Lake Como site suggestions?
Hi there,
We're off to Lake Como for five days - arriving the start of June.
We previously posted that we were debating to stay on the Riva campsite - CMC - but as we're motorhomers, we've been advised it might be a little to isolated.
We're looking for campsite suggestions. Ideally we'd like to be somewhere where the location surroundings are beautiful and are close enough to some bars and transport links. We've seen some beautiful sites where you can sit overlooking the lakes, but they seem to be very busy with motorhomes tightly packed together! Also sites that are closer to everything, but are away from the lakes. Hoping that somebody knows of an in-between or an alternative suggestion.
We don't know too much about the area - places worth visiting etc yet, so for now only have enjoy the beauty and day trip to Milan on our list!
Many thanks and kind regards,
Michelle
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I can only go by my very old Club-published Touring Europe guide which has a recommendation for Camping Magic Lake at Dongo. Does your more recent copy of that guide have an up date for it?
If it helps you at all the route I would use to get to that site, or to your own choice of Camping Riva, would be to drive toll free from Calais via Lille and Luxembourg to Basel, then pay for a vignette to cross Switzerland from Basel to St Moritz (the Julier Pass is not threatening) and then to the northern tip of Lake Como from there. A spectacular approach.
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We stayed at Camping Riva in 2016 with our caravan. We have since changed to a motorhome so understand some of your concerns. However, from our little experience of travelling around Lake Como with the car, we quickly realised that there are few, if any, sites with direct access to the lake itself. Most of the "shore" is almost cliff-like with private villas built up to the water line and best observed from a boat on the lake. Access to the waters edge is mostly only available in towns or villages and then generally at quay sides, cafe's or restaurants.
The great thing with Riva was the ability to sit on the lakeside on your pitch, and swim in the lake (including with our dog). There is a wide lawned area just outside the back gate of the site, and a flat, paved path that goes into the village of Sorico, just under a mile away. Here you will find a couple of cafe's and a small store. You can drive and park your motorhome to the nearest "superstore" at Fuentes, about 4 miles away.
There was also a bus service, which is probably easier than trying to drive a motorhome around some of the narrow streets in the lake-side villages!
As for getting there, we stayed as part of a "circular trip" and had entered Italy via the Fejus Tunnel from France and then taking the SS36 dual carriageway up the eastern side of the lake from Lecco. Although mostly in tunnels, the SS36 was easy to use at the end of a long day driving.
Como is a beautiful lake, and we hope you have a lovely time wherever you choose to stay.
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We have stayed at Magic Lake which is a small attractive site on the lake side. Pitches are not large as is usual for Italy but well laid out (have a look on Google earth). Dongo is a short walk away and has small supermarkets and shops but is not very interesting. We were there in May, did not book and got the last pitch on the grassy bit near reception. Welcoming staff were happy to turn the watersports equipment out of the disabled bathroom! Ideal place for using the lake. I think there is a ferry dock in Dongo but the weather was so hot we stayed put and moved on after 4 days as it was, for us, a bit boring.
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As caravanners, we went to the area and used Camping Village Riviera which we would not recommend unless it has improved a lot since 2014.
Rivabella on the opposite bank (near Lecco, not on Como itself looked better when we visited.
Spiaggia (as I remember) had a tremendous drop from the main road that I am sure we would have had great difficulty with a caravan.
Sites are nowhere near as numerous as Garda and IOHO, don't expect very high standards - we used our own facilities, again, unless something has changed (let us know!)
On a lighter note, potential places to visit which we enjoyed a lot were:
Como (look for the "cheap" (nothing is that cheap) speedboat trip on the lake and ice cream.
Bellagio, ice cream and there's something about it.
Mandello del Lario for the Moto Guzzi museum if you are into bikes but check opening times.
Varenna, just a nice town, each has it's own features and ice cream (can you see a theme developing?)
There are ferries that can get you round the lake without the need to drive.
TBH, 5 days wouldn't be enough for us but we still prefer Garda (Camping Sirmione), Enjoy!
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Hi, think I posted re your question about Riva but have not been on CT for a while so missed this.
A lovely site, Camping Rannochio, that we stayed at, near Como, may be suitable.It was at Pianno Porlezza and is alongside a small lake that is part of a nature reserve and has a small pool, bar and restaurant.
Its an ACSI site and is €18 in 2020.
There is a supermarket only a mile or so away and I think a bus stop near the access road to the site for transport into Menaggio from where you can get a boat to nearby Varenna and Bellagio etc.
It was at the time a family run site and we really enjoyed our time there with the only negative being the very narrow access roads from Lugano but this has been improved with the building of a tunnel.
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