Lake Como is approximately 30 miles north of Milan. The lake is surrounded by many towns , all of which are popular with tourists. I took a train from Milan Centrale to Varenna-Essino, which is one of the picturesque little towns on the east shore of Lake Como. This is probably the best starting point to explore the lake, as there are plenty of ferries connecting other towns around the lake.
Varenna , itself is a very lovely place. It has some nice villas and lots of restaurants & cafes. I met few tourists in the train who were staying at Varenna, so I guess its popular with tourists. From the train station I crossed the village by foot and walked to the embarcadero through the lake-front skywalk. After stopping for a gelato I headed towards the ferry port to get to Bellagio.
Bellagio is one of the most distinguished & famous holiday destinations in all of Europe. It should probably be said a celebrity haunt, if you're interested in that sort of thing. I heard Versace family, Sting , Richard Branson and of course our own Mr. Clooney own a villa here.
The ferry ride from Varenna to Bellagio is 8 euros round-trip and takes about 20 mins to get there.
Varenna , itself is a very lovely place. It has some nice villas and lots of restaurants & cafes. I met few tourists in the train who were staying at Varenna, so I guess its popular with tourists. From the train station I crossed the village by foot and walked to the embarcadero through the lake-front skywalk. After stopping for a gelato I headed towards the ferry port to get to Bellagio.
Bellagio is one of the most distinguished & famous holiday destinations in all of Europe. It should probably be said a celebrity haunt, if you're interested in that sort of thing. I heard Versace family, Sting , Richard Branson and of course our own Mr. Clooney own a villa here.
The ferry ride from Varenna to Bellagio is 8 euros round-trip and takes about 20 mins to get there.
Bellagio is definitely the prettiest village on Lake Como’s shore. Even today Bellagio is a small village, with cobbled streets that favor foot traffic. The narrow sidewalks angle upwards into the hills and form the center of the town. The main promenade stretches along the waterfront, with the exclusive hotels and quaint cafes facing out towards the lake. There is no shortage of lakeside shopping and dining.
There are many luxurious villas and gardens scattered around its shores. Couple of tourists whom I met in the train were trying to find George Clooney's house. I had no interest where Mr.Clooney lived, and was quite content heading to the nearest gelato shop instead.
Huge ferries dock at Bellagio every few minutes, with different itineraries depending on which village you want to visit that day. The easiest way to get around the lake is by taking the ferries to the various villages.
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