For couples · Lake Como · Italy
Romantic things to do in Lake Como
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Emibuzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Lake Como's villas, gardens and lakeside terraces make it one of Italy's classic romantic escapes. The key is to stay on the central lake so you can enjoy it after the day-trippers leave. Couples tend to stay in Bellagio.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 6
- Area for couples
- Bellagio
- Best months
- April
Romantic ideas
1.Sunset on the Passeggiata degli Innamorati
Varenna's walkway over the water catches the evening light on Bellagio across the lake.
2.Private boat tour
A water taxi or wooden motorboat with a driver can loop past Villa del Balbianello, Villa Carlotta and Bellagio's lakefront at golden hour.
3.Villa del Balbianello's loggia
The open loggia at the top of the garden frames views of both directions of the lake.
4.Dinner on a Bellagio terrace
Lakefront restaurants in Bellagio look across to Varenna's lights after dark.
5.Morning at Punta Spartivento
Walk to the tip of the Bellagio peninsula before the first ferries arrive to watch the lake divide below the mountains.
Sights couples love
Garden · Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno)
Villa del Balbianello
Arrive by water taxi from Lenno for the classic view of the villa from the lake, then walk back along the path.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Views
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Architecture
Garden · Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno)
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
Waterfront · Varenna
Varenna and the Passeggiata degli Innamorati
Walk the passageway at sunset, when the light falls on Bellagio across the water.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Couples
- Views
- Photo spot
- Iconic
Experience · Central lake
Central-lake ferry triangle
A central-lake day ticket usually pays for itself if you make three or more crossings; buy tickets at the pier office or machines before boarding.
- Time needed
- Half a day or more
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Kids
- Views
- Couples
Garden · Bellagio
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
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
Where couples should stay
$$$$ · Best for first-timers, couples and luxury
Bellagio
Bellagio sits at the tip of the peninsula between the Como and Lecco arms, so it has views in three directions and the most ferry connections on the lake. Its old centre is a grid of stepped lanes such as Salita Serbelloni climbing from the lakefront arcades, and Villa Melzi's gardens are a 10-minute walk south. It is the most famous and most expensive base, and day-trippers fill it from late morning.
- Good
- Ferries to Varenna, Menaggio and Tremezzo leave from the centre; Views of both lake arms; Wide choice of restaurants
- Watch out
- Busy with day-trippers in summer; Hotel prices are among the highest on the lake; No railway station
- Nearby
- Villa Melzi, Punta Spartivento, Villa Serbelloni park
Romantic day trips
- Lugano (About 30 minutes by train from Como) — Across the Swiss border, Lugano has a lakeside promenade, arcaded streets around Piazza della Riforma and funiculars up Monte San Salvatore and Monte Brè.
- Bergamo (About 40 minutes by train from Lecco) — Bergamo's Città Alta is a walled hilltop town of Venetian-era ramparts, now UNESCO-listed, with the Cappella Colleoni, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and Piazza Vecchia.
- Tirano and the Bernina line (About 1.5 hours by train from Varenna) — Tirano, at the head of Valtellina, is the southern end of the Rhaetian Railway's Bernina line, a UNESCO-listed mountain railway that climbs over the Bernina Pass to St.
- Lake Maggiore and the Borromean Islands (About 1.5 hours by car from Como) — From Stresa, boats cross to the Borromean Islands: Isola Bella with its Baroque palace and terraced gardens, and Isola Madre with its botanical garden.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Risotto with perch, Missoltini and Lavarello. Ask whether the fish is from the lake (pesce di lago) if you want local perch, whitefish or agone.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Lake Como romantic?
Lake Como's villas, gardens and lakeside terraces make it one of Italy's classic romantic escapes. The key is to stay on the central lake so you can enjoy it after the day-trippers leave.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Lake Como?
Sunset on the Passeggiata degli Innamorati: Varenna's walkway over the water catches the evening light on Bellagio across the lake.
+Where should couples stay in Lake Como?
Bellagio: Stepped lanes, silk shops and lake views on both arms from the central promontory.