Itinerary
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Booking this tour: IV Travel

Fly to Milan and pick up your rental car at the airport and head for Stresa, a beautiful little town on Lago Maggiore.  Book into one of our great hotels, have a great meal and sleep easy.
 

Today you will drive north west along the shores of Lago Maggiore through the charming villages of Campino, Baveno and Fondotoce to Verbania and then on to Cannobio.  You'll be gone most of the day so plan on having lunch at a restaurant in  Cannobio, or better still have your hotel in Stresa pack a picnic lunch, go to the supermarket and put one together yourself.

In Verbania, look first for the Villa Taranta where you can walk through very some particularly gorgeous gardens.  About 30 minutes south of the Villa on foot is the village of Pallanza, where you will find a neat collection of pastel coloured lakeside buildinds, among them some tidy little shops, pasticerias, fruiterias, cafes and gellaterias.

Around Noon, drive north to Cannobio, one of the most convivial of all the towns and villages on Lago Maggiore.  There's lots to see in town, but save time for a small excursion up the Val Cannobio about 10 km.  Here you will find the River Cannobino racing through an amazing, forest shrouded gorge called the Orridor Santa Ana.  It's a marvellous place to break out that picnic lunch!

At the end of a long, satisfying day - return to Stresa - for dinner and a good night's sleep.
 

If you haven't spent much time looking around Stresa, why not start your day with a walk down by the water - perhaps have a cafe and cornetto to get your motors running.  By mid-morning you should be checked out of the hotel and on the road to the city of Como at the south westerly corner of Lago Como, timing your arrival for just before Noon.  Drive through the outskirts into Como's centro historico - historical center - which sits close to the Lake.
 

You'll be staying for the next 3 nights at Bellagio. It's a small town with a lot more charm than Como, a great place to settle in for a wider exploration of Lago Como. and some of the other towns and villages on the Lake, some accessible by car, and some by lake ferry.  In Bellagio take your sweet time walking the harbour-side promenade, visiting local gardens, sitting quietly at a charming cafe or dining at one of many good restaurants.  If you like walking...take the trails up behind the town to any number of prospects where you can stop and gather in the sublime views they offer.  Down at the docks you can hook up with a guided tour of the lake or rent a boat.
 

There will be no driving today.  Just walk from your hotel in Bellagio to the lakeside harbor and board the ferry for Mennagio where you can enjoy lunch and a walk around this wonderful little town, swim at The Lido, water ski, and much more.  Later, take another ferry from Bellagio to Varenna, the "pearl of Lake Como", which many think is the prettiest town in the Lake District.  You will see why when you arrive!  When you are ready to return to Bellagio, just grab another ferry.  Whether you stay in Varenna for dinner or not is up to you!  We think you should!

Don't miss the last ferry back to Bellagio!
 

It's time to say goodbye to Bellagio, but we have one more stop on Lake Como - at Lecco - and then its off to Bergamo.

Lecco at the bottom of the south eastern fork, like Como, is a largish city.  You'll go through the outskirts of the city to the heart of old Lecco where there are many things to see and do.  Have lunch, walk the promenade, then drive east to the cable car station for a ride up to the Piani di Erna where you can follow the mountain trails for a series of jaw dropping views.

Bergamo is not official a "lake" town, but while you are in Italy's fascinating north, you must visit this very beautiful and compelling old medieval city.  You'll arrive in the newer town - Bergamo Bassa - but you are here to see the much more convivial  Bergamo Alta - the old medieval heart of the city - which is accessible by foot (about 30 minutes uphill) or by funicular (inclined railway) which you catch at the end of Viale Vittorio Emanuele II.

There is too much to say about Bergamo here, so check out our expanded page here: Bergamo
 

• It's time to head home.  You can drop your car at Bergamo International airport, or drive to the Milan airport Board your flight, full of great memories, and eager to return to the Lake District in the very near future!
• Or better still, extend your trip - see below

* VisitsItaly.com reserves the right to select hotels within the same class depending on availability at the time of booking.