A Guide To Lake Como’s Most Beautiful Towns
One of the most important vocabulary words to learn before a trip to Lake Como is lungolago. Translated literally, it means “along the lake” but it implies a place for walking and enjoying the view. Italians have been strolling these shores for thousands of years, adding gardens and villas designed expressly to complement the landscape. Behind the promenades, cobblestone lanes lead through hamlets and towns with viewpoints at nearly every bend, before running up to a network of elevated hiking trails.
Como’s center is often considered the most scenic part of the lake, and its towns have become increasingly congested with tourists. But even the most popular destinations like Bellagio and Varenna have quieter spots. Choosing where to visit and stay makes a tremendous difference, as each village has pros and cons. Based on trips in 2023 and 2024, we’ve put together an overview of the main towns plus a few lesser-known alternatives. All sites are marked on our Google map.
Orientation
Bellagio & Environs
Varenna
Bellano
Lecco
Menaggio
Tremezzo
Lenno
Sala Comacina
Argegno
Further Reading
Orientation
Many of Lake Como’s storied resorts and historic gardens cluster in its center, where a narrow spit of land divides the lower half into two legs. This is the most famous part of the lake, and the most convenient for short stays. The main mid-lake hubs for ferries and sightseeing form a triangle, with Varenna on the eastern shore, Menaggio on the western side, and Bellagio on the tip of land splitting the southern lake into two branches.
Bellagio & Environs
Como’s most famous town conjures old-world glamour, which just manages to live on amidst the onslaught of visitors. At the geographical center of the lake, Bellagio sees the most ferry and tourist traffic. Hotels, restaurants, and shops fill the main part of town, especially near the between the two ferry terminals.
Crowds begin to thin as one moves further uphill. The lovely little Chiesa di San Giacomo rewards the climb; its altar and mosaics were already old when the church was rebuilt in the 11th and 12th centuries. Nearby, the Villa Serbelloni’s gardens feature incredible views although getting in can be complicated. (At least six people must reserve a tour in advance, at either 11 or 3:30. See the website for details.) A few blocks south, visitors pool at the top of Salita Serbelloni to capture its famous vantage point.
West of town, the Lungolago Europa leads to the hamlet of San Giovanni via Melzi Gardens. The latter includes a villa and various smaller structures, but the main draw is the garden. Even when not flowering, the property’s magnificent trees are as extraordinary as the lake itself. For more information, see our post on Lake Como’s gardens. Past Melzi Gardens, the hamlet of San Giovanni retains a medieval feel in the tiny lanes behind its ferry stop. One of the area’s larger pebble beaches fronts a large park nearby.
Several other hamlets lie tucked into the glacially-carved folds around Bellagio. A 10-minute walk leads to Punta Spartivento (Wind-Splitting Point), at the tip of the land dividing Lake Como into two legs. On the other side of the peninsula, the fisherman’s town of Pescallo sees less traffic thanks to its isolation. We loved the atmospheric walk over the hill to get there, with shallow steps tracing a narrow path between stone walls and arching greenery. The route, which takes about 10-15 minutes, begins by the Municipio building and the little church of San Giorgio.
Ferries run in all directions, including a line to Lecco and the eastern leg of the lake. This necessitates multiple piers, and the vehicular ferry area lies a few minutes’ walk away from the passenger-only lines. We found the little tourist train impractical either as a way to see the sights (often invisible from the road) or as a method of transportation.
Varenna
Varenna has it all: a picture-perfect sweep of harbor, cobblestone piazzas, and one of the best gardens on the lake, all topped off by a tiny castle. It also has a train station, making it ideal for short stays as well as day trips. Not surprisingly, this once-sleepy village has become one of Lake Como’s most popular destinations, with long lines for the ferry and shoulder-to-shoulder crowds throughout the town.
The village proper is about five minutes’ walk down from the ferry terminal via a waterfront promenade or an upper-level road. In a layout dating to ancient Roman times, tiered medieval lanes circle the fishing harbor, connected by stairs between colorful buildings. Sycamore trees planted in a V-shape accent the town square, watched over by the San Giorgio bell tower and church. The latter’s spare, perfectly-proportioned facade hides a surprise inside: some of the Gothic piers have frescoes painted right on the local black stone. Most of the main structure dates to the 14th century, with some older elements mixed in.
At the lower end of town, the Villa Monastero is a near-perfect union of architecture, cultivated plants and natural landscape. Poised in tiers along a two-kilometer strip of shoreline, the property makes dramatic use of the lake as a backdrop for its gardens. At sunset, it’s nothing short of otherworldly. For more information, see our post on Lake Como’s gardens.
The views from Castello di Vezio are worth the steep 30-minute hike. Originally part of a Roman fortification system, the site was developed by Lombards in the sixth century. Besides dungeons and a drawbridge, the castle still includes a tower where 60 steps lead to 360-degree panoramas. A small exhibit displays the skeleton of an extinct creature from the lake. The castle is open daily all year from 10 a.m. to around sunset, with extended hours in summer and closures during rain in winter.)
Varenna’s tiny train station lies about five minutes’ walk inland from the ferry terminal. Both the train station and ferry terminal can get extremely congested at the beginning and end of the day. On the lake, piers for passenger-only and car ferries lie within view of one another, and people tend to queue up for whichever boat leaves first.
Bellano
Although it’s a mere four minutes from Varenna by train (or one extra stop on the ferry), the town of Bellano sees minimal tourists. Most of the historic buildings cluster directly behind the ferry terminal, with the lungolago trailing south. Just below the river’s outlet lies a pebble beach and an informal park with a grand view of the lake.
In the old center, Piazza San Giorgio leads from the Chiesa Santa Marta to the town’s main church. The former dates to the 15th century and hides a lovely frescoed dome behind an unprepossessing exterior. But our favorite was the Italian Gothic facade of the Santi Nazaro e Celso, an arresting combination of black-and-white marble stripes with an elaborate frame for the rose window. (It’s made of terracotta, but the green paint looks like oxidized metal.)
Just behind the church on the right side, a path leads up to the Orrido di Bellano, a hidden gorge full of waterfalls. Grated walkways and steps pass through eerie fissures full of spray and oozing water, with narrow streams thundering far below. The site also includes a small museum dedicated to local history, housed in the restored Ca’ del Diavol. The pentagonal tower’s nickname likely comes from its frescoes depicting the devil and other nasty figures. Bellano’s cemetery, just above the Orrido, offers tranquil views of the town and lake.
The train station lies about five minute’s walk below the river, in the town’s more modern half. Another popular way to get to Bellano is on foot, via the hiking trail from Varenna.
Lecco
With a population of about 50,000 and very few tourists, Lecco offers a different experience than central Lake Como. All the way down at the bottom of the eastern leg, it looks distant on a map, but the journey is surprisingly quick. Frequent trains from Varenna cover the distance in just 40 minutes, which is less time than it takes to travel between many towns in the central lake.
In Lecco the mountains loom closer, tucking around a narrower, more intimate expanse of water. Promenades stretch all around a U-shape, split by the Adda River at the southern end and several beaches on the western side. When we visited on a sunny Sunday afternoon, the benches held locals chatting over take-out pizza boxes while children and dogs ran circles around them. Porticos and umbrellas in the elegant elongated Piazza XX Settembre offered shade and cafe seating.
A whole itinerary awaits fans of Alessandro Manzoni’s classic novel The Betrothed, much of which was set in Lecco where the writer lived. The Church of San Nicolò’s exceptionally tall bell tower looms over town; those prepared to climb 400 steps can reserve a one-hour tour on the website. Meanwhile a golden statue of the Saint sits in the lake’s waters off Punta Maddalena.
Lecco’s train station lies about five minute’s walk inland. A few ferries per day make the 90-minute run between Lecco and Bellagio.
Menaggio
The mellowest of the three main towns in the mid-lake area, Menaggio provides refuge from the masses of day-trippers in Bellagio and Varenna. It’s big enough for a good range of hotels and restaurants, making it an excellent base for longer stays. Besides plenty of ferry connections, the town also links to some of the region’s best hiking trails as well as buses to nearby Lugano.
Menaggio’s waterfront promenade begins at the little marina, just a few minutes’ walk above the ferry piers. Shops and restaurants cluster along the Via Calvi, which runs inland from the Piazza Garibaldi. Parks run along the lakeside up to the Lido di Menaggio, where a large public pool allows those of us not staying in deluxe resorts to enjoy an extraordinary swim.
While Menaggio doesn’t feature as much historic architecture as some of the other towns in the region, it still retains medieval character. Tiny alleyways wind between stretches of an old castle wall; nearby the Ponte di Caravaggio straddles the river along a trading route established by the ancient Romans.
Menaggio’s tourism website provides information and maps for many regional hikes. Passenger-only and car ferries leave from adjacent piers, just below the main town. The ASF Autolinee bus depot is on the Piazza Roma near the Lido.
Tremezzo
The Grand Hotel Tremezzo and other local institutions have hosted the likes of Queen Victoria and Giuseppe Verdi. Non-guests are welcome at the lakeside restaurant/bar, where orange-striped umbrellas surround a floating pool. At the far end of Tremezzo, the Villa Carlotta has its own ferry stop, where a pair of mammoth plane trees echo the celebrated specimens across the road. With one of the most spectacular views of the lake, the ferry waiting area is itself worth a trip.
The Villa Carlotta has the largest and arguably most famous garden on Lake Como. Dating to the late 17th century, the property also represents some of the region’s oldest extant landscaping. For more information, see our post on Lake Como’s gardens.
Restaurants, cafés, and hotels range along the shore around Tremezzo’s main ferry stop. Nearby, the elevated Teresio Olivelli Park features everything from a monumental staircase and fountain to a volleyball area. Across the street, a war memorial and a mini-grotto filled with turtles mark the entrance to the San Lorenzo church.
The late 18th-century structure unifies a mixture of older architectural styles through color. Local stone in subtle peach stripes makes the facade glow, especially when viewed from the water. Pietro Lingeri, one of Como’s leading Rationalist architects, designed the adjacent cinema in 1950. If it’s raining, the Lake Como Landscape Museum (Museo del Paesaggio del Lago di Como), has a collection of antique images of the lake’s landscape and architecture. A multimedia section focuses on films shot in Lake Como.
C10 buses running between Como and Menaggio stop along the main road but get extremely crowded during warmer months.
Lenno
Most visitors pass through Lenno to reach the nearby Villa del Balbianello and its cinematic gardens. Surprisingly few stay to explore the town itself, which retains the ambiance of a secret hideaway. We fell for Lenno on our 2023 trip, and stayed here for five nights on our most recent trip to Como.
The sprawling village backs one of the lake’s more intimate promenades, running around a cove behind a wooded hill. A row of umbrella pines shades the benches lining the water, each of which comes surrounded by its own set of flowers. Behind them, colorful palazzos and a handful of eateries alternate with medieval lanes leading inland.
Encompassing a handful of once-separate micro-settlements, Lenno doesn’t really have a town center. Most of its character comes less from individual buildings than their collective ambiance. One exception is the 11th-century octagonal Baptistery, a sweet little Romanesque structure topped by a simple dome. Across the piazza, the Santo Stefano church sits over ancient Roman baths, but stands out more for the way other buildings encroach upon it from all sides.
At the middle of the Greenway Trail, Lenno occupies what many consider to be the prettiest part of the lake. Another path leads out to the 12-century Acquafredda Abbey. Passenger ferries stop near the village’s sheltered cove. C10 buses running between Como and Menaggio stop along the main road but get crowded during warmer months.
For more information, see our post A Guide to Lenno, Lake Como’s Most Idyllic Town.
Sala Comacina
Just down the shore from Lenno, a dreamy little harbor announces the village of Sala Comacina, with plenty of atmospheric lanes to wander. Tucked behind lush green slopes of Isola Comacina (Como’s only island), it has the air of a refuge, timeless and unspoiled.
The settlement stretches up winding stone lanes into meadows and olive groves, with tiny bridges crossing seasonal streams. Sala Comacina is the largest of the hamlets behind the island, with several little piazzas and a number of spots to enjoy a meal.
Ferries making local stops between the central lake and Como Town stop at Campo, Isola Comacina, and Sala Comacina. Like the C10 buses running along the coastal road, they tend to fill up before reaching the area – all the more reason to travel by foot. The celebrated Greenway Trail runs along the water behind the island, passing through Sala Comacina before climbing back into the hills towards Colonno. From Lenno, the walk takes anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours depending on how much one stops to savor the scenery. For more, see our Guide to the Greenway Trail.
Argegno
Argegno is a great place to escape the crowds. A pint-sized piazza sits just across the main road from the shoreline promenade, with a handful of restaurants, cafes, and hotels scattered about. The River Telo creates a picturesque gully nearby, with walking paths leading inland to an old stone bridge.
At the lakeside, a smaller modern bridge connects the lido and harbor to the northern part of town. From there, it’s a five-minute walk to the funicular station which is Argegno’s primary attraction. The cable car makes one of Europe’s steepest ascents to the village of Pigna, where a renowned two-hour hike descends the mountain’s other side to the town of Colonno and the start of the Greenway Trail.
Argegno is probably the hardest to reach of the towns we cover in this post. It’s served by ferries running between the central lake and Como Town as well as the C10 bus, but in warmer months both can get too crowded to board. Note that the road from Colonno is not safe for pedestrians.
Further Reading
Our other posts on Lake Como are:
A Guide to Ferries in Lake Como
Lake Como’s Most Extraordinary Gardens
A Guide to Lenno, Lake Como’s Most Idyllic Town
A Guide Lake Como’s Greenway Trail
For more on the region, see our posts: