2 Days in Lake Como Itinerary
Lake Como is most well-known for being the summer vacation spot for some of the worlds most rich and famous people. Located north of Milan on the border of Switzerland, the large lake is dotted with colorful little towns, upscale resorts, and lavish private villas set against the stunning backdrop of the Alps.
Lake Como is also an accessible destination for the non-rich and famous (like me) and a great stop to add to your Italy itinerary!
You could easily spend a week or more lounging lakeside, but you can also explore this area in a few days if you’re short on time. I’ve put together my ultimate 2 days in Lake Como itinerary here.
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When to Visit Lake Como
For obvious reasons, summer is the peak tourist season on Lake Como. Plan to spend more money on accommodations and find bigger crowds, but to enjoy Lake Como at it’s warmest, and take advantage of all the summer weather has to offer!
If you’re looking to still take advantage of some nice weather, but lower prices, the spring or fall shoulder seasons are always some of my favorite times to travel! Keep in mind you probably won’t be swimming, but you can still enjoy the beautiful scenery, spend some time on the water, and enjoy your aperol spritz with a lakeside view!
Given that the whole Lake Como region is mostly comprised of resorts things are really quiet in the winter and you probably won’t be able to experience the area as fully as you would during the rest of the year!
Where to Stay in Lake Como
The Lake Como area is massive and there are tons of towns dotted along the edge of the lake. I didn’t have a car, so I wanted to stay somewhere easily accessible by train, which made the town of Como an obvious choice. And it also happened to be on the train route I needed to get to Zurich next, so it was the perfect spot!
As it’s a short train ride from Milan. Como is also a great starting point for enjoying the rest for the lake, while also being quite beautiful itself! The ferries that run across the entire lake depart from Como regularly. Como also tends to be more affordable. I found this adorable AirBnb with an awesome lakeside balcony (see picture above) and paid less than $400 for 3 nights!
Outside of Como, the most popular areas to stay/visit are Bellagio & Varenna. These two popular resort towns sit in the middle of the lake, across from one another. To get to Varenna there is also a train from Milan, it takes about an hour From Varenna you can catch a short ferry to Bellagio.
As I mentioned above, I opted to stay in Como due to the affordable accommodations and the easy access to the train to Switzerland (which was my next stop after Como) Bellagio and Varenna are two of the most popular towns on the lake and definitely worth staying in if you don’t mind spending a little more money!
Lake Como 2 Day Itinerary
Day 1
Explore Como
Take the Funicular to the village of Brunate
And enjoy the expansive views of Lake Como & the Alps! The funicular departs right from the lakeside in the center of Como and only takes about 7 minutes to get to the top. The funicular runs every 30 minutes and costs less than 6 Euro round trip. From the top you can explore the little town and venture to some of the overlooks to get a sense of just how massive the lake really is. You can also grab lunch at one of the restaurants at the top, all of them offer patios with great lakeside views!
Explore the sites in Como & Grab and lakeside Aperitivo
Como is a small town that is easy to explore. Visit the Como Cathedral and wander along the lakeside promenade! There are many great lakeside spots for an Aperitivo with tons of outdoor tables, I liked La Darsena & Ristorante Cervo for drinks
Sunset Dinner by the Lake
The sunset in Como over the mountains really is quite beautiful! I recommend finding a dinner spot (or hotel/AirBnb) with a view! I had dinner at Ristorante e Pizzeria Fontana d-Oro and the views and food were both incredible! I got a ricotta and spinach pizza that was one of my favorite pizzas in Italy!
Day 2
Explore the Lake, Varenna & Bellagio
Take the Ferry to Bellagio
You can’t take a trip to Como and not venture out on the lake! Luckily, the ferries all leave from right in downtown Como and travel anywhere you want to go on the lake! With limited time I recommend you prioritize seeing Bellagio and Varenna, arguably the two most popular towns on Lake Como. From Como you can take a ferry directly to Bellagio (with many stops in between) this allows you to see many of the little towns and villas on the lake without getting off the boat.
Boat schedules and details can be found here. There are options for a regular service vs. fast service. The fast service does not make all the same stops as the slow service, but it always stops in Bellagio and Varenna. I opted to take the slow service there to enjoy the views and the faster service back! The regular service takes about two hours from Como to Bellagio and the faster service is around 45 minutes.
Bellagio is a small town that you can explore leisurely. There’s many cute cafes to grab a coffee and a croissant. From Bellagio you can catch a short ferry to Varenna
Take the Ferry from Bellagio to Varenna
From Bellagio it is only one stop to Varenna. Varenna, like Bellagio is a cute resort town dotted with colorful houses and windy lakeside paths. It’s also small and doesn’t take long to explore. To me, a trip to Lake Como is for relaxing, and is a good break from all the more active sightseeing visiting the big cities of Italy entails! I recommend grabbing a long lunch at one of the many lakeside cafes and enjoying the views before catching one of the ferries back to Como.
The ferry routes are the same as on the way to Bellagio, where you can opt for either a regular or fast service!
If you take a trip to Lake Como and try any of these recommendations, let me know your thoughts! If you’d like to see my all of my Italy travel recommendations head here!
