isabel

When I mentioned to a friend that I was going to Lake Como for the last two days of my Italy trip in July, she suggested Lake Maggorie instead. Said she liked it better and didn't know why I hadn't considered it. Reading about it in several guidebooks it sounds rather equivalent to Lake Como. But when I did a search here just now I got a total of 4 posts regarding Lake Maggorie - the most recent was two years old! When I typed Lake Como in to the search box I got over 50 posts in the last two months alone!

So why do fodorites at least (if not the rest of the world) so much prefer Como to Maggorie?

And in my specific case - I have 3 nights near MXP (can't find anyplace in Lake Como region for only 1 night in July) so two full days. Should I do one day trip to each lake for a little "taste"? Any other suggestions? What about Lugano?

Grasshopper

Isabel, I will share with you one of my impressions about this. Among hotels, destinations, restaurants, fountains, churches, and about anything else in Europe, there are some typical Fodor favorites. For example, if you ask about budget hotels in Paris, there are no more than a dozen names that come up. But there are hundreds of budget hotels in Paris. The same thing with Florence, Rome, Venice, etc. etc. etc.

Fodorites like Como. That is not to say that there are not as many, and possibly more folks who go to Maggiore. For this reason it's a great idea to consider different sources for your travel planning.

Now, about Maggiore.... I think I prefer it to Como. You might not find it coming up in searches because the posts maybe more about a town; Locarno, Stresa, Ascona, etc... Maggiore is half in Italy and half in Switzerland. My favorite part is the Swiss part. Being in the Ticino region of Switzerland, it's Italian Swiss. Very beautiful! I highly recommend spending your 3 days in Locarno. There are so many things to do. If you're interested, I'll be happy to list dozens!

cmt

There are loads of threads about Lake Maggiore. You probably came up with only four that misspelled it the same way you happen to misspell it, but you'll find a lot more if you search under the correct spelling.

On my last trip, I spent the first two nights in Varenna on Lake Como and my next to the last three nights in Stresa on Lake Maggiore. I loved my short stay on Lake Como and found it just right for a restful beginning of a vacation after a long flight. Varenna and the views of the lake had an almost mystical beauty. I did not like Stresa. It was totally overrun with German tourists blocking every path, some of the staff at the tourist info office and the boat ticket office were so incredibly rude and unpleasant that they were almost comical, there were too many big hotels that made it hard to picture it as a "real" town with a life of its own, and the views of the lake were spoiled by the big parking lot that stretched all along ther shore. I preferred Lake Como, for these reasons.

Grasshopper

CMT, If you stayed in the city of Como, you might feel the same way about Lago di Como. I hope someday you'll do yourself a favor and visit one of the smaller, more charming parts of Maggiore. There are many tiny towns with glorious views. And while Como is pure relaxation, Maggiore offers wonderful hikes, bike rides, boating trips, garden islands, incredibly scenic train rides, gondolas to mountain tops, and 800 year old Roman castles.

cmt

I did spend a day visiting the Borromeo islands, and I also took the scenic train ride and the boat ride back. It was all very beautiful, but I felt no emotional connection with that area the way I do with central and southern Italy and especially Sicily. And I was just totally turned off by Stresa.

lyb

CMT,

Were you in the same Stesa that I was in? To say it's full of large hotels and over run by tourists is making it sound like it's Como. I spent time in Stresa and it was in early July...big tourist season and I didn't see the place overrun by tourist..German or otherwise...and I didn't see all the large hotels. In fact, I found it quaint and much more relaxing than Como, now that was a town overrun by tourist!

simpsonc510

Ditto to grasshopper's comments about Locarno. When I win the lottery (ha) I will buy a house there. Lago Maggiore is beautiful! IMHO it is more laid back than Como.

cmt

I didn't see the city of Como, so can't compare it with Stresa.

As soon as I arrived in Stresa, I disliked it at first sight and wished that I'd never gone there. I took a taxi from the train station, not knowing how long a walk it would be. When I got to my hotel, which was across the street from the lake, my biggest impression was the sight of hotels plus masses of cars parked along the lake.

This was early October. Apparently there was some holiday in Germany that resulted in a three-day weekend, and the town was full of groups of middle aged and older German tourists--not individuals, but groups. They gathered in the middle of the sidewalks and didn't budge, in the paths and hallways of the sites on the Borromeo islands and didn't budge, and they filled the boats. They were all over the place, looking and acting just the way people describe American tour groups in Europe (of which there seemed to be none in Stresa, by the way).

If you didn't see big hotels lined up across the road all along the rather straight waterfront, maybe you were in a different Stresa! I did see the nice little old center of town, but still my overwhelming impression was of a row of hotels across the road from the lake shore. My hotel room was one that supposedly had a lake view. It did, but it was also a view of the parking lot. (In Varenna, on the other hand, a lake view meant just that: a view of the lake and beautiful shoreline, gardens, monasteries, not a view of parking lots.)

Gatorman

I just want to throw my 2 cents in with Lake Lugano. The city of Lugano and surrounding area is stunningly beautiful. Of the three lakes I think Lugano is the most beautiful. There is also a lot to do in Lugano. Go to Lugano!

Grasshopper

It just goes to show how timing and circumstances can dictate your impressions of a place. I stayed in Orta at Bob the Nav's favorite Hotel Orta. It would have been lovely had it not been for the temps in the high 90s and the swarms of mosquitoes that prevented me from opening the windows!

So the moral of the story is, you can't go wrong at any of the lakes, provided there are not swarms of mosquitoes, rude German tourists, and you pick the town that fits your personality!

Enjoy!

BTilke

We usually go to Lugano because my husband's aunt and uncle used to live there and the company I work for has offices there. But last week, I opted to visit Lake Como, staying at Bellagio. I found both lakes, Como and Lugano, delightful. Bellagio was a treat and my husband and I are going there together in October for our anniversary.
However, I'd rather live on Lake Lugano. I like the lake itself better than Lake Como. And for a main town, Lugano is better than Como, IMHO. Both lakes have attractive small towns and villages. I would give Como (lake and town) the edge for food, however. And I'm sure I would be very happy living on Lake Como as well!
As for Maggiore, it also is very popular but my own impression is that more visitors choose to visit it from the Swiss rather than Italian side.

isabel

Thanks for the insight. It seems both grasshopper and cmt have good points. Yes you obviously do get more posts if your type it correctly (duh!). But Como still comes out a clear favorite on this board, probably for the reason grasshopper suggests. Searching other sources (in both the cyber and real world) all three places seems equally nice. And they all seem rather equally close to MXP so I guess I'll do some more research and see which one has the most frequent and easiest transportation links (public transportation). Thanks again.

JulieVikmanis

One year my husband and I did an entire vacation in the Northern Italian Lake country, staying on Lake Orta, Lake Maggiore, Lake Como, Lake Iseo and Lake Garda. We found something to like about all of them but preferred Lake Orta and Lake Como, the former for its smallness and the scenic beauty of the town of Orta San Guilio--and the lovely hotel we stayed in there, and the latter for the feeling of homeiness we got staying in Menaggio but being able to so easily travel by ferry and lake steamer to other charming towns like Bellagio (home of my favorite bar in the whole world--at the Florence hotel) and Varenna, all with good food, scenic beauty and great relaxing ambiance. While we too, disliked Stresa from previous trips, we stayed on that trip in Cannero Riviera on Lake Maggiore and enjoyed that a lot. Took a ferry to Stresa and then another boat to the Borromean Islands with their lovely gardens. Iseo provided us a lovely hotel with views of the small lake and its island but not a lot to do in the town itself. Lake Garda is the biggest lake and somehow our least favorite, though the town of Gargnano where we stayed proved pleasant. So, I'm firmly with the Fodor majority in preferring Lake Como--for its beauty, its variety of accommodations and restaurants (the meal on Isola Comacina--do a search on this site to read more about it) and its wonderful water transport options. Having said that, however, I'm also with the Fodor majority that often says you can't go wrong with any of the lakes. Enjoy.

bobthenavigator

I find these comments to be very interesting. The Lakes are still my favorite area in Italy and I can argue a good case for any of them. Actually, I see them in pairs. I like to stay at Orta but include Maggiore, Centovalli, Locarno and Val Versasca in that mix.

And, any trip to Como should include Lugano and perhaps even the Bernina Express in that mix.

But, the best comment was about the timing and the weather. I have had both good and bad days at the Lakes based on these variables. So, try to go when the weather is nice and allow enough time to stay at both Como and Orta/ Maggiore. It is hard to go wrong.

italyss

Do you recommend any hotels in Lugano? This is an interesting thread.

bobthenavigator

Depends ! My fav is halfway between Lugano and Menaggio. There are dozens in Lugano but price would dictate.

italyss

Do you recommend any nice hotels (3-4 stars) in Lugano that are centrally located with a view? Also, is it possible to go from Lake Como or Stresa to Lugano with public transportation (boat, bus, train) without a car? Thanks for your help.

jmw44

If you can get to Menaggio on Como by boat, then it's about an hour by bus from there to Lugano. From Stresa to Lugano is a bit more than 3 hours by train via Milano. But if you'd like to experience all three lakes, why not consider staying in or near Lugano, because you can zip over to the Swiss end of Maggiore by rail, and use the bus for Como. J.

italyss

Thanks for your suggestions. I had originally planned to divide my trip into 3 parts, beginning in Lake Como-Bellagio for several nights, then going from Como to Milano to Stresa on the train and staying in Stresa several nights, and Lake ORta for a couple of nights. Since everyone seems down on Stresa, I am worried that I will need to find another place. Is Stresa really that bad? Is there another nice option nearby for 3 nights?

Grasshopper

Italyss, Check out Locarno or even better Minusio. I loved Albergo Navegna. I even recommend their fantastic restaurant. From Locarno, please please please visit Bellanzona and take the Centovalli Train. Stop at one of the tiny towns with gondolas that go up the mountainside and have lunch at one of the charming outdoor grottos.