Day Trips in and around Lake Como
We are staying 4 nights in Varenna in May. This will be the "slow" part of our 3 week journey of 2 weeks in Italy and a week in Paris. Any suggestions for activities, including hikes or special picnic areas in the Lake Como area.
Suzy
Oakland 11/18/09
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Take the ferry to Bellagio (short ride) and there is a lovely picnic area lakeside there, along with great shopping and seeing how the other "half" lives (or a least used to).
A walk along the lake on the Varenna side is a great stroll, too.
Drop by the TI in Varenna near the ferry dock, and they will have a map and some great hikes in and around Varenna. Same holds true for Bellagio too, hit the TI near the dock and there are some great 1-2 hour walks around the local neighborhoods of Bellagio.
In Varenna, you can walk/hike up to the castle for what I was told are great views. You can also hike up to the cemetery which isn't as far as the castle & I've heard that the views are also great from there. Varenna is very charming and nice to walk around. We also enjoyed walking around Menaggio (across the lake from Varenna & accessible by boat). Do you already have a hotel in Varenna? If not, I can personally suggest Hotel Milano. We got a lake-front room/balcony & the views were increedible. I loved waking up every morning, opening the balcony doors & just staring out onto the lake. Enjoy your trip.
Would stalking George Clooney be considered an activity?
Villa Carlotta is across the lake and is definitely worth a visit--nice gardens to walk through. Also the gardens at the monastery in Varenna are very nice. Bellagio is great for shopping.
Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions. Yes we have a hotel, we are staying at Hotel Olivedo, with a lake view.