Things to do · Lake Como · Italy
17 best things to do in Lake Como
17 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Jean-Christophe BENOIST, CC BY 3.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Lake Como are Villa del Balbianello, Villa Carlotta and Bellagio old town and Punta Spartivento. Of the 17 picks below, 7 are free, 2 work on a rainy day and 6 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Villa del Balbianello
- Free sights
- 7
- Good on a rainy day
- Como Cathedral
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Villa del Balbianello | Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno) | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Villa Carlotta | Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno) | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Bellagio old town and Punta Spartivento | Bellagio | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Varenna and the Passeggiata degli Innamorati | Varenna | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Central-lake ferry triangle | Central lake | Half a day or more | Low cost |
| Como–Brunate funicular | Como | 2 hours | Low cost |
| Villa Melzi gardens | Bellagio | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Villa Monastero | Varenna | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Castello di Vezio | Varenna | 1.5 hours including the walk | Low cost |
| Como Cathedral | Como | 45 minutes | Free |
| Tempio Voltiano | Como | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Villa Olmo | Como | 1 hour | Free |
| Isola Comacina | Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno) | 1–2 hours | Low cost |
| Greenway del Lago di Como | Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno) | 3–4 hours | Free |
| Sacro Monte di Ossuccio | Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno) | 1.5 hours | Free |
| Orrido di Bellano | Bellano | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Abbazia di Piona | Colico | 1 hour | Free |
The 17 best things to do
Garden · Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno)
1.Villa del Balbianello
On the wooded Dosso di Lavedo point near Lenno, this 18th-century villa has terraced gardens, a loggia framing views of both directions of the lake and pleached plane trees. It is owned by FAI, the Italian National Trust, and was used as a filming location for Star Wars: Episode II and the 2006 Casino Royale. Access is on foot along a path from Lenno or by water taxi from the Lenno shore.
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
- Book ahead
- Guided tours of the villa interior have limited places and sell out on summer weekends; book through FAI in advance.
- Iconic
- Views
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Architecture
Garden · Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno)
2.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. Its rhododendrons and azaleas flower from about April to May, and the garden also has a bamboo grove, a fern valley and lake terraces looking across to Bellagio.
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
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Neighbourhood · Bellagio
3.Bellagio old town and Punta Spartivento
Bellagio's lanes climb in steps from the lakefront arcades, lined with silk and leather shops, to the Romanesque Basilica of San Giacomo. At the northern tip, Punta Spartivento looks straight up the lake where the Como and Lecco arms divide, with the Alps on the horizon.
Explore before 10am or after the last day-tripper ferries have left; the lanes are far calmer.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- Views
- Shopping
- Photo spot
Waterfront · Varenna
4.Varenna and the Passeggiata degli Innamorati
Varenna's coloured houses rise above a small harbour, and the Passeggiata degli Innamorati, a railed walkway built out over the water, links the ferry pier to the village centre. Narrow staircases lead up from the waterfront to the church of San Giorgio and Piazza San Giorgio.
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
5.Central-lake ferry triangle
Navigazione Laghi ferries shuttle between Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Cadenabbia in about 10–15 minutes per hop, making the crossings themselves one of the best ways to see the lake. Slower boats run the length of the Como arm, while faster hydrofoils cut journey times between Como and the central lake.
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
Viewpoint · Como
6.Como–Brunate funicular
Running since 1894, the funicular climbs from Como's lakefront to the hill village of Brunate, about 700 metres above sea level, in roughly seven minutes. From the top, short walks lead to viewpoints over the city and the lake and up to the Faro Voltiano, a lighthouse built to honour Alessandro Volta.
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
7.Villa Melzi gardens
The lakeside gardens of Villa Melzi d'Eril, laid out in the early 19th century, run along the shore south of Bellagio with a Japanese-style pond, rare trees, sculptures and a small chapel. The villa itself is private, but the grounds make an easy, flat walk from the ferry pier.
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
8.Villa Monastero
A former Cistercian convent turned villa, Villa Monastero has a long, narrow botanical garden of about two kilometres following the shore south of Varenna, with citrus, palms, agaves and lake views. A house museum shows furnished rooms from its time as a private residence.
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
1.Castello di Vezio
A medieval watchtower and walls on the hill above Varenna, reached by a steep mule track of about 20–30 minutes from the village. The terrace looks down on Varenna, Bellagio and the central lake, and the castle hosts falconry displays with birds of prey.
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
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Religious site · Como
2.Como Cathedral
Como's Duomo was built over roughly three and a half centuries from 1396, so its marble façade is Gothic while the dome added by Filippo Juvarra is Baroque. Inside are 16th-century tapestries and paintings by Bernardino Luini and Gaudenzio Ferrari. Statues of Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, both born in Como, flank the main door.
Look up at the Broletto, the striped medieval town hall right next to the cathedral façade.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Museum · Como
3.Tempio Voltiano
This neoclassical lakeside temple, built in 1927, is a museum to Alessandro Volta, the Como-born physicist who invented the electric battery. It displays his original instruments and documents, and sits at the start of the promenade to Villa Olmo.
Pair it with the lakeside walk to Villa Olmo, about 15 minutes away along the shore.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Palace · Como
4.Villa Olmo
A late-18th-century neoclassical villa on the shore just west of Como's centre, owned by the city. Its Italian garden and park run down to the water, and the villa hosts exhibitions. The lakeside path from the Tempio Voltiano, known as the Passeggiata di Villa Olmo, passes several other villas on the way.
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)
5.Isola Comacina
Lake Como's only island lies off Sala Comacina and Ossuccio, covered in olive trees and the excavated ruins of early medieval churches destroyed in 1169. Small boats shuttle across in a few minutes in season, and the island's single restaurant serves a long-running fixed menu.
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)
6.Greenway del Lago di Como
A signposted walking route of about 10 km on the western shore from Colonno to Griante, passing Sala Comacina, Ossuccio, Lenno, Mezzegra and Tremezzo on lanes, old mule tracks and lakeside paths. It is mostly gentle and links Villa del Balbianello and Villa Carlotta, with ferry and bus stops along the way if you want to shorten it.
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
Religious site · Tremezzina (Tremezzo and Lenno)
7.Sacro Monte di Ossuccio
Fourteen 17th-century chapels with life-size terracotta figures line a cobbled path climbing through olive groves above Ossuccio to the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Soccorso. It is one of the nine Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy listed together by UNESCO, and the climb gives views over Isola Comacina.
Start from the lakeside road in Ossuccio; the climb takes about 30 minutes at a steady pace.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Views
- Off the beaten path
- Active
Nature · Bellano
8.Orrido di Bellano
A narrow gorge carved by the Pioverna stream as it drops into the lake at Bellano, a short train or ferry ride north of Varenna. Walkways fixed to the rock walls let you look down into the churning water and potholes worn by the torrent.
Go after a spell of rain, when the water is at its most dramatic.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Kids
- Off the beaten path
- Outdoors
Religious site · Colico
9.Abbazia di Piona
A Cistercian-run abbey with a Romanesque church and a small 13th-century cloister on the Olgiasca peninsula near Colico, at the northern end of the eastern shore. The monks' shop sells herbal liqueurs and honey, and the walk out along the peninsula is quiet and wooded.
Combine it with a day on the quieter northern lake around Colico, which is on the railway line from Varenna.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Architecture
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Villa Carlotta, Como Cathedral and Tempio Voltiano |
| History | Villa Monastero, Castello di Vezio, Como Cathedral and Tempio Voltiano |
| Views | Villa del Balbianello, Bellagio old town and Punta Spartivento, Varenna and the Passeggiata degli Innamorati and Castello di Vezio |
| Outdoors and nature | Villa Carlotta, Como–Brunate funicular, Villa Melzi gardens and Villa Monastero |
| With children | Castello di Vezio, Central-lake ferry triangle, Como–Brunate funicular and Tempio Voltiano |
| On a rainy day | Como Cathedral and Tempio Voltiano |
What to book ahead
- Villa del Balbianello: Guided tours of the villa interior have limited places and sell out on summer weekends; book through FAI in advance.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Lake Como?
Villa del Balbianello. On the wooded Dosso di Lavedo point near Lenno, this 18th-century villa has terraced gardens, a loggia framing views of both directions of the lake and pleached plane trees.
+What can you do for free in Lake Como?
Bellagio old town and Punta Spartivento, Varenna and the Passeggiata degli Innamorati, Como Cathedral, Villa Olmo and Greenway del Lago di Como. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Lake Como when it rains?
Head indoors to Como Cathedral and Tempio Voltiano.