The best things to do in Lake Como, Italy

Last update : 03/09/2023

You want to visit Lake Como in Italy and are wondering how to organize this trip? Today on our travel blog, we’d like you to discover our complete itinerary for a few days on the lake. Traveling in Italy is something we love, and we have to admit that Lake Como was a huge crush for us. In this article, we invite you to discover the most beautiful villages on Lake Como, as well as our top addresses for restaurants and must-see spots. Trust us, you’ll love your vacation on Lake Como. Come on, let’s go and experience the dolce vita!

Summary

How to get around Lake Como

Before we start listing our top addresses and must-sees to visit on Lake Como, we wanted to let you know about the easiest way to get around the lake. To visit this place easily, we recommend you travel by ferry. Each village has its own landing stage, and several trips are available every day to reach the lake’s must-see villages. Tickets are fairly affordable (€4.60 per person per trip), and an unlimited day pass is also available. This pays for itself after 4 crossings. Once you’re there, you’ll notice that the ferry times and routes are not very clearly indicated. Don’t hesitate to ask the ticket office for the time and pier of your destination!

Note that you can even take your car with you if you need to. As far as we were concerned, we managed to find a free parking space at the entrance to Bellagio, so our car didn’t move throughout our stay on the lake.

Visiting Lake Como, where to sleep?

To make the most of your visit to Lake Como, we recommend staying in one of the villages bordering the lake. We’d just advise you to avoid Como, which is the largest city. It’s often favored by travelers, and ferry queues can quickly become interminable during the summer months. For our part, we chose to sleep in Bellagio, which is a very central village. But the village of Varenna may also be a good option!

The most beautiful hotels on Lake Como

To help you find where to sleep on Lake Como, we suggest you discover our selection of the best hotels on Lake Como. Don’t hesitate to check it out before your next trip to Italy.

See our selection

Visiting Lake Como, what to do? Our itinerary

Visit Varenna

We start our itinerary for visiting Lake Como with our favorite village, Varenna. In our opinion, it’s impossible to visit Lake Como without passing through Varenna. The village has everything we love about Italy… Colorful little houses nestled in narrow streets with trattorias and ice cream parlors. Don’t miss the gardens of Villa Monestero when you’re in the village. You’ll find all our must-sees and good addresses on our travel blog in the article dedicated to Varenna.

Varenna must-sees

Visit Bellagio

Located just a twenty-minute ferry ride from Varenna, we suggest continuing your visit with the famous village of Bellagio. It’s a charming village with some very fine restaurants. When visiting the heart of the village, don’t miss the Salita Serbelloni and the Piazza Della Chiesa. And don’t forget to take time to explore the gardens of Villa Melzi d’Eril. You’ll find the list of must-see spots and our good addresses on the article dedicated to Bellagio on our travel blog.

Must-sees in Bellagio

Visit Lenno and Villa del Balbianello

Still wondering what to do on Lake Como? Go and visit the Villa del Balbianello in the small village of Lenno. The village itself offers nothing exceptional, but it is home to one of our most beautiful discoveries of the lake, Villa Balbianello. You can’t visit Lake Como without going there! We found it a magical place, and it’s not for nothing that Villa Balbianello has been the location for legendary films such as Stars Wars and James Bond. Believe us, you won’t regret your visit. For all the practical information you need about Villa Balbianello, we invite you to read our full article.

Villa del Balbianello

Visit Tremezzo

If you still have time on your trip, feel free to stop by Tremezzo after your visit to Lenno. A 5-minute ferry ride will take you from Lenno to Tremezzo. In Tremezzo you’ll find one of the most beautiful villas on Lake Como, namely the Villa Carlota. Located to the north of the village, this villa is well worth a visit! If your budget allows, don’t hesitate to have a drink or a meal at Tremezzo’s Grand Hotel. The terrace is really beautiful with a view of its swimming pool suspended over the lake.

How to get to Lake Como in Italy

By car from Milan

Allow 1h30 by car to reach Varenna or Bellagio from Milan. If you’d like to rent a car while you’re in Lake Como, we recommend taking a look at the RentalCars website. This will enable you to find the best prices and conditions for your rental. Just one word of advice if you’re coming to Italy by car: watch out for ZTL zones and orange parking spaces, which are zones authorized for residents only. The best places to park are those with white markings, but these are very rare. Otherwise, park in the blue-marked pay spaces;

View cars

By train from Milan

The lake is easily reached by train from Milan’s central station. Allow 1 hour on average on weekdays to make the journey to Varenna. The return fare is €14. If you’re planning to visit Lake Como by train from Milan, we advise you to take your accommodation in Varenna, which is directly accessible from Milan by train.

See the trains