Lake Como is a long, narrow lake shaped like an upside-down Y, with Como at the bottom of the western arm, Lecco at the bottom of the eastern one, and Bellagio on the point where they meet. Its shores are steep, so the villages sit on small deltas and ledges at the water's edge, joined by narrow roads, lakeside paths and, above all, the public ferries.
The classic Lake Como is the central triangle of Bellagio, Varenna and the Tremezzina shore around Tremezzo and Lenno, where the 18th and 19th century villas and their gardens line the water. Bellagio at sunrise is on Italy's list. This page covers the villas you can visit, two lakeside walks, the funicular above Como and the castle and gorge on the eastern shore.
Reach Villa del Balbianello on foot or by boat from Lenno
Villa del Balbianello, Lenno
2 hours with the walk or boatTimed entry
A cardinal's summer villa on a wooded promontory, filled with an Everest leader's souvenirs, with terraced gardens over the water.
What it is
On the tip of the Dosso d'Avedo, a wooded promontory south of Lenno, Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini turned an old Franciscan monastery into a summer villa in 1787. Its last owner, Guido Monzino, who led the first Italian expedition to Everest, filled it with souvenirs of his travels and left it to FAI, Italy's national trust, when he died in 1988. Its terraced gardens over the water appeared in Casino Royale and Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.
How to do it
FAI asks you to book a time for every visit: a park ticket costs about €15, and the house and park with a guided tour of the rooms, about 50 minutes, about €25. Walk the 1 km path up from Lenno, about 25 minutes, or book a taxi boat from the Lido di Lenno, which FAI does not run.
Good to know
It is open from March to January except Mondays and Wednesdays.
Time needed
2 hours with the walk or boat
Best time
Spring or September; closed Mondays and Wednesdays
See the azaleas and Canova's marbles at Villa Carlotta
Villa Carlotta, Tremezzo
2 hoursNo booking needed
Sculpture by Canova in the rooms and some 150 kinds of azalea in the garden, at a villa given as a wedding present.
What it is
The Clerici family built this villa at Tremezzo from 1690, and the banker Giovanni Battista Sommariva, who bought it in 1801, filled it with sculpture by Canova and Thorvaldsen and paintings by Hayez. In 1847 it became a wedding present for Princess Charlotte of Prussia, which gave it its name. Its garden of about 8 hectares climbs from the lake through an Italian garden, terraces and a bamboo garden, with rhododendrons and some 150 kinds of azalea that make April and May the best time to come.
How to do it
The Tremezzo - Villa Carlotta boat stop is 400 metres from the entrance. A full ticket costs €17.50, €15 over 65, €7 for students aged 6 to 18, and children under 6 go free.
Good to know
In 2026 it opened daily from 20 March to 8 November, from 10:00 to 19:00 and to 18:00 from 19 October, with last tickets an hour before closing.
Walk the lakeside gardens of Villa Melzi in Bellagio
Giardini di Villa Melzi, Bellagio
1 hourNo booking needed
Lawns and big old trees along the shore with views to Varenna, a calm hour after Bellagio's steep lanes.
What it is
On the lakeshore just south of Bellagio, Villa Melzi was built between 1808 and 1810 for Francesco Melzi d'Eril, vice-president of Napoleon's Italian Republic, to a design by Giocondo Albertolli. The villa itself stays private, but its gardens along the shore are open to visitors: lawns and big old trees running beside the water, a small chapel and an orangery, and views across the lake to Varenna and the Tremezzina. It is a calm hour, easy on the legs after Bellagio's steep lanes.
How to do it
A ticket costs €10 at the gate, with no booking, and children up to 11 go free; a season pass costs €50 if you are staying a while.
Good to know
The gardens open daily from 10:00 to 19:00, last entry 18:30, in the season.
Time needed
1 hour
Best time
Late afternoon, after the sunrise at Punta Spartivento
1 and a half hours with a walk at the topNo booking needed
About seven minutes up from Como's lakefront, with the city and the end of the lake opening below, and running until 22:30.
What it is
From Como's lakefront, a funicular has climbed to the village of Brunate since 1894, in about seven minutes, with the city and the end of the lake opening below. At the top, Brunate is a quiet hill village with paths along the ridge; a walk uphill leads to the Faro Voltiano, a lighthouse raised in honour of Alessandro Volta, the Como-born inventor of the electric battery.
How to do it
It runs every day from 6:00 to 22:30, so it works as a sunset or evening trip after a day in Como.
Good to know
The line closes for maintenance for some weeks most years, with a replacement bus, so check the operator's site, which also gives the current fares, before you go.
An easy shore walk through seven villages, with only about 100 metres of climbing and the island of Comacina offshore.
What it is
The Greenway del Lago di Como is a signed walk of about 10.5 kilometres along the western shore, from Colonno to Griante, through seven villages: Colonno, Sala Comacina, Ossuccio, Lenno, Mezzegra, Tremezzo and Griante. It is rated easy, with only about 100 metres of climbing in total, on paths and village lanes, with a protected path beside the lake road at the end, and it takes about three and a half hours at a walking pace. On the way you pass the island of Comacina offshore, the path down to Villa del Balbianello at Lenno and the gate of Villa Carlotta at Tremezzo, so you can build a day around it.
How to do it
Start at Colonno and walk north, then return by bus or ferry.
Good to know
Markings are arrows, signposts and metal plaques set into the paving, so it is hard to get lost.
Time needed
About 3 and a half hours
Best time
A spring or autumn morning, from Colonno northwards
Hike a stage of the Sentiero del Viandante above the eastern shore
Sentiero del Viandante, eastern shore
Half a day for one stageFree
Walk one stage of a waymarked shore path of about 70 kilometres, then ride the train back along the lake.
What it is
The Sentiero del Viandante, the wayfarer's path, is a waymarked route along the eastern shore from Lecco to Colico, about 70 kilometres in all, and in 2020 it became the first walking route certified by the Touring Club Italiano.
How to do it
You do not need to do it all: the railway from Lecco to Colico runs alongside and crosses the path again and again, so you can walk one stage and ride back. The hardest and finest is Lierna to Varenna, about 8 kilometres and three and a half hours, with a long climb above the water. Varenna to Dervio, about 12 kilometres and five hours, climbs to Vezio and drops to Bellano and its gorge.
Good to know
The path is walkable all year, but avoid it after snow. Wear proper shoes and carry water.
About 20 minutes up from the harbour to a half-ruined castle with birds of prey and a view up and down the lake.
What it is
Varenna, on the eastern shore, is the central lake's village with a railway station, a cluster of coloured houses around a small harbour.
How to do it
Above it, a steep path of about 20 minutes climbs to the Castello di Vezio, a half-ruined 14th-century castle on the hilltop, from which you look down on Varenna, across to Bellagio and up and down the lake. The castle keeps birds of prey and holds falconry displays, and it is open from March to early November. The Sentiero del Viandante passes right by it. Back in Varenna, the gardens of Villa Monastero run for almost two kilometres along the lake if you want a quieter hour.
Good to know
Check the castle's site for the day's hours and the display times.
Walk the hanging walkways of the Orrido di Bellano
Orrido di Bellano, Bellano
45 minutesNo booking needed
Walkways fixed to the walls of a gorge carry you over rushing water to a big waterfall, most impressive after rain.
What it is
At Bellano, north of Varenna on the same shore, the river Pioverna reaches the lake through the Orrido, a gorge cut deep and narrow into the rock. Walkways fixed to the cliff walls take you above the rushing water, now extended as far as the big waterfall upstream, with the noise and spray filling the gorge; it is most impressive after rain.
How to do it
A ticket for the walkways costs €8, €5 for ages 6 to 14, and under 6s go free; a combined ticket adds the Cà del Diavol, a small tower perched over the gorge with its own legends. Bellano is also a stop on the Sentiero del Viandante, so it fits a day on the eastern shore.
Good to know
Hours change with the season: in summer 2026 it opened 9:00 to 19:00 every day, and from 25 October it runs 10:00 to 17:00 on weekdays and 9:00 to 17:00 at weekends, with last entry 20 minutes before closing.
Watch the sun rise over Lake Como from Punta Spartivento
Bellagio, Lombardy
1 hour at dawn, a day with the ferriesFree
From the tip of Bellagio, where Lake Como splits in two, watch dawn light come over the eastern mountains onto the western shore.
What it is
Bellagio sits on the promontory where Lake Como splits into its two southern arms, towards Como and towards Lecco, and its tip, Punta Spartivento, the point that divides the wind, is a short walk north of the old centre. At sunrise the light comes over the mountains to the east and reaches the villages on the western shore first.
How to do it
To be there at dawn you need to sleep in Bellagio: from Como the C30 bus takes about 70 minutes, and the nearest railway station is Varenna, a ferry ride across the water. Stay until the lakefront cafés open, then catch an early public ferry to Varenna or Menaggio before the day trippers arrive.
Good to know
The ferries are run by the state lake navigation service and carry cars on some routes, so you can do the whole lake without a tour.
From Milan, trains run to Como and along the eastern shore to Varenna-Esino on the line to Lecco and Colico. Bellagio has no station: reach it by ferry from Varenna, Menaggio or Cadenabbia, or by bus from Como.
Getting around
The public ferries run by the state lake navigation service are the way to move between villages; the short crossings between Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Cadenabbia run often in season. Roads are narrow and parking in the villages is scarce in summer. Buses follow the western shore from Como.
Where to base yourself
In the central lake, around Bellagio, Varenna or the Tremezzina, to be close to the villas and the short ferry crossings. Como town is practical for trains and day trips from Milan but far from the central villages by boat. Varenna, on the railway, suits travellers without a car.
When to go
April and May for the azaleas and rhododendrons in the villa gardens, September for warm days without the August crowds. Many villas and gardens close from November to March, and ferry timetables shrink in winter.
Questions travellers ask
How do you get to Villa del Balbianello?
On foot from Lenno, a path of about 1 km uphill, roughly 25 minutes, or by the taxi boats from the Lido di Lenno, which are run privately and must be booked. Booking a visit time with FAI, the trust that owns the villa, is required for both the park and the house.
Bellagio or Varenna as a base?
Varenna if you arrive by train, since it has a station on the line from Milan. Bellagio if you want the most hotels and restaurants and do not mind reaching it by ferry or bus. They face each other across the lake, linked by frequent ferries.
Can you visit Lake Como as a day trip from Milan?
Yes: take a train to Varenna, cross by ferry to Bellagio, and visit one villa garden, or go to Como and ride the funicular to Brunate. In must30's view, two or three nights in the central lake are much better than a day.
When are the Lake Como villas open?
Mostly from March or April to October or early November. In 2026 Villa Carlotta opened from 20 March to 18 October, and Villa del Balbianello from March to January except Mondays and Wednesdays. Check each villa's site before you go.
