Como vs. Lugano
 

We are looking to spend two nights at either Lake Como or Lake Lugano to conclude our holiday. Prior to that, we are staying in Vienna (3 nights), Venice (3 nights) and Lake Garda (Desenzso/Sirmione) for two nights.
Our flight home departs at noon from Malpensa, so I'm guessing either Como or Lugano would work well. Which is the preferable location.

While I have never been to either Lake Como or Lake Lugano, I have been to Lake Garda and loved it. We stayed in Sirmione for a week over 15 years ago. Enjoy!!

They're both pleasant enough spots. Como struck me as the more tourist-centric of the two, with Lugano having a touristic section (the Lido) and a city-center section that wasn't focused mostly on tourists and tourism.

The two cities reflect their respective cultures: Como is a northern Italian city, with virtually everyone ultra-careful about their appearance and that amazing Italian capability of being intense and relaxed at the same time. Lugano reflects the impossible mix of cultures that you find in Ticino, the Italian-speaking province of Switzerland.

My opinion was that Como has Lugano beat for interesting restaurants and intangible charm (but that's surely a reflection of the respective cuisines - Italian/Swiss), while Lugano wins on all other counts, especially upscale-ness. You can make a case for going to either one; if I were taking 10 trips to the area choosing one or the other, I'd take Lugano for 7 or 8 of the trips, and Como the other 2 or 3.

I fully agree with with wideman. Both cities are nice although if you travel by train, Lugano might be more convenient, coggle wheel car between the station and the center. Another little train will bring you to Monte Brè, the sugar loaf of Lugano. Almost across from the Cartier shop there is a fabulous little café that serves some of the nicest pastries ever.
The big advantage, there are either direct buses to Malpensa Airport or almost every hour a train to Milan.

Either way, take a hydrofoil (aliscafo) to Bellagio on the lake...well worth it.

I second magexpect & wideman ... both are nice and not far away from each other.
If he has a car, and I think he has, I would add Ascona and Bellagio (recommended by ILoveEFD)

I have been in Desenzano (near Sirmione), and stayed twice in the Park Hotel, nice and not too expensive. Desenzano is (quite) nice, and you need a car to see the surroundings. And Verona!!!
This is a nice restaurant in Valeggio sul Mincio

I go to Lugano two or three times a year (mainly because my girlfriend has a villa there) and I love the city. Como, to tell the truth, doesn't do too much for me -- although its weekly bazaar is fascinating.

Just avoid the casino in Lugano - B O R I N G - but the nearby one at Campione d'Italia is definitely worth a visit. You can get there by car or by boat.

I will have a car for the trip, with the exception of a rail trip between Vienna and Venice. Has anyone had experience with this route?

Vienna-Venice is 9 hours by train. A second class ticket costs $99 and a first class ticket $113.

On the other hand, if you fly Austrian Airlines you can buy tickets for as little as Euro 99 (depending on how far in advance you purchase, if you have a Saturday night stay, etc.)

I haven't been to Como but here are our observations from a trip to Lugano in October, 2002, with lots of pictures that make me want to go back.

http://www.craftpeople.com/Lugano%20Up/lugano.html

It was pretty quiet- we just enjoyed the scenery and the atmosphere. I remember LOTS of jewelry stores with delectable merchandise and a few of the fabled Swiss banks. The slightly drab-looking church next to our hotel that had an inside festoooned with beautiful frescoes by one of Da Vinci's students was one of those wonderful travel surprises.

There's also a bus to MXP from Lugano. We didn't take that- the scenery from the train was memorable.

I assume your talking about RT airfare. We are only traveling one-way.