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On foot

Mule tracks and historic routes from village to village, with a train, bus or boat to bring you back.

The lake from the Sentiero del Viandante, the path running along the slope.Maurizio Moro5153 · CC BY-SA 4.0

On Lake Como you can also get from one village to the next on foot, along mule tracks and old routes that were in use before the lakeside road was built.

Two routes follow the shore for many kilometres. On the western shore the Greenway del Lago di Como runs from Colonno to Griante, beyond Cadenabbia: about 11 kilometres through Sala Comacina, Ossuccio, Lenno, Mezzegra and Tremezzo, with climbs, descents and cobbled stretches. On the eastern shore the Sentiero del Viandante follows the old road to the Valtellina along the hillside, from Lecco to Sorico, for about sixty kilometres. Both are served by public transport along their whole length: you walk the stretch you choose and come back by bus, train or boat from the village where you stop. Along the Como branch, on the shore of Torno and Nesso, the Strada Regia runs from Brunate to Bellagio. Higher up, above the western shore, the Via dei Monti Lariani links Cernobbio with Sorico. In the town and the villages, too, you get about on foot: in Como the Passeggiata Lino Gelpi follows the villa shore from the lakefront to Villa Olmo, and in Varenna a walkway over the water links the ferry landing with the centre.

How it works

  1. Greenway, buses and boatsASF's C110 bus, between Como and Menaggio, stops all along the route; boats call at Colonno, Sala Comacina, Lenno, Tremezzo and Cadenabbia.
  2. Greenway, the routeThe route starts at Colonno and ends at Griante, beyond Cadenabbia. The whole route takes about three and a half hours and is waymarked with metal plaques set in the paving and with signposts.
  3. Viandante, back by trainBetween Lecco and Colico you can arrange a return by train. The stations are Lecco, Abbadia Lariana, Mandello del Lario, Olcio, Lierna, Fiumelatte, Varenna, Bellano, Dervio, Dorio, Piona and Colico; check the stops for your chosen service, as RegioExpress trains serve only the main stations. From Sorico, the C110 bus takes you back to Colico.
  4. Viandante, walking timesVarenna to Bellano takes about two hours, Lierna to Varenna about three and a half.
  5. Strada RegiaThe funicular climbs from Como to Brunate, where the mule track to Bellagio begins. The C130 bus and the boat let you walk it in sections.
  6. Via dei Monti Lariani125 kilometres in four sections, between 600 and 1,200 metres above sea level. You climb up from the lakeside villages and come back down by mule tracks.

Good for

  • Crossing the village centres by lanes, steps and mule tracks, where the lakeside road does not go
  • Breaking the walk and returning by boat, train or bus
  • Getting about without depending on traffic
  • Stopping along the way: on the Greenway at Lenno for Balbianello, at Ossuccio for the Sacro Monte and at Tremezzo for Villa Carlotta; on the Viandante at Vezio for the castle
  • A day out from Milan without a car, by train to the start of a stage of the Viandante

Watch out for

  • Cobbles are slippery in the rain and there are steps almost everywhere: wear shoes with a good grip.
  • The Viandante climbs and descends: on some stages the ascent exceeds 500 metres.
  • Little shade on south-facing slopes in the middle of a summer day.
  • In a few places the Greenway crosses the Regina main road: cross with great care.
  • Landslips and works sometimes close single stretches: check current closures before you set off.
  • Check in advance the last service you plan to come back on: out of season the boats are less frequent.

The other modes