Practical guide

What is there to do with children?

Where to go with children: beaches, ferries, gorges and museums.

Illustration

The short answer

Water, ferries, the gorges with their walkways, the funicular and the motorcycle museum. The eastern shore makes an easy base: the train links its villages and beaches, such as Riva Bianca at Lierna.

In short

Riva Bianca at Lierna is a pale-pebble beach, a walk from the station; at Menaggio, Victoria Beach, the former lido, has pools and an area for children.
For a child the ferry is an outing in itself.
The Orrido di Bellano has walkways and is short; the one at Nesso has three hundred steps and is not suitable.
The Moto Guzzi museum and the cycling museum on the Ghisallo can be visited in the rain too.
The lake is deep and cold below the surface, and not every shore has lifeguards.

Lake Como has a reputation as a couples' destination, all villas and gardens.

With children, the choice of shore is what matters: on the eastern one the train links villages, beaches and museums, and you can get about without a car.

Where to base yourself

The eastern shore between Lierna and Varenna is the most practical: it has the railway, and beaches such as Lierna's Riva Bianca. Menaggio is a good alternative on the western shore, for its lido with facilities and its position on the ferry routes.

The upper lake between Domaso and Colico is right if the trip revolves around water: wide beaches, campsites and sailing schools that take children.

What to do

Water first: Riva Bianca at Lierna is a beach of pale pebbles, a few minutes' walk from the station. At Menaggio, Victoria Beach, the former lido, has pools and the facilities of a beach club.

Then some places that also suit children: the Orrido di Bellano with its steel walkways above the water, the Como funicular climbing at gradients of 55 per cent, the Moto Guzzi museum with more than a hundred and sixty machines inside a working factory, and the tower of Castello di Vezio, with its drawbridge and tunnels.

And three things to keep for the right day: the Pietra Pendula above Torno, a granite boulder balanced on a stem of rock at the end of an hour's mule track, the Parco Valentino walkway at the Piani Resinelli, hanging over the drop above Lecco at the end of an easy half-hour path (you get there by car, and children should be held by the hand), and the four hundred boats of the Museo Barca Lariana at Pianello, which also runs workshops for children.

And for the curious: the Sormano observatory, which one Sunday a month shows the sky through its telescope and has a planetarium, and the free museums of Palazzo Belgiojoso in Lecco, with a hands-on trail designed for children too.

What to watch for

Lario is more than 400 metres deep, and the bottom can drop away quickly near the shore. Before swimming, assess wind, waves, currents and water temperature. Always supervise children near the water and while they are swimming.

Many villages are built on steep slopes. Bellagio, Varenna and Nesso are made of staircases, and pushchairs are a serious problem. Bring a carrier or a sling if the children are small.

Frequently asked

Can you swim in Lake Como?

Yes, and along much of it the water quality is excellent; the health agencies (ATS) test it in the bathing season, and the results for each sampling point, with any bans, are on the Ministry of Health's Portale Acque. If you are bringing children, choose a beach with facilities.