UltimateGuide Lake Como
Our favourites
Varenna’s pastel houses and bell tower on the shore of Lake Como, under the wooded cliffs, in evening sun Varenna and the Castello di Vezio above the lake, with Bellagio’s peninsula beyond

The lake guide to Lake Como, Italy

Best of Lake Como

Villa d’Este and the Villa del Balbianello, Bellagio on its point and Varenna across the water, the gardens of Villa Melzi and the Villa Carlotta, Riva boats, seaplanes and the car ferry, and the 2026 MICHELIN stars: Lake Como, checked place by place.

Launch edition · Autumn 2026

Where to eatWhat to see
The red carriages of the Glacier Express crossing the stone arches of the Landwasser Viaduct below a snow-capped peakSister guideULTIMATE Rail JourneysThe story of the train, the great journeys and where to book themA cruise ship in the Bay of Kotor, MontenegroSister guideULTIMATE CruisesLines, ships and itineraries, from river to expeditionThe Matterhorn in winter above ZermattSister guideULTIMATE Ski ResortsSeason dates, hotels, après and ski schools, resort by resortThe Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its gardens, Saint-Jean-Cap-FerratSister guideULTIMATE PropertyCernobbio, Tremezzina and Bellagio: agents and how buying works in Italy

Lake Como, from Villa d’Este to Bellagio

Lake Como is the lake of villas: palaces and gardens built by Milanese nobles and cardinals along a shore of mountains, linked by boats. Here are the grand hotels and the 2026 MICHELIN stars, the villas and gardens, the towns of Como, Cernobbio, Tremezzina, Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio, Lecco and the upper lake, the boats and seaplanes, and day trips to Milan, Bergamo, Lugano, Valtellina and Lake Maggiore. We’ve checked every listing against the venue’s own website or an official source, and we leave out anything we can’t confirm.

Balbianello, Carlotta and Melzi: Lake Como, the lake of villas

In depth

The lake of villas

Lake Como·In depth

The Villa del Balbianello and the Villa Carlotta, the gardens of Villa Melzi and Villa Monastero, Como’s cathedral and the funicular to Brunate: how to read the lake.

Read the story

Lake Como by area

From the walled town of Como to the upper lake, each shore has its own guide: the silk town, the grand villas of the first basin, Tremezzina’s gardens, Bellagio on its point, Varenna, Menaggio, Lecco under its mountains and the wide northern lake.

The carved marble façade and rose window of Como CathedralArea guideComoThe silk townThe fountain on the lakeside Piazza Risorgimento in Cernobbio, with the eastern shore beyondArea guideCernobbio, Blevio & TornoThe first basinThe Villa del Balbianello on its wooded peninsula, with its loggia, terraced gardens and the lake around itArea guideTremezzinaVillas and gardensThe Bellagio waterfront, with its grand hotels, the ferry landing and a lake boat moored in the sunArea guideBellagioOn the pointThe pool and canopied daybeds of the Hotel Royal Victoria in Varenna, under a wisteria pergolaArea guideVarennaThe eastern shore

By boat

Choose a base near a ferry stop: the boats are the best way to move between the lake towns, and the car ferry links Bellagio, Cadenabbia, Varenna and Menaggio.

  1. Area guideMenaggio & CadenabbiaThe car ferry shore
  2. Area guideLeccoManzoni and the mountains
  3. Area guideThe upper lakeGravedona, Domaso and Colico

Plan your trip

The practical things to know before you go: the boats and the trains, the airports of Milan, the seasons of the villas and hotels, and itineraries for a first visit.

Before you goLake Como essentialsSeasons, the airports, the boats and the villasA Navigazione Laghi car ferry crossing the centre of Lake Como towards VarennaGetting aroundBy boat and trainThe boats, the car ferry and TrenordThe red and yellow car of the Como–Brunate funicular climbing through the gardens, with Como and the lake belowItineraryThree days on Lake ComoThe classic first visitThe Grand Hotel Tremezzo above its floating pool and lakeside terrace, with a wooden launch passingLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addressesVilla d’Este on the shore at Cernobbio from the air, with its gardens, landing stage and pool on the lakeItineraryThe Gold weekendVilla d’Este, a Riva and Materia
  1. ItineraryThe Platinum weekendIl Sereno, a seaplane and the T Spa

Our advice

Arrive by train, travel by boat

Trenord runs from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino in about an hour, and from Milan to Como; from there, Navigazione Laghi’s boats and car ferry link the lake towns. Check both timetables on the day. Lake Como essentials

Beyond the lake

Milan, Bergamo, Lugano, Valtellina and Lake Maggiore, all within reach for the day: the great city, a walled upper town, Switzerland’s Italian lakes, terraced vineyards and baroque islands.

The Duomo di Milano and the arch of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II on the Piazza del DuomoBeyond the lakeMilanThe Duomo and the Last SupperThe Piazza Vecchia in Bergamo’s Città Alta, with the Palazzo della Ragione and the CampanoneBeyond the lakeBergamoThe upper townLugano and its lake seen from the mountains above, with the Alps beyondBeyond the lakeLugano & TicinoSwitzerland’s Italian lakesA dish of pizzoccheri della Valtellina: buckwheat pasta with potatoes, cabbage and melted cheeseBeyond the lakeValtellinaTerraced vineyards and pizzoccheriLake Maggiore and the Isola Superiore seen from Isola Bella, with a boat at the landingBeyond the lakeLake MaggioreThe Borromean Islands

Our advice

See the villas early or late

The Villa del Balbianello, the Villa Carlotta and the gardens of Villa Melzi are at their best in the soft light of morning and late afternoon, before and after the day boats. The villas and sights

The ULTIMATE letter

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In depth: Lake Como, its villas, silk and steamers

Lake Como cuisine, the villas, silk and music, eating, the grand hotels, film, the boats and where to buy: the stories behind the lake.

Piazza Duomo, ComoChristmas on Lake ComoLight projections on the walls of the old townEatLake Como CuisinePerch, missoltini, pizzoccheri and the SfursatFeatureLake Como, the classic and the newGrandeur, villas, the table and the water

In season

Most villas and many lakeside hotels close in winter: check each one’s season on its own website before you plan.

  1. FeatureLake Como on filmCasino Royale, Star Wars and Ocean’s Twelve
  2. The back storySilk and musicThe UNESCO craft city and the opera house

Across Italy with the ULTIMATE guides

Milan an hour away, Venice by high-speed train, the Alps in winter and the great train journeys of the world.

ULTIMATE MilanMilanAn hour by trainULTIMATE VeniceVeniceEast by high-speed train

The ULTIMATE City Guides around the world

See all Europe

Planning a longer journey? Each city in the network has its own independent guide, written with the same care and checked place by place. Here are the guides that are live, with more on the way.

Canal houses and bridges in Amsterdamthe NetherlandsULTIMATE AmsterdamThe canal ring, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, canal-house hotels, twenty MICHELIN-starred tables, brown cafés, and day trips to Haarlem and Keukenhof.The Alhambra in Granada in the evening lightSpainULTIMATE AndalusiaSeville, Granada and the Alhambra, Córdoba, Málaga, Cádiz and Jerez, Ronda and the white villages, Doñana and Cabo de Gata.The floodlit Acropolis and Parthenon at dusk, seen from Philopappos HillGreeceULTIMATE AthensThe Acropolis and the Plaka, rooftop bars facing the Parthenon, the Athens Riviera and the Greek islands: our original guide, and our deepest.The road winding out to the lighthouse on Cap de Formentor, Mallorca, above the open seaSpainULTIMATE Balearic IslandsMallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera side by side, and how to hop between them by ferry.The Sagrada Família lit up at nightSpainULTIMATE BarcelonaGaudí and the Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter, four Three-Star MICHELIN kitchens, the beaches and day trips to Montserrat and Girona.Belgrade's old town and the spire of the Cathedral Church of St Michael above the Sava at sunsetSerbiaULTIMATE BelgradeWhere the Sava meets the Danube: a buzzing capital of art, classical music and famous nightlife, with a new waterfront and the mountains of Zlatibor and Kopaonik.

See all 81 guides

HOT TOPICS · Have Your Say

The latest from our readers: visitors and lakeside locals on the villas, the boats, the terraces and the villages.

    Have your say in HOT TOPICS

    The loggia of the Villa del Balbianello, its arches dressed in creeper beneath a carved coat of arms

    This week's pick

    Villa del Balbianello

    Lenno, Tremezzina·Villa and garden (FAI)

    The FAI’s Villa del Balbianello stands on its own peninsula at Lenno: Cardinal Durini’s loggia, Guido Monzino’s expedition museum and gardens falling to the water. Book on the FAI’s official site and check the season before you go.

    Find out more

    Every list in the guide

    Plan your day

    The Varenna ferry landing, with a lake steamer arrivingItineraryA day on the water: the centre lake by boatOne dayThe Japanese pond with maples and a small bridge in the gardens of Villa MelziItineraryVillas and gardens of Lake ComoOne dayThe Art Nouveau façade of the Grand Hotel Tremezzo above its terrace and lakeside poolItineraryA property viewing day: Cernobbio, Tremezzina and BellagioOne day
    1. ItineraryBy rail: a day in MilanOne day, by train

    Know your neighbourhoods

    Our favourites right now

    Restaurants

    1. 1Lake fish, Valtellina’s mountain food and four stars: how Lake Como eatsLake Como · In depth
    2. 2Lake Como CuisineLake Como · In depth: food
    3. 3KitchenComo · Restaurant
    See all 30

    Cafés

    1. 1Pasticceria PolettiCernobbio · Pasticceria
    2. 2Martesana ComoComo · Pasticceria
    3. 3CastiglioniComo · Gastronomia and enoteca
    See all 6

    Bars

    1. 1Harry’s Bar CernobbioCernobbio · Restaurant and bar
    2. 2CO.MO Bar & BistrotBlevio · Hotel bar
    3. 3The Lobby Bar at The Lake Como EDITIONCadenabbia · Hotel bar
    See all 5

    Hotels

    1. 1Villa d’Este to Passalacqua: the grand hotels of Lake ComoLake Como · In depth
    2. 2Villa d’EsteCernobbio · Grand hotel
    3. 3Mandarin Oriental, Lago di ComoBlevio · Resort
    See all 19

    Sights

    1. 1Balbianello, Carlotta and Melzi: Lake Como, the lake of villasLake Como · In depth
    2. 2Villa del BalbianelloLenno, Tremezzina · Villa and garden (FAI)
    3. 3Villa CarlottaTremezzina · Villa, museum and garden
    See all 11

    Arts & Culture

    1. 1Canova, silk and an opera house of 1813: Lake Como, the lake of silk and musicComo · In depth
    2. 2Museo della SetaComo · Museum
    3. 3Villa BernasconiCernobbio · House museum
    See all 16

    Gardens

    1. 1The gardens of the Villa CarlottaTremezzina · Botanical garden
    2. 2The botanical garden of the Villa MonasteroVarenna · Botanical garden
    3. 3The gardens of Villa MelziBellagio · Garden
    See all 5

    Walks

    1. 1The Greenway del Lago di ComoTremezzina · Walk
    2. 2Como’s walled townComo · Walk
    3. 3Como to BrunateComo · Walk
    See all 6

    Shopping

    1. 1Frey, CernobbioCernobbio · Silk shop
    2. 2Frey, BellagioBellagio · Silk shop
    3. 3Mantero 1902Grandate · Silk house
    See all 6

    Health

    1. 1Emergencies: call 112Lake Como · Emergency number
    2. 2Ospedale Sant’Anna (ASST Lariana)San Fermo della Battaglia · Hospital
    3. 3Ospedale Erba-Renaldi, Menaggio (ASST Lariana)Menaggio · Hospital
    See all 10

    Property

    1. 1Villas on the water and the quieter eastern shore: buying on Lake ComoLake Como · In depth
    2. 2The notaioLake Como · Official step
    3. 3Codice fiscale: your Italian tax codeLake Como · Official step
    See all 6

    Developments

    1. 1The Lake Como EDITIONCadenabbia · Development
    2. 2Villa Olmo and its parkComo · Development
    3. 3Villa PlinianaTorno · Development
    See all 4

    Boats

    1. 1Como Classic BoatsLaglio · Boat hire with driver
    2. 2Bellagio Water LimousinesBellagio · Boat tours and transfers
    3. 3The Riva Aquarama at Villa d’EsteCernobbio · Hotel boat tour
    See all 6

    Getting Around

    1. 1Steamers, the car ferry and the train to Varenna: Lake Como by boat and trainLake Como · In depth
    2. 2Navigazione LaghiLake Como · Public boats
    3. 3The Como–Brunate funicularComo · Funicular
    See all 7