Lake Como
Villas, wooden boats and still water.
An inverted Y-shaped lake at the foot of the Alps that has, since the Roman senatorial set, been northern Italy’s elder-statesman holiday. Lake Como is silk shirts and quiet scandals, ferry whistles and twelve-course Sunday lunches, an Italian-Swiss border with an opinion of itself you’ll quickly learn to share.
- Where
- Lombardy, Italy
- When to go
- April to late October
- Established
- 1559
Lake Como, in full.
Lake Como gets photographed for its hotels and remembered for its hours. We file it under Old Money because the lake invented the chapter, Pliny had a villa here, Rossini wrote here, Verdi wrote here, every European royal house holidayed here, and every northern Italian industrialist still does.
A lake with a 2,000-year guest list
Lake Como is the third-largest lake in Italy, the deepest in Europe (at 410 metres), and the most photographed by other lakes. The Romans came; Pliny the Younger had two villas here, named Comedia and Tragedia. Charles V came; Manzoni came; Verdi rented a villa to write Traviata; Bellini wrote here; Rossini wrote here. In the 19th century the British came in numbers, then the Americans, then the Germans, and now everyone, but it has remained, peculiarly, a working lake, three branches, fifty villages, daily ferries, nine UNESCO-relevant villas, and a Lombard professional class that still summers here from Friday to Monday.
Three branches, one central basin
The lake is shaped like an inverted Y. The south-west branch ends at Como city, Romanesque cathedral, silk industry, the funicular up to Brunate. The south-east branch ends at Lecco, Manzoni country, fewer villas, more mountains. The north branch ends at Colico, against the Alps. Where the three meet, the central basin around Bellagio, is the lake of the photograph. Stay on the central basin: Bellagio (the eastern shore), Tremezzo (the western), Varenna (the eastern, north of Bellagio), Lenno (between Tremezzo and the Balbianello). One ferry connects them; one ticket lasts the day.
A ferry, three villas, a 9pm aperitivo
The Como day is built around the ferry timetable. Boat at 9.30 from your hotel dock to Villa Carlotta (Tremezzo) for the 10am opening; an espresso in Tremezzo; a 12.30 ferry to Villa del Balbianello (Lenno) for the lakeside lunch and the 2pm garden tour. Sleep in a deckchair through the heat. A 5pm taxi-boat to Bellagio for an aperitivo at La Punta, a finger of land where the three lake branches meet, and dinner at Silvio in Bellagio at nine. By 11.30 the village is asleep; the next morning starts at 7am, when the locals swim.
Nine houses you can actually walk into
The lake’s villas are the architecture and the drama in equal measure. Villa Carlotta (Tremezzo) is the botanical garden, five hundred azalea varieties, a Canova room, a working orangery. Villa del Balbianello (Lenno) is the cinematic one, Star Wars and Casino Royale shot here; the loggia is the photograph. Villa Melzi (Bellagio) is the Napoleonic-era one, formal lakefront gardens, an Egyptian sphinx by the boathouse. Villa Monastero (Varenna) is the medieval one, fourteen rooms on the lake, a botanical garden along the shore. Two more, Villa Olmo (Como) and Villa Pliniana (Torno), are open by appointment. Pick three; do them properly.
The central lake by boat, in the low light.
A place, accounted for.
- 410m
- lake depth at the deepest point
- Europe’s deepest lake. The bottom is below sea level.
- 146
- kilometres of shoreline
- A perimeter of fifty villages, twelve large villas, and approximately one ferry every fifteen minutes in summer.
- 1568
- Villa d’Este built
- Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio commissioned it as a summer residence; converted to a hotel in 1873.
- 4
- films shot at Villa del Balbianello
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Casino Royale, A Month by the Lake, and most of Italian cinema.
- 11
- communes touch the central basin
- Bellagio, Tremezzo, Lenno, Mezzegra, Ossuccio, Sala Comacina, San Siro, Menaggio, Varenna, Perledo, Lierna.
Before the first weekend.
What separates the first weekend in a place from the second.
- 01
Get there
Train from Milano Centrale to Como S. Giovanni (35m) or Varenna-Esino (1h). Then the C30 bus or a taxi-boat to your hotel.
- 02
Move
Buy the Navigazione Laghi *Centro Lago* day pass (€15) on the first morning. Use the slow ferry, never the hydrofoil; the slow boat is the photograph.
- 03
Reserve
Villa d’Este Sunday lunch, Mistral terrace, Crotto dei Platani, six weeks out. Tremezzo and Passalacqua dining rooms, twelve weeks.
- 04
Visit
Three villas only. Balbianello and Carlotta the first day; Melzi or Monastero the second. Don’t schedule a fourth.
- 05
Wear
Soft-shouldered jackets, knit ties or none, off-white linen, sailing shoes. A cashmere for the lake at six.
- 06
Eat first
Risotto al pesce persico at Silvio; lake whitefish at Vecchia Varenna; a Sunday lunch on the Villa d’Este terrace.
- 07
Drink
Aperitivo at Punta Spartivento at 6.30; a Vesper at the Sporting Bar; an Americano on the Tremezzo terrace at five.
- 08
Tip
Cash to the dock-master at any hotel for taxi-boat priority; a Negroni for the captain who waits at the wrong jetty.
What you will actually be doing.
- 01
A Sunday lunch on the Villa d’Este terrace, with the boats moving across the central basin all afternoon.
- 02
Aperitivo at Punta Spartivento in Bellagio at 6.30, a single bench, three lake branches, the proper aperitif of the lake.
- 03
A taxi-boat from Bellagio to Villa del Balbianello at golden hour, twenty minutes of perfect weather.
- 04
A long lunch at Crotto dei Platani in Brienno, a candlelit cellar in the cliff, six courses, the best lake fish on Como.
- 05
The funicular up Brunate from Como city for the Faro Voltiano lookout and a panini at Bar Spluga.
- 06
A 7am swim from Lido di Bellagio, with the lake glassy and the ferries not yet running.
The year here, month by month.
Apr
The villas open by mid-April; gardens at Villa Carlotta peak. Hotels are cheaper, evenings still cool.
May
Mid-May is the lake’s annual high, wisteria, camellias, the first warm weeks. Reserve dinners; weekends fill quickly.
Jun
June is the canonical Como month. Sea at 18-20°C, full restaurants, clear weather, every reservation possible.
Jul
Hot, busy, but mild by Italian standards. The Italian-Swiss border holiday season starts; the central basin runs at full tempo.
Aug
Italians on holiday, Swiss day-trippers, full villas. Beautiful but crowded; book in February.
Sep
The first three weeks of September is the canonical Como. Warm water, light evenings, the carnival winding down, the ferries half-empty.
Oct
Cooler, sweater-weather walks, half the hotels still open. The Como of the locals; the photograph turns amber in the second half.
Nov-Mar
Most lakefront hotels close. A handful (Villa d’Este, Mandarin Oriental, Vista Lago) stay open in winter; Como city has Christmas markets and an honest fog. The lake remembers itself.
The villages, and which is which.
- 01
Bellagio
The pearl, cobbled streets, Punta Spartivento, the eastern shore.
The first stop on a first visit. Stay above town at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, or in the village at Hotel Florence.
- 02
Tremezzo
The western shore, Villa Carlotta, the Grand Hotel, the long lake terrace.
A 1910 lakefront promenade. The Grand Hotel Tremezzo’s pool literally floats in the lake.
- 03
Varenna
A medieval village on the eastern shore, narrower, quieter, lemon-yellow.
Two villas (Monastero, Cipressi), one church (San Giorgio), one perfect dinner (Vecchia Varenna).
- 04
Lenno
A small village with a beach and Villa del Balbianello.
Walk the path to Balbianello, lunch at Casa del Sole on the lakefront, ferry to Bellagio.
- 05
Como city
The southern hub, duomo, silk museum, the funicular up Brunate.
Worth a half-day on arrival or departure. Lunch at Il Solito Posto, a stroll along Piazza Cavour, an aperitivo at the Lido.
- 06
Cernobbio
Just north of Como city, Villa d’Este, the silk villas, polished cafés.
A residential lake suburb with a lakefront promenade. The Villa d’Este alone is worth a long lunch.
- 07
Menaggio
Western-shore market town, golf, lake-front lido, a Friday market.
A more residential, slightly more affordable base; a 25-minute ferry to Bellagio.
- 08
Torno
A tiny village south of Bellagio, the Pliniana villa, a swimming jetty, a single trattoria.
Reachable only by car or boat. A real working village, ten minutes from Como city.
Where to eat, drink and sleep.
Eat
- Villa d’EsteCernobbio
The 1568 Renaissance hotel with the floating pool. Lunch on the Veranda terrace; a Negroni in the Sporting Bar; a Sunday is the canonical lake lunch.
- Mistral (Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni)Bellagio
A Michelin-starred kitchen in a 19th-century lakefront grand hotel. The terrace at sunset is non-negotiable.
- La Veranda al Lago (Tremezzo)Tremezzo
On the Grand Hotel Tremezzo’s lake terrace. Long lunches, the floating pool below, a violinist after eight.
- Crotto dei PlataniBrienno
A candle-lit grotto in the cliff fifteen minutes north of Como city. Lake fish, hand-rolled pasta, a wine list as serious as the room.
- Silvio BellagioBellagio
Family-run trattoria above town, with a lake terrace. The lavarello (lake whitefish), the risotto al pesce persico, the misultin sun-dried fish, the canonical Como dinner.
- Vecchia VarennaVarenna
A 14th-century stone-vaulted dining room on Varenna’s old harbour. Reserve a table on the terrace; risotto with perch is the order.
- MateriaCernobbio
A Michelin-starred modern Italian kitchen by chef Davide Caranchini. The serious, slightly experimental dinner; out of season the only critical address.
- La TirlindanaSala Comacina
On a small piazza opposite Comacina island, ten minutes by ferry. The waiter recommends the perch; you order the perch.
Drink
- Bar BellavistaBellagio
On the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni terrace. The aperitivo with the longest view on the central basin.
- Sporting Bar (Villa d’Este)Cernobbio
Wood-panelled, polished glass, navy-jacket bartenders. A Vesper at six; the proper Como pre-dinner.
- Punta SpartiventoBellagio
A finger of land at the tip of Bellagio where the three lake branches meet. A single bar, two benches, the only spritz that matters here.
Stay
- Grand Hotel TremezzoTremezzo
A 1910 Belle Époque hotel with the floating lake pool. The Bellagio-facing rooms; lunch on the terrace; a daily 5pm violinist.
- Grand Hotel Villa SerbelloniBellagio
The 1873 hilltop grande dame above Bellagio. Tennis courts, a private dock, the Mistral Michelin terrace.
- Villa d’EsteCernobbio
The 1873 conversion of a 1568 Renaissance villa. The floating pool; a 10-acre park; the only ironclad five-star tradition on the lake.
- Mandarin Oriental Lago di ComoBlevio
A 2019 conversion of a 19th-century lakeside garden estate. Quieter, smaller, more design-led than the grand hotels; the spa is the destination.
- PassalacquaMoltrasio
A 2022 conversion of an 18th-century lakefront villa. World’s 50 Best No. 1 in 2023; twenty-four rooms, three pools, no email reception.
- Hotel FlorenceBellagio
A small, family-run, lakefront hotel in the village. Soft-three-star comfort; a sub-Serbelloni budget; a perfect first visit.
Swim
- Lido di BellagioBellagio
A small public lido at the eastern end of Bellagio. Loungers, a snack bar, the right swim from 7 to 9am.
See
- Villa del BalbianelloLenno
A 16th-century clifftop villa, FAI-protected. The double-loggia, the cypresses, the Star Wars and Casino Royale rooms. Open Tue/Thu-Sun.
- Villa CarlottaTremezzo
A botanical-garden villa with five hundred azaleas, a Canova room, an orangery, and a working monumental staircase.
- Villa MelziBellagio
Napoleonic-era formal gardens running along Bellagio’s lakefront. The cypresses are the photograph; the Egyptian sphinx by the boathouse, the surprise.
- Villa MonasteroVarenna
A 14th-century Cistercian monastery converted to a 19th-century villa, with a kilometre-long lakefront botanical walk.
- Brunate funicularComo
Seven minutes up to a ridge above Como city. Walk on to the Faro Voltiano lighthouse for the panoramic photograph.
- Comacina IslandSala Comacina
The lake’s only island. Ten minutes by ferry; ruins of a Lombard town destroyed in 1169; a single restaurant. A ninety-minute morning.
Every way in, compared.
| Route | Time | From | Line | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train from Milano Centrale | 35m-1h | €5-€16 | Milano Centrale → Como S. Giovanni / Varenna-Esino | Frecciarossa to Como (35m); regional to Varenna (1h). The civilised arrival. |
| Private transfer from Malpensa | 1h 15m | €140-€180 | Milano Malpensa (MXP) → Cernobbio / Como / Bellagio | The right call on a weekend or with luggage. Air-conditioned saloon, a driver, water in the back. |
| Navigazione Laghi ferry | Varies | €8-€16 single, €15 day | The lake’s public ferry network. Slow boats are scenic; the central-basin day pass is the most useful single ticket on the lake. | |
| Hydrofoil (Aliscafo) | 20m | €8-€12 | Como → Bellagio (express) | Faster than the slow ferry. Useful if you’re short on time, but you’ll wish you’d taken the photograph instead. |
| Taxi-boat | Minutes | €90-€150/hour | Anywhere → anywhere | Privately bookable wooden mahogany speedboats from any hotel dock. The proper way to arrive at a Sunday lunch. |
| Helicopter | 15m | From €1,400 | Milano Linate / Malpensa → Bellagio helipad | Theatrical, occasionally useful, almost never worth it on a clear day. Lands on the Serbelloni helipad. |
The rules the regulars keep.
- 01
Stay on the central basin
Bellagio, Tremezzo, Varenna, Lenno. The further from the central basin you sleep, the further from the lake you actually are.
- 02
A ferry day-pass, every day
Buy the *Centro Lago* unlimited day ticket. €15. The lake is a ferry network; the road is mostly a way to miss the boat.
- 03
Reserve in February
Villa d’Este, Mistral, Tremezzo, Passalacqua, books open in winter. Sundays in summer go in March.
- 04
Soft tailoring after six
A jacket, a knit tie or none, soft-soled shoes. Como is the lake that taught menswear how to dress on a Wednesday.
- 05
Three villas, not nine
Pick three (Balbianello, Carlotta, Melzi or Monastero). Walk them slowly. Lunch in between. Nine in a week is a school trip.
A short, polite list.
- 01
Don’t drive between Como and Bellagio. The lake road is single-track in places; ferries are the way.
- 02
Don’t day-trip from Milan and call it the lake. One night minimum; two for the central basin to register.
- 03
Don’t order spaghetti carbonara on Como. It’s a Roman dish. Ask for risotto al pesce persico.
- 04
Don’t skip Como city. The duomo, the silk museum, and Brunate are an excellent half-day on arrival.
- 05
Don’t book the cheapest "lake-view" room without asking which floor. Below the third in many hotels, you lose half the lake to other balconies.
Practical, briefly.
When is the best time to visit Lake Como?
Mid-May to mid-June for the camellias and azaleas at Villa Carlotta and Villa del Balbianello, with the lake still in spring form; the first three weeks of September for the answer (warm water, kinder rates, full restaurants reservable). July is the locals; August is the carnival but mild by Italian standards. October is the harvest and a quiet, sweater-weather lake.
How do I get to Lake Como from Milan?
From Milan Malpensa: 1h 15m by car or the AlibusOggi shuttle. From Milano Centrale: 35 minutes by Frecciarossa to Como S. Giovanni, or 1h on the regional train to Varenna. Once at the lake, the Navigazione Laghi ferries are the only sensible way to move on the central basin.
Where should I stay on Lake Como, Bellagio, Tremezzo, Varenna or Cernobbio?
Bellagio is the village classic, Hotel Florence, Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni. Tremezzo (Grand Hotel Tremezzo) is the photograph from the western shore. Varenna is quieter and more medieval. Cernobbio is the grand-old-Como (Villa d’Este, Mandarin Oriental). For a first visit, sleep two nights Bellagio, two nights Tremezzo or Varenna; the ferry handles the rest.
Is Lake Como worth visiting in winter?
For a long November or January weekend, yes, Como city in mist, the empty Tremezzo terrace, a Sunday lunch at Materia in Cernobbio, a walk up to Brunate in fog. Most lakefront hotels close from late November to mid-March. Christmas Markets in Como city are a small, civilised week.
How much does a Lake Como week cost?
A serious week: hotel €700-€2,500/night, dinner €130/head with wine, lunch on a hotel terrace €120/head, taxi-boat €150/hour, a private gozzo half-day €600. A modest week: a B&B in Varenna €130/night, the public ferry €15 day-pass, lunch at Silvio €40/head. The lake genuinely accommodates both.
Are George Clooney and the celebrities really on the lake?
Yes, most often around Laglio, on the south-western shore (Villa Oleandra), and on Bellagio for dinner. The locals neither encourage nor discourage the speculation. The polite thing is to look once, never twice, and to act as if you’ve never heard of the cinema.