If you really want to enjoy the lake you should head to what is known as Centro Lago. It comprises of three towns Bellagio, Varenna, and Menaggio.

The closest station is in Como. From here you can either take a boat, a bus or drive down to reach Centro Lago.

By Boat
A ferry ride will take two hours to get to Bellagio, another fifteen minutes to get to Menaggio and from Menaggio 10 minutes to get to Varenna. Alternately, you can travel by hydrofoil which will take around 45 minutes to get to Bellagio, a further 5 minutes to Menaggio and from there a further 5 minutes to reach Varenna. You could get a day pass to travel to all three places in a day. Ferries and hydrofoils leave every hour during summer but are less frequent the rest of the year.

The Navigazione Lago di Como office on Lungo Lario Trieste can give you proper departure timings.

By Bus
Buses to Bellagio and Menaggio take 70 minutes and 65 minutes respectively. STP operates these buses. They leave from outside the train station and you can buy your ticket from the bar inside.

By Car
S583 takes you from Como to Bellagio on a very scenic route and the S340 take you to Menaggio from Como. To reach Varenna take the S342 to Nibionno and from there the S36. These roads have heavy traffic and it will take you approximately an hour to get to all three places from Como.

With steep narrow streets, beautiful gardens and lakeside squares, you will love Bellagio. It is situated at the tip of the peninsula. The lade divides into three basins here. You can take boat rides to visit other settlements by the lake.

The Bellagio tourist office is at Piazza d Chiesa 14, open seven days a week.

There is a music festival in the months of June and July at Chiesa di Cappuccini, Rockefeller Foundation. Bellagio's waterfront has an outdoor market every third Wednesday of the month.

One of the most beautiful towns in Italy, Bellagio is set amidst cypress trees and expansive gardens. Though a tourist hotspot, it isn’t spoilt by them and has managed to maintain its quaint town atmosphere. The most beautiful villa is the Villa Melzi. It is surrounded by an equally beautiful garden. The villa was built by Francesco Melzi, a friend of Napoléon. Franz Liszt later bought it, which is owned today by a Lombardian family. It is open to the public between March 18 and October, seven days a week between 9am and 6:30pm. An admission of 5€ is charged. Another impressive garden is that surrounding the Villa Serbelloni. It was originally owned by Pliny the Younger and is now owned by the Rockefeller Foundation. There are two guided tours everyday, which run for 90 minutes and have to be booked in advance. Open from April to October, from Tuesday to Sunday, 11am and 4pm, an admission of 6.50€ is charged.

You can choose from hiking, biking, horseback riding, kayaking, paragliding and canoning amidst the spectacular surroundings. Contact the Cavalcalario Club on Gallasco 1 for further information, or you could find them on the internet at www.bellagio-mountains.it.