One dayLake Como in 24 hours
A day between Varenna and Bellagio, by train and ferry.
Public transport
Three days without a car
Three days by train, ferry and on foot, with no parking to hunt for.
3days12stops
- Suggested base
- Varenna, three nights
- Transport
- Public transport
- Pace
- Balanced
- Best season
- Spring · Summer · Autumn
- JoanofPolymer · CC0
- Maurizio Moro5153 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Nemo bis · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Daderot · Public domain
- Deensel · CC BY 2.0
- Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Maurizio Moro5153 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Francescogb · CC BY-SA 3.0
Lake Como can be visited without a car: Varenna has the station, the ferry crosses in fifteen minutes, and the western shore has a bus along its whole length.
Suited to
- Arrivals by train or plane
- Solo travellers and couples
- Anyone who does not want to drive the Regina road
Book ahead
- Accommodation in Varenna.
The stops, today
Open on the map
The route, stop by stop.
© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
Download the route (GPX)Stops and track for Komoot, OsmAnd, Organic Maps or a Garmin.
The page as a printable document, with the route drawn on it: useful where there is no phone signal.
Add to your calendar
One event per day, with the day's plan. Import the file into a calendar app that supports the ICS format.Day by day
- Day 1
Varenna on foot
Varenna, Castello di Vezio and Villa Monastero, all on foot.
Transfer: Train1 h 05· From Milano Centrale
Morning
The walk over the water
From the pier to the centre, on a walkway fixed to the rock above the lake.
Lunch
Lunch on the square
Then the climb to the castle, steep but short.
Transfer: On foot25 min
Afternoon
Castello di Vezio
Twenty-five minutes of mule track and the view over the whole centre of the lake.
Transfer: On foot30 min
Evening
Villa Monastero in late afternoon
The botanical garden in low light, with dinner in the village a few steps away.
- Day 2
The ferry triangle
A day ticket, three landings, no hurry.
Transfer: Boat30 min
Morning
Villa Carlotta
Cross to Cadenabbia; the entrance is about 900 metres along the lake.
Transfer: Boat25 min
Lunch
Lunch at Menaggio
Two short crossings, by way of Bellagio; in Menaggio the square has shade.
Transfer: Boat15 min
Afternoon
Bellagio
Fifteen minutes across the water, then Villa Melzi on the level along the shore.
Transfer: Boat15 min
Evening
Punta Spartivento and back
The point at sunset, then the last ferry to Varenna. Check its time before you sit down anywhere.
- Day 3
On foot above the lake, back by train
A stage of the Viandante, starting and finishing at a station.
Morning
Varenna to Bellano on the Sentiero del Viandante
After the climb to Vezio, an hour and forty minutes along the slope to Bellano, with the lake always below and the railway just beneath the path.
Lunch
Lunch at Bellano
A working town, with trattorias in the centre.
Transfer: On foot8 min
Afternoon
Orrido di Bellano
The ravine with its walkways, five minutes from the station. It can be visited in the rain too.
Transfer: Train6 min
Evening
Train to Milan
From Bellano the regional train runs down to Lecco and Milan; from Varenna there are departures until late.
Worth knowing
- Evening boats and buses finish early: build dinners around the last departure, not the other way round.
- Out of season frequency drops sharply and some routes stop entirely.
Related
- One day
Two daysTwo days in the centre of the lake
Three shores, four gardens, and never more than twenty minutes of ferry.
Public transport
Three daysThree days with hardly a ticket
Two walking routes, Romanesque churches and paths: three days in which you almost never need an entry ticket.
Public transport