It is the summer again and although we are not quite out of the pandemic yet, we are all looking for safe vacation options. While long distance travel is not quite the option yet for many of us, I wanted to do this short itinerary post for especially those in the EU who are looking for a ‘short flight’ or a road trip vacation.
So lets dive right into Lake Como which is an ideal vacation destination all year round, especially during Spring and Summer.
Do check for COVID test rules and restrictions at the time of your travel. When we travelled in Jun – Jul 2021, Italy just needed a negative COVID test result (if you were not fully vaccinated) for entry from within the EU
When to go
With pastel colored houses lining the shores of Como and heavenly villa gardens to walk around in, Lake Como is a destination which can be enjoyed all year round. But it is best to be traveled during April to October because that is when many of the Villas are open for public visits as well. The region around Lake Como enjoys a moderate climate all year round so it can be a good destination during the harsh winter months of Northern Europe. But don’t expect to swim in the waters though.
How to go
I always prefer reaching a place on road. So definitely my trip was driving ~750 kms south to the beautiful shores of Lake Como or Lago di Como. But if a road trip is not an option for you then you can take a flight to the nearest International airport in Milan. It will be then a 1-2 hours drive to Lake Como depending on where you are staying.
Pro tip: One word of caution is that the traffic on Italian roads can be very heavy and accident prone making a 2 hour journey easily take upto 3 – 3.5 hours.
Another option would be to take the train from Milan to Como or Lecco or Varenna. And then take the ferry to your final destination if you are not staying in one of the main towns.
In summary, whatever your preferred mode of transport, there is always an option if you want to reach the beautiful shore of the Lake Como.
Where to Stay
Lake Como is the shape of an inverted Y. Most of the usual places of interest are around the junction of the Y. And then there is the city of Como and Lecco on either tip of the Y. Most people tend to stay at Varenna or Bellagio which are the two most visited towns in the area and also boast of a whole slew of villas. This also means that housing there is more expensive and streets more crowded.
One thing to consider when choosing a town to stay in is how well is it connected to the main places of interest ie the likes of Varenna and Bellagio. Also if you are traveling by car, it is important to note where is the nearest car-ferry as not all ferries in the Como area have the facility of transporting cars.
Pro Tip: To beat the crowd, stay in a smaller town
I recommend staying in one of the smaller towns near Varenna or Belaggio and one such town is Bellano. It is 5 kms north of Varenna and well connected by road with Varenna. The nearest car-ferry is Varenna and time to reach Bellagio and Menaggio on the ferry is ~20 mins. It in itself is a very pretty town and has some wonderful cafes and restaurants with gorgeous views. Since it is less crowded than the other more popular towns, you will often have more private beaches to enjoy at.
We stayed at this Airbnb. The views were beautiful and it also had a small beach with the property.
What and Where to eat
What is a vacation if you haven’t eaten the local cuisine. And when you are vacationing in Italy it is needless to say that food is a huge part of the travel experience itself. I do not have a definite cuisine to recommend while in Como or a specific place. We ate around at any restaurants that took our fancy but some times we tried to avoid the restaurants which were right on the promenade. Bellano had plentiful restaurants with amazingly great food to eat. Varenna and Bellagio each have countless options. One that stood out for us was Albergo del Sole at Piazza San Giorgio in Varenna.
And needless to stay, if you spot a gelato shop, just stop and eat one!
Pro tip: Try to avoid the restaurant on the lake shores as they tend to be less value for money
What to see and do
Aside from the beautiful pastel colored houses lining the shores of Lake Como, the glittering water of the lake itself, Lake Como boasts some of the most exquisitely beautiful villas. Depending on how many days you are spending at Lake Como, you can visit some or many of these places. My list of must see would be:
Varenna
Villa Monastero at Varenna: If traveling by car, then there is a car park right opposite the villa. There is often a queue to get into the parking although we were extremely lucky in getting in without waiting. The gardens of Villa Monastero are by far the best I saw in Lake Como. Both the gardens and the actual villa are ticketed and tickets can be bought at the entrance. There is also a cafe within the grounds where you can take a Italian coffee break and take in the breath taking view.
Villa Cipressi is next door to Villa Monastero but we gave it a miss. Its a luxury hotel where you can only visit the gardens for a fee.
Piazza San Giorgio which is the town centre in Varenna, is a few meters downhill from the two villas. Here you will find multiple restaurants and cafes although this is not on the waterfront. Here you will also see the Church of San Giorgio.
Riva Grande is the waterfront of Varenna where you will find shops selling famed Italian leather goods as well as another plethora of restaurants. We didn’t try the restaurants here but I personally found it a little too crowded for my liking.
Castello di Vezio is an ancient medieval fortress overlooking Varenna. It is a 45 min uphill hike from Villa Monastero or you can also take the car up to the village of Vezio.
Bellagio
Villa Melzi D’Eril is Bellagio’s star attraction. There are two entrances to the villa and there is free parking on the side of the road leading uptown both the entrances. Keep an eye open for the white lined parking spaces. The gardens of this villa are almost like a botanical garden and you can spend couple of hours moving around the gardens.
Bellagio promenade is the dream like flower strewn pathway. If you are arriving by the ferry, this is where you alight and hence cannot miss it.
Via Giuseppe Garibaldi is the central street cutting through the town of Bellagio. This street is lined with boutique shops (some selling luxury goods too), and eateries. The walk up the street will take you straight upto Punta Spartivento. On the way, stop at Bella Vita for their amazing takeaway pizzas.
Como and Lecco
On one of the days our plan was to visit the Villa Balbianello but couldn’t make it due to a last minute emergency (my sister managed to lose one of her finger rings and we were on our all fours for 2 hours straight looking for it). So we decided to instead drive around Lake Como and what better than to drive all the way to town Como. We passed on the town centre of Lecco on the way too. Most of the road was alongside the lake so you can see the lake almost throughout the drive. There are also ferries that take about 1.5 hours to reach Como from either Varenna or even Bellano. Personally, I will give this route a miss if there is something else to do. But my sister did like the vibes in Como. So I will say if you have a free day and you have an itch to checkout a new town, then maybe drive upto Como. Otherwise just relax at a beach if you can.
Surprise Surprise in Bellano
Aside from the beautiful lake riviera and villas that dot Lake Como, we were surprised by what we stumbled upon in our own backyard Bellano. Just 5 mins walk from the lake promenade in Bellano is the Orrido, a deep, narrow, 15 million-year-old gorge with waterfall, accessible by a suspension bridge. I couldn’t first believe that it indeed is at a walking distance from the lake shore in Bellano and from our Airbnb. Ofcourse there is a flight of rock stairs that you have to take to reach the mouth of the gorge but it was absolutely incredible. I will highly recommend visiting this gorge if you are either in Bellano or in the vicinity.
And finally before I go, here is another Pro tip especially if you are driving to Lake Como or anywhere in Italy
Parking Pro Tips in Italy:
- When looking for public parking, look for white parking lines which mean it is free parking. If you see blue parking lines it means it is a paid parking. Stay away from Yellow parking lines as these mean parking there is reserved
- Most cities have No traffic zones within the city limits. You need to buy a pass to enter it. If you decide to park in certain parking garages or Parcheggio s then you may get a discount on the traffic pass. For eg we parked our car in Carducci in Milan and got ~50% discount on our traffic pass
- There are often apps through which you can book your parking a few hours before. One such app which we used was Parclick.
With this, I will leave you to planning your next trip to Lake Como.
Till then, Happy Travels!
