Lake Como, Italy, is a must-visit place to tick off your bucket list. But, how you plan your trip can make a big difference. We spent our trip at the end of August driving around the lake, staying in Lecco, and visiting Bellagio, Menaggio, Varenna and Como, using both the car and the boats to get around.
We’re showing you what each town is actually like, what we ate, whether it’s better to drive or take the boats in Lake Como, and whether staying in Lecco was a good idea. We’ll also share what we’d do differently if we came back.
Lake Como Italy
If you’re planning a trip to Lake Como, it helps to understand how the lake is laid out. It’s shaped like an upside-down Y, with three different branches.
The northern branch is at the top, the southwestern branch leads down to Como, and the southeastern branch leads down to Lecco.
The Adda River flows through the lake and exits through the Lecco side. But despite being the natural outlet of the lake, this side is generally much quieter than the more popular areas around the middle of the lake.
It also feels quite different. Instead of the luxury villas you see around places like Bellagio and Varenna, this side has huge Alpine mountains, including Monte Resegone, and a much more rugged feel.
We decided to stay in Lecco because we wanted to avoid some of the busier areas around the middle of the lake. It also worked out really well for our budget, as accommodation here can be much cheaper than in places like Bellagio and Varenna.
We found a really nice apartment just a two-minute drive from the lake, which also made it really easy for us to get around by car.
Car or Ferry: Which is better?
Having a car worked really well for us because we’re a family of four. For us, it was also more cost-effective, and we liked having the freedom to just get in the car and go whenever we wanted. You don’t have to wait for the next boat, queue for tickets or plan your day around ferry times. If we wanted to visit somewhere, we could just drive there.
That said, the boats are definitely worth experiencing. They give you a completely different view of Lake Como. They’re especially useful for getting between the towns around the middle of the lake. For example, if you’re staying in Varenna and want to visit Menaggio, taking the ferry makes a lot of sense. We did this ourselves, and we’ll talk about it later.
If you don’t have a car, the boats are a great way to get around. You can also get a day pass, which can make things easier if you’re planning to visit several towns. The Day Pass costs 17,50€ which allows you to hop from village to village all day. One thing to keep in mind if you’re staying in Lecco is that the day pass can be more expensive from there. So it’s worth comparing the cost of the pass with where you’re staying before deciding where to base yourself.
Places we visited on Lake Como, Italy
Bellagio
Bellagio sits right at the intersection where Lake Como forks into two branches. It has centuries of history as a vital trading hub, dating all the way back to Roman times.
Today, Bellagio is best known for its steep stone staircases, colourful waterfront and historic lakeside villas.
One thing we noticed, though, is that it gets very busy, and finding parking nearby was no easy task.
Is the tourist train in Bellagio worth it?
But once we did, we saw that Bellagio had a small tourist train for €5 a ticket, so we decided to give it a try. Although there were a few beautiful parts along the way, the train can’t take you through the main part of the town. Instead, it takes you to some of the side areas on the outside. A lot of which we had already seen on the drive in. They weren’t really places we think you should go out of your way to see.
The only use we really saw for this train is that, since Bellagio is on a hill, those who live or stay at the top of the hill get a special price and can use it as an easy way to get up and down. All in all, if we were to come back, we wouldn’t go on the train again.
The town centre of Bellagio
Otherwise, the main part of the town is stunning. We just loved walking by the water, lined with all these beautiful restaurants with views of the lake, then through all the little cobblestone streets filled with shops selling handcrafted items. There are also hidden bars like this cozy and romantic wine bar. You sit on a stone staircase tucked away in one of the streets.
We saw a few people walking around with an Aperol Spritz to go in their hands, so we asked them where they got it from and went to buy one ourselves.
Just keep in mind that it’s not cheap because it’s a very touristy thing. We paid €11 each, which we thought was a bit much. But for the experience, we thought it was worth getting one regardless. Plus, it was delicious and super refreshing in the heat (7,9/10).
Taking the ferry from Bellagio
Getting around from here is pretty straightforward. The public ferry network connects Bellagio with other parts of the lake, like Varenna and Menaggio. You can buy tickets as a foot passenger. Or, take your car on one of the larger car ferries if you need to get across the lake and avoid driving all around the lake which would take hours.
Varenna
Just a 30-40 min drive from Lecco, Varenna is one of the most beautiful towns we visited on Lake Como. It is also, one of the most visited towns on Lake Como, so it was definitely crowded, but still enjoyable. We parked at the top, by the Church of S. Giorgio and from there walked all the way down to the water.
Along the way we found some beautiful little side streets with views of the water. There was this place where you can sit right by the clear water with a view of the lake and the mountains in the background. We kept walking and eventually reached the main area which is essentially a little stone port area surrounded by colourful houses and restaurants looking over the water. We highly suggest spending some time here just relaxing on the water, grab a gelato and enjoy the vibe.
Taking the ferry from Varenna to Menaggio
Afterwards, if you’re planning on taking a boat to Menaggio like we did, you walk along this walkway right over the water, it’s stunning, and eventually you reach the main port. Mom and I decided to take the boat and the boys drove the car and guess who got there first? We paid 11€ each and it took us 10-15 mins to get to the other side. The whole experience from buying the ticket and getting off the boat took us max 30 mins. The boys on the other hand took 50 mins to an hour to arrive at Menaggio. So now you know, if you have a car, definitely take a boat that allows cars to go across as well or get a return passenger ticket if you want to avoid parking more than once.
Menaggio
You have to walk around 5 minutes from the boat to reach the main part of the town, passing a cute little port on the way.
Menaggio is a cute town and definitely worth visiting. Granted, we didn’t see a lot of the town. We just saw Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi by the water, with its beautiful colourful houses and mountains in the background. This was mainly because we were quite tired from exploring all day.
We saw some people sitting on a bench by the water with an Aperol and a pizza, and we knew immediately what the plan was going to be.
We got an Aperol at La Paninoteca dal Pepp. Unfortunately, they had just sold out of food since it was later in the day, and they close at 6pm. But we were happy with our Aperol, which this time didn’t cost as much and came to around €4 per person. It was just as good, too.
We sat on the bench, watching the view and the boats come and go, and it was just so relaxing and exactly what we needed.
Sometimes on your trip, you just need those moments of relaxation where you aren’t trying to see everything.
Como
We spent a late afternoon and evening in Como, and it was one of the most beautiful and sophisticated places we saw on this trip. We weren’t sure if it was going to be too touristy, but we absolutely loved it.
We started by parking near Piazza Alessandro Volta. From there, we just walked around the different streets. Looking at all the colourful buildings, beautiful restaurants with lights, and people having a drink or a meal. There were so many restaurants that looked really good.
And there were plenty of gelaterias and shops as well. We actually picked up some bow-tie-shaped pasta with the Italian flag on it. Made with beetroot and spinach flavour, and took that home as a souvenir. From there, we walked down to the port, and it was stunning, especially in the evening with the sunset, the lights and all the boats on the water.
What we ate in Como
Afterwards, we went to a restaurant called La Pasta Bistro. It would’ve been best to make a reservation, but the staff was very helpful and professional and got us a table after only waiting for about 10 mins.
Foodwise, the pasta was fresh and each dish we ordered was super flavourful. I got the carbonara, and it was so creamy, indulgent and delicious, just a little bit too salty so I’ll give it a 8,9/10. Mom got one with buckwheat pasta, sage butter, cabbage and potatoes, with a side of guanciale. It was definitely a strange combination, but it was super delicious, 7,5/10. My brother got cacio e pepe which was super creamy and peppery and gave it a 9/10, and my dad got a Bolognese and gave it a 8,9/10.
You can even make your own pasta at the end of the menu and choose your type of pasta, what sauce you want and what toppings.
For drinks, they of course went with Aperol Spritz, because I think you could tell by this video that we really love Aperol Spritz. We especially love it in the summer because it’s so refreshing, and we love that citrusy, slightly bitter orange flavour.
For dessert, we had to get a tiramisu. It was good, but it didn’t blow us away. So if we were to come back to this restaurant, we wouldn’t order the tiramisu again. We give it a 5,7/10. Funny enough, we actually found a store-bought tiramisu in Lecco, from a supermarket called Iperal, that was a 10/10.
Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta (Duomo di Como)
After that, we walked around the streets and headed towards the cathedral. It’s very impressive from the outside and surrounded by restaurants and bars. We were completely blown away, especially by the vaulted ceiling with bright blue and gold accents. Then, we just walked back to the car and headed back to our apartment.
All in all, Como is definitely somewhere we will come back to and spend more time in. Our favourite parts were walking through the different streets, walking along the water with the views of the boats, and, of course, eating fresh pasta at the restaurant.
One final thing we would do differently
We do regret not making time to visit the famous villas like Villa Carlotta, Villa del Balbianello or Villa Cipresi. The best is to visit Villa Carlotta by boat from Bellagio, but unfortunately we didn’t have time to visit anything. If we had left earlier we could’ve made it. So, when you visit Lake Como, plan ahead and leave early. Make time to visit at least one of the villas and explore all the gardens and terraces at a relaxed pace.
Lake Como to Milan by Train
Did you know you can go from Lake Como to Milan by train and get there in under an hour for less than 10 euros? You can find the best train ticket for you on Omio and spend the day in a new city. We have a whole video about spending half a day in Milan to show you it is totally possible to enjoy Milan with a short amount of time and what you shouldn’t miss while you’re there, so definitely go check that out next.
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