10 Best Things to Do
Lake Como rewards a stay organised around the water rather than a checklist of towns. Its branching shoreline creates markedly different settings: Como provides an urban gateway, Cernobbio and Moltrasio offer the atmosphere of historic estates, and the central lake brings Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio into a particularly rewarding conversation by boat. Smaller villages and quieter stretches add room to step away from the busiest routes. The hotels are part of the destination’s appeal. A grand historic property offers ceremony, gardens and a sense of continuity; contemporary retreats place architecture and the lake’s changing light at the centre of the stay. Choose the mood and locality first, then consider how you want to move around. A beautiful isolated address is most rewarding when its transport arrangements suit your plans. Days can move between villa collections, botanical gardens, a hillside walk and a long lunch. The strongest restaurants provide more than a view, from experimental cooking to thoughtful interpretations of regional ingredients. Allow time simply to travel across the water. Watching the shore appear and recede is one of the lake’s enduring pleasures, and a persuasive reason to keep the itinerary light.
Villa del Balbianello
Lenno, Tremezzina, Italy
Villa del Balbianello occupies a wooded promontory at Lenno, giving its gardens and loggia an unusually theatrical relationship with Lake Como. The interiors add the story of its last private owner and his collections, making the complete visit more rewarding than a view from a boat alone. Reserve the appropriate admission in advance, distinguish garden access from an interior tour, and check the walking or boat approach that best suits your party.
A lakeside villa with an explorer’s story
Villa Carlotta
Tremezzo, Tremezzina, Italy
Villa Carlotta combines art-filled interiors with extensive botanical gardens above the lake at Tremezzo. It is a strong choice for travellers who want both a cultural visit and time outdoors, with planting and changing seasonal detail giving the grounds more than a scenic supporting role. Allow enough time to explore at an easy pace. Check the current exhibition and visitor information before arriving, and choose comfortable footwear for the garden paths.
Art and botanical gardens
Villa Melzi Gardens
Bellagio, Italy
The gardens of Villa Melzi offer a calm lakeside counterpoint to Bellagio’s busier lanes. Paths, planting, sculpture and views across the water make this an experience best enjoyed slowly, with attention to how the landscape was composed. Choose it for an unhurried morning or afternoon rather than a quick stop between ferries. Check seasonal opening and ticket arrangements, and treat the gardens as the attraction rather than assuming access to the private villa.
A gentle garden walk in Bellagio
Villa Monastero
Varenna, Italy
Villa Monastero combines a house museum with a long garden setting beside the water in Varenna. The visit offers a satisfying balance of decorated interiors, planting and lake views, with different ticket options allowing the experience to suit the time available. Choose it as an anchor for a day in Varenna rather than attempting every central-lake town at once. Check house-museum opening separately from garden access before finalising your itinerary.
Varenna’s villa and lakeside gardens
Lake Como by public boat
Como, Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio, Italy
Travelling by public boat is one of the most rewarding ways to understand Lake Como’s shape and the relationship between its towns. Routes can connect the main centres while giving views of villas, gardens and mountains from the water. Choose a manageable itinerary with time ashore, rather than treating every stop as a target. Check the operator’s current timetable, service type and last return, since a scenic day depends on practical connections as well as ambition.
Understanding the lake’s geography
Como Cathedral
Como, Italy
Como Cathedral gives the city a cultural focus beyond its lakefront. Its architecture and interior reward a deliberate visit, especially when combined with the surrounding historic centre rather than a quick transfer to the boats. Choose it for a morning in Como when you can move between civic streets and a quieter sacred space. Check visitor access and services, dress respectfully and allow the building’s details to determine the pace of your visit.
Como’s architectural centrepiece
Greenway del Lago di Como
Colonno to Griante, Italy
The Lake Como Greenway connects western-shore villages through a mixture of lakeside passages, old lanes and hillside sections. It provides a useful alternative to seeing the shore only from a vehicle or boat, with opportunities to stop in individual settlements. Choose a section that suits your energy and onward transport, or plan the complete route carefully. Wear walking shoes, carry water and check the official route before departure rather than assuming the entire walk follows a flat promenade.
Village life on foot
Castello di Vezio
Vezio, Perledo above Varenna, Italy
Castello di Vezio adds a hilltop perspective to a visit to Varenna, with the castle and grounds offering views over the central lake. The ascent is part of the outing, so it suits travellers happy to exchange the waterfront for a more elevated setting. Check current access and visitor arrangements before setting off, wear shoes suited to uneven paths and leave enough time for the return rather than rushing down to meet a ferry.
A castle viewpoint above Varenna
Sacro Monte di Ossuccio
Ossuccio, Tremezzina, Italy
The Sacro Monte di Ossuccio combines a sequence of chapels with a hillside route above the western shore. Visiting on foot makes the relationship between landscape, devotion and sacred art especially clear. It is a thoughtful alternative to another villa garden, particularly for travellers interested in regional religious heritage. Plan for a climb, check access to the chapels and sanctuary, and allow the route to unfold slowly instead of treating the summit as the only destination.
Sacred art and a hillside pilgrimage
Brunate funicular and viewpoints
Como and Brunate, Italy
The funicular links Como with Brunate, opening up a different perspective on the city and surrounding landscape. It works best as the beginning of an outing rather than a quick return ride, with time to explore the village and choose an appropriate viewpoint walk. Check current operations and visibility before travelling. The onward routes can involve gradients and uneven surfaces, so match the walk to your party’s mobility and leave time for the descent.
A high view over Como