Italy's glamorous Alpine lake — villa gardens, pastel villages and mountains mirrored in the water
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Like a local
The real spots and the timing — from locals, not guidebooks. The stuff a top-10 list will never give you.
Get around by ferry, not car
📍 The whole lake
The shore roads are narrow, slow and parking is a nightmare. The ferries are the way to see the lake — buy a central-lake day pass (Bellagio–Varenna–Menaggio–Tremezzo) and hop between villages and villas; the ride is half the pleasure.
Base in Varenna or Menaggio to save
📍 Varenna / Menaggio
Bellagio is gorgeous but pricey and packed. Varenna (with its own train station) and Menaggio are quieter, cheaper and just a short ferry across — a smarter, more romantic base with Bellagio a few minutes away when you want it.
Book the star villas ahead
📍 Balbianello / Carlotta
Villa del Balbianello limits numbers and books out; Villa Carlotta and Melzi are best in spring bloom. Reserve Balbianello online in advance, and come in April–May for the gardens at their most spectacular.
Sunset is the moment
📍 Bellagio / western shore
The day-trippers leave by late afternoon and the lake turns magical. Grab a waterside aperitivo on Bellagio's point or a western-shore terrace and watch the sun drop behind the mountains — the best half-hour on the lake.
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The 'pearl of the lake' — a cascade of stepped cobbled lanes lined with boutiques and gelaterie, climbing from the ferry piers between the two arms of the lake, with grand villa gardens on either side. Wander the stair-streets, take in the view up both branches, and have an aperitivo on the water; the classic Como picture, busy but beautiful.
The most romantic villa on the lake — an 18th-century retreat on a wooded point near Lenno, its loggia and terraced gardens hanging over the water (you may know it from Star Wars and James Bond). Reach it by boat or a pretty lakeside walk; the gardens and the views back over the lake are extraordinary. Book ahead in season.
Bellagio's quieter, dreamier rival across the water — a tiny fishing village of ochre and pink houses stacked above the lake, linked by a car-free waterside 'Passeggiata degli Innamorati' (the walk of lovers). The most romantic spot on the lake for a slow evening; wander the lanes, walk the lovers' path, and dine at the water's edge.
The lake is made for the boat — elegant ferries and fast hydrofoils crisscross between Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and the villas, and it's by far the best way to see the villas, the villages and the mountains from the water. Buy a central-lake day pass and hop at will, or take a private wooden boat for a golden-hour cruise; a highlight in itself.
A grand lakeside villa at Tremezzo famous for its botanical gardens — terraces of camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons blazing in spring, rare trees, fountains and a museum of neoclassical sculpture inside. One of the great garden villas of the lake, glorious in April–May; combine it with the ferry over from Bellagio.
The city at the lake's foot has a magnificent marble cathedral — Gothic and Renaissance, topped by a great baroque dome — and a compact, walled old centre of piazzas, silk shops and cafés opening onto the lakefront. The liveliest, most workaday corner of the lake and a good-value base; wander the old town and stroll the promenade at dusk.
A century-old funicular climbs from Como up to the hilltop village of Brunate in seven minutes, opening a sweeping panorama over the city, the lake and, on a clear day, the Alps. Ride up for the view, walk to the lighthouse viewpoint, and come down at sunset; the easiest big vista on the lake.
The serene English-style gardens of Villa Melzi run right along the water below Bellagio — lawns and rare trees, a Japanese pond, statues and an orangery, framed by the lake and mountains. A calm, beautiful stroll a few minutes from Bellagio's crowded lanes; lovely in spring when the azaleas flower.
A former monastery turned villa on Varenna's shore, with a long botanical garden stretching nearly two kilometres along the water — citrus terraces, palms, cypresses and statue-lined walks, with the lake shimmering alongside the whole way. A gorgeous, less-crowded garden walk; time it with the lovers' path and a Varenna sunset.
A gentle, well-marked walking path threading the villages of the western shore between Colonno and Griante — through olive groves, old hamlets, villa gates and little coves, with the lake glittering the whole way. Around 10km, mostly flat and easy, and a lovely way to slow down and see the shore on foot; hop a ferry back.
The lake has its own traditional table — risotto with 'pesce persico' (perch fillets), 'lavarello' (whitefish), and the local specialty 'missoltini', sun-dried and salted shad grilled and served with polenta. Eat it at an old trattoria on the water in Varenna or a lakeside village; hearty, distinctive and rooted in the lake itself.
The lake's evening ritual — an Aperol spritz or a glass of Franciacorta on a waterfront terrace as the sun drops behind the mountains and the ferries glide home. Best from Como's lakefront, Bellagio's piers or a Varenna water's-edge table; the moment the day-trippers thin and the lake turns pink and gold.
The lake's only island, off the western shore — a tiny, wooded islet of ancient church ruins and a single famous old restaurant, reached by a short boat from Sala Comacina. A peaceful, history-steeped escape with a lovely view back to the shore, and the setting for the June San Giovanni fireworks; a quiet, offbeat half-day.
A pretty stone village halfway up the eastern shore where a waterfall tumbles through a ravine to the lake beneath an old arched bridge — the 'Orrido di Nesso', a favourite photo stop and a hidden swimming spot. Climb (or drive) down the steep lanes to the little harbour and bridge; a charming, less-touristed corner of the lake.
In summer the lake is warm enough to swim, and paddling it is magical — kayak or SUP along the shore from Varenna or the lidos, slipping past villa gardens and into quiet coves with the mountains all around. Guided dawn paddles are gorgeous; or just take a dip off a village lido on a hot afternoon.
The liveliest town of the western shore — a relaxed, handsome place with a pretty lakefront piazza, a promenade, good restaurants and a more local, everyday feel than glossy Bellagio. A well-connected, better-value base and a nice stroll, with ferries across the lake and buses up towards Switzerland and Lugano.
The lake saves its best for the evening — from Bellagio's point, a western-shore terrace or the deck of the last ferry, the sun slips behind the mountains and turns the water and the villas pink and gold. Find a waterside spot with a drink and watch the light change; the most memorable, and most romantic, thing you'll do here.
Prices are relative to Italy, a mid-range country.
The city at the foot of the lake
The centreThe handsome small city at the lake's southern tip — a walled old centre with a grand marble cathedral, a lakefront promenade, silk shops and a funicular up to a viewpoint. The most connected, best-value and liveliest base (an hour from Milan by train), with the villages a ferry ride up the lake.
What’s here
The pearl of the lake
The centreThe famous village on the point where the lake's two arms divide — steep stone stair-streets of boutiques and cafés, elegant villa gardens, and views up both branches of the lake. The most glamorous (and priciest) base, central for ferries in every direction; postcard-pretty and busy by day.
What’s here
The romantic eastern shore
5 min · 2 kmA smaller, quieter, deeply romantic village on the eastern shore — a car-free lakeside 'walk of lovers', pastel houses, two villa gardens and a castle above. Calmer and better value than Bellagio, with a train station of its own and ferries across; the loveliest base for a slower, more intimate stay.
What’s here
The villa-lined western shore
10 min · 5 kmThe green western shore where the grandest villas and gardens line the water — Villa Carlotta, Villa del Balbianello, and the Greenway path linking the villages, with lively Menaggio just north. A comfortable, scenic base among the gardens and grand hotels, with ferries to Bellagio and Varenna a few minutes across.
What’s here
Worth knowing: Como is really a lake, not a town — pick a base and hop the rest by ferry. Como city anchors the south, Bellagio the glamorous centre where the lake's arms split, Varenna the romantic eastern shore, and Tremezzo–Menaggio the villa-lined west. The ferries (not the winding shore roads) are the way to get around.
40–60 min away
Italy's style capital is under an hour away by train — the astonishing Duomo, da Vinci's 'Last Supper', the Galleria and the world's best shopping. An easy day trip from the lake (and the usual way in and out); do the Duomo and a spritz in the Navigli.
Train from Como or Varenna
45–60 min away
Just over the border, the Swiss-Italian lake city of Lugano is a chic, palm-lined resort on its own gorgeous lake — a lakefront promenade, a funicular, and a polished, Swiss-tidy contrast to Como. A pretty half-day across the frontier; bring your passport.
Train or bus (bring your passport)
1.5 hr away
A gem of a walled hilltop 'Città Alta' — Venetian walls, a beautiful old square and a funicular up from the modern town below, often overlooked by lake visitors. A lovely, less-touristed day out and a proper taste of Lombardy beyond the lake.
Train (change in Milan/Lecco)
Best time to go
May–June and September — warm, green and clear, with the gardens at their best and the summer haze and crowds not yet at full peak; July–August are hottest and busiest.
Cheapest: April–May and October — mild, quieter and cheaper, with spring blossom or autumn colour on the mountains, though some villas keep shorter hours.
Pick your dates above and we’ll tell you exactly what the weather does then.
September
23° / 14°C
Some rain
Good time to goLake Como is Italy at its most effortlessly glamorous — a slender, Y-shaped ribbon of deep blue water cradled by steep, green mountains, its shores lined with centuries-old villas, terraced gardens and pastel villages tumbling to the water's edge. It has drawn the wealthy and the romantic since Roman times, and still does: think grand lakeside hotels, cypress-shaded gardens, and George Clooney's villa. You get around by elegant ferry, hopping between the 'pearl of the lake' Bellagio, romantic Varenna, the villa-strewn western shore and the handsome city of Como at the foot. Come for the villa gardens, the boat rides, the mountain-and-water views and long lakeside aperitivi as the light turns gold.
Last updated 15 September 2026. Cities are refreshed, not written once.