Practical guide

What can you see on the lake without a ticket?

Illustration

The short answer

Much of what people come to see has no ticket: the two great walking routes, the Romanesque churches, the views from the paths; and a one-day boat pass buys a whole day on the water.

In short

The Greenway and the Sentiero del Viandante: free, and served by public transport along their whole length.
Punta Spartivento, the Sacro Monte of Ossuccio, Sant'Abbondio, Santa Maria del Tiglio: free entry.

Much of what people come to see on the lake has no ticket: the two walking routes, the churches, the viewpoints, the shore.

The fares for villas, boats and cable cars are published by the operators, and every page links to their sites.

Sleeping

On the Lecco branch — Mandello, Lierna, Bellano, Lecco itself — a train links everything every half hour. The upper lake has lakeside campsites and apartments.

The Menaggio hostel is the only hostel in the centre of the lake.

The things with no ticket

Punta Spartivento in Bellagio, the walkway over the water at Varenna, the Nesso gorge, the UNESCO-listed Sacro Monte of Ossuccio, the basilica of Sant'Abbondio in Como, Santa Maria del Tiglio at Gravedona, the cloister at Piona, the Villa Olmo park, and the two long walks.