Hello Fodors Friends, I’m really confused about a base for a last-minute trip to the northern Italian Lakes. I’ve done a deep (though rapid) dive into guidebooks, websites, and of course marvelous TRs (and their mouthwatering photos) and discussion threads on the lakes. Oh my, the photos are breathtaking and the observations so useful as always. Seems a very much a spoiled for choice situation, which always seems to be the case with any region of Italy.

Here goes: I just learned that I’ll be going to Torino (have been previously--loved it) and Milan in 2.5 weeks on a work trip. I also just learned that I’m able to add 8 nights of personal time after Torino and before my time in Milan. I am flying home from Linate in Milan. DH will meet me for the 8 nights of personal time in a lake town. We are interested in going to one of the northern Italian lakes (though open to Locarno, Switzerland; see below). The lake time portion of the trip would be from May 25m to June 2 (departing from Torino, as noted). So, as is often the case (with apologies) I am throwing myself on your mercy with a call for reflections on a lake town base. After that I’ll start investigating (rapidly) lodging and a way to transfer (renting a car, training to the nearest town that has a station and then taking a taxi or hiring a driver).

Background on how I see the lake trip. I’ve spent considerable time on hiking-oriented trips in various alpine areas in northern Italy in mid July through late Aug. My favorite of these trips and indeed one of my favorite all time trips was a hiking trip of 10 days, where I based in the town of Cogne and took day hikes in Gran Paradiso National Park. I also loved another hiking trip in the Val Gardena, though loved Cogne more because of the park and the charm of the town, which really is a picture-perfect village. What I absolutely love about hiking in the alps is seeing the stone houses, all the well0-marked paths and greenery, and the cows meandering freely. Given that my upcoming trip is when it is, I’m notlooking at an alpine hiking trip (because of possible wet conditions, snow on the trails, and the fact that the towns would just be reopening and perhaps not fully open in terms of lifts, restaurants etc). And aside from the lakes south of Rome, the only Italian lake I’ve ever visited is Lake Como from a base in Bellagio. Beautiful, yes, but I have no desire to go back to Bellagio. I’ve always wanted to visit a northern Italian lake and this trip seems an opportunity for what I hope will be the first of many such trips. I’ve been to many northern Italian big cities.

Here’s what we’d love to find much of in a northern Italian lake town experience. Beautiful scenery (lake and ideally mountain views), the opportunity to hike on some hilly-ish trails or even long flat walking paths, charming towns, Italian tourists (I love to practice my Italian), the absence of junky tourist trinket shops, GREAT FOOD, the chance to take ferries or buses to other lake towns and/or ferries to islands (I’ve read a good bit about the latter possibilities), a beautiful old town (a hilly town is a plus), nighttime walks along a beautiful waterfront promenade, and nice spot to sit and read. Seeing some ruins or churches would be nice, but that is not key on this trip. Ideally, this would be a ONE lake base trip. We’d like to settle in and live slowly over these 8 nights w/o dealing with moving in and out of lodging. (But if someone has a strong opinion as to 2 bases, I’ll take that it in.. We can rent a car, though would strongly prefer not to. In the latter case, we’d take a train to the nearest town that has a station and then arrange for a private transfer or taxi. Or we might take a private transfer from Torino to the lake town (depending on cost) and then possibly hire a car or a driver for a day or so of tooling around to various towns if that’s the only way to enjoy a day trip or two.

To the extent that I can say I’ve narrowed things down based on my reading , below are some places that stick out for me. I’d welcome any reflections on pros/cons/recommendations. And if there’s a small, beautiful hotel, B&B, or an Airbnb that someone loved, especially with great views, I’m all ears. (Euro 325 a night would be my max—hopefully less. I have already taken notes on several lodging options in each of the below places that seemed like my kind of places from various trip reports and guidebooks in connection w/each location under discussion (some of course have no availability for all of my dates, but some do).

1) Lake Orta looks wonderful as a base--full of nature and tranquility. (I like what I’ve read of the hike to Monte di Orta, the village of Orta San Guilio, and the boat to Isola San Giulio.) From some things I’ve read and seen in the photos it’s all magical. But I wonder if it’s the lake OR the town that folks love (or BOTH—I got the sense that maybe it’s the town a bit more??). Also, would it be a good place for 8 nights? Are there many hiking trails? I see that day trips, including to Lake Maggiore, seem easy. And it seems that several frequent Fodorites (such as Mai Tai Tom) absolutely loved Lake Orta.

2) Lake Maggiore, staying in Stressa. I like the idea of also visiting the Borromeo Islands. Some dear friends loved spending two nights there and found it very beautiful. Several folks here and over on TA raved about Stressa in their reports, but I get a sense that opinions are perhaps a bit divided with some finding it not as interesting or as beautiful as they’d hoped, especially compared to some other lake towns that I’ve listed here. The waterfront promenade looks lovely, as do the grand historic hotels. Not sure if the latter would feel “fusty” for my tastes? And these grand hotels are probably outside my budget in any case. Isola Pescatori looks beautiful and the town of Cannobio also got my attention (esp bec the latter looks really quaint).

3) Lake Como, staying in Varenna—looks like a good option, especially if we definitely don’t go the rental car route. But perhaps I have less of a pull to Varenna because I didn’t love Bellagio. But it might be very different in feel?

4) Lake Garda—looks great and Malescine especially looks appealing for what I think is a large variety of hiking trails and for the charm of the town. Riva di Garda, Tremosine, and Sirmione also seem to have much appeal as a base on Garda. A concern I have about a Lake Garda base (especially a northern one) is the travel time and logistics from Torino. Perhaps it’s better to visit Lake Garda as an add on to a possible future trip to Bergamo (there is a small chance that I might be there for work next spring). I assume it would be a must to rent a car to drive Torino to Malescine (or to the other Lake Garda bases I mentioned). Or, perhaps a train from Torino to Milan, Venice, or Verona and then a private transfer from there to one of these Lake Garda towns. Perhaps it’s just not worth the hassle of getting to Lake Garda since there are gorgeous lakes and lake towns much closer to Torino?

5) And then there’s Locarno, Switzerland, let alone the Locarno/resort town vs. Lugano-resort/ business town dilemma! I’ve pored over Melnq8’s many TRs (and those of others here) and amazing photos. I can see why Locarno could be a great option as a base for 8 nights (or perhaps Lugano?). We love to use our Italian (obviously can do so in both). I suppose it’s silly to want to stay inside the Italian border for no good reason other than we are obsessed w/Italy. I imagine that Locarno, especially given last minute nature of our trip, would necessarily be a lot more expensive than the places I’m envisioning (not sure about Lugano?), and then there's also travel time/logistics from Torino, compared to Lake Orta, Lake Maggiore, Lake Como.

So, this is a lot. I thought it best to lay out in detail my thinking and concerns to solicit the most helpful feedback as I’ve long received here. (I owe the community a TR on a trip to Portugal of a few weeks ago. It’s on my agenda and coming soon, with thanks for that incredible help.) Many thanks in advance for any reflections/pros/cons on a base for a last minute northern Italian lake.

I assume you've seen this recent thread?
Locarno and Lake Maggiore or Como ?

I enjoyed Locarno (I stayed in Ascona) and preferred it to Lugano, but thought both were beautiful.

Good luck with your planning!

Hi Kja, Many thanks for your response--indeed I should have mentioned that I did read this helpful recent discussion thread. Nonetheless I appreciate your flagging it since it's so salient to my dilemma and I have so many notes and ideas swimming in my head that it's easy to lose track while I'm trying to narrow down. Your perspective on Locarno was really interesting to me (and noting that you stayed in Ascona and preferred Locarno to Lugano, even though you found the latter beautiful, too). I also found the observations of several other community members useful in re the Locarno area, Muralto and Bellinzona on Lake Maggiore, Lake Orta, and I read the three linked Melnq8 TRs. Re the latter: each of those three TRs blew my mind with the photos, observations, and the sheer stamina and planning involved in all of these trips. I would need 10 lifetimes to do 25% as much, though being honest with myself it would be impossible for me to ever plan so well, do so much, and be so resilient (whether to wasps or bad weather). Melnq8's photos and commentary on Varenna and Bellano on Lake Como and the Borromean Islands on Lake Maggiore also caught my attention. (Noting the lakes in connection with each town mentioned only to help keep myself straight as I'm a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of great options and unfamiliar place names.)

A total embarrassment of riches when it comes to the northern Italian lakes and the Ticino region in Switzerland. It seems impossible to choose one base for this trip as they all seem so lovely and offer so much of what I'm looking for in terms of feel and activities. But I'd welcome any thoughts from folks here on: "if I were to chose just one base (or two at most)," given that I'll be coming from Torino and flying home from Milan, have eight nights by a lake, and what I've described of my particular passions. It seems one can't go wrong with any of them and indeed all sound like they could fit the bill, and yet I have to pick one or two for this particular trip that fate (well, actually work) dropped in my lap. Perhaps I should rule out the Lake Garda area for this trip just to narrow things down a little bit, given that it's further from Torino than the other lakes I've mention and there's a small chance that I might be in the neighborhood (in Bergamo) for work next spring and might be able to use that as a springboard to sneak over to a Lake Garda town or two? Thanks again, kja. Your posts and observations are always so helpful to me.

A simple "yes, thanks" would have sufficed. I'd even venture to say that it would have been more effective than using my post as an excuse to heap further sycophantic praise on other posters. JMO.

I've never been one to label, nor to my knowledge been labelled. But we each have our own ways of being in the world. Consolidating key takeaways IME helps me keep track of information in one place, while also potentially saving keystrokes for those who might take the time to remind me of information they are not sure I've seen.

Wow!! Harsh, much!

Well, we'd definitely pick Lugano over Locarno. Potato/potahto. We think Lugano is more beautiful and more urbane. In fact, we're heading there this week-end for a short break and have booked a longer stay for later this year. But YMMV. (we are also going to Turin for a week after Lugano in the fall)

Ascona is beautiful but when we were there last year, we were disappointed. Almost everyone was speaking German (or English) instead of Italian. Even the staff at some of the restaurants we checked out were speaking German to each other. Nothing wrong with that, but it wasn't what we had expected.

Thanks for sharing, WeisserTee-very helpful perspective (esp since we are dedicated to using our B2-level Italian whenever possible).

Switzerland versus Italy (along the Lakes).
Landscape, architecture, climate, local dialect are the same on both sides. Most people doesn't even realize where and when they cross the border.
You hear more Emglish than Italian at some places in Varenna and Bellagio and more German than Itlaian at some places in Locarno and Lugano.
Burt everywhare, local people is pleased to speak good Italian (the local dialect is hardly understandable, even for people of Central or Southern Italy). They like to see that you try to speak their language.
Differencies:
Public transport, hiking trails,and all kinds of historical sites (Unesco World heritag sites included) etc. are much better in Switzerland.
Along the Swiss part of the lakes, you find 1 cog wheel railway, 4 rope railways and 9 gondolas, most of them to view points.
On the Italian side of the Lakes you find 1 rope railway (Brunate) and 1 gondola (Laveno).
Accommodation and transport is cheaper in Italy. But many hotels in the Swiss Canton of Ticino give you a railpass (for the Swiss side only) for free.

There are tons of train, bus and ferry lines crossing the border (often every 30 to 60 minutes:
Trains:
Locarno - Domodossola
Locarno - Lugano - Como - Milan
Bellinzona - Lugano - Varese - Gallarate - MXP
Bellinzona - Luino - Gallarate
Buses:
Locarno - Brissageo - Cannobio - Verbania
Lugano -Porlezza - Menaggio
Ponte Tresa - Luino
Chiasso - Como
Capolago - Porto Ceresio
Lugano - Campione
Ferries:
Locarno - Luino - Isola Bella - Stresa
Lugano - Campione - Porto Ceresio - Ponte Tresa
Lugano - Porlezza
-

Went to Lake Garda, planned for only a couple nights but we kept extending our stay we enjoyed it so much. Food, nightlife, activities, ferries, biking, all very enjoyable.

thanks, neckervd, for the very helpful information and perspective--I appreciate the time you took to share it!

Great to know, wildiowa--thanks for sharing your experience. It was like that with our last summer stay in Cogne in re changing plans so we could stay as long as possible.

This was one of our problems with Bellagio. We were even asked by a waitress if we could speak English; she couldn't speak Italian. The whole ambiance was British. Most restaurants closed much too early for Italians.

bvlenci, That was indeed my experience in Bellagio and a reason for not wishing to return (in addition to it being too crowded w/tourists and feeling a bit too "polished"). I want to hear a lot of Italian, enjoy the passeggiata, dine late...

wildiowa, I'm sorry I neglected to ask where you based on Lake Garda. (I said to my husband last night that I think we have to devote the next several annual late spring/summer vacations to a different Italian lake after all these years in big and small cities and hill towns.)

And apologies for this more general query: does the fact that we will going Torino - lake town - Milan (the latter for a few days of work) mean that it makes more sense for this trip to be focused on one of the westerly lakes (though travel time to Lake Garda doesn't seem prohibitive)? I do find myself thinking that it would be lovely to have one base for the 8 days (to really settle in, live slowly, develop evening routines) and do day trips from there.

Hotel du lac Bardolino was where we based. Right on the lake, fine accommodations, good food, good value, bikes provided. There are dozens of similar hotels. Bardolino is a great place after dark, much to do but also a lot to keep you busy during the day. Check it out. I think you could spend much of your time there and have a great time.

Thanks so much much, wildiowa -- this is so helpful!

If you avoid tourist traps like Varenna, BEllgio and Co and if you avoid restaurats where local people never would go to, you will be fine.
At places like Cannobio, Luino, Ponte Tresa, Porlezza you can forget your English for sure.
Personally, I always spoke Italian (not my mother tongue) at Lugano, Locarno, Ascona, etc. and always got the response in Italian too.

thanks, neckervd-very good to know!

Hi studenttobe, my info is 20 years old, but our train options might be helpful. Drop dead scenery is an apt over-used phrase for Italy!

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