I spent six weeks exploring northern Italy by train, car, ferry and bus, visiting countless cities, towns and beautiful spots. One of my favourite weeks was the one spent lakeside at Lake Como. I based myself in Como, the biggest town on this gorgeous lake which attracts tourists from all over the world - including the likes of George Clooney!
Known for its iconic wooden water boats, shorefront villas and glitzy hotels, and idyllic little villages, Lake Como is not to be missed on your northern Italian holiday.
Lake Como, shaped like an upside-down "Y" is the deepest lake in Europe - outside of Norway which has the four deepest lakes on the continent - and it's seriously massive. A week here was barely enough to cover everything I wanted to see and do.
→ Check out my complete guide to visiting the other northern Italian lake, Lake Garda!
Read on to discover my complete guide to Lake Como: how to get here, how to get around, where to stay, and absolutely everything I got up to during my week in this beautiful northern Italian destination!
By flight: The closest airport to Como is Milan-Malpensa from where you can catch the Malpensa Express to Saronno and then transfer by train to Como, a journey which takes about an hour in total.
By car: The easiest way to reach Lake Como is by car so you can easily access your destination as well as drive around the lake at your own pace.
By train: You can reach Lake Como by train. The two main train stations servicing Lake Como are both in the town of Como, serviced by TrenNord.
By day tour: While researching Lake Como, I also found many day tours available from nearby cities such as Milan, which then also include transport to and from the lake - however, I really don't think one day at Lake Como is nearly enough and strongly recommend basing yourself here for a while to properly enjoy the area.
The easiest way to explore Lake Como - which is HUGE - is with your own car. There is a main road which circumnavigates the entire upside-down-"Y"-shaped lake, allowing you to stop whenever and wherever you want along the way at different view points and destinations.
Using public transport, you can travel around Lake Como by public bus. While you won't have quite as much freedom as you would with a car, the public bus is well-connected around the lake.
→ Check out the Lake Como bus schedules and routes.
One of the most popular ways to explore Lake Como is of course on the water. You can hire a private water taxi, but be warned, these come in at a hefty price. Instead, you can take the Lake Como public ferry! I never actually got to take it - it was fully booked out, so you absolutely must book the Lake Como ferries well in advance for the dates you wish to travel.
Given the sheer size of the lake, there are obviously countless places to stay at Lake Como. Known as quite a ritzy holiday destination in Italy, you won't be hard-pressed to find a luxurious hotel on the waterfront oozing with glitz. If you want an upmarket stay (think honeymoon!), then I can highly recommend the Grand Hotel Tremezzo. I didn't stay here but I did have an afternoon alcohol-free aperetif here and the service and lakefront location were spectacular.
If you're a bit more on a budget like me, and are staying a bit longer and want that feeling of "home" instead of a hotel, I can really recommend Casa Breva, which I booked for my five nights on the lake. This apartment was based in central Como, just steps from the train station and all the highlights of the town, making it the perfect base to explore Lake Como. Plus, with two bedrooms and a full kitchen and living space, it felt like home away from home and I could really spread out and feel at ease.
Image via Booking.com
Lake Como is massive and with so many towns to stop in at along the way, there are also countless food and dining options. Here is where we ate and drank as we explored Lake Como:
Gelato
Il Gelato di Zoe - Argegno
Pasticceria Castelli - Bellagio
Gelateria Riva Varenna - Varenna
Brunch & Drinks
Brunch at California Bakery - Lugano, Switzerland
Mocktails at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo - Tremezzo
Lunch & Dinner
Not photographed, but just as delicious:
→ Six-course vegetarian dinner at Il Torchio in Lecco
→ Sushi at Bubo Dimsum & Sushi Club in Locarno, Switzerland
→ Lebanese food at Hommus Lebanese in Como
Cannelloni at La Fontana - Bellagio
Pizza at ALMA Bistro - Varenna
There are so many towns, hikes, viewpoints and places to see and things to eat all around Lake Como, as well as so many great day trips nearby. This is why I wholeheartedly recommend staying a week here so you can truly enjoy all the things there are to see. We spent four full days exploring Lake Como:
- A drive around the complete outside route of the lake
- A day trip to Switzerland to visit Locarno, the Balcon d'Italia and the Ponte dei Salti
- A day in Varenna to visit the villas
- A drive along the inner route of the lake and visiting Bellagio
Drive around the outside of the entire Lake Como
On our first full day at Lake Como, we drove around the entire outside route starting and ending in Como, which is about a 145km drive. This gave us the perfect opportunity to get the lay of the land, understand just how big the lake really is (...massive!) and spot some cool things along the way.
Our outer lake driving route
Spot George Clooney's Villa
The Villa Oleandra is probably the grandest villa on a lake that is all about villas - the crème de la crème you could say. If you happen to opt for a boat tour of Lake Como, this villa is always included. George and Amal Clooney call the Villa Oleandra their Lake Como home and we were surprised at how lowkey and chill their neighbourhood is!
A closer look
Take in the lake views from Cappella Comitti
Not a major attraction in itsef, but we stumbled upon this cute chapel as we drove through Brienno and stopped to stretch our legs and take in the view of the lake.
Grab a gelato in Argegno
This adorable little lakeside town was the perfect pitstop to stretch our legs, take some cute photos and grab a delicious dragonfruit gelato from Il Gelato di Zoe.
Watch the sunset on the road near Fiumelatte
Admittedly, I can't remember exactly where this little stone ledge was; it was one of those small pullouts off the side of the road somewhere near Varenna and Fiumelatte at sunset. If you have time, do the short hike up to Baluardo di Varenna.
Watch the sunset over Lecco
We left behind Fiumelatte and caught the final colours of the day glowing over Lecco before we had dinner at Il Torchio.
Spend a day exploring the villas of Varenna
One of my favourite days while at Lake Como was our day spent in Varenna. Varenna is based on the western side of Lake Como, sort of nestled right in the middle of the upside-down Y shape of the lake, right where the two legs split off.
Varenna is a very popular destination thanks to the two beautiful villas and gardens that are open for visiting here. It's the perfect spot for a little day trip from wherever you are based around the lake. I wouldn't recommend staying here as it is quite busy and you might not find it super relaxing. Plus, a day is plenty to see Varenna.
→ Check out my detailed guide to visiting Villa Monastero and Villa Cipressi in Varenna!
Villa Monastero
Villa Cipressi
Drive the inner route of Lake Como
Much like our first day driving the entire outside route, another day, we drove the inner route, thus completing our full circumnavigation of Lake Como and seeing as much as possible. This route was just under 80km.
Explore Bellagio
Right on the tip of the lake, where the two arms of the "Y" meet, you'll find Bellagio. While there were definitely some pretty bits, we found Bellagio to be super touristy and really busy, even at the very tail end of September. So we had lunch here at La Fontana and grabbed a gelato at Pasticceria Castelli, but other than that didn't do much.
If you have a spare day, you might want to stop by - there is a ferry terminal right in town - but it wasn't my fav moment of Lake Como.
Ride the Como-Brunate Funicular
Operating since 1894, this funicular line connects Como with Brunate up on the hill and for the (current price) of €6 per person, you can ride for approximately seven minutes up a 55% grade to reach the best viewpoint overlooking the town of Como.
While we were staying in Como, we did a day trip to Switzerland to visit some gorgeous spots. Here is the itinerary we followed:
→ Drove high up to take in the incredible lake views from the Balcon d'Italia.
→ Had pancake brunch at the California Bakery in Lugano.
→ Visited the seriously fairytale-like Ponte dei Salti in Lavertezzo.
→ Had dinner at Bubo Dimsum & Sushi Club in Locarno.
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
