The best things to do in Lake Como

Roman poet Virgil declared Lake Como “our greatest lake”, a proclamation that still rings true two thousand years later. For millennia, lush green hillsides have plunged into the sparkling, opaque water that radiates hues of cobalt blue and emerald green. Grandiose villas preside over the lake today, while clusters of pretty towns line its shores. Equal parts glamorous and discreet, the ancient Roman holiday destination hasn’t lost any of its appeal.

Hollywood didn’t put Lake Como on the map, but the lake’s popularity among A-listers and jetsetters has undeniably helped catapult the northern Italian destination into the limelight. Behind its aura of mystique, though, Lake Como harbours a humble side that warrants just as much fanfare as its flashy counterpart. Below, you’ll find a list of the very best things to do in Lake Como, ranging from the widely touted to the lesser-known spots every traveller should have on their radar.

Visit Como’s Historic Centre

Clinging to the lake’s southwestern pocket, Como is an ideal jumping point for exploring the territory, but the city itself shouldn’t go uncharted. The remains of Como’s 10-metre-high mediaeval wall enclose its quaint historic centre. Shops and restaurants stand snugly alongside each other in lively pedestrian streets that teem with picture-perfect sights, like elegant interior courtyards framed in arched doorways, the storybook-like Piazza San Fedele and the 15th-century Duomo, a magnificent Gothic cathedral. On the lakefront, Daniel Libeskind’s Life Electric sculpture protrudes from the pier. The soaring steel voltage symbol pays homage to Alessandro Volta, the Como-born scientist who invented the electric battery. Passeggiata Lino Gelpi, a walkway to the left of the lake, leads to the bucolic manicured gardens of Villa Olmo.

Address: Como, 22100

The Silk Museum

Though the Comaschi had been spinning silk since the Renaissance, Como didn’t become Italy’s silk capital until the 19th century. It remains at the top of its game today as fashion designers worldwide source silk from within and around the city. The Silk Museum, adjacent to the Setificio silk trade school, depicts the local history of the shimmering textile. From silkworm feeding to dyeing to garment creation, the permanent exhibit covers every step of the production process through fabric samples, documents, tools and machines. For silk souvenir shopping, head to A. Picci and Inseta in the historic centre. Otherwise, the Mantero outlet in Grandate is just a 20-minute drive from the city.

Address: Via Castelnuovo, 9, 22100 Como CO, Italy
Website: museosetacomo.com

Villa Gaze

Not all of Lake Como’s villas are only for viewing pleasure. Villa del Balbianello, which perches on a lakeside peninsula in Tremezzina, is a must-visit. James Bond and Star Wars fans will recognise the elaborate 18th-century complex from the silver screen. The eclectic-style Villa Monastero in Varenna lodges a house museum surrounded by a lush garden with trees procured from all over the world. The leafy, labyrinthine wonderland of Bellagio’s Villa Serbelloni Gardens (not part of the same-named hotel) overlooks the meeting point of the lake’s three branches. Also in Bellagio, the colourful Villa Melzi garden blossoms with azaleas and other flora that conceal a Japanese pond. In Cernobbio, the 25-acre Baroque gardens at the world-famous Villa d’Este hold UNESCO World Heritage status.

Stop by Villa Carlotta

Villa Carlotta’s regal pastel pink facade commands attention at first sight. The bottom floor of the three-story estate rests atop three elegant split staircases that drop to lake level. The 20-acre terraced garden blooms with over 500 plant species, including 150 azalea varieties, a rhododendron forest, assorted camellias, a fern valley and arched citrus tree tunnels. The late 17th-century villa originally belonged to the Clerici family, prominent silk merchants, and has switched hands over the years – it owes its name to an 18th-century resident Prussian princess. Inside the museum, intricate frescos adorn the walls of rooms displaying works by neoclassical sculptors and Romanticism painters, among other art and curious objects.

Address: Via Regina, 2, 22016 Tremezzina CO, Italy
Website: villacarlotta.it

Town hop

Each town lining the lake’s shore is just as enchanting as the other. Travellers can stroll along the romantic lakefront Lover’s Promenade in Varenna or marvel at the Orrido di Nesso, a steep cascade that drops 200 metres from the rocks to the lake. In Bellagio, meander the quaint staircase streets and head out to Punta Spartivento, the lake’s tranquil centre point. In Torno, walk in Leonardo Da Vinci’s footsteps at Villa Pliniana, built around a rhythmic spring. While Da Vinci’s visit predates the 1573 villa, the Renaissance man was one of several luminaries who inspected the natural phenomenon.

Take a boat ride

The lake is most evocative when viewed from the water. Public ferries shuttle visitors around the various towns, allowing them to hop on and off as they wish with a day pass. For a more structured itinerary, group boat tours leave from designated starting points in the major towns, zipping along the lake with commentary from a local guide. For an autonomous voyage, a private boat tour is the way to go; Como Classic Boats, La Dolce Vita and Lake Como Boat Tours offer some of the best. Some sights to keep an eye out for are the looming Varenna Cemetery; Nesso’s Ponte della Civera, an ancient stone bridge; the stately Grand Hotel Tremezzo and the cream-coloured Villa Oleandra, George Clooney’s Laglio home that’s partially concealed by a Cyprus tree and lofty hedges.

Pop into the International Museum of Vintage Boats

The International Museum of Vintage Boats lies on the western shore of the lake’s upper branch. In 1982, boat collector GianAlberto Zanoletti opened the museum inside a former 19th-century factory. Sprawled across 5,000 square metres and three buildings, the museum recounts the lake’s history through the lens of its preferred mode of transport. The collection showcases 400 vessels, including row boats, sailboats, fishing boats, motorboats, racers, smuggling vessels, gondolas and nautical equipment like oars, nets and engines. In 2021, the museum inaugurated a permanent exhibition dedicated to Ernesto Riva, otherwise known as “the Ferrari of Boats”. Founded in 1771, Riva remains the international benchmark for hand-manufactured wood boats today. Its historic boatyard is in Laglio (footsteps from Casa Clooney), where the eighth generation runs the show.

Address: Via Regina, 1268, 22010 Pianello del Lario CO, Italy
Website: museobarcalariana.it

Isola Comacina

Located beside Tremezzina’s shoreline, Isola Comacina was inhabited as far back as the Roman era and has the ruins to prove it. The lake’s only island, Comacina is remembered for a past that was just as glorious as it was tragic – it remained neglected until the 20th century after having been incinerated during a 12th-century conflict. Today, the remains of San Giovanni Romanesque church and three Rationalist-style 1930s artist residences jut out from the brushy blanket that coats the six-hectare landscape. Travellers can wander around the unspoiled nature park to see ancient ruins and flora. There’s a picnic area, too.

Address: 22010 Tremezzina, Province of Como, Italy
Website: isola-comacina.it

The Orrido di Bellano

Cut into the craggy hillside on the lake’s upper eastern shore, the Orrido di Bellano is a 15-million-year-old gorge known for its roaring, 20-metre-high waterfall. Multi-level walkways guide patrons on an adventure through the ravine, passing ponds, smaller cascades, and unspoiled rock formations to arrive at the main event. Visitors succumb to the sublime in a safe backdrop during the misty, all-sensory experience. Orrido means horrific, a term applied to several of Italy’s loud waterfalls. In this case, it could also allude to the lore and legends surrounding the cascade – a mysterious hexagonal tower known as Ca’ del Diavol (the Devil’s house), believed to have once hosted satanic rituals and black magic, stands just beside the entrance.

Address: Piazza S. Giorgio, 23822 Bellano LC, Italy 
Website: discoveringbellano.eu

Borgo Corenno Plinio

If one lakeside locale evokes the transportive powers of time travel, it’s Borgo Corenno Plinio, an exquisite mediaeval hamlet nicknamed the village of “1000 steps”. The visit commences in the main piazzetta, home to the 12-century Saint Thomas Becket of Canterbury church and the mediaeval castle whose battlements loom over the village. Travellers then descend a quaint cluster of red-roofed stone buildings lining rocky narrow lanes joined by 493 stone steps to arrive at the lake-level historic stone pier. Then, they retrace their steps back to the starting point on top. Entry to the town costs €4, a fee recently implemented by the mayor to contribute to the village’s preservation costs.

Address: 23824 Dervio, Province of Lecco
Website: corenno.it

I Vetri di Bellagio

For better or worse, Bellagio is one of the lake’s most trodden towns. Consequently, the heaving crowds can eclipse the town’s heirlooms, one of which is I Vetri di Bellagio, but it’s still well worth a visit. Tucked into a narrow lane close to the Punta Spartivento, this artisan glass shop has remained unchanged since its 1952 opening. Walking into the two-floor space immediately recalls a kaleidoscopic effect as glistening speckles of colour surround you. Balloons in every shade of the rainbow float below the ceiling while lamps, glasses and objects galore abound. At the shop, Christmas never falls out of season – tree ornaments and a multitude of holiday decorations deck the walls year-round.

Address: Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 60, 22021 Bellagio CO, Italy
Website:  facebook.com

Ride a funicular

Funiculars arrive at some of the lake’s most dramatic vantage points. The one departing from Lecco soars 1,375 metres to reach Piani D’Erna, a gateway to the slopes in the shadow of the Monte Resegone peak. The Argegno to Pigra funicular covers 653 metres to offer views of the colourful towns that stud the shores of the lake’s western branch.

The Como funicular climbs 500 metres to link the city with Brunate, a hilltop town replete with historic Art Nouveau villas and former holiday homes for the Milanesi. From the top, the snow-capped pre-Alps peek out over the lake’s bristly green hills. The adventurous can schlep another 150 metres up a steep rocky path to the Faro Voltiano lighthouse, whose balconies provide even more captivating panoramas – wear comfortable shoes.

Embrace the nature

Don’t let the glitz and glamour overshadow the scenery – the hiking trails and beaches are the best way for travellers to appreciate the natural surroundings. Dozens of hiking trails weave through the hillsides, including well-marked routes that pass through the three funicular towns.

In the lake’s upper reaches, the 10-kilometre Greenway joins Colonno, Sala Comacina, Ossuccio, Lenno, Mezzegra, Tremezzo and Griante. A path in Ossuccio arrives at Sacro Monte di Ossuccio, one of the nine complexes comprising the Sacred Mountains of Piedmont and Lombardy UNESCO World Heritage site.

Although the shores are equipped with several beach clubs, a wild swim is the way to go. Lake Como’s best public beaches include Dongo on the western bank of the lake’s upper branch, the white-stone shores of Lierna and Abbadia Lariana north of Lecco, the pebbly San Giovanni near Bellagio and the turquoise Onno south of Bellagio.