Italian Lakes: Como or Maggiore?

[ElephantsEye]

Been to Garda / Verona/ Venice before.
Have already booked flights to Milan (Malpensa).
Want to spend about a week relaxing then spend 2-3 days in Milan (for the Duomo etc) before we fly back.
We don't plan to hire a car, instead we plan to take a train from Milan to our chosen Lake, then walk / hire bikes / use ferries. We don't want a resort hotel. We like to get to know the local area, visit markets, explore the local area, soak up the local culture etc.
We are going to be there towards the end of September.
All suggestions and comments welcome.

We stayed here on Lake Como a couple of years ago. It was lovely! Owned by a young couple with kids. We had one of the dependance rooms and the view was to die for. Good breakfast and you could buy drinks snacks to have by the pool. 5 mins walk to the ferry stop and restaurants. Bellagio is just across the lake and the Villa Balbianello (in Star Wars/James Bond) is really stunning. There is a little tourist train that runs up and down that side of the lake. We had a car, but left it in their underground car park and got about by ferry.

Wow, that hotel looks beautiful! Fully booked for our week - shame.

There is another big hotel in Tremezzo, right on the lake. Bellagio is really beautiful or there are couple of nice looking places at Lenno.

If you want the 'authentic' experience then I can recommend the western side of Maggiore, which is much less posh and touristy than the eastern side. We stayed in a little village called Ghiffa, near the main town of Verbania/Intra. It's very much an authentic place where people live year round rather than a holiday resort, and the restaurants reflect that. I can recommend La Canfora in Ghiffa, also a lovely old place in the hills in a deserted monastery called S.S.Trinita (reservations def needed, as the old guy doesn't open otherwise). Caffe Bolongara in Verbania is also nice, right on the lakefront. Speaking some Italian helps with all the above.

There are the obligatory boat trips round the lake and some lovely walks in the hills around. Can't recommend any hotels as we were staying with acquaintances. On the way out we took the Alibus directly from Malpensa (took about 90 mins), but instead I would recommend what we did on the way back - get a bus into the centre of Milan, have a quick look around there and a bite to eat, then get a train straight to Verbania.

We were at Lake Como earlier this summer . Very tranquil compared to Garda and Maggiore , less commercialised and activity orientated , but still similar boat/bus to get around. Lovely villas and gardens to walk around. Mixture of traditional "grand" style of hotel and smaller establishments, dotted long the lakeside.

Maggiore- the most beautiful place I have ever been to

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions - enough there for several holidays.

Hayleyh34 - a colleague chose Maggiore for her wedding and says exactly the same!

I thought Maggiore was beautiful but Lake Bled beats it hand down.

Unfortunately, we found neither the friendliest places we've ever been so not sure we'd go again.