Outdoors · Lake Como · Italy
8 best outdoor things to do in Lake Como
Parks, viewpoints and open-air sights for the dry, bright days.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Luca Casartelli, CC BY-SA 2.0
.jpg){kind=link}
Quick answer
Start with Villa Carlotta, Como–Brunate funicular and Villa Melzi gardens. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 13–16 hours across 4 areas; 2 are free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 2
- Time to see them all
- 13–16 hours
- Areas
- Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno), Como and Bellagio
Outdoors in Lake Como
Garden · Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno)
1.Villa Carlotta
Visit in April or early May for the azalea and rhododendron displays, and allow at least an hour for the garden alone.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Couples
Viewpoint · Como
2.Como–Brunate funicular
On a clear day walk about 30 minutes uphill to the Faro Voltiano for a view stretching to the Alps and the Po plain.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Kids
- Iconic
- Outdoors
Garden · Bellagio
3.Villa Melzi gardens
Walk there along the lake from Bellagio's ferry pier rather than through the village streets; it takes about 10 minutes.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Couples
- Photo spot
Garden · Varenna
4.Villa Monastero
Combine it with lunch in Varenna; the garden entrance is a five-minute walk from the main square.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Couples
- History
Castle · Varenna
5.Castello di Vezio
Wear proper shoes for the cobbled path up from Varenna and go in the morning before the climb gets hot.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours including the walk
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Kids
- History
- Active
- Outdoors
Palace · Como
6.Villa Olmo
The park is a good picnic stop; buy supplies in Como's old town before walking out.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Architecture
- Kids
Island · Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno)
7.Isola Comacina
Take the shuttle boat from Sala Comacina and allow an hour to wander the ruins.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
Nature · Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno)
8.Greenway del Lago di Como
Walk it north to south in the morning and catch a ferry back from Tremezzo or Cadenabbia.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Active
- Outdoors
- Views
- Off the beaten path
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno) | Villa Carlotta, Isola Comacina and Greenway del Lago di Como | 2–3 hours + 1–2 hours + 3–4 hours |
| Como | Como–Brunate funicular and Villa Olmo | 2 hours + 1 hour |
| Bellagio | Villa Melzi gardens | 1 hour |
| Varenna | Villa Monastero and Castello di Vezio | 1–1.5 hours + 1.5 hours including the walk |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 2 free, 5 low cost, 1 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Greenway del Lago di Como; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 4 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno)): Villa Carlotta → Isola Comacina, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno)): Greenway del Lago di Como, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Como and Bellagio): Como–Brunate funicular → Villa Olmo → Villa Melzi gardens, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Varenna): Villa Monastero → Castello di Vezio, at least 3 hours.
The best months to be outside
- September: highs of 23°C (73°F), about 7 rainy days, busy crowds. Often the best month: warm, settled weather, the lake still swimmable and fewer families than in August.
- August: highs of 27°C (81°F), about 8 rainy days, very busy crowds. Peak season with Italian holidaymakers around Ferragosto (15 August); hot, sometimes humid, with evening storms.
- July: highs of 28°C (82°F), about 8 rainy days, very busy crowds. Hottest and busiest month; ferries and Bellagio's lanes are packed at midday, so start early and swim in the afternoon.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Bellagio — Stepped lanes, silk shops and lake views on both arms from the central promontory
- Varenna — Pastel houses, a lakeside walkway and a railway station on the eastern shore
- Menaggio — A lakeside piazza, a lido and hiking trails on the western shore
- Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno) — Grand hotels, Villa Carlotta and the Greenway path along the western shore
- Como — A walled old town, the cathedral and the funicular at the southern tip
More of Lake Como
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Lake Como?
Villa Carlotta. Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo combines a museum of neoclassical sculpture and painting, including Francesco Hayez's The Last Kiss of Romeo and Juliet, with about eight hectares of botanical gardens.
+Which of these are free in Lake Como?
Villa Olmo and Greenway del Lago di Como.