Trip Review: Verona, Lake Garda and Lake Como (multi-post)
Discussion
Hi all,
Still feeling majorly depressed that the trip is over but thought I'd share the updates with you - particularly helpful if, like me, you search on here or google for similar things and you may stumble on this thread.
My first thread is linked here where I asked about options in relation to Northern Italy: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Apologies if this is a bit scatty but just wanted to give my thoughts...
TLDR:
Verona - good but two nights would be enough I think (7/10)
Bardolino, Lake Garda, spectacular place and already planning a return (10/10)
Bellagio, Lake Como - bit disappointing, overcrowded but amazing scenario (6/10)
Itinerary
Fly to Verona
-- 3 nights in Verona staying in Air BnB right in the heart of town
-- 3 nights in Bardolino, Lake Garda
-- 2 nights in Bellagio, Lake Como
Fly back from Milan Bergamo
See other posts below...
Still feeling majorly depressed that the trip is over but thought I'd share the updates with you - particularly helpful if, like me, you search on here or google for similar things and you may stumble on this thread.
My first thread is linked here where I asked about options in relation to Northern Italy: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Apologies if this is a bit scatty but just wanted to give my thoughts...
TLDR:
Verona - good but two nights would be enough I think (7/10)
Bardolino, Lake Garda, spectacular place and already planning a return (10/10)
Bellagio, Lake Como - bit disappointing, overcrowded but amazing scenario (6/10)
Itinerary
Fly to Verona
-- 3 nights in Verona staying in Air BnB right in the heart of town
-- 3 nights in Bardolino, Lake Garda
-- 2 nights in Bellagio, Lake Como
Fly back from Milan Bergamo
See other posts below...
Part 1: Verona (3 nights)
Bus from airport into Verona is extremely simple. Tickets available from a machine outside the terminal and about 20 minutes on a bus we were at the central train station. Then walked about 15 minutes into town.
Really nice place which is easily walkable. Nice to not have to constantly depend on metro systems, or buses, or try to get across large parts of built up areas - instead you could just stroll around.
We made a lot of use of the Lime Scooters there, so you can just scan one and hop on to save your feet as we were doing about 20,000 steps per day even with the scooter things.
Weather was a bit rubbish, overcast mostly and one day rained all day long.
I think in hindsight, two nights would have been enough time for me. Disappointed that we missed the opera and the chance to see a show inside the Arena. Some the churches there are spectactular and really special places.
As with most places avoiding the central areas for food seemed best. So we headed down back streets and tried to find the smaller, less obvious type places.
We did do a wine and food tour one evening although it wasn't as good as I hoped. We started off in this amazing wine bar - Signorvino, Corso Porta Nuova, 2/A, 37122 Verona VR, Italy which has endless walls of wine, plus the option to choose lots of samples. If you go to Verona I'd really recommend this.
We saw Juilet's balcony but as many say, don't pay to enter as it's just a man-made constructed platform which most say isn't worth it.
Bus from airport into Verona is extremely simple. Tickets available from a machine outside the terminal and about 20 minutes on a bus we were at the central train station. Then walked about 15 minutes into town.
Really nice place which is easily walkable. Nice to not have to constantly depend on metro systems, or buses, or try to get across large parts of built up areas - instead you could just stroll around.
We made a lot of use of the Lime Scooters there, so you can just scan one and hop on to save your feet as we were doing about 20,000 steps per day even with the scooter things.
Weather was a bit rubbish, overcast mostly and one day rained all day long.
I think in hindsight, two nights would have been enough time for me. Disappointed that we missed the opera and the chance to see a show inside the Arena. Some the churches there are spectactular and really special places.
As with most places avoiding the central areas for food seemed best. So we headed down back streets and tried to find the smaller, less obvious type places.
We did do a wine and food tour one evening although it wasn't as good as I hoped. We started off in this amazing wine bar - Signorvino, Corso Porta Nuova, 2/A, 37122 Verona VR, Italy which has endless walls of wine, plus the option to choose lots of samples. If you go to Verona I'd really recommend this.
We saw Juilet's balcony but as many say, don't pay to enter as it's just a man-made constructed platform which most say isn't worth it.
Part 2: Bardolino, Lake Garda (3 nights)
Honestly it is probably one of my favourite places ever. I loved it and still feel really gutted to have left. We got a bus from Verona train station to Bardolino and it was very simple and comfortable. It took about an hour.
What I loved about Bardolino was that it seemed to have everything. Lovely character, buildings, restaurants, great atmosphere, relaxed but also had the small beaches all along the lakeside where you could lay out a towel and go swimming or sunbath.
We rented bikes one day and cycled to Garda which was only 2-3 miles. It took us about 30 minutes as we stopped a lot to take photographs and just appreciate the unbelievable views. It honestly was spectacular and it makes me sad that I rarely see that kind of scenary as I sit here in my bedroom in Bracknell!
We discovered a real gem of an Air BnB in Bardolino. It was on the second floor and from our balcony we could see the lake about 20 metres away. It was above a restaurant and a bar where they did live music. It was also extremely quiet, so from about 10pm until about midday there was barely any noise - so peaceful. If you're interested - message me and I'll provide details of the place.
For me, the biggest thing I enjoyed about this place was just the ambience and the nature of it. It just seemed like a very pleasant atmosphere, calm and relaxed even if you were staying out to the later hours. There was no traffic as it is all away from the pedestrianised bits too which makes a massive difference.
Honestly it is probably one of my favourite places ever. I loved it and still feel really gutted to have left. We got a bus from Verona train station to Bardolino and it was very simple and comfortable. It took about an hour.
What I loved about Bardolino was that it seemed to have everything. Lovely character, buildings, restaurants, great atmosphere, relaxed but also had the small beaches all along the lakeside where you could lay out a towel and go swimming or sunbath.
We rented bikes one day and cycled to Garda which was only 2-3 miles. It took us about 30 minutes as we stopped a lot to take photographs and just appreciate the unbelievable views. It honestly was spectacular and it makes me sad that I rarely see that kind of scenary as I sit here in my bedroom in Bracknell!
We discovered a real gem of an Air BnB in Bardolino. It was on the second floor and from our balcony we could see the lake about 20 metres away. It was above a restaurant and a bar where they did live music. It was also extremely quiet, so from about 10pm until about midday there was barely any noise - so peaceful. If you're interested - message me and I'll provide details of the place.
For me, the biggest thing I enjoyed about this place was just the ambience and the nature of it. It just seemed like a very pleasant atmosphere, calm and relaxed even if you were staying out to the later hours. There was no traffic as it is all away from the pedestrianised bits too which makes a massive difference.
Part 3: Bellagio, Lake Como (2 nights)
It occurred to us how hard it was to travel there by public transport. Most guides say it takes about 5-6 hours and involves buses and trains. It looked a really difficult and awkward journey, particularly if you miss a bus as some are very infrequent so you'd be sat with a suitcase and bags waiting for hours.
We had the sensible idea to rent a car through Avis. Picked up in Bardolino and arranged to be dropped of at Milan Airport two days later - meaning we could then drive there too rather than use public transport in the remote locations.
The drive from Garda to Como was quite difficult. As you get into the Como area you approach the mountainous regions, more remove villages and windy roads. The road surfaces are brilliant, well maintained but it's just tight in some areas, often with an Italian native up your rear end as you're going around sharp bends past a cliff edge. In honesty I found it quite stressful. Anyway, took nearly 3 hours to get from Garda to Como.
Bellagio was like the oppositte to Bardolino/Garda. It was a strange place really as when we arrived (about 1pm) the streets were absolutely rammed. All these small narrows streets with cars squeezing down as pedestrians push themselves against the shop windows to let them through. Each street was heavily populated with more groups and the lake front area was very busy too. It was chaotic. There was also a huge proportion of Americans there - very large numbers of groups and I've since read online that this is the experience of others. I personally found the American groups and tourists annoying, loud and abrasive. It was also funny that in Bardolino/Garda I didn't hear a single American person - in fact it was mostly German, Dutch, Italian and they were very sedate and calm in nature.
The other absolutely nuts thing about Bellagio is that at about 7-8pm most people leave as they're staying in other places. So the entire places is just dead. I remember we finished dinner one night about 9pm and thought we'd go to a bar or sit out with some wine to people watch but the streets were deserted. It was eerie.
We got the ferry one day to Verenna - which takes about 15 minutes and the views was some of the best I have ever seen in my life. It was spectacular. Varenna seems beautiful too, a lovely quiet village with real character and charm. Unique sites and small areas to walk along the lakeside
One morning we had a kayak tour booked. We met our guide and 3 others down by the lake at 9am. I had two minds before the trip about this, picturing a bit of a weird row around a big lake at 9am when I should be just waking up. How stupid I was... it was just unforgettable as it was a warm sunny morning, we were in a kayak, deathly silent as the odd boat went past, the sun was rising, the lake was calm and we were just surrounded by huge numbers of mountains, hills and really clear water.
One big shame about Bellagio and the area around there is there is nowhere to go into the lake itself. It's not really something that is done there - we asked the Kayak person about this and he did mention 2-3 very small sections but not nearby and they were not official areas.
It occurred to us how hard it was to travel there by public transport. Most guides say it takes about 5-6 hours and involves buses and trains. It looked a really difficult and awkward journey, particularly if you miss a bus as some are very infrequent so you'd be sat with a suitcase and bags waiting for hours.
We had the sensible idea to rent a car through Avis. Picked up in Bardolino and arranged to be dropped of at Milan Airport two days later - meaning we could then drive there too rather than use public transport in the remote locations.
The drive from Garda to Como was quite difficult. As you get into the Como area you approach the mountainous regions, more remove villages and windy roads. The road surfaces are brilliant, well maintained but it's just tight in some areas, often with an Italian native up your rear end as you're going around sharp bends past a cliff edge. In honesty I found it quite stressful. Anyway, took nearly 3 hours to get from Garda to Como.
Bellagio was like the oppositte to Bardolino/Garda. It was a strange place really as when we arrived (about 1pm) the streets were absolutely rammed. All these small narrows streets with cars squeezing down as pedestrians push themselves against the shop windows to let them through. Each street was heavily populated with more groups and the lake front area was very busy too. It was chaotic. There was also a huge proportion of Americans there - very large numbers of groups and I've since read online that this is the experience of others. I personally found the American groups and tourists annoying, loud and abrasive. It was also funny that in Bardolino/Garda I didn't hear a single American person - in fact it was mostly German, Dutch, Italian and they were very sedate and calm in nature.
The other absolutely nuts thing about Bellagio is that at about 7-8pm most people leave as they're staying in other places. So the entire places is just dead. I remember we finished dinner one night about 9pm and thought we'd go to a bar or sit out with some wine to people watch but the streets were deserted. It was eerie.
We got the ferry one day to Verenna - which takes about 15 minutes and the views was some of the best I have ever seen in my life. It was spectacular. Varenna seems beautiful too, a lovely quiet village with real character and charm. Unique sites and small areas to walk along the lakeside
One morning we had a kayak tour booked. We met our guide and 3 others down by the lake at 9am. I had two minds before the trip about this, picturing a bit of a weird row around a big lake at 9am when I should be just waking up. How stupid I was... it was just unforgettable as it was a warm sunny morning, we were in a kayak, deathly silent as the odd boat went past, the sun was rising, the lake was calm and we were just surrounded by huge numbers of mountains, hills and really clear water.
One big shame about Bellagio and the area around there is there is nowhere to go into the lake itself. It's not really something that is done there - we asked the Kayak person about this and he did mention 2-3 very small sections but not nearby and they were not official areas.
Bardolino looks lovely.
We stayed on Como in a Villa in one of the much smaller villages (Torno) a few years back. We also found Bellagio very touristy and rammed during the day, with very narrow streets, but sort of an obligatory visit when in the area.
The other problem with Bellagio is the ferries can get very busy and don't run that late in the evenings. We only just managed to get on the last one after a dinner there, with a massive queue/crush to get on and it was only about 7/8pm from memory.
We stayed on Como in a Villa in one of the much smaller villages (Torno) a few years back. We also found Bellagio very touristy and rammed during the day, with very narrow streets, but sort of an obligatory visit when in the area.
The other problem with Bellagio is the ferries can get very busy and don't run that late in the evenings. We only just managed to get on the last one after a dinner there, with a massive queue/crush to get on and it was only about 7/8pm from memory.
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