Lake Como Guide: Bellagio, Varenna, Villas, Ferries and When to Go

Lake Como is the most beautiful of the Italian lakes: a long, deep, mountain-ringed lake an hour north of Milan, its shores lined with pastel villages, grand 18th- and 19th-century villas and terraced gardens that run down to the water. Most people come for the “golden triangle” of Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio, linked by ferries across the middle of the lake, and for the gardens of Villa del Balbianello and Villa Carlotta. This guide covers the best things to do on Lake Como, each of the main towns, how to get there from Milan, how the ferries work, where to stay, the weather month by month and how many days to spend.

Where is Lake Como?

Lake Como (Lago di Como, also called Lario) is in Lombardy, about 50 km north of Milan, close to the Swiss border. It’s shaped like an upside-down Y: the city of Como sits at the bottom of the south-western arm, Lecco at the bottom of the south-eastern arm, and the two meet at the point of Bellagio, with the single northern arm running up towards the Alps.

It’s about 46 km long but rarely more than 4 km wide, and it’s one of the deepest lakes in Europe, at around 400 m. The mountains rise steeply from the water, which is why the villages cling to the shore and why the best way to see the lake is from a boat.

The heart of the lake for visitors is the centre, where Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and the Tremezzina villages face each other across the water, 10 to 20 minutes apart by ferry.

The main towns on Lake Como

Bellagio

• The point of the lake
• Ferry hub

The “pearl of the lake”, on the tip of the promontory where the three arms meet. Steep stepped lanes of shops and cafés climb from the waterfront, and the gardens of Villa Melzi run along the shore just south of town. The park of Villa Serbelloni on the hill above can be visited on guided walks. Busy by day, lovely in the evening once the day-trippers have gone. There’s no train: you arrive by boat or by a winding road.

Varenna

• East shore
• Train station

A small, very pretty fishing village of colourful houses stacked above a tiny harbour, with a lakeside walkway (the Passeggiata degli Innamorati) and the terraced gardens of Villa Monastero. Walk up to the ruined Castello di Vezio for one of the best views on the lake. Varenna has a station on the Milan line, so it’s the easiest base without a car.

Menaggio

• West shore
• Walking and day trips

A lively, practical town on the west shore with a long lakefront promenade, a pretty old centre and a lido. It’s the best base for walking in the hills behind, and the road west leads to Lugano in Switzerland, about 30 minutes’ drive away.

Tremezzina

• West shore
• Villas and gardens

The string of villages between Menaggio and Colonno, including Tremezzo, Lenno and Ossuccio, is home to Villa Carlotta, Villa del Balbianello and the lake’s only island, Isola Comacina. The Greenway del Lago di Como, a signposted walk of about 10 km, links them along the shore.

Como town

• South-west tip
• City and connections

A handsome walled city with a marble Duomo, lakeside villas and a long silk-making history. Ride the funicular to Brunate for views over the lake towards the Alps. Como has the best train links to Milan and is the start of the ferry routes up the lake.

The northern lake

• Quieter
• Sailing and windsurfing

Above the centre the lake widens and the villages, such as Gravedona, Domaso and Dongo, are quieter and less polished. The afternoon breezes make it the lake’s sailing and windsurfing area, and the Romanesque Piona Abbey sits on a peninsula near Colico.

Things to do on Lake Como

Villa del Balbianello. The most photographed villa on the lake, on a wooded headland near Lenno, with terraced gardens, a loggia and clipped plane trees above the water. It has been used as a film set more than once. It belongs to the FAI (Italy’s National Trust), opens daily from mid-March except on Mondays and Wednesdays, and you need to book. Arrive by taxi boat from Lenno or walk the path of about 1 km from the Lenno lakefront.

Villa Carlotta. A grand villa at Tremezzo with a museum of neoclassical sculpture and painting and large botanical gardens stepping down to the lake. Come from mid-April to May, when the azaleas and rhododendrons are in flower. The ferries stop right outside.

Bellagio’s gardens. Walk the lakeside gardens of Villa Melzi, then take a guided walk through the park of Villa Serbelloni on the hill above the town.

Varenna and the Castello di Vezio. Follow the lakeside walkway, visit the gardens of Villa Monastero, then climb the old mule track to the castle for the view over the centre of the lake.

• Take a boat out. Hop between the villages by ferry, or hire a private boat with a skipper for a few hours to see the villas from the water, including those you can’t visit.
• Isola Comacina. The lake’s only island, opposite Ossuccio, has the ruins of early medieval churches and is reached by a short boat ride from Sala Comacina or Ossuccio.
• Walk. The Greenway through the Tremezzina is easy and flat-ish; the Sentiero del Viandante, an old path along the east shore, is longer and hillier, and can be done in sections between villages on the train line.
• Brunate. Take the funicular up from Como to the village of Brunate, then walk up to the lighthouse for views over the lake and, on clear days, to the Alps.
• Swim. There are lidos (lakeside pools and beaches) in many of the villages, including Menaggio, Bellagio and Varenna. The water is cold until June.
• Cookery and wine. Take a cooking class in a village kitchen, or taste Valtellina wines from the valley above the lake.

What to eat on Lake Como

The local food is lake fish and mountain cooking. Look for risotto with perch (risotto con pesce persico), the classic dish, with fillets of perch fried in butter and sage on top; lavarello, a delicate whitefish, grilled or in butter; and missoltini, shad that is salted and dried in the sun, then grilled and served with polenta.

From the valleys above come polenta, cured bresaola and pizzoccheri, buckwheat pasta baked with cabbage, potato and cheese. The local wines are the reds of the nearby Valtellina, made from nebbiolo.

Restaurants range from simple lakeside trattorie to formal dining rooms in the grand villa hotels. Book ahead for a waterside table on summer evenings.

Best time to visit Lake Como

The best time to visit Lake Como is from April to June and in September. In April and May the gardens are at their best, with camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons, and temperatures in the high teens and low 20s°C. June is warm and the lake is swimmable by the end of the month. July and August are hot, around 28°C, and the busiest months: book well ahead, expect crowded ferries and occasional thunderstorms. September is still warm, with fewer people and calmer water, and October brings autumn colour on the hills. From November to March it’s quiet and often misty; many hotels close, ferries run a reduced winter timetable and some villas shut, but the snow-capped mountains are beautiful on clear days.

Average daily high and low and monthly rainfall around Bellagio, 10-year ERA5 data. Rain in summer usually comes as short afternoon storms.

How to get to Lake Como from the UK and Milan

Flights: fly from the UK to Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate or Bergamo, about 2 hours from London. Malpensa is the closest to Como town, about an hour by road; Linate and Bergamo are better placed for Varenna and the east shore. A private transfer straight to your hotel is the easiest option, especially for Bellagio.

Milan to Varenna by train: regional trains from Milano Centrale on the line to Tirano take about an hour to Varenna-Esino, with frequent departures. From Varenna, ferries cross to Bellagio and Menaggio in 10 to 20 minutes.

Milan to Como by train: trains from Milano Centrale to Como San Giovanni, or from Milano Cadorna to Como Nord Lago by the lake, take about 40 minutes to an hour. From Como, ferries run up the lake to the centre.

By car: the lakeside roads are narrow and slow, and parking in the villages is hard in summer. A car is useful for the northern lake and for trips into Switzerland, but most visitors are happier without one.

Lake Como ferries and getting around

The public ferries run by Navigazione Laghi are the best way to get around. In the centre of the lake, frequent boats (including a car ferry) link Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Cadenabbia in 10 to 20 minutes, so you can visit all three in a day. Slower boats call at most villages up and down the lake, and faster boats run between Como and the centre, saving about half the time. Timetables are fuller from spring to autumn and reduced in winter; check the last boat back if you’re going out to dinner across the water.

Buy a day ticket for the centre of the lake if you plan to hop between villages. Taxis and private boats fill the gaps, and on the east shore the train is handy for walking sections of the Sentiero del Viandante.

Where to stay on Lake Como

The lake has everything from grand 19th-century villa hotels with lakeside pools and gardens to small family-run places in the villages and private villas for groups. For a first visit, stay in the centre (Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio or Tremezzo) so that the ferries do the work; for a longer stay, split your time between the centre and Como or Cernobbio. Tell us your style and we’ll match the right hotel.

Day trips from Lake Como

• Milan. An easy day by train: the cathedral and its roof terraces, the Galleria and Leonardo’s Last Supper (book well ahead).
• Lugano. The lakeside Swiss city is about 30 minutes’ drive from Menaggio.
• The Bernina Express. Take the train from Varenna up the Valtellina to Tirano, then the red Bernina Express over the Alps to St Moritz, one of the great Alpine rail journeys. It’s a long day; you can also stay a night in St Moritz.
• Lake Lugano and Lake Maggiore. Lake Maggiore’s Borromean Islands make a full day out; combine them with Lake Como on a two-lake trip.
• Bergamo. The walled upper town (Città Alta), reached by funicular, is about an hour from Lecco.

Lake Como or Lake Garda?

See our Lake Garda holidays and where to stay on Lake Garda if you’re choosing between the two.

How many days on Lake Como? Sample routes

Three nights is the minimum to see the centre of the lake and the villas without rushing; four or five lets you walk, take a boat out and add a day trip. Many people combine the lake with Milan, Venice or the other lakes.

Our tailor-made team can build any of these, with flights, transfers, ferries and rail. See Italy holidays for more ideas, or browse our escorted tours of Italy.

Practical tips

• Entry: Italy is in the Schengen area, so British visitors can stay up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa. Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before you arrive and be valid for at least 3 months after you leave. Under the EU’s Entry/Exit System you may have your fingerprints and photo taken at the border. Check the FCDO Italy advice before you go.
• Book ahead: Villa del Balbianello needs a booking, as do lakeside restaurant tables and hotels in July and August.
• Tourist tax: towns around the lake charge a small nightly tax, paid at your hotel.
• Pack light: lanes in Bellagio and Varenna are steep and stepped, and you’ll be carrying bags onto boats.
• Last boats: evening ferries stop earlier than you might expect, especially outside summer. Check before you cross for dinner.
• Out of season: from November to March many hotels and some villas close; Como town and Varenna stay the liveliest.

Frequently asked questions

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• Where to stay on Lake Garda
• Best hotels on Lake Garda
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