Travel Dates: December 2024
Things to do in Lake Como
Villa del Balbianello – This stunning villa, famous for its appearances in Star Wars: Episode II and Casino Royale, is one of our favorite spots in Lake Como. Admission to the gardens is €13 per person, and €24 grants you access to both the gardens and the interior of the villa. We only had an hour, so we opted to visit the gardens, which was the perfect amount of time to enjoy the beauty of the place.
Be prepared for a 15-20 minute uphill walk to the villa. The path can be a bit steep, so it’s a good idea to wear comfortable shoes and bring some water. There’s metered parking available at the base of the hill.
Viewpoints around Bellagio –
- Lungolago Europa – Point of interest in Google Maps that takes you to the waterfront park in Bellagio for nice, scenic views.
- Famous Street of Bellagio – Enter this name into Google Maps to see the quintessential Italian hilltop street, lined with charming shops.
- Salita Cappuccini – If you have time, take this staircase path down to the east side of the lake. You’ll come to the small fishing village of Pescallo for some quiet, quant views.
- Punta Spartivento – At the tip of Bellagio are more views of Lake Como and the surrounding mountains. Although nice, views are similar to that of Lungolago Europa. So if you have limited time, I recommend Salita Cappuccini over Punta Spartivento.
Castello di Vezio – If you have time, we recommend visiting this castle for €5 per person. We spent an hour here, enjoying the stunning views of Lake Como, along with the castle’s famous ghost statues. You can either hike up for 30+ minutes from Varenna’s town center or drive up a narrow road and park about 6 minutes away.
On Google Maps there’s a designated parking area for the castle, but we found free parking alongside the road just before the turnoff to the official lot. From either parking area, follow the directions to Via del Castellano. You’ll then see brown signs; follow the directions to “Castello di Vezio” and use Google Maps if you need help staying on track.
Orrido di Bellano – Although this natural gorge in Lake Como was nice, we recommend skipping it in the winter. When we visited, the water levels were relatively low, so it didn’t feel particularly impressive compared to other canyons we’ve seen. However, the winter timing worked in our favor since we had the place entirely to ourselves, with no tourists around.
The visit took us about 20 minutes and cost €7 per person. If you do decide to visit by car, there’s free parking for up to an hour in front of the church (Chiesa Prepositurale dei Santi Nazaro e Celso), which is located next to the gorge.
Villa Monastero – Another beautiful villa, this one costs €10 per person just for the gardens (access to go inside the villa is more). We spent about 40 minutes here, and there is a parking garage across from the villa at €3 per hour. We liked Villa del Balbianello better as the views are more varied there, while the lake views at Villa Monastero are relatively similar to each other.
Where to eat in Lake Como
Osteria Tavernetta – We highly recommend this restaurant for its delicious tagliatelle with porcini mushroom and Porchetta Nostrana (thinly sliced porchetta on toast). It is a very small restaurant so reservations are highly encouraged.
Trattoria Osteria Nisciolano – Don’t miss out on the ravioli con zucco (pumpkin ravioli) here. We also ordered the ossobuco which was decent. A benefit of this restaurant is they have their own private parking lot in front.
Osteria del Beuc – We ordered the tagliatelle al ragu (aka Bolognese sauce), crispy pork belly (special of the day), and tiramisu. Although the food were all fine, they were nothing to write home about.
Dining tips
- It is recommended to make reservations if offered by the restaurant to ensure you get a table. All the restaurants we ate at offered online reservations.
- Because the winter is slow season, some restaurants may be closed so make sure to check in advance.
- All the restaurants we went to only had Italian menus, but the waiters can speak some English.
- Gratuity is not expected, but there is a cover charge per person (€2.50 – €3.50).
- Many restaurants open for lunch at 12pm or 12:30pm and will close after 3pm. They will reopen for dinner at 7pm or 7:30pm.
Where to stay in Lake Como
Hotel Villa Flori – The hotel is situated right next Lake Como, with beautiful views of the lake. The slight downside is it’s right where the sea plane tours take off so you’ll hear the loud engines starting around 9am into the evening. The hotel offers complementary bottled water in the room, free self-parking (spaces are a bit narrow so a small car is recommended), and a delicious buffet-style breakfast.
We did have a mishap with our booking where the agency sent the wrong room type over to the hotel (we booked the Garibaldi suite but got the Classic room instead). The second day of our stay, the manager switched our room to a Junior Suite with a large balcony overlooking the lake.
Globe Trotter 