Practical guide

Where do you walk, and how hard is it?

Two walking routes through villages, along mule tracks and beside the shores.

Illustration

The short answer

The Greenway runs for about eleven kilometres along the western shore, from Colonno to Griante, with climbs, descents and cobbled stretches. The Sentiero del Viandante follows the eastern shore from Lecco to Sorico for about sixty kilometres. Both can be walked in stages.

In short

Greenway del Lago di Como: about 11 km from Colonno to Griante, 3–4 hours, with climbs and descents.
Sentiero del Viandante: about 60 km from Lecco to Sorico, in eight stages.
Rifugio Menaggio from Monte Grona: 1h45 from Breglia.
Monte San Primo from the Ghisallo: the two-branch view for modest effort.
The mule tracks are cobbled and slippery in the rain: wear shoes with a good grip.

Along the Greenway, ASF's C110 bus between Como and Menaggio stops in every village, and the boats call at Colonno, Sala Comacina, Lenno, Tremezzo and Cadenabbia: you walk as far as you like and return from the village where you stop. On the Sentiero del Viandante, the railway links the villages between Lecco and Colico; from Sorico, the C110 bus takes you back to Colico.

The two long walks

The Greenway links Colonno to Griante, beyond Cadenabbia, passing vegetable plots, olive groves, churches and historic village centres. It alternates lakefront stretches with mule tracks and lanes that climb and descend. It includes cobbles, steps and crossings of the Regina main road.

The Sentiero del Viandante runs along the eastern hillside through villages and terraces. Some stages involve more than five hundred metres of ascent. Before setting out, check that the stage is passable and how to reach the station or bus stop for your return.

Going higher

The real mountains start above the shore. The Rifugio Menaggio under Monte Grona is the easiest to reach in the centre of the lake; the Grignetta and the Piani Resinelli above Lecco are historic climbing ground; Monte San Primo above Bellagio gives the two-branch view for reasonable effort.

Always check that the refuge is open before you climb: many close on weekdays out of season.