Planning a 4 week trip to Lake Como and possibly visiting 2 other lakes if at all possible.
Flying into Venice, staying 4 nights, then train to Verona for 2 nights. My first thought was to take train to Milan from Veronna and continue to Lake Como for a week. But should I visit lake Orta from Verona? Then continue to Milan to catch train to Varenna and stay on Lake Como for a week? I also want to visit lake Maggiore...i will also be ending my trip in Milan for 2 nights before heading home. I'm hoping for good suggestions for more of a active area but also relaxing down time. 4 weeks should give me some great options...
thank you!

After Verona I'd stop by Lake Garda. Stay at the northern half, Malcesine is a good location. The northern end of the lake is much more scenic, with quite high mountains, than the southern end. Right from the center of Malcesine you can take a gondola to the top of Mt Baldo and have a nice day trip/ hike in the Alps. You could easily spend half a week there.

Lake Iseo is another option. Depends how many times you want to move around. It's not as beautiful as Garda, Como and Maggiore but it has way fewer tourists, almost none of them American, so if that experience interests you it's worth a few days.

If you stay in Varenna for Lake Como you have decent train options (as well as ferry of course) for visiting other places. Bergamo is a gorgeous small city nearby. From Mennagio (right across the lake from Varenna) you can take a day trip to Lake Lugano in Switzerland.

I would split your Lake Como week between Lake Como and Lake Maggiore. Both are beautiful but I found more to do at Maggiore. Also consider visiting Turin.

https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...njoying-turin/

Are you interested in renting a car for part of the 4 weeks? IMO, Garda and Iseo are easier to explore with a car. You could pick one up as you're leaving Verona and return it in Bergamo (train to Varenna) or Como (ferry to Varenna).

What do you mean by "more of an active area"? Do you mean physical activities like hiking?

What time of year is your trip?

FWIW, this is your trip, but if I had the luxury of a month I'd spend another night or two in Venice and perhaps a third night in Milan.

Lago d'Orta is near Lago Maggiore, not Verona. Lago di Garda can be visited from Verona, but the most scenic part of the lake to the north is distant from Verona and is difficult to do as a day trip using public transportation.

Thre are frequent buses from Verona all along Lake Garda up to Riva, the northernmost village on the Lake. Riva can also be reached by boat from Peschiera or Desenzano (railway sttions close to Verona) or by bus from Rovereto (railway sttion north of Verona).

You can easily travel from Lake Como to Lake Maggiore
either by train
via Como - Saronno - Laveno,
via Como - Varese - Laveno,
via Como - Bellinzona - Locarno
via Milan

or by bus (and train)
via Menaggio - Lugano - Luino,
via Como - Varese - Luino.

If you stay at Lugano, you can easily go to all 3 lakes (Como, Lugano, Maggiore) in 1 hr or so
via Como - Lugano - Luino