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Walk the Greenway del Lago, Lake Como
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Lake ComoTravel Guide

Italy4 stories

The Alps-framed lake of villas and cypress gardens is world famous for Bellagio and its film-star glamour, but its quieter arms hide stone hamlets, waterfalls and walking paths most visitors never see.

Is Lake Como right for you?

When to come

Late spring and early autumn

Around 30°C by day in July, 6°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

Expensive. Part of the reason to come is what you can book when you arrive.

What we've planned, and who for

No hour-by-hour route here yet — the guides below cover it by subject instead.

Our editors pick it for a trip with one other person.

Lake Como is inWorth the splurgeDeepest in EuropeJust the two of you
When to go
January: around 6 degrees by day, -2 at night, 79 millimetres of rain, some rain.
February: around 8 degrees by day, -1 at night, 74 millimetres of rain, some rain.
March: around 13 degrees by day, 4 at night, 109 millimetres of rain, wet.
April: around 17 degrees by day, 7 at night, 157 millimetres of rain, very wet.
May: around 23 degrees by day, 12 at night, 201 millimetres of rain, very wet. We recommend this month.
June: around 27 degrees by day, 16 at night, 175 millimetres of rain, very wet. We recommend this month.
July: around 30 degrees by day, 19 at night, 137 millimetres of rain, wet.
August: around 29 degrees by day, 19 at night, 173 millimetres of rain, very wet.
September: around 23 degrees by day, 13 at night, 160 millimetres of rain, very wet. We recommend this month.
October: around 19 degrees by day, 9 at night, 147 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
November: around 12 degrees by day, 4 at night, 127 millimetres of rain, wet.
December: around 9 degrees by day, 2 at night, 66 millimetres of rain, some rain.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

Late spring and early autumn

Average daily highs, recorded at Como, Italy.

Where this comes from

Weather Atlas / Weatherspark (cited by the Como article's weather box) — Values in the Como weather box are rounded to whole degrees; no national-service normals box exists for Como on Wikipedia.

Budget level

Luxury

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with
  • Milan58 km

    an easy day trip · both good in May, June, September · a different price level (mixed)

  • Zermatt, Switzerland120 km

    an easy day trip

  • Lucerne, Switzerland140 km

    a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in May, June, September · a different price level (mixed)

  • Verona150 km

    a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in May, June, September · a different price level (mid)

Plan itWhere to stay in Lake Comoad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Lake Como

Open in Google Maps Larger map
The stories

Reading Lake Como

The wooded promontory of Villa del Balbianello reaching into Lake Como, its terraced villa buildings and clipped trees above the blue water, with the lake's steep mountains behind
01
Itineraries

A Rainy Day on Lake Como: The All-Indoor Route

Low cloud on the lake is atmospheric rather than tragic. A day of silk, a duomo, a villa museum and a covered ferry deck — built entirely from things that work better in bad weather.

Italy · 2 min
The pale yellow facade of the Grand Hotel Tremezzo on Lake Como, its name lettered across the pediment above six storeys of wrought-iron balconies, orange terrace awnings along the ground floor and a bare grey mountain rising behind the roof.
02
Stays

Where to Base Yourself on Lake Como: A First-Timer's Guide

The lake is a Y, and the ferries only stitch part of it together. A guide to Como town, Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Tremezzo — and the grand hotels that made the lake famous.

Italy · 2 min
The village of Varenna clustered on its promontory over Lake Como
03
Hidden Gems

The Quieter Side of Lake Como

Skip the Bellagio crush for a morning. The lake's stone hamlets, waterfall gorges, lakeside footpaths and a silent abbey show what Como felt like before the crowds.

Italy · 2 min
The view from Brunate high above Como, looking down over the wooded ridges and the rooftops of the town in its basin, with the snow-covered wall of the Alps stretching along the far horizon and a cedar branch framing the right edge.
04
The List

Lake Como's Most Photogenic Corners, Ranked

Loggias, stepped alleys, lakeside gardens and one gorge with a bridge over it — the eight corners of Lake Como that reward a camera most, and how to reach them by ferry.

Italy · 2 min
In pictures

Lake Como, framed

A steep cobbled stepped lane in Bellagio on Lake Como, lined with ochre and cream buildings, a wine-bar sign, café awnings and flower-covered balconies, with mountains at the far end
Photo: Anastasiya Dalenka / Unsplash
Lake Como seen from a terraced garden, clipped hedges and a palm framing the water and the far shore
Photo: Maarten Brakkee / Unsplash
Abbey of Piona, Lake Como
Photo: Lewis J Goetz / Unsplash
Abbey of Piona, Lake Como
Photo: Ovidiu / Unsplash
Our picks

What we'd do in Lake Como

See and do

Where to stay

Before you go

Practical essentials for Italy

Money

Euro (EUR)

Language

Italian; English is spoken in hotels and tourist businesses but thins out quickly in smaller towns

Power

Type C/F/L, 230V 50Hz (Type L is the Italian three-pin)

Getting around

Frecciarossa and Italo high-speed trains link the major cities in a few hours; in town you buy a local paper ticket such as Rome's €1.50 BIT and validate it as you board.

Tipping

Service is included and tipping is uncommon — a few euros for genuinely good service is plenty, and the coperto on the bill is a cover charge, not a tip.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink everywhere, although restaurants will normally bring bottled.

Driving

Right-hand side; a UK or EU photocard licence is accepted, though hire companies commonly require an International Driving Permit as well.

Emergency

112 (single European number; the old 113, 115 and 118 route to it)

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

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