Build your trip

Six questions, the last one optional. The itinerary stays on your device.

This afternoon The lake in motion

Zairon · CC BY-SA 4.0

Step 1 of 6

How many days do you have?

The planner combines visits and connections to suit the time available and your chosen transport.

Getting around Lake Como

Boat, train or car: which to use for each part of the lake.

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Boats and ferriesScheduled boats, hydrofoils and car ferries: from Como to Colico, from Lecco to Bellagio and from shore to shore across the centre of the lake.
By trainTrains from Milan and Switzerland to Como, and from Milan to Lecco, Varenna and Colico along the whole eastern shore.
By busScheduled buses serve the shores the railway does not reach, starting with the western shore, and climb into the valleys.
By carA car is useful for getting up into the hills; along the shore the roads are narrow, except for the expressway on the eastern side.
Water taxis and private hireMotorboats with a skipper, for places the public boats do not reach and for after the last sailing.
Funicular and cable carThree public lines that climb in a few minutes from Como, Argegno and Lecco to upland villages and meadows.
By bicycleRoad climbs in the Lariano Triangle and cycle paths on the upper lake; on the Regina you ride in traffic.
On footMule tracks and historic routes from village to village, with a train, bus or boat to bring you back.

How many days do you need?

For each length of trip: who it suits, what fits in, where to stay and which itinerary to follow. One day is enough for a village and a boat crossing; for a week, two bases work best.

1 dayAnyone in Milan who wants to see the lake, not tour it.
What fits
Varenna by train, the ferry to Bellagio, one villa and the return at sunset.
Where to sleep
In Milan: out in the morning, back in the evening.
Itinerary
1 day in one placeAnyone staying on the lake, or arriving by train, who wants to know one place well.
What fits
Como, Bellagio, Varenna or Lecco on foot, from the station or the pier; or, by car, the Val d'Intelvi or the Lariano Triangle above Bellagio.
Where to sleep
Wherever you are: each round starts from a station, a pier or a village.
Itinerary
2 daysA weekend, a first visit, a couple.
What fits
The Bellagio–Varenna–Menaggio triangle with the boat's day pass, two villas, an evening on the water. One hotel.
Where to sleep
Varenna if you arrive by train, Menaggio for the bus to Lugano, Bellagio for the evening.
Itinerary
3 daysAnyone who wants the whole lake without rushing: the city and the centre.
What fits
Como and Brunate on the first day, then the centre: the villas, a walk on the Greenway or a stage of the Viandante, the villages seen only from the water.
Where to sleep
One night in Como, two in the centre; or three at Varenna without a car.
Itinerary
4–5 daysWalkers, boaters, anyone coming back a second time.
What fits
The whole centre at leisure, plus one branch: the upper lake with its wind and Piona, or the Lecco branch with the Grigne and Lierna. A full day on a trail.
Where to sleep
Three nights in the centre and two where the chosen branch leads.
Itinerary
- Three days on Lake Como
- A week on Lake Como
A weekAnyone who wants a long stay, with two different bases.
What fits
The centre, the upper lake and the Lecco branch, a day trip away from the lake, a day with no plan. A car for the upper lake, none for the centre.
Where to sleep
Three nights in the centre, three between the upper lake and the Lecco branch, and no more than one move.
Itinerary
- A week on Lake Como

Times are worked out for travel by boat and train; if you come by car, you can leave it in a car park and use the same boats and trains.

Practical guides

Transport, accessibility and planning your trip: answers to practical questions about the lake.

Before you go

Getting around

What to see and do

With children, dogs and reduced mobility

Seasons

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First and last departures from the timetables in force; the full timetable changes with the seasons and is on each operator's site.