Lake Como in 2 Days - Itinerary & Things to Do

🤩 My reflection

Dreamy, magical, unforgettable. These are the words I can use for Lake Como. It was a feast for my eyes, calming to my soul and just pure joy to experience. It was a great mix of nature and elegant architecture, combined with amazing Italian food and beautiful weather. I would definitely want to be back. It was one of the most beautiful Italian routes I have visited.

In this guide, you will find a 2-day itinerary covering the villages of Lake Como, a list of villas you can visit, as well as restaurant, accommodation, and transport tips.

✍🏻 Itinerary

Visiting Lake Como means visiting the pretty small towns surrounding the lake. Some of them are slightly bigger than others, but none really requires more than 2 hours to visit the city center (unless you’re sitting in a restaurant or visiting a villa). There are also some beautiful villas that were built as summer residences for wealthy aristocratic families, which adds to the fame of some of the towns.

Below you will find all the prominent towns around Lake Como.

Bellagio – the most famous town, right in the middle of the lake, with cobblestone streets, views, and lots of restaurants. It’s quite lively and good to use as a base. I really liked this town

Varenna – smaller and a bit quieter than Bellagio, very pretty with colorful houses and a more relaxed feel. I liked this town just as much as Bellagio, all of the views are magical

Bellano – a small, less touristy town known for the Orrido di Bellano gorge, with a more local and quiet feel

Menaggio – a laid-back town with a nice promenade and fewer crowds than Bellagio

Tremezzo – known for its beautiful villas and gardens, especially along the waterfront

Lenno – a peaceful village best known for one of the most iconic villas on the lake

Nesso – a tiny, more hidden spot famous for its dramatic gorge and waterfall, a bit further down south compared to the others

Como – the main city at the bottom of the lake, good for shopping and transport connections. It’s not as beautiful or charming as the others and not exactly what you picture when you think of Lake Como towns; it feels more like a port city

Lecco – a larger, more industrial-feeling city on the eastern branch of the lake, surrounded by mountains and much less touristy than the central towns

Day 1

• Bellagio town visit

• Have an ice cream in Gelateria del Borgo

Ferry to Varenna

• Varenna town visit

• Villa Monastero in Varenna - a historic villa with beautiful lakeside gardens that stretch along the shoreline, offering one of the most scenic walks on Lake Como.

Dinner at Bellagio or Varenna (some recommendations below)

Accommodation in Bellagio

Day 2

Ferry from Bellagio to Menaggio

• Menaggio town visit

Bus from Menaggio to Tremezzo

• Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo - a historic villa known for its large botanical gardens and art-filled interiors, especially famous for its seasonal flower displays overlooking the lake.

Bus from Tremezzo to Lenno + walk or boat taxi to the villa

• Villa del Balbianello in Lenno - one of the most iconic villas on Lake Como, set on a dramatic peninsula and known for its beautifully kept gardens and panoramic lake views; it has also been used as a filming location for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and a James Bond film (Casino Royale).

Dinner at Bellagio or Varenna (some recommendations below)

Accommodation in Bellagio

Famous villas to visit in Lake Como

• Villa Melzi in Bellagio – a lakeside villa with peaceful gardens right by the water

• Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio – a historic villa with panoramic views, only accessible via guided tours

• Villa Monastero in Varenna – a long lakeside villa known for its scenic gardens and walkway

• Villa Cipressi in Varenna – terraced gardens overlooking the lake, often visited with Villa Monastero

• Villa del Balbianello in Lenno – one of the most iconic villas on Lake Como, known for its dramatic setting and filming locations like Star Wars and James Bond

• Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo – famous for its large botanical gardens and seasonal flowers overlooking the lake

• Villa Balbiano in Ossuccio – a grand villa known for its luxury interiors and film/media appearances

• Villa Olmo in Como – an elegant neoclassical villa in the city with lakeside views

• Villa d’Este in Cernobbio – a luxury historic villa hotel known for its gardens and classic Lake Como elegance

• Villa Erba in Cernobbio – a historic villa mainly used for events and exhibitions

• Villa Pizzo in Cernobbio – a private villa with long, quiet lakeside gardens

• Villa Pliniana in Torno – a secluded historic villa set against cliffs and waterfalls

Restaurant recommendations in Lake Como

• La Fontana in Bellagio (restaurant) – the one we went to

• Al Prato in Varenna (restaurant) – I really wanted to visit this one, but it was closed the day we were there, so check the opening days. I’ve also heard you can go earlier in the day to make a reservation in person

• La Scarpetta in Varenna (restaurant)

• La Dolce Vita in Bellagio (restaurant)

• La Lanterna in Bellagio (restaurant)

• Ristorante Bilacus in Bellagio (restaurant)

• Da Franco Piadineria e Panetteria in Bellagio (bakery)

• Enoteca Cava Turacciolo in Bellagio (wine bar)

• Gelateria del Borgo in Bellagio (ice cream shop)

📢 Essential tips

Best time to visit Lake Como

Late spring (May–June) and early autumn (September–early October) are the best times to visit Lake Como. The weather is warm and sunny, everything is open, and it’s less crowded than peak summer. July and August are the hottest and busiest months, while winter is very quiet with many hotels and restaurants closed.

Where to stay around Lake Como

We stayed in a wonderful hotel in Bellagio. It was great to use as a base and it was also quite lively with different restaurant and bar options for the night. My second option would have been Varenna, which was also very dreamy and a great base.

Visit duration in Lake Como

All of the towns are very small. You can plan short visits of around 2 hours (excluding eating and drinking). The 3 villas we visited took a lot of time; you definitely cannot fit more than 2 in one day. So arrange your itinerary as if you will visit max 2 in one day. If you want to visit more towns or villas than I wrote, you will need 1–2 more days.

Bookings

I bought all villa tickets in advance and I recommend you do the same. It might even be good to book some restaurants in advance because especially in summer it gets very packed.

How to commute between towns

Between most towns there are ferry connections, and this is the main way to get around Lake Como. The ferry runs on a fixed timetable, not frequently like a metro, so you may need to plan ahead and sometimes wait. Also be careful about the last ferry; otherwise you may get stuck in one of the villages or need to travel all the way around the lake to get back. There are also some bus routes between certain towns (for example Lecco to Bellagio, or Tremezzo to Lenno), but they are limited and less convenient than ferries, so always check the schedule in advance.

What is the closest airport to Lake Como

You can use one of the Milan airports (Malpensa or Linate are the main ones) and then take the train.

How to reach Bellagio

To reach Lake Como, you can travel to Como, Lecco, or Varenna by train - these cities all have train stations. From Lecco, there is a bus (C40) that reaches directly to Bellagio. From Varenna, there is a ferry to Bellagio. From Como, you can take a ferry with a change at Menaggio, or take a bus connection via Cadenabbia (less common and slower than the ferry route).

How to reach Villa del Balbianello

Once you reach Lenno, you can either walk to the villa or take a boat taxi for a fee. I definitely recommend trying the boat taxi; it’s an amazing experience and you feel very luxurious arriving at the villa by boat.

🔗 All travel links

Accommodation in Bellagio

Hotel Florence - You can book here and below what it looks like

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