Peruse the Lugano and Como ferry schedules as well as the Lugano-Menaggio bus schedule and Italian t

Anyone cheap plane tickets canada want to help me refine my itinerary to Lugano, cheap plane tickets canada Como, and Milan?! My husband and I (late 20s) are flying into Zurich May 7 and taking the train down to Lake Lugano. I'm thinking of doing two nights in Lugano, two in Campione d'Italia, one in Bellagio, two in Gandria, and one in Milan before our next day flight to Barcelona. cheap plane tickets canada Does this seem reasonable? My husband is hoping to get a good feel for the area of Lugano since we are in the process of looking for a place to reside. We'll spend about 4 days in the Lugano/Campione area, a day and a half in Lake Como, and one full day in Milan.
cheap plane tickets canada Also, would you think a rental car would be best in this situation? Are the roads fairly easy to navigate? Any other suggestions on where to stay, what to see, where to mosey around would be greatly appreciated! It seems like we're going to be leaving in no time at all and I'm usually much more prepared than I'm feeling right now!
Oh yes, and as stated above we are in our late 20s. I'm 20 weeks pregnant with our third child (but we aren't bringing the other two), we like to kayak, hike, eat, and shop. This will be the first week of our two week vacation.
I wouldn't stay in both Lugano and Gandria. They're less than 5 kms. apart, and we've walked between them in less than an hour. You can reach both Gandria and Campione d'Italia by ferry, and there is bus service between Lugano and Menaggio (on Lake Como) which stops at Gandria in both directions.
cheap plane tickets canada Peruse the Lugano and Como ferry schedules as well as the Lugano-Menaggio bus schedule and Italian cheap plane tickets canada train schedule. You may conclude a car is not required (although it could be a convenience for exploring potential housing). If you rent a car in Switzerland and return it in Italy, there will likely cheap plane tickets canada be an expensive drop charge.
cheap plane tickets canada I agree that unless you feel the need for a car to really explore areas where you might want to reside you probably don't need a car at all. The main places are easily connected by rail and/or bus as has been pointed out and then there's that car drop charge.
That being said, DH and I first fell in love with Italy (yes, Italy) about 20 years ago after staying several nights at Hotel Moosmann in Gandria. We had a room right on the water, and the town was tiny and gorgeous (no roads in the town). Probably a bit out of your price range, but not too much so. We ate dinner both nights at a little restaurant cheap plane tickets canada (Locanda Gandriese) down the street/alleyway, on a tiny balcony over the lake, with the best Italian cheap plane tickets canada pasta I'd ever had - though that's probably my memory speaking. I have great memories of Gandria, as you can tell. There's a path right along the water's edge that runs all the way from Gandria to Lugano.
The hotel was very attractive and the rooms surprisingly large considering the price. The breakfast was smaller than many, but we really enjoyed the stay. Lugano was possibly the cleanest town we have ever stayed cheap plane tickets canada in. They had a pleasant boat ride around the various towns lining the lake.
The bus ride from Lugano to the town in Italy where we caught the Bernina express was a scenic adventure. A large bus on some very narrow roads. When we arrived, all the passengers joined in applauding the driver.
We were planning on picking up and dropping off the car in Lugano and taking a train or bus to Milan the morning of the 14th. Does anyone know if there is a strict rule or fee for taking a rental car out of country for a day or two?
I agree that taking buses and boats would be less of a hassle while in the area, but I'm thinking my husband wants to get a feel for "every day life" in addition to relaxing lakeside (i.e. seeing the shopping malls, grocery stores, driving the roads, cheap plane tickets canada and having the freedom to come and go as we please). He is interested in living in Campione.
The only reason I had us sleeping at a few different places around the area is because I get so nervous that we will hate the place I choose and be stuck there. Our budget is tight so the chances of us getting a great place isn't likely. Anyone ever heard of Hotel Montarina Backpackers Hostel? What about Ristorante le bucce di Gandria (it's a B B)?
The Ristorante le Bucce de Gandria (a share your toilet kind of place) is a great price and has good reviews, but I'm thinking that staying in Gandria more than one night would be boring? Maybe too out of the way? There is also a place in Morcote that looks great (more $$$) but is it too out of the way to make it a home base? Should I just stick to Lugano being our home base?
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