Lake Como Guide
A slow-paced, boutique approach to Lake Como
“There’s this place in the mountains where they make some of the best food on Lake Como. The chef works with his mom and they make the pasta fresh on the spot.” This came from Doriano, our B&B host in Dongo, a small town on the northern end of the lake.
This was the essence of our five-night Lake Como trip in May. I tried not to make too many plans, only reserving our two hotels and tickets to Villa Balbianello ahead of time, and relied mostly on tips from people we met along the way, even though I had a map full of pins as backup.
As with all of my travels, the best advice came from locals. We stayed at two boutique hotels and received excellent recommendations from both hosts, who are from Lake Como: agriturismos in the hills for dinner, a medieval village that was a highlight and an actual gem, and lakeside promenades I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.
This guide is not the glamorous version of Lake Como. We didn’t stay at five-star hotels with pools on the lake, although I would have liked to. I pay for my trips and that wasn’t in the budget.
This is for those looking for a boutique trip: staying in B&Bs with families from the area, exploring villas and gardens, eating at delis and family-run trattorias, and town-hopping to both touristy and non-touristy spots.
Inside this guide: hotels we stayed at, hotels I’d like to try next time, my trip itinerary, restaurants, towns, villas, cooking class recommendations, and a walk I loved.
A few tips from our stay…
We spent five nights here; I’d recommend a minimum of three.
We rented a car and I’m glad we did. If you’re planning to visit both the main sights and the smaller towns, having a car is very convenient. Without one, some of the places in this guide will take a long time to reach.
Driving was tricky in spots - we missed a turn once and turning around was a pain. Finding parking wasn’t a problem during our visit in May, but I can imagine it gets difficult during peak season (late June through early September).
If you don’t rent a car, you can take the train from Milan to Como or Varenna, both of which have good ferry access to towns around the lake. There’s also a public bus, but our hotel host warned us it’s not very reliable, which is partly why we decided to rent a car.
Every article will tell you to visit Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio, and Como - the four main towns. I skipped Como this trip but visited the other three. Yes, they’re touristy, but they’re charming and famous for a reason. I think they’re worth seeing.
Take the ferry to Bellagio and Varenna; it’s not worth driving all the way around the lake. We caught the ferry from Menaggio and bought a day pass for €17.50, which covered all three towns. Get to Menaggio early though, it was the one place where parking was difficult to find mid-day. Depending on how lucky you are with parking in Menaggio, it can take 15 minutes to walk to the ferry port from your parking spot.
Where we stayed
We stayed in Laglio for two nights and in Dongo for three nights. Both on the west side of Lake Como. We loved our location in Laglio, it was close to almost everything we wanted to do. Dongo was a bit out of the way and added on 20+ minutes to some of our drives (but I loved our hotel).
If you’re trying to figure out where to stay on the lake, I’d choose somewhere between Cernobbio and Menaggio on the western side of the lake. If I could do it over, I would have spent at least 3-4 nights at Cà Spiga in Laglio.
Cà Spiga (Laglio): Brothers Alessandro and Andrea renovated their grandmother's family home into an 8-room albergo in Laglio. Cà Spiga is my ideal version of a boutique stay: small and family-run, with friendly and helpful hosts and gorgeous design. It felt like we were staying at their family home. Breakfast on the terrace is amazing. Alessandro sources cheeses and meats from his farmer friends in the hills of Como, and I especially loved the homemade cakes.
Our room had a small balcony where I spent the evenings watching boats go by over a cup of tea. And lunch or aperitivo at the brothers' lakeside bottega, Da Luciano is a must.
I wasn't sure about the location when I first booked, but it's actually pretty ideal. You're close to Menaggio and Lenno, where you can catch the ferry around the lake, but you're also in a small town where locals actually live. We stayed for two nights, but I could have happily spent all five here. Direct | Booking.com
