JillDavis

I will be heading to Bellagio, Italy in the middle of July. What are some must sees while I am there? Also, can you provide any good restaurant recommendations? I would love some suggestions for lovely places to sit outside and take in the beautiful lake and mountain views.

bobthenavigator

Jill, Click on my name above and then find my trip report named NAVIGATING IN NORTHERN ITALY and then scroll down to the Lake Como section. Have fun !

HappyTrvlr

Bellagio Dining: no views but best dining is at La Barchetta. In Loppia, adjacent to Bellagio at the end of the Melzi Gardens, Alle Darena di Loppia. After three extended visits to Bellagio, these are our favorites.For the best views, La Punta, out on the point of the peninsula, has outside dining and is an easy walk for town. Hotel Florence has outdoor waterfront dining.
There are many villas and gardens to visit, Villa Carlotta across the lake along with my favorite, Villa Balbaniello in Lenno. Visit charming Varenna too.

2010

Hi! Jill:

If you'd like to read about what we did & where we ate in Bellagio, click on my name & go to my trip report <i>A Trip to Northern Italy: September 14th - October 5, 2009</i>!

Have fun planning this portion of your trip!

JillDavis

Okay, so what I have gathered is that the restaurants with outdoor seating with spectaular views are La Punta, Hotel Florence, and Bilacus.

The trip reports were wonderful! Do you guys remember the orchestra playing at the wharf at dusk? We are going in the summer and fodors.com said to catch this orchestra???

Big_Red

I remember a trio (or quartet) in Bellagio.

Bilacus is up high, several buildings back from the lakefront.
We have eaten at La Punta.

For drinks, there are at least three lake-front bar type places in Bellagio.

The only must-dos are boat trips and garden tours. The gardens at Olmo in Como, Balbianello near Lenno, and Carlotta at Tremezzo allow you to tour the inside of the villas. Olmo is also an art museum. For gardens without villa tours: Melzi south of Bellagio and Monastero-Cipressi at Varenna.

If you like Italian street-markets then Lenno on Tuesday mornings and Como on Saturday mornings. Como's street market is at the medeival walls and is very busy/tight.

FACS

Villa Balbianello...catch boat at Lenno...Lenno market could be skipped...flea mkt junk that can be found in U.S.

alihutch

The restaurant at the Tres Rose in Nesso (15km from Bellagio, easy by bus) has great views and great food. This website and blog has suggestions of lots of things to do

http://www.lakecomoapartment.com

and also don't forget the silk museum in Como itself....

JillDavis

Are there any boat tours that I can do that depart from Bellagio?

HappyTrvlr

You don't need a boat tour, get on the ferries and explore the lake,its villages and towns.

JillDavis

If I wanted to spend one day taking a ferry enjoying the scenary from the ferry, what would you suggest? Which towns? Which villages would you recommend that I get off and explore? Keep in mind, I only have three days in Bellagio.

Thanks so much!

cls2paris

I'd visit Varenna for sure. And I really enjoyed Villa Carlotta, it is in Tremezzo and the town was nice for a stroll also. Bellagio has lots of fun shopping and the harbor area is fun to sit and watch people. When I was there, we went to an enoteca for wine tasting, and that was really fun. I don't know the name of the place but it was near the harbor and it will be listed in your guide book if it is still there.

My suggestion is to get there, relax, take the ferry from town to town (at that end of the lake, not all the way to Como), get off the ferry and explore a town that strikes your fancy. You really can't make a mistake here. All of the towns have something to offer, and will have cafes with outdoor seating so you can stop for a glass of wine. You'll be there when the days are long so you'll have lots of time to just meander each day.

Have fun! This is a great place to relax, soak up the views, have some wine and move at a slow pace.

JillDavis

When I get on the ferry at the Bellagio dock, do I just hop on and enjoy the ride? Or is there a certain ferry I need to take? Also, what about price? Do I pay the ferry guy in cash? (Euros)

alihutch

http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/com/nlc.html

HappyTrvlr

Ride the ferries on the "triangle route" if you only have three days.. Varenna,Cadenabbia, Mennagio, etc There is a tourist office at the ferry dock to help you as well as the the ferry ticket agent. They post large signs by the dock with the itineraries.You can see the schedules online.
Just hop on a ferry and go....same with the vaporettos in Venice, relax and enjoy the ride.

Big_Red

There is a ticket cashier window at Bellagio. After that hop on and enjoy the ride. Take your camera(s).

If you have not studied a map, then the lake has three legs. From Bellagio you can go down one of these three legs or you can circuit around the mid-lake area.
The car ferries cover the Bellagio, Varenna, to Cadenabbia/Menaggio triangle. Additionally, during the summer, there is a boat that circuits the mid-lake towns every 60 minutes, so it adds Lenno, Tremezzo, Villa Carlotta.

So - Varenna, small (winter population 700), feels like an old Italian fishing village. Minimal shopping, one gelato stand. Minimal lake-front promenade.
Menaggio - A town of several thousand, Nice pedestrian only street, nice lakefront-promenade.
Tremezzo - Small. Purely a resort. Seems to be popular with British tourists. Steep, very few buildings off of the lake-front.
Lenno - Pleasant waterfront. Boats tied up along waterfront. 4 hotels. maybe five cafes/hotel restaurants.

Big_Red

You will figure out when you get there but the boat rides are nice. With three full days on the lake, you probably will decide to go the full length of at least one arm of the lake.
The arm that goes to Lecco is less built up than the arm goes to Como. The arm that to Como is beautiful however.

JillDavis

Big Red and Happytravler - if there were any village to get off the ferry and visit, which would would you pick and why?

Thank you for your response!

HappyTrvlr

Varenna..its charming and so near to Bellagio..Lenno, because I could then get on to a water taxi to Villa Balbaniello.

HappyTrvlr

As I said before, since you only have a few days in Bellagio, take a ferry on the triangle route and get off at those towns.
Another poster gave you the ferry website so look it up. In the middle of the lake there is this triangle of Bellagio, Varenna, Mennagio, Cadenabbia,. Get off at all of them. You can see all of these towns from Bellagio which is the prettiest of all.
You could walk from one ferry stop to another on the opposite side of the lake. Realx and enjoy the ferry , and don't be so programmed.