Palace Hotel
The hotel built on the Como lakefront in 1898 as the Grand Hotel Plinius, in an Art Nouveau palace facing the lake.
Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0Where to stay on Lake Como
Where you stay determines your journeys during the visit. Trains, boats and buses connect different towns and shores; car ferry services are concentrated in the central lake.
Which base suits you
For each base: which part of the lake it is on, how late it keeps the sun today, transport connections, and the journey times to two destinations.
BellagioCentro LagoOn the headland between the two branches, with centre-lake ferries.Sun until 16:45
BellanoLecco BranchThe same railway line as Varenna, and a gorge in the middle of the village.Sun until 16:16
CernobbioFirst BasinTen minutes from Como, with a square on the water.Sun until 16:32
ComoFirst BasinTrains to Milan, museums and the funicular to Brunate.Sun until 15:36
Lecco and the eastern branchLecco BranchA train in almost every village, and the mountain starting at the end of the street.Sun until 16:33
LiernaLecco BranchThe beach at the bottom of the street and the station at the top of the village: the base for people who come to the lake to swim.Sun until 15:59
MenaggioCentro LagoCentre-lake ferries and buses to Como and Lugano.Sun until 15:23
TremezzinaCentro LagoSleeping among the villas and gardens of the shore, with Villa Carlotta on foot.Sun until 16:38
Upper lake: Domaso and ColicoSpace, wind and lakeside campsites.Sun until 15:56
VarennaCentro LagoA station on the line from Milan, and ferries to Bellagio and Menaggio.Sun until 16:42
© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
The bases compared: connections and journey times
| Base | Connections | Distances |
|---|---|---|
BellagioCentro LagoSun behind the mountains at 16:45BoatFast serviceTrain+Boat | BoatFast serviceTrain+Boat |
|
BellanoLecco BranchSun behind the mountains at 16:16TrainBoat+Train | TrainBoat+Train |
|
CernobbioFirst BasinSun behind the mountains at 16:32BusTrain+Bus | BusTrain+Bus |
|
ComoFirst BasinSun behind the mountains at 15:36TrainFast serviceFunicular | TrainFast serviceFunicular |
|
Lecco and the eastern branchLecco BranchSun behind the mountains at 16:33Train | Train |
|
LiernaLecco BranchSun behind the mountains at 15:59Train | Train |
|
MenaggioCentro LagoSun behind the mountains at 15:23BoatBus | BoatBus |
|
TremezzinaCentro LagoSun behind the mountains at 16:38BoatBus | BoatBus |
|
Upper lake: Domaso and ColicoUpper LakeSun behind the mountains at 15:56Train+BusBus | Train+BusBus |
|
VarennaCentro LagoSun behind the mountains at 16:42TrainBoat | TrainBoat |
|
The hour of sun is today's, computed from the ridge each base has in front of it — not the almanac's sunset, which on this lake comes long after. It shows how late the base stays in the sun.
Historic hotels
Hotels in villas and palaces with a documented history: who built them and what can still be seen.
Albergo Terminus
The hotel on the Como lakefront in an Art Nouveau building of 1900, built as the spa of the Grand Hotel Plinius and a hotel in its own right since the 1930s.
Hotel Metropole Suisse
The hotel on Piazza Cavour in Como, open since 1892, with the first two floors of its front redesigned by the young Giuseppe Terragni.
Albergo Posta
The hotel Giuseppe Terragni designed in 1930 between Piazza Volta and Via Garibaldi in Como, the Posta Design Hotel since 2014.
The types, explained
What to expect from each type on Lario, where it clusters, and what to check before booking.
Hotel
Everywhere. On the lake what matters is the position relative to the pier and whether there is parking.
Boutique hotel
Concentrated in the centre of the lake and in Como. They are often in historic buildings: anyone with walking difficulties should ask about stairs and lifts before booking.
Luxury
A handful of properties, nearly all between Cernobbio, Tremezzina and Bellagio. They close in winter.
B&B
The commonest category in the smaller villages, often with few rooms and breakfast in the house.
Apartment
Widespread, especially on the upper lake and the Lecco branch. Useful for families and longer stays; check whether a parking space comes with it.
Camping
Almost exclusively on the upper lake, between Domaso, Gera Lario and Colico, often directly on the water. Seasonal.
Agriturismo
Up in the hills and inland: the Lariano Triangle, the Val d'Intelvi, the Valsassina. You need a car, and you often eat what the farm produces.
Hostel
Very few, among them the one in Menaggio.