Bellagio Lake Como - current situation with COVID-19

we're departing to Italy tomorrow. brother and sister in our 30s. all this trip was booked pretty last minute so practically nothing is finalized.

we want to start our trip in the area around the 2 locations I mentioned but can't decide which is better (and we're departing to Italy tomorrow evening so time is short to make up our minds).

we'll be arriving at Malpensa Airport at night (booked a hotel near the airport) and want to go to either Como or Lecco fir about 2 night before returning to Milan.

we'll be using public transport for the entire trip.

as far as transport goes, it doesn't make much difference since the traveling time from the airport to either of them seems similar.

Lecco was my original plan since it seems there are some hikes around which is something that appeals to us.

looking for hikes around como proves more difficult since all search results are about the entire lake como and that's not helping considering we'll be using public transport.

I've read comments here that Lecco is not that attractive of a town. on the other hand it might be less crowded than Como.

I was thinking maybe taking a day and going from Lecco to Varenna and taking the ferry from there to Bellagio and Menaggio.

I can basically the same from Como as well.

but again, can't find any real info on hiking from Como city specifically.

bottom line, I'm confused. I sometimes find that the "prettiest" town us not always the best to stay in.

can you help with any kind of input?

Hi.Can anybody give me information on public transport from the airport to Bari Vecchia please?We hope tp go in September 2021 depending on the Covid situation.Grazie mille,Kaitlin.

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I was thinking of making a reservation at Crotto dei Plattani for me and my 25 year old daughter. We are staying in Bellagio. I contacted one boat place and they said it would be 500 euros for the round trip. Thats much more than our entire dinner will be!

Are there cheap boats that one can take, or should I just nix my plans for a fancy dinner?

I'll be flying from the USA into MXP, landing at 7:30 AM in a few weeks on Thursday. Flight out is Saturday at around 5:00 PM from MXP to France. I mostly want to go to Lake Como, but I was hoping to also see Milan city if possible. I will be using public transport and prefer to stay somewhere that isn't Como city.

If anyone has experience, can you please give some advice on what would be the best way to do this? I was thinking either go straight to Milan and get an early train Friday morning to the lake and then straight to airport Saturday, or go straight to Lake Como and then Milan either late Friday night or super early Saturday and walk around for a few hours before my flight. I am open to skipping Milan if the schedule is too tight - I have already taken pictures in front of many churches and fountains in Europe, and I also don't have interest in museums.

I guess my concerns are using public transportation for such a long trip with a lot of transfers after landing in Milan - I could be held up in immigration for hours and maybe the trains aren't frequent? And also using public transport for a long trip on the same day as my flight out - if I don't make a connection, I could end up stuck somewhere!

Appreciate any insight you can give!

Thank you :)

Hi people,

Planning on visiting both Lake Como and then going into northern Lombardy (Chiavenna as a base, maybe), but not sure how to arrange it or how to manage the car rental in the most efficient way. Our rough itinerary so far looks like this:

- Day 1: Coming from Tuscany, arriving at Lake Como around noon or 2/3 PM (overnight in Varenna)

- Day 2: Around Lake Como, maybe visiting Bellagio / Varenna / hiking around the area.

- Day 3: Around Lake Como, maybe visiting Bellagio / Varenna / hiking around the area.

- Day 4: Going from Varenna to Chiavenna, sightseeing around the area

- Day 5: Visiting Soglio (Switzerland) and maybe other small towns close to Chiavenna.

- Day 6: From Chiavenna to Tirano or Pontresina to take the Bernina Express up to Chur, so we might be able to visit some towns enroute to Pontresina/Tirano during the morning as the Bernina Express leaves Tirano at around 2 PM. We will probably go from Chur to Luzern which is our next step for a couple of nights instead of staying in Chur.

I am not worried about the Lake Como leg of the trip, but how would you arrange the trip from Day 4? We weren´t planning to have a car initially because we would do Lake Como and then move into the Ticino (based in Locarno) in Switzerland. However, we discovered how beautiful the area around Chiavenna is and we are now gravitating towards doing that instead of Ticino, before moving into Lucerne (Bernina Express seems to be an interesting option to connect northern tip of Italy (Tirano) with Chur and then going into Luzern for a long but relaxing day).

Big problem is that there doesn´t seem to be a rental car return place that would suit our itinerary without getting into astronomical fees or a lot of unnecessary driving (or returning in Switzerland which also increases fees), any advice on that and how our rough itinerary looks? We would like to keep unnecessary travel as much as possible and minimize super expensive costs for the car rental.

Thank you!

I'm trying to get an understanding of the different options to get to different towns in Amalfi Coast. We are stay at the Grand Hotel Tritone in Praiano (Sept 12-15). I've read there is a public bus system (SITA) and then a private bus system? I can't really find anything on this private bus.

I've also read somewhere the buses don't stop in Praiano. So i'm unclear on what factual.

1) What are the bus options?

2) Given the Covid situation are seats limited or are they still packing the buses for standing room only?

3) Is it easy to get Taxi to the other towns? Positano, Amalfi and Ravello

4) Any other suggestion on transportation with home base in Prainao?

Thanks for the guidance.

Hello all,

We are planning to visit around Lake Como starting from tomorrow (Wednesday - 28 Jul), and we will stay in a hotel near Lecco. However, we just saw in the news that there is a massive flood in the Como area (west shore) that caused many roads to be closed, and it will rain more until Wednesday evening.

Unfortunately, we have a non-refundable booking, and our hotel told us that there is no flood whatsoever around Leko. Is there anyone in the Como area who could tell how bad the situation is? And in case of a weather-related reason like this, is there any way of getting a refund on a non-refundable booking?

Thank you.

Going to Amalfi Coast last week October/first week November (depending on Covid situation). Thought about day trip to capri (from Sorrento) or due to low season rates, spending a night or two there. Any recommendations? Will restaurants, stores, hotels be open?

Hello, this is my first post on TripAdvisor.

I'm considering taking an extended trip to Tuscany in the fall, assuming the Covid situation is under control. I'm studying Italian and I'd like to spend some time immersed so increase my fluency in the language, and I'm seeing some great monthly rates on AirBnB for apartments and homes.

I guess I need advice on locations that are good for this sort of endeavor. Are there any towns around Tuscany that are particularly welcoming to extended visitors? Any to avoid? How is Florence outside of the touristy center? I know this is all very vague but I'm not sure of the right questions to ask. I guess I'm looking for safe, welcoming, near public transport and some sort of community, whether a town or a city, with lots of nice things to see and eat in walking distance. Any advice from someone who has done something similar would be welcome.

Thanks!