46.00° N · 9.27° E
A glacial lake shaped like an inverted Y at the foot of the Alps, with villas and gardens on its shore. Here you travel by boat: the ferry links Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio in a quarter of an hour.
Part of Italian LakesAlpsFilm locations
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Public ferry between Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Cadenabbia, 10 to 30 minutes per hop; all year, from €3 a trip.
FAI villa and garden at the tip of the Lavedo promontory, in Lenno, with compulsory reservation; garden €15 and guided villa €25.
11.2 km signposted path along the west shore, from Colonno to Griante, among villas and villages; about 3 h 30 and return by boat or C10 bus.
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
April, May, September and October: gardens in flower or autumn light, frequent boats and fewer people than in August. In winter there are fewer boats and villas such as Balbianello open only on some days.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Lake Como is best done without a car. Trenord regional trains run from Milan to Como Lago in an hour and to Varenna-Esino in a little over an hour, and from the jetties the public Navigazione Laghi boat links Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio in a quarter of an hour. The shore roads are narrow and parking in the central villages is expensive.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
With children of different ages the lake works if the boat is the plan and not the chore: journeys of 10 to 30 minutes, a village, an ice cream and another boat. The routes are done in pieces and there is always a quay or a bus to get back.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: 1896 Liberty-style hotel facing the Varenna jetty, five minutes' walk from the station: 20 rooms, its own restaurant, open February to October.
Why we like it: Three-star hotel on Piazza Mazzini in Bellagio, beside the jetty, run by the same family since the 19th century; wisteria terrace over the lake.
Why we like it: Hostel with a 24-hour bar on Como's lakefront, two minutes from the jetties: dormitories and private rooms with bathroom, a kitchen and a garden.
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: the lake antipasto and the riso in cagnone with perch fillet, or the grilled agoni.
What to order: the mixed lake-fish antipasto and the perch risotto, the house dish.
What to order: the pumpkin risotto (for two), the trout ravioli or the lake fish guazzetto with riso in cagnone.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
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Tips
From Varenna, Bellagio or Menaggio you reach everything by boat. From Como each excursion begins with an hour on the boat.
Before nine the quays are quiet and the light is better for photos.
At the Orrido di Bellano they give you a discount if you show it.
Narrow roads, jams in summer and expensive parking. The boat takes less time between Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio.
Fly to Milan: Malpensa, Linate or Bergamo. From Milan regional trains leave for Como, at the southern tip of the lake, and for Varenna, on the eastern shore in the middle. If you're going to sleep in Bellagio, Varenna or Menaggio, the train to Varenna and a 15-minute boat leave you at any of the three without touching the car.
By boat. Navigazione Laghi, the public company, has slow and fast boats from Como to Colico and a ferry that runs the triangle in the middle (Bellagio, Cadenabbia, Varenna and Menaggio) all year round, from early morning to night in summer. The shore roads are narrow and jam in summer; parking in the villages in the middle is expensive and difficult. For day-to-day, the one-day free-travel ticket pays for itself with three trips.
Villa del Balbianello always requires a reservation, with a limited quota. The seaplane, kayak and water taxis are booked too. The public boat isn't: you buy the ticket on the quay. In July and August accommodation in Bellagio and Varenna fills up months ahead and the quays have queues by mid-morning.
In Bellagio, La Punta, on the promontory where the lake's three arms meet, has served perch, agoni and missoltini since 1963 and is open every day from 11:30 to 22:00. In Varenna, the Locanda Cavallino, opposite the quay, has perch risotto and outdoor tables, from February to October. In the hills above Como, the Crotto del Sergente is an osteria serving local cooking that closes only on Wednesdays. Order lake fish: perch, lavarello, agoni and trout.
In Varenna, the Hotel Olivedo, an Art Nouveau house from 1896 opposite the quay and five minutes from the train, is open from February to October. In Bellagio, the Hotel Florence, a three-star on the quay square with a wisteria terrace, from €190 a night. In Como, the Ostello Bello has dormitories and private rooms two minutes from the boats.
Questions
Two or three nights: one day for the Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio triangle, another for the western shore with Balbianello and the Greenway, and half a day for Como and Brunate.
In Varenna, which has a train station and a quay, or in Bellagio and Menaggio, a short boat ride from Varenna.
Yes. The ferry in the middle runs all year and the Orrido di Bellano opens daily in November. There are fewer boats and villas such as Balbianello open only on some days in December and January.
Yes, if you plan it by boat: the journeys are short, they like the Orrido di Bellano and the Brunate funicular, and the Greenway is done in stretches. Don't bring a pushchair for the Greenway or the path to Balbianello.
Yes. Villa del Balbianello, for example, costs €15 for the garden alone and €25 with the villa, and you have to book.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/lombardy/lake-como
