IT · Lombardy · 46.00°N 9.27°E
lake como
Ferries between lakeside villages, villa gardens and mountains rising straight from the water.
- Best time
- April–June and September are mild, with the gardens in flower and the ferries on their full timetable. July–August is warm and busy; from November to March the boats thin out and some villas and gardens close.
- How long
- 2–3 days
- Getting there
- Fly with one stop to Milan Malpensa, usually via Dubai, Doha or Istanbul, about 16–18 hours all in. From Milano Centrale, trains reach Varenna in about an hour. Italy is 6 hours behind KL in summer and 7 in winter.
lake como
Dear group chat,Ferries between lakeside villages, villa gardens and mountains rising straight from the water.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingLake ComoIT, Lombardy
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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.
A long, forked lake under the Alps, lined with villas, gardens and steep little villages. Leave the car behind: ferries hop between the villages all day, and the boat ride is half the fun.
Makan
- Risotto con pesce persicoPerch fillets fried in butter and sage on a plain risotto, the classic lakeside lunch.Map ↗
- MissoltiniShad from the lake, salted and dried in the sun, then grilled and served with polenta.Map ↗
- PolentaSoft or grilled cornmeal with cheese or mushrooms, the everyday food of the hill villages.Map ↗
Things to do
- BellagioThe village on the point where the lake splits in two, all stepped lanes and lakeside cafés.Map ↗
- VarennaColoured houses stacked above a tiny harbour, with a footpath along the water to the ferry pier.Map ↗
- Villa CarlottaTerraced gardens at Tremezzo, at their best when the azaleas and rhododendrons flower in April and May.Map ↗
- Villa del BalbianelloA villa and garden on a wooded point near Lenno, best reached by water taxi. Film fans may know it from Star Wars and Casino Royale.Map ↗
- The central-lake ferriesBoats criss-cross between Varenna, Bellagio and Menaggio all day, the easy way to see three villages without a car.Map ↗
Good to know
- Varenna is the easiest base without a car: trains from Milan stop there, and ferries cross to Bellagio and Menaggio in minutes.
- Buy ferry tickets at the pier before boarding; queues at Bellagio and Varenna get long on summer afternoons.
- Halal food is scarce around the lake, so lake fish is the easy choice. Milan's Via Padova and the streets near Centrale have plenty of halal places.
Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.