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Which base suits you · Centro Lago

Varenna

Area
Centro Lago
Types available
Hotel, Boutique hotel, B&B, Apartment
The hill of Vezio above Varenna, the castle on top, the hamlet among the olives and the lake all round.Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Henry Kellner · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Manfred Werner (Tsui) · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Varenna from the ferry as it docks: coloured houses on the shore, the bell tower of San Giorgio and the mountain above.

Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0

Varenna suits a first visit without a car: it sits on the eastern shore with the railway behind and the ferry pier in front, and from here Bellagio is a fifteen-minute ferry ride away and Milan a little over an hour by train. The village is small, with about 750 residents.

What you gain

  • A direct train from Milano Centrale in a little over an hour
  • Ferries to Bellagio, Menaggio and Cadenabbia from the pier in the village
  • Two historic gardens on foot, and the Sentiero del Viandante starting above the village
  • Vezio castle above the village, reached on foot

What you give up

  • The historic centre extends along the shore and up sloping lanes
  • Car access to the centre is controlled by a limited-traffic zone: check the required permit with your accommodation before entering
  • There are slopes and steps between the shore and the station, which matter if you have heavy luggage

On the map

Explore the lake
Varenna

© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL

Varenna

Varenna is a village on the eastern shore of the lake, opposite Bellagio, with ochre houses built right down to the water's edge. A walkway over the lake links the ferry landing to the centre of the village. Villa Monastero and Villa Cipressi have two botanical gardens side by side on the same shore. Above the village, Castello di Vezio overlooks the whole centre of the lake. You arrive by train from Milan or by boat from Bellagio and Menaggio.

The destination

What's on in Varenna

Events in the village or within a few kilometres, on now or coming up.

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