Season guide · Lake Como · Italy
Lake Como in winter
December–February: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Luca Casartelli, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Quick answer
Cold and quiet, with snow on the mountains, a reduced ferry timetable and most central-lake villas and hotels closed; Como city stays open with Christmas lights. Expect highs up to 9°C (48°F) and lows around 0°C (32°F), with about 17 rainy days across December–February.
Key facts
- Months
- December–February
- Temperatures
- 0°C (32°F) to 9°C (48°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 17
- Crowds
- Very quiet
- Hotel prices
- Lowest
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C (45°F) | 0°C (32°F) | 6 | 9 h | 1/5 |
| February | 9°C (48°F) | 1°C (34°F) | 5 | 10.3 h | 1/5 |
| December | 7°C (45°F) | 1°C (34°F) | 6 | 8.7 h | 2/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 8°C (46°F) against a yearly 17°C (63°F), and 17 of the year's roughly 97 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 1/5 and hotel prices 1/5 on average.
What's on in winter
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- February: Carnival parades in Como and some lake towns (usually February)
- December: Città dei Balocchi continues in Como (usually until early January)
Good choices for winter
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Religious site · Como
Como Cathedral
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
Tempio Voltiano
This neoclassical lakeside temple, built in 1927, is a museum to Alessandro Volta, the Como-born physicist who invented the electric battery.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Day trips in winter
- 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.
What to pack
- A warm coat, hat, gloves and thermal layers
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit Lake Como?
It is a trade-off: Cold and quiet, with snow on the mountains, a reduced ferry timetable and most central-lake villas and hotels closed; Como city stays open with Christmas lights. The best months overall are April–June and September.
+What is the weather like in Lake Como in winter?
Highs of up to 9°C (48°F) and lows around 0°C (32°F), with about 17 rainy days over the season.