Tell Me About Bergamo - Upper or Lower Town?
 

Hello Everyone,

I apologize in advance for my indecisiveness! I'm still in the pondering phase for a trip next month and am looking for ideas and opinions.

I somewhat impulsively booked flights into and out of MXP for late June. I'll have a bit over a week. I have been to Italy many times, but mostly central and southern. I love Rome, Naples, Palermo--buzzing cities with tons of historical sites. I was in Milan once ages ago and scarcely remember it. My flight home is at 9:30 so I'm assuming I'll spend at least my last night in Milan, probably the last two nights so I can do some sightseeing.

As for the rest. I was thinking I might stop in Bergamo for a few days, which looks to have enough art, churches, beautiful architecture and even some parks to keep me occupied. If you have stayed in Bergamo, do you recommend staying in the upper town or the lower town? Is the upper town very crowded? Any good paths/scenic routes for joggers nearby?

Do you think Bergamo makes a good base for exploring should I choose to rent a car? Other than the usual museums-churches, I quite enjoy hiking. Last summer I went to the Dolomites after a week in Venice and had a wonderful time hiking all day, every day in those beautiful mountains.

Lastly, I welcome hotel recommendations, maybe up to 300E/night though of course I don't need to spend that much.

Many thanks for any recommendations or insights. I realize I'm all over the place. I have tons of guidebooks and everything looks good, all the places I've never been: Bergamo, Modena, Torino, Pavia, Verona. Etc.

My experience with Bergamo is not vast--did a day trip there while staying on Lake Como--but we found the city quite lovely. Not sure that it would be ideal for a stay longer than 2 days, though. Most sights and restaurants, etc. are in the upper town which would be where I would pick to stay. We did not find the upper town crowded. I don't jog so I can't be of help on that item. While I'd not steer you away from Bergamo, if you've not been to Lake Como, I would suggest you consider the central part of the lake (Menaggio, Varenna--from which you could make a day trip to Bergamo as we did--and Bellagio). It is truly beatuiful.

Stayed in Bergamo for a week a couple of years ago. I agree you should stay in the Upper Town (citta alta). There are some decent hotels and restaurants. It can get busy, as it's quite compact, esp at weekends. There is bus to take you down to the lower town, where there are shops and a few attractions. One full day is enough to see the main sights. There is a good art gallery called Accademia Carrara, within walking distance of Upper Town or short taxi ride. 10 euro. Closed Tuesdays.

Thanks, Julie. Everything I've read about Bergamo says it's very pretty. I do worry that I'll get bored in a smaller town but then I worry the lakes might bore me a little bit too. I'm a pretty active traveler and like to do a lot in a day. Obviously there's loads to do in Milan but I don't want to spend the whole week there, especially in summer.

Hmm...

Leely, we had 2 nights in Bergamo in September, in the upper city. It was enough to wander the streets, the churches, and go up the next level funicular for higher views. Really lovely, and 2 nights was adequate at a leisurely pace (we were winding down after our Switzerland holiday by then). I don't see it as a great place for joggers, it was really busy, not many obvious parks, unless you kind of jogged around the wall, which is a flat, wide area, which I enjoyed walking.
I did love Verona, maybe a nice base for you to daytrip from. We had a 4 night stay there and I would go back. Train options in all directions.
When I was looking at potential bases for that trip, I thought Riva del Garda looked appealing.

I love Bergamo, the upper town is absolutely beautiful. It is small though. The first time I went was on a day trip from Milano and I spent a rather long day but felt I saw pretty much everything of interest there was to see in the day. Another time I was passing through and stopped overnight so I just had a late afternoon/evening. I stayed at a hotel near the train station in the lower town (and walked up and back to the upper town for the evening).

If you are to spend a couple of days I would pick a hotel in the upper town. If you are looking to spend a whole week somewhere I'm not sure if Bergamo is the best town, but look at the trenitalia site and see where trains go (without having to backtrack through Milan).

I am actually a fan of basing in Milano and doing day trips. I've done that several times. While I agree with you that Milan is nothing like Rome or many of the towns in other parts of Italy, it does have a nice vibe, and plenty of sites to see but most importantly it has the best transportation connections. Besides Bergamo you can do day trips to Lake Como, Lake Lugano, Lake Maggorie, Pavia, Parma, Cremona, Genoa, etc. It depends on whether you are the type that prefers to switch hotels every few nights or spend time on trains. If it's less than two hours I prefer day trips. Hotel Berna (best breakfast buffet in the world) in Milano is five minutes walk from Milano Centrale and a short metro ride from the Duomo/center of Milano (or less than half hour walk).

Photos of Bergamo - Zenfolio | Isabel's_View | Lombardia: Mantua, Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona, Pavia
Milano - Zenfolio | Isabel's_View | Milano

Last fall, we visited three lakes (Como, Iseo and Garda) and stayed in Turin, Milan and Bergamo. The three nights we stayed in Bergamo were enough, but we were pleasantly surprised with both the upper and lower towns. Because we do a lot of walking, we stayed in an area between the two areas, and that allowed easier access to buses and trains for day trips. Our two-part trip reports can be found here:
.https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...tober-1649643/
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...tober-1649644/

The lower part of Bergamo is much like other modernish towns in Italy, hotels, restaurants etc. The upper town is much older and very steep but has more to engage the traveller than lower down.

Thanks for all the input. Rubicund, I like the idea of "very steep." I imagine lovely vistas.

isabel, I've been looking at your reports and photos. I'm not a good day trip person; that is, once I get someplace I rarely seem to motivate enough to take day trips. Especially in summer when it is hot. So I suppose it's better for me to lock myself into moving every few days. If I do that, I need to figure out what makes sense train-wise or whether I should rent a car.

Adelaidean, I remember your Dolomites trip report. In fact, your photos helped inspire my own trip last summer! I don't think I've seen your write-up on Bergamo, though, so I'll look that up.

whitehall, I was just reading your report yesterday! It is helpful.

Leely, Bergamo is at the end of this trip

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...eport-1478129/

Curious about what you decided on, Leely.

Leely2, I would very much appreciate a few words from you after you've visited Bergamo. I'll be there end of August. Loved Isabel's photos.

Adelaidean and Treesa, I will report back. Got slammed at work and then a busy weekend, so I've made no progress on the planning. I love the look of Bergamo upper town, but all the descriptions of how crowded it is give me pause. Still, because from what I understand Milan doesn't have the obvious physical beauty of some of Italy's other cities, I do want to spend some time on this trip in a real stunner.

Probably overthinking it, par for the course.

Treesa, where else are you going this August?

Leely2, thanks for asking. Crazy itinerary (nostalgia and sentimental reasons). Flying from LAX to Barcelona, then Valencia, Bologna, Bergamo, Warsaw, Berlin and Stockholm. Traveling solo since my SO has mobility issues and cruising is his preferred mode of travel at this time.

Leely, Verona is lovely, if not quite a stunner—the center a seamless integration of architectural styles spanning centuries. I think you might really enjoy the Castelvecchio Museum, one of my favorite experiences of my trip last September.

Verona is nice, but flat and very hot. I've been there in three seasons and I would go back but not in summer. It sits in a plain where temperatures can be very uncomfortable.

<<Crazy itinerary (nostalgia and sentimental reasons). Flying from LAX to Barcelona, then Valencia, Bologna, Bergamo, Warsaw, Berlin and Stockholm. >> Treesa, that sounds like an itinerary I would plan, with no nostalgia or sentiment to excuse it!

bon_voyage and tuscan, thanks for your feedback. I've thought about including Verona on many trips and somehow it always gets bumped. I can deal with hot weather--have had to travel in summer for the past 6 or so years--but aesthetically I prefer hills to flat. OTOH, last July I spent a week in Venice (flat), a week in the Dolomites, then a week split between Arezzo and Rome. Everywhere except the Dolomites was H O T but I would take that trip again in a heartbeat. I liked putting the scenic, outdoorsy part in the middle of the trip. And the Venice-Rome bookends were feasts for the eyes.

I have nine nights, really just eight days. I could go straight from Milan to Verona then several days in Verona, then to Bergamo for a couple days, then last couple days in Milan.

Could also go Milan-Verona-Lake Garda?-Milan.

Wild card: Milan-Genoa?-Camogli/SML-Milan.

Have never been to the lakes, Bergamo, Genoa/Camogli/SML. Also have never been to Torino.

The combination of SML/Camogli and another destination with some additional cultural heft could be a winner. We spent a few nights in Santa Marguerita Liguria some years ago with easy outings to the Cinque Terre and Portofino (a little jewel of a port but upclose made me think South Coast Plaza-by-the-Sea), sadly missed Camogli. Great scenery, hills for hiking, relaxed, easy. It’s an area I think about returning to.

Last summer we returned from Rome through Camogli (in my top 10 for sure) with day trips from there including SMLand then Genoa, a really nice surprise with a fun waterfront and plenty of interest. Recommend over Verona for sure.

In Camogli, check out the Cennobio dei Doge hotel. Great place.

Big fan of the Italian Riviera here. Plenty of hills and great food.

Okay, great, thanks so much. I've booked three nights at Cenobio dei Dogi, which should give me 2 1/2 days. Half-day for chilling in Camogli, a day for SML and perhaps some hiking, a day for Genoa unless I decide that I'm enjoying relaxing more than I usually do. I was last in the Cinque Terre May 18 years ago and the villages and trails were crowded then, so I probably won't revisit.

Now to build the exhausting parts around the relaxing portion.

Really hope you enjoy Camogli and the Dei Doge as much as we have over the years. A combination of luxury by the water and the grit and fun of a real fishing village. I'll search for and send recs for some of my favorite restaurants when I get time later.

Some tips from our August 2017 trip to Camogli.

Look for the new municipal elevator just outside the Dei Doge parking lot to take you to the upper part of town where the train station is without needing to do a long walk.

Chiavari makes a nice day trip by train, perhaps even better than SML. Beautiful arcaded streets, gardens and tall buildings and a nice market square. Do not, however, recommend Sestri Levante further down coast. but do recommend Rappalo and its beautiful cathedral

Restaurants we enjoyed:
Camogliese overlooing the water on the main street. Good pesto
Jullia, Dei Doge outdoor (sort of rooftop) terrace with lovely views, more pesto and capon negro, an architectural salad creation native to the area that I recommend you try. Quite fun. Vento Ariel at the second fishing harbor also has it.
Porto Prego on fisherman's harbor, nice modern ambiance (recently redone) and nice outdoor seating. ate there twice

One word of warning on Dei Doge, watch out for the breakfast coffee--killer.

lower town is ok
 

We couchsurfed in Bergamo a few years ago, and out host lived in the Lower Town. I found it more "realistic" than the upper town that looks more like a touristy old town to me :) You can go up the hill from the lower town. From Bergamo, you could also go and explore lovely towns on Lake Como.

Julie, thank you very much for the specific information, especially about restaurants.

Thanks, SueBi, for the upper/lower town info too!