 150 euro per night (per person, we'll be getting singles or doubles for single use), with some wiggle room either way.
I was originally leaning toward Bellagio, but on a different thread, another Fodorite (BobtheNavigator, I think) suggested Menaggio for its bus connection to Lugano (we'll be doing Lake Como first).
Our game plan for Lake Como is just to hang out, take in the beauty, eat good food and drink good wine. More of the same in Lugano, plus taking a funicular up to San Salvatore and shopping at Fox Town. From there, I head back to Brussels via train with a stopover in Basel while my friend goes down to Milan for a flight back to the U.S.
Thanks!
P.S. Deirdre, will check out your web site...

Go for Menaggio, its wonderfull watching the sunrise over lake como. Frankly I found Bellagio a bit dull. There is a great pub in Menaggio, just south of the centre of the village which was great fun, it was great to get away from the gods waiting room. Sorry....but there seemed to be an awful lot of very old people sitting/sleeping in the summer sun..........waiting for god.

I found both Menaggio and Varenna to be somewhat more typical of the "typical" Italian small town...Bellagio is quite picturesque and there is a reason tourists go there.
As to the bus connections...it would be easier to get the bus from Menaggio but it is also pretty easy to get a ferry over to Menaggio from the other locations to catch those busses if you plan it right so I wouldn't let that stop me. The views of the lake from all three are wonderful.

And BTW..given your recent posts about how to conduct oneself in a Paris clothing store PLUS your detailed comments about Vienna make me think that you'd fit RIGHT IN in bellagio and might even find Varenna and Menaggio a bit, shall we say, "common" for your apparent tastes in life.

As JonJON says, the difference is a :20 ferry ride, but that is one more logistic. In Menaggio, my pick is the GH Menaggio, but it is a 4 star and fairly expensive. Next door, both are near the boat dock, is the 3 star Hotel Bellavista for good value. I liked the Mt. Bre vista more than Salvatore, but both are great.

I loved Bellagio!! I could've stayed there for weeks, just wandering around town. Menaggio, to me, didn't seem as magical and interesting. I'd stay in B and daytrip over to M. :) Varenna was pretty cool, too.

Go to Menaggio. It's much more accessible, less expensive, and less touristy.

Just to even the score, I pick Bellagio.

Thanks all...I may either let my friend decide or ask one of my Italian colleagues who lives in Como for his recommendation (he may suggest somewhere else!).
BobTN, we did Monte Bre last year, so this year it's San Salvatore.

sure Bellagio is dull and so is Menaggio. isn't that why people go there? but I have to agree that there is no way you can say Bellagio is more dull than Menaggio or Varenna or any of the other towns. Bellagio is the one with the most "action" whether you like it or not.

Interesting comment that Bellagio is God's waiting room full of old people
waiting for God. Personally, I can't think of a better place to wait, no matter how long it takes. Perhaps you would prefer that the older travelers
avoid all the interesting places lest they cast a pall on your good times? Believe it or not, some older people also enjoy taking in the beauty, enjoying good food and wine and taking the finicular up the mountain. Some of them are even willing to tolerate younger tourists.

TravelsWithStDavid, are you saying that there is a funicular up the mountain in Bellagio or is that just an example of fun things to do? I love Bellagio, but I'm not aware of any funicular. If there is one, that will be my excuse to go back; otherwise, please forgive me for being too literal.

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If you need to get to Lugano several times, it's a lot easier from Menaggio. Yes, there are boats from Bellagio to Menaggio, but you end up with a lot of lag time between the boat and the bus. If you can follow a bit of Italian, http://www.infopoint.it/inet_100.htm will help plan itineraries. This site is only good for Lombardy, so you have to plan your trip from Menaggio or Bellagio to Porlezza - every bus that goes to Porlezza should go on to Lugano.

We live on Lake Como (Lecco) and know some great restaurants in the area, see http://www.straughan.com/italy/restaurants.htm for details.


best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

http://www.straughan.com

One of these days I'll probably pry myself away from Lago Maggiore and visit Como. So here's my question, if you'll pardon an idle, but aesthetic, one. Mennagio and Varenna are on opposite sides of the lake, so from which one are the lake/mountain views more beautiful? Thanks, J.

Deirdre, thanks, I have already looked at your web site and it's been quite helpful and the opening shot of Lake Como is beautiful! But we don't need to get to Lugano "several times," we're going to go there once after our stay in Bellagio or Menaggio and then stay there for a few days before splitting up; my friend will go back to the U.S. and I'll go back to Brussels.

We are staying in Bellagio for four days in June. What will the temperature
be like? What about leisurely things to do? Also, any great local places to eat that aren't expensive? Thank you.

I only spent one day in the Lake Como area, we took the train to Varenna, then the ferry to Bellagio and Mennagio. I thought they were all beautiful. I think this may be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Off season (March) there isn't much to do but I could have done that for weeks. IMO, Bellagio is the nicest (more shopes, better views) We had lunch outside and a very reasonable cafe on a back road. Mennagio, is not as charming, but has the most gelato shops I have ever seen in one small place. I did notice several busses heaqded for Lugano. Varenna was my least favorite (people did not seem very friendly, maybe just a bad day).
Overall, the best views are from the ferry, you look out and get a 360 degree view that is absolulely breathtaking.

It looks like we'll be staying in Bellagio. The dullness factor is unimportant, we're not going to Lake Como to swing from the rafters!
After a day of sightseeing and soaking up the beautiful setting, my ideal evening activities would be a nice dinner and a nice bottle of wine. However, I understand the Hotel Florence in Bellagio has live jazz on Sunday evenings and since we'll be arriving on a Sunday, sounds like a pleasant thing to do to start our visit.

Peggy's right - the best way to enjoy the view is from the boats. We haven't quite got to spring yet (very late in coming this year), but as soon as we do get a nice clear day, I have promised myself a day out on the lake just tripping around and taking pictures.


best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

http://www.straughan.com

So, Deirdre, can you give me an opinion as to which town has the best mountain vista across the lake from it? -- Varenna or Mennagio? Many thanks, J.

I'm sorry to have given the wrong impression, there is no finicular up the mountain in Bellagio that I know of. It was just an example of what things those waiting for God can still enjoy. If you want a spectacular ride up a mountain, take the funiva in Gubbio. It is a glorified ski lift where two people stand in a cage which you enter on the fly and ride straight up the side of a hill. The view is spectacular and the ride npot for the faint of heart.

"So, Deirdre, can you give me an opinion as to which town has the best mountain vista across the lake from it? -- Varenna or Mennagio?"

The mountains are higher on the Varenna side, so, for my money, the view is more spectacular from Menaggio.


best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

http://www.straughan.com