12 Best Things to Do on Lake Como, From the Balbianello to a Backstreet Waterfall
12 Best Things to Do on Lake Como, From the Balbianello to a Backstreet Waterfall
Lake Como is shaped like an upside-down Y, and that geography changes how you plan everything. There's no single loop road that hugs the whole shoreline. The water is the highway here. Get that one idea into your head and the rest of the lake opens up.
So here's the plan. Twelve experiences, ranked less by fame and more by how much they'll actually stick with you — with the practical details you need to pull each one off.
1. Make the Ferry Your Main Ride
Start here, because it changes everything else. The Navigazione Lago di Como ferries connect Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio, and Tremezzo across the narrow center of the lake — the stretch locals just call "il centro lago." A single hop like Bellagio to Varenna runs about €5 (roughly $5.50) and takes 15 minutes across water the color of steel.
The smart move is a central-lake day pass for around €23 (about $25). It lets you hop on and off all day, so you can chain three villages together without watching the clock. Check departure boards carefully — the battello (slow ferry) and the rapido (fast hydrofoil) run different schedules, and the car ferry only touches four docks.
2. Walk Onto the Set of Villa del Balbianello
That wooded promontory jutting into the lake near Lenno? You've seen it. Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Casino Royale both filmed here. Villa del Balbianello is run by the FAI (Italy's national trust), and the terraced gardens loop around a stone loggia with the kind of view people build entire vacations around.
Entry to the grounds is about €13 (~$14); add the villa interior tour for a few euros more. The catch: you reach it by a 20-minute lakeside walk from Lenno, or a short taxi-boat ride for around €8. Book villa-interior tickets ahead in summer — they cap the numbers, and midday slots vanish first.
3. Climb the Salita Stairways of Bellagio
Bellagio gets called the "pearl of the lake," and yes, the harbor is postcard-perfect. But skip the crush of the waterfront gelato lines and head up. The salita Serbelloni and the other stepped stone alleys climb away from the water past silk shops and tiny osterias where a plate of pizzoccheri costs less than a lakefront espresso.
Give yourself a full afternoon. Duck into the gardens of Villa Melzi on the southern edge of town (about €8), where Liszt once played piano and the plane trees frame the lake like a painting.
4. Slow Down in Varenna
If Bellagio is the star, Varenna is the one you'll quietly love more. It's smaller, quieter, and built along a lakeside footpath called the Passeggiata degli Innamorati — the walk of lovers — that clings to the rock just above the water — think the cliff-hugging charm of the Amalfi Coast, but swapped for still lake instead of open sea.
Eat at Vecchia Varenna, one of the only restaurants actually built over the lake; the missoltini (sun-dried lake fish) is the local dish worth ordering. Then tour Villa Monastero, a former convent turned botanical garden that runs nearly two kilometers along the shore. Entry is about €10.
5. Ride the Brunate Funicular Above Como Town
Down at the southern tip sits Como Town, bigger and more workaday than the villages — and home to a genuinely fun cheat: the funicolare to Brunate. The little cable car has hauled people up the mountainside since 1894. Round trip is about €7 (~$7.50), and it climbs 500 meters in seven minutes.
Up top, walk 30 minutes more to the San Maurizio lighthouse for a view that swallows the whole southwestern arm of the lake. Do this on a clear afternoon and you'll understand the lake's whole layout in one glance.
6. Wander the Gardens of Villa Carlotta
Over in Tremezzo, Villa Carlotta is the garden to prioritize if you only pick one. Its 8 hectares explode with color in late April and May — hundreds of azaleas and rhododendrons in bloom, plus a Canova sculpture collection inside the villa. Entry runs about €15 (~$16).
Time it right and the terraces smell of citrus and jasmine. The ferry dock is a two-minute walk from the gate, which makes it an easy pairing with Bellagio across the water.
7. Hike the Greenway del Lago
Want to actually earn a view? The Greenway del Lago is a 10-kilometer walking trail threading the old mule paths and lanes along the western shore, from Colonno to Cadenabbia. It's mostly flat, well-signed, and passes through sleepy villages, olive groves, and past the odd Roman ruin.
Start early, wear real shoes (cobbles get slick), and plan a lunch stop in Lenno or Ossuccio. Finish at a ferry dock and float back — that's the whole trick of Como logistics working in your favor.
8. Find the Waterfall Hiding Inside Nesso
Here's the one most day-trippers miss entirely. The village of Nesso, on the quieter eastern shore, hides the Orrido di Nesso — a waterfall that tumbles through a rock gorge right beneath an old stone arch bridge called the Ponte della Civera.
Getting down means a steep staircase of a few hundred steps through the village. Your knees will file a complaint. But the payoff — a hidden cove where the falls meet the lake — is the kind of scene most visitors never even know exists. Bring water and take the steps slow.
9. Charter a Classic Wooden Boat at Sunset
The mahogany Venetian-style motoscafi you'll see gleaming on the water aren't just for James Bond. Outfits in Bellagio, Como, and Menaggio rent them by the hour, usually starting around €150–€180 (~$165–$200) for a small group, driver included.
Book the golden hour — the last 90 minutes before sunset, when the light goes amber and the villa facades glow. Split among four people it's the single best splurge on the lake — the same sunset-charter ritual that draws crowds to Capri each summer. Reserve a day ahead in peak season.
10. Take the Aperitivo Ritual Seriously
Around 6pm the whole lake exhales. Aperitivo isn't optional here — it's the local clock. Grab a table on the Menaggio waterfront or Como's Piazza Cavour, order an Aperol spritz or a local Franciacorta, and let the free bar snacks arrive.
Expect to pay €8–€12 (~$9–$13) for a drink with a view. Worth every cent for the seat and the sunset. Don't rush it; nobody else is.
11. Day-Trip Across the Border to Lugano
From Menaggio, Switzerland is barely 30 minutes by bus (line C12). Lugano sits on its own lake, all palm-lined promenades and Swiss-Italian polish. Bring your passport and some Swiss francs (or a card), because prices jump the moment you cross.
It makes a great half-day if you've got four or more days on Como and want a change of scenery — and a reminder of just how tucked-into-the-Alps this whole region really is, the same alpine-lake magic you'll find over in Annecy on the French side of the range.
12. Catch the Silk Story in Como
Como built its fortune on silk — it still weaves a huge share of the world's luxury scarves and ties. The Museo della Seta (Silk Museum) walks you through it all, from silkworm to loom, for about €10.
Then shop the outlet-priced scarves at factory stores near the museum, where a genuine Como-woven silk scarf costs a fraction of what you'd pay on a Milan runway. It's the souvenir that doesn't feel like a souvenir.
Pro Tips Before You Go
- Base yourself in Varenna or Menaggio, not just Bellagio — they're cheaper, quieter, and equally connected by ferry.
- Download the Navigazione Lago di Como timetable or screenshot it. Signal drops in the mountains, and offline ferry times save the day.
- Come in May or September. July and August bring heat and crowds; the shoulder months give you the gardens in bloom or the soft autumn light without the queues.
- Cash still matters in the small villages — plenty of osterias and ferry kiosks prefer it.
- Wear grippy shoes. Every village here is built on a slope, and the charm comes with a lot of stairs.
Come for the villas, stay for the ferry rides between them. That's the real rhythm of Lake Como — and once you've got it, you'll never want to leave the water.
