Out and about

 Villa Carlotta

Lovely iconic sightseeing destination right on the lake in the mid-lake area, south of Menaggio.  Airy and cool villa that you can walk around and admire the art - there are wonderful sculptures by Bellini.  Don't miss the view from the balcony on (I think) the first floor.  The botanical gardens are wonderful and many parts are shady.  There's a nice bar/cafe in the old glasshouse.

The Little Tremezzino train

This is the sightseeing 'train' that runs between Menaggio and Lenno, all day, every day, and makes a nice alternative to the public bus. You can hop on and off on the same ticket.  Here's the link to the website:

http://www.trombettaexpress.com/packages/menaggio-lenno/index.html

Lenno

Lenno is an interesting village to visit, especially on a Tuesday when the market is strung all along the lakeside promenade.  Get there on the C10.  On the main square you find the medieval baptistery on one side and the church on the other.  If you go into the church don't miss the steps down into the crypt - it's like another world. 

Il Golfo is a very nice cafe/bar next to the lake, and it's a pleasant walk along the bay, a different perspective on the lake because Lenno is sited on a bay next to a large promontory.  You can walk along the promontory to visit Villa Balbianello (famous film location), or take a water taxi.  It's also a main stop for the ferries up and down the lake.

Information about the ferries

This is the official website: https://www.navigazionelaghi.it/en/

Dongo

Very historical place north of San Siro, because it's where Mussolini was captured and where several of his entourage were shot on the lakeside.  It's the home of the Museum of the End of the War https://www.museofineguerradongo.it/?lingua=en which is located inside the Municipio (Town Hall) on the main square.  Definitely worth a visit and cheap!   There's a lot of information but it's quite immersive. 

Hypermarket

On the bus, past the main village centre of Dongo the road bends round to the left then right again and crosses the river.  Four or five stops after the main square, you reach the new Iperal hypermarket, on the right. You can't miss it. 

Porlezza and Cascata di Begna

Porlezza is the town at the Menaggio end of Lake Lugano.  You can get there on the C12 Lugano bus and then if you want to go to the waterfall you could get an Uber from Porlezza to Begna, the village where the walk starts from.   The nice trattoria we went to there is Trattoria della Vigna (not open on Mondays).

You could walk back down to Porlezza from Begna.