Lake Como · Italy
The complete Lake Como travel guide — when to go, how to base yourself across the lake, and how the ferry network stitches the towns together. Pick a town, plan your routes, and build the trip around what you actually want to do.
When to go
Best time to visit — Late May and late September — warm enough to swim, ferries still running on the summer timetable, and the August crowds gone.
The lake is at its liveliest — warm swimming water, full ferry timetables, and every restaurant open. Crowds peak in July and August.
The sweet spot for most travellers — pleasant weather, lower prices, and the lake without the August crush.
Misty, quiet, and dramatically cheaper. Most cross-lake ferries are suspended — you travel by road along the shore.
Getting here
Three practical arrival modes — fly in, ride the regional rail, or drive the A9 — with the train and ferry legs you'll take from each one into Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio, Tremezzo, and Cernobbio.
Three airports serve Lake Como — Malpensa (~50 km) is the closest and best connected; Linate (~55 km) is the easiest from central Milan; Bergamo Orio al Serio (~90 km) is the budget-airline hub. None is a lakeside airport, so plan a train+ferry onward leg from Milan Centrale.
Bellagio: Train Milano Centrale → Como San Giovanni, then the Navigazione Laghi ferry across to Bellagio (~2 hours total).
Varenna: Train to Como, then the Como–Colico ferry or car ferry from Varenna-Esino (~2.5 hours total).
Menaggio: Train to Como, then the Varenna–Menaggio car ferry across to the western shore (~2.5 hours total).
Tremezzo: Train to Como, then the Como–Colico ferry calling at Tremezzo — a single water transfer gets you there.
Cernobbio: Train to Como San Giovanni plus the short local C10 bus, or the Cernobbio ferry (10 min from Como).
The regional way in is from Milano Centrale on Trenord — either the direct S11 to Como San Giovanni, or the S1 via Saronno. The S1 via Saronno is the most useful link from Milan's suburban rail network if you're already in the city.
Bellagio: Ferry from Como to Bellagio (1 h 20 fast, 2 h slow) — Bellagio is the most direct lake transfer from Como.
Varenna: Varenna has its own station on the east-shore line, the gateway to Villa Monastero and Castello di Vezio.
Menaggio: Take the train to Varenna-Esino, then connect with the Varenna–Menaggio car ferry across the lake.
Tremezzo: Train Milano → Como, then the Como–Colico ferry that calls at Tremezzo — one train and one water transfer.
Cernobbio: Trains stop short of Cernobbio — take the C10 bus from Como San Giovanni or the short ferry across the bay.
Driving from Milan gives the most flexibility — but the SS340 lakeside road is famously narrow, and the western-shore towns (Menaggio, Tremezzo) require the Varenna ↔ Menaggio car ferry. Plan roughly 1 h 15 min from Milan to Como with a toll on the A9 autostrada.
Bellagio: Worth parking in Como and ferrying rather than driving onto the Bellagio peninsula — the road ends mid-peninsula.
Varenna: Direct on the SS36 from Milan; Varenna is the closest east-shore town to the A9 exit at Abbadia Lariana.
Menaggio: Cross from Varenna on the car ferry when parking in Varenna — the SS340 detour plus stairs is a stretch.
Tremezzo: Continue SS340 west-shore from Menaggio via the car ferry, or drive the lakeside road south from Cernobbio.
Cernobbio: The first town west of Como on the SS340; 10 minutes from Como with free parking near Villa Erba.
Where to stay
Where you sleep on Lake Como shapes the rest of the trip — pick a tier that matches how you want to spend your time, then base yourself in the town that lines up with how you actually plan to travel (by ferry day-trips, a settled week, or a stretch of lakeside splurge).
Lake Como is not cheap at the high-end, but a handful of dependable budget places still exist — most are modest B&Bs, family-run pensions, and the small lakefront hotels tucked one street back from the water. Expect €80–130/night for a double in shoulder season.
The comfortable sweet spot — restored 19th-century hotels with lake-view rooms, family-run four-stars, and the better apartment rentals in Bellagio and Tremezzo. €180–280/night buys a lake-view double in peak summer.
Lake Como has hosted the world’s splashiest guests for two centuries, and the luxury tier is one of the reasons. Grand lakefront villas, palace hotels with private boat moorings, and a handful of converted monasteries. €450+/night, often substantially more in July–August.
Stay on the western shore’s transport spine — Como itself or Cernobbio — where every ferry, train, and bus terminates. You will ferry out to the mid-lake towns each day and be back at base within 20 minutes of the last crossing.
Plant yourself mid-lake where you can ferry in any direction without retracing steps. Bellagio and Varenna are the two classical choices — both have their own train/ferry hub, weekly markets, and enough restaurants to keep you fed without ever crossing the lake.
When the trip is the splurge, the central-west shore is where the lake turns cinematic — Tremezzo with Villa del Balbianello and the Grand Hotel pool, and Menaggio further along with quieter lakefront walks. Expect to spend your week almost entirely on the promenade.
Booking notes
Book direct where you can — many of the smaller family-run hotels match or undercut Booking.com once you remove the platform fee, and direct bookings typically get upgrades or late checkout.
In July and August, book at least 8–10 weeks ahead, especially for lakefront rooms in Bellagio, Varenna, and Tremezzo — these sell out first and rarely come down in price.
Week-stayers should ask specifically for a weekly rate — most apartment rentals and several of the mid-range hotels drop by 20–30% for a 7-night stay versus the per-night rate.
To book on LakeComo, browse the Properties page and use the Book Now CTA on any listing — the $200 deposit is processed securely via Stripe at checkout.