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4 days in

LAKE COMO

Ahhh, Lake Como. Land of outrageously majestic Villas and the Aperol Spritz. It has the perfect combination of relaxing, exploring, and of course plenty to eat & drink. Be sure to enjoy some time out on the water in between adventures to the tiny towns, and don't forget to snap some pictures of the stunning sunsets that occur every night as the sun reflects on the lake from behind the mountains.

GETTING THERE & GETTING AROUND

From the Milan airport, you can either take the train to the city of Como, rent a car, or hire a private driver through your hotel.

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BY TRAIN: ​

  • The train to Como leaves from Milan Centrale Station (you'll need to take a train from the airport to Centrale which takes about 50 minutes or so and tickets cost around $15. From Milan Centrale, trains to Como leave about every 20-30 minutes or so and tickets can be easily purchased at the kiosks at the station. Once you arrive in Como at Como San Giovanni station you can grab a taxi or take the bus to get to your hotel, depending on where you are staying.

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BY CAR: ​​

  • After the long flight, we opted for a driver to pick us up directly from the airport to take us directly to our hotel (which we arranged through our hotel.) It took about 50 minutes to get to the city of Como and another 20 to get to our hotel and cost about $150. With suitcases in tow, I highly recommend this option as it was painless and cut probably 2 hours off the trip had we done it by train.

  • Some people visiting Lake Como rent a car to get around more easily. If you go this route, you'll want to confirm your hotel has parking as it seemed very hard to come by and you should also be very comfortable with narrow roads and hairpin turns - we opted for the combination of busses, ferries, and taxis while we were there so we didn't have to worry about the hassle of a car.

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BY BUS & FERRY: ​​

  • As long as you're ok traveling mainly between 8-5pm, the bus system was cheap, reliable, and efficient. There are stops on the main road likely within a couple blocks of where you're staying, and Google maps had accurate time tables to help plan your trip. You can buy tickets right on board.

  • The ferries run less frequently and mainly go between the major towns with minimal stops in between. They are especially helpful when trying to get to the other side of the lake from where you're staying, but you'll want to look up the timetables and plan carefully so you don't get stranded. Google was fairly accurate but our hotel was more helpful in providing a timetable map for that time of year (late September) and showing us the nearest dock for pick up.

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WHERE TO STAY

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Lake Como is made of a million little tiny towns (THE CUTEST), but is notably difficult to get around. Since we were on our honeymoon, we splurged on our hotel and it was hands down one of the most beautiful hotels I've ever stayed in. We had to reach out to the hotel directly nearly 6 months beforehand to book a room, and if this is a "treat yourself" trip I would highly recommend staying at Villa Lario. 

 

The city of Como is worth visiting during the day or for a nice dinner, but if you came to Lake Como for the beautiful views of the water and the towns around it, you'd be missing out if you stay here.

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Check out hotel options on the East side of the Lake.

 

While Villa Lario was BEAUTIFUL, it was very secluded. If you're looking for a more wallet-friendly and easier to get to option - I'd suggest staying on the ​East side of the lake as roads are less narrow, the towns less spread out, and the hotel options plentiful. While exploring all of the towns, we absolutely fell in love with Menaggio and all the towns around it. Bellagio and Varenna are easily accessible for day trips via Ferry from this side of the lake and aren't worth the hassle to stay in IMO.

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Because our hotel wasn't in a main town, we ate dinner at Villa Lario's restaurant most nights (the busses stop running around 5 or 6 pm and if you don't plan dinner transportation in advance you could get stranded!) 

ITINERARY

Had we come a bit earlier in the Summer, we definitely could have spent a couple of extra days in the sun on Lake Como, but as the weather started to cool off, 4-5 days felt like the perfect amount to balance relaxing but also to see everything we wanted to see. It's the perfect destination to build an Italy trip around, or even as a pitstop on a larger trip around Europe. We started our trip off here before moving onto the French Riviera.

 

If you've been to the Amalfi Coast before, Lake Como had similarly stunning views and adorable towns (although smaller), but a noticeably more laid back vibe without the tourist crowds of Amalfi. We absolutely loved it here and will definitely be back.

DAY 1: Villa Lario & Nesso 

DAY 2: Boat Adventure! Lunch in Varenna and Dinner in Chernobbio

DAY 3: Greenway di Como hike from Lenno to Tremezzo, explore Menaggio and Bellagio

DAY 4: Rainy day trip to Lugano, Switzerland

Day 5: Off to the French Riviera!

DAY 1: 

  • Check into your hotel, have a drink and relax!

  • Hop on the bus and explore a near by town! We were only a couple of minutes from Nesso - a tiny "town" with one hotel and restaurant where we had a delightful lunch. There isn't much there besides this restaurant and a Gelato shop, but you can hike down to the water to see the waterfall the town is known for from a different angle. After the hike back up, grab a beer from the Gelato shop on the corner and grab a railing spot to enjoy it while looking out over the town and water below.

  • Afterwards, we headed back to Villa Lario for a happy hour drink watching the sunset and finished the night with an amazing dinner at hotel over looking the lake.

DAY 2:

  • Rent a boat!

  • This was the best day in Como, ever. And such a fun and easy way to explore the towns from a different angle.

  • Our hotel helped us reserve a boat through this company - where you can rent any boat under 40hp without a boater's license and pay by the hour for as long as you want. We rented it for a full day, which gave us enough time to cruise past all of the towns north of us, stop for a lovely lunch in Varenna, and enjoy some suntanning and prosecco on the water.

  • A driver came and picked us up in the boat right from our Villa's dock and after a quick stop back at their marina to gas up and pay, we were on our way!

  • The boat company provided a map of the lake with all of the towns with public docks called out, which we took advantage of with a midday stop in Varenna to explore and eat lunch. There are a couple of restaurants right by the public dock over looking the water that were perfect for a Spritz and light lunch. We stopped at Caffe Varenna for a quick Spritz break and snack.

  • The map also marked all of the most famous villas, which was a fun way to see them in a different way. We made it a point to drive past George Clooney's villa which is on the East side of the lake just south of Laglio. 

  • We ended our day with dinner at Michelin-starred Materia in Cernobbio, a larger town close to the city of Como. You'll need to make reservations far in advance, but it's worth it. You can choose from a la carte for from their two extremely reasonably priced tasting menus at €65. We got the vegetable-focused "green power" option and it was creative and delicious - made up of a million beautiful bites throughout the night. The restaurant was able to call us a taxi to get back to the hotel after dinner, but it took a very long time and we almost weren't able to get one, so definitely arrange transportation in advance so you don't get stranded!

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DAY 3:

  • Hike the Greenway di Como!

  • The Greenway di Como runs through the towns on the East side of the lake, starting in Colonno and running north until Grieste. We took a ferry to Lenno from the dock nearest to our hotel (Pognana Lario) and hopped on the Greenway from there. From Lenno, the Greenway can be found by walking straight back from the dock, crossing the main road and continuing uphill until you find the foot path that runs above the town of Lenno. 

  • It was a little tricky to find our way to it in Lenno, but one on it there are signs that direct you through the towns. This website was incredibly helpful and above is a public map that is posted throughout the route.

  • We had an amazing stroll through the picturesque towns, stopped in Tremezzo for lunch before contuining on to Griante. 

  • From Griante we hopped on the bus that runs along the main road to bring us to Menaggio, which is one of the bigger towns on this part of the lake. We walked around the little shops in the main square and enjoyed an Aperol Spritz before getting back on the Ferry to take us to Bellagio.

  • Belaggio is potentially the most famous town in Como but it honestly was not our favorite - it was way more touristy and very crowded. Varenna and Menaggio were much better in our opinion and if you have to cut one out, I'd say Belaggio is it. We did happen to find the cutest little wine bar for a quick happy hour drink before grabbing the bus back to our hotel - which was a saving grace from the hoards of tourist crowds.

  • From there we headed back to our hotel on the bus and walked to the only restaurant in the "town" of Lario, a family run bar and pizza joint called Peppo's. It wasn't the most gourmet meal of the trip, but it was fun to have a meal in the neighborhood dive with the locals, and that view of the lake really doesn't get old.

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DAY 4:

  • Day trip to Lugano, Switzerland!

  • The weather took a turn for us on Day 4 and rather than walk around the lake in the cold, we decided to take a day trip over to Lugano, Switzerland​ - which is only a quick 40 minute train ride from the city of Como.

  • Lugano also sits on a lake similar to Lake Como and has a very Italian feel to it. It's nestled between a couple of small mountains and had much more of a business scene than any of the Como towns. We walked and shopped around the old town a bit before making the 30 minute hike up to our lunch spot, Osteria Calprino.  It's strange to say that the best pasta we had on the trip was in Switzerland, but this place was incredible and definitely worth the trip if you're ever in Lugano.

  • On the walk back to the main downtown area, we made a quick put stop to load up on some Swiss chocolate and then caught a train back to Como to explore the city of Como before heading back to the hotel for dinner.

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EAT & DRINK:

  • Chernobbio -

    • Ristorante Materia (One Michelin Star) - €65​ tasting menus. Make reservations far in advance.

  • Nesso - 

  • Lario (or if you're staying anywhere on the East side of the lake)

  • Varenna -

    • Caffe Varenna - love lunch spot right on the water. We had bruschetta, pasta, and some Spritzes. ​

  • Tremezzo -

  • Lugano -

    • Mauri Concept - a cute little eclectic cafe right downtown that also does haircuts & manicures?​

    • Osteria Calprino Ghiotticlub - seriously the best pasta of the trip. The chef came out personally multiple times to check on us (we were the only ones on their adorable little patio.) THE CUTEST.

  • Bellagio -​

    • Aperitivo Et Al - the cutest little wine bar that offering reprieve from the tourist traps ​surrounding Bellagio

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