Lake Como Destination Guide

Read The Shape Of The Lake Before You Book Anything

Lake Como is not a circle and understanding its shape solves most of the problems people have here. It runs down from the mountains in the north and splits at Bellagio into two southern legs: the western one ends at the city of Como, the eastern one at Lecco. Almost everything travelers come for sits in the middle, where the three legs meet, which is why Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Tremezzo are constantly mentioned together. They are a few minutes apart across the water and forty minutes apart by road, and that gap between the two numbers is the single most useful fact about this destination.

The planning decision: which shore, and how you intend to move

Bellagio sits on the point of the fork and takes the postcard position and the heaviest foot traffic; busy by day, calm by night. Varenna, on the eastern shore, is smaller, steeper, prettier at the waterline and has the train station, which makes it the easiest arrival from Milan without a car. Tremezzo and Lenno on the western shore have the grand hotels, the two great garden villas and the afternoon sun. The western shore road is narrow, walled on both sides and slow in season, and a drive that looks like fifteen minutes takes fifty in August. Plan to move by water: ferries connect the central lake constantly and private launches run on demand.

A season that opens in April and closes in October

This is a short season destination and that surprises people. Most of the significant hotels and many restaurants operate from roughly April into late October, and outside those months a good deal of the lake is shut. May, June and September are the strongest weeks: gardens open, warm days and calm water. July and August are hot and extremely busy, the roads gridlock and the towns fill from mid morning. April and October are cool and lovely, with the risk that a few places have not opened or have already closed, which should be confirmed for your dates.

Milan an hour away, and what the celebrity association actually does

Milan is the gateway, and Malpensa or Linate to the central lake runs roughly an hour to ninety minutes by car. The train from Milano Centrale to Varenna takes a little over an hour and is often the fastest way in, with a five minute ferry across to Bellagio or Menaggio. That proximity is why Como works as a three or four night piece attached to Milan. It is also worth being direct about the other thing: Como has been a celebrity address for two decades and the effect lands on pricing and availability rather than on the experience. Lake view rooms in the best houses are a small fixed inventory in a place that became globally famous, and they price accordingly and go early.

Stay strategy on both shores

Grand Hotel Tremezzo faces Bellagio across the water with a floating pool and the best sunset position on the lake. Villa d'Este at Cernobbio is the historic name, closer to Como town and formal in a way people either love or find dated. Passalacqua above Moltrasio is a restored villa with terraced gardens and very few rooms. Mandarin Oriental Lago di Como sits at Blevio on the quieter side of the Como leg, and Il Sereno at Torno is the modern one, low and glassy on the water. In Bellagio itself Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni holds the headland. Villa rentals with a boathouse are the right answer for a family wanting a week.

When to begin

Six months for May, June and September, and closer to eight for a lake view room in the best few houses, which sell out first and are the reason most disappointed travelers end up in the wrong place. Restaurant tables on the water and private boat days should be arranged at the same time as the room, not on arrival. If you are pairing the lake with Milan during a major fair or fashion week, both cities compete for the same beds and the timing needs checking for your dates.

Four experiences worth building the days around

• A full day on a classic wooden Riva style launch with a driver, which is the only way to see the lake as it was designed to be seen.
• Villa del Balbianello at Lenno, on its own wooded promontory, arriving by boat at the water gate rather than walking the path in.
• Villa Carlotta at Tremezzo in late April or May, when the azaleas and rhododendrons are the entire reason the garden exists.
• The funicular up to Brunate above Como for the view down the whole western leg, then dinner back at the waterline.

Who this trip suits

This suits couples above all, and it suits anyone who wants scenery without effort. It suits travelers who like boats. It works beautifully as three nights bolted to a city trip, and it pairs well with the Swiss Alps just over the border or with St. Moritz, which is reachable by one of the great train rides in Europe from Tirano.

When another plan may fit better

If you want a beach and warm sea swimming, this is a cold alpine lake and it will disappoint; the Amalfi Coast is the correct instrument. If you want nightlife or a busy town, Como is quiet after dinner by design. If your dates fall between November and March, most of what makes the lake worth the journey is closed. And if the group insists on driving everywhere in August, the traffic will define the week.

Plan it with one accountable advisor

Tell us your month and which shore matters to you, and we will hold the right room, set the boat transfers and build the Milan leg around it. Our luxury leisure travel planning handles the lake and the city together.