Published on: 16 March 2013 | Last updated: 29 December 2019
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| Distances | |
|---|---|
| Menaggio to Como | 34 kms |
| Como to Bellagio | 30 kms |
This section of the tour goes south along the lakeside Via Regina (Queen’s Way) to Como and then on to Bellagio. Where possible the route follows the old Via Regina Vecchia, through the villages that have now been bypassed by the new road. However, there are sections of the road that can get quite congested. When I was there the villagers from Argegno (where George Clooney has a home) were protesting about traffic on the road and demanding a ban on mezzi pesanti (heavy vehicles).
Heading towards Bellagio the road is narrow, but less busy. There’s also quite a lot of saliscendo (up and down) and cumulatively there’s quite a lot of climbing.
Options
This section and the next are loops. You could do one but not the other - or indeed simply continue north from Menaggio - but that would be a pity.
This section of the route goes around the lake in an anti-clockwise direction. There’s one disadvantage of doing it this way in that you are on the side of the road away from the lake. If you prefer to do it clockwise, you could simply take the vaporetto to Bellagio at the beginning of the route, and then back from Menaggio at the end of the ride.
You could also stick with the Via Regina Nuova. This involves less climbing and the views of the lake are less interrupted.
Day-rides
You could stay the in Menaggio and do this section as a day ride - catching the ferry back from Bellagio at the end of the ride.
Connections
I’ve suggested a variant to my Lakes of Lombardia route which offers a connection to the Lago d’Iseo and the Lago di Garda. See this article.
More information
Places to stay
Transport and services
Articles in this series
- Tour of the western lakes: Overview
- Western Lakes – Part 1
- Western lakes – Part 2
- Western lakes – Part 3
- Western lakes – Part 4
- Western Lakes – Part 5
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