Where to stay / what to do in Lake Como
 

Hi all,

I am in Milan and will be traveling to Lake Como tomorrow for a 3 or 4 night visit. This is part of my 7 weeks in Italy and 6.5 months in Europe. I am contemplating staying in Bellagio or Verenna - any suggestions? Also does anyone have any favorite "things to do" in Lake Como. We are a couple in our 30's from the US and enjoy any outdoor activities. Thanks for any suggestions!

Burke30

At this early date I would stay in Bellagio as a centro location with the best ferry schedules. I hope you have good weather. Some hotels will still be closed so not sure which to suggest.

Thanks Bob, I was leaning towards Bellagio. Any suggestions for what to do once we arrive?

And yes, the weather outlook is fantastic...76 degrees and sunny tomorrow

If they are in bloom, go over to the MUCH LESS visited Menaggio and talk a walk along the lakefront and smell those roses. Neither of these three places is exactly jumping at night in the "classc" sense. Great gelato in the Menaggio town square; lots of window shopping and stair-climbing opportunities in Bellagio. Just gazing out onto the lake can be quite rewarding IMO.

Ply the mid-lake triangle and enjoy la dolce vita.
I doubt if the flowers will be much at Villa Melzi or Villa Monastero, but check it out. Have fun.

http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=4442

Given that you are in your 30's and enjoy outdoor activities, I would suggest the relatively short hike up to the San Martino church.

San Martino is the little white church you can see perched high on the hill across the lake from Bellagio above Cadenabbia. If I remember the effort involved correctly, you can hike up to it in an about an hour from the Cadenabbia ferry stop. The Cadenabbia ferry stop is a short ferry ride across from Bellagio.

In Cadenabbia, the town council has erected a number of signs and maps around the town showing the route. However, if you get confused just ask - the locals are glad to point you on your way.

The route up includes roads climing through the small town, grassy footpaths, and a cobbled footpath track up the mountainside with the stations of the cross on the bends in the trail.

There's a chapel of ease halfway up where you can sit and rest. At the Church of San Martino, the views down all the arms of the lake are quite nice and well worth the climb.

On a separate trip I also hiked up to the small castle behind Varenna. A nice walk, but the views from San Martino are much better.

Here's a website with lots of info about things to do around the lake. There's blog with it as well that has more information.

http://www.lakecomoapartment.com/localinfo.shtml

My favorite place at Lake Como is Villa Balbianello, good for a couple hours:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_del_Balbianello

Everything looks great. Thanks all for the feedback. @ketchpa - I will check out San Martino church. @krgystn - Villa Balbianello looks amazing.

Burke-- it is! check out my trip report on the place.