Top Tips for a Visit to Lake Como
Lake Como
Lake Como was by far my favourite part of our trip around Italy. After all the hustle and bustle and sightseeing of the cities, the chilled out atmosphere of the lake was much needed. There are a huge range of options when visiting Lake Como as to where to stay. We opted for the town of Menaggio but there's also Bellagio, Varenna, Cernobbio, Como itself and many more little towns and villages spread around the lake. No matter where you stay, make sure Lake Como is on your itinerary whilst visiting Italy! You won't regret it.
We were on a tight budget so we opted to stay in the Youth Hostel in Menaggio instead of splurging on a hotel. However, we were so glad we did. The owners were fab; really interactive and made sure that the atmosphere in the hostel was lively and full of fun. We met some absolutely amazing people whilst we were here and had some fantastic adventures over the next few days with them. Socialising with other guests was extremely encouraged with shared meal times and organised evening events so if you're looking to be at one with yourself and spend some "me time" then this hostel might not be for you.
The hostel offers kayaks for rent to take out on the lake along with cooking classes and many more activities to suit everyone's needs.
My only tip would be to make sure to take a portable fan in the heat of summer, the dorms sleep up to 8/10 and there is no air conditioning. The heat was unbearable through the night.
2. Take a Kayak out on the Lake!
We hired a kayak from the hostel directly and took it out on the lake for a few hours. However there are many other providers in Menaggio that you can hire them from and they can cost anything between €10 - €35 depending on times, seasons etc. So I would advise shopping around to make sure you're getting a good price.
Even if you're not athletically orientated the lake is very calm so it's not too strenuous an activity and it gives a great alternative perspective of the lake and mountains surrounding you.
3. Hire a Boat!
Okay so much to our delight, you do not need any particular license to take a boat out on the lake. We met a group of people in our hostel who we decided to share the cost with and it was one of the best moments of the entire holiday.
We paid €100 for 2 hours on the lake but split it between 6 of us so worked out really good value for the experience we had.
Even if you don't fancy the adrenaline rush of driving the boat at high speeds across the lake, you can just lounge back and top up your tan whilst someone else drives.
The views are incredible and the guy we hired the boat from gave us a little map which pointed out all the celebs houses and famous movie sets such as Star Wars and James Bond.
It really is a bucket list experience and if you want you can hire it out all day and go visit one of the other towns on the lake.
4. Hike!
Our biggest regret in Lake Como was we just didn't have enough time to tick everything off! There are some amazing hikes in the area up into the mountains and you can even make your way to Switzerland if you're keen.
You can either hike by yourself if you're feeling adventurous or opt for a guided hike for more peace of mind.
5. Visit the other villages & towns!
You can easily grab a ferry from most of the towns on Lake Como which will take you round the rest of them. The cheapest and most convenient way is to purchase an all day ticket ( €15 approx), take a picnic and go exploring. See the following for more details on ferries, times and fares.
My one piece of advice is to just make sure that this spectacular place makes your travels in Italy. Do not pass it by for one of the bigger cities. We actually opted to skip Milan and visit Lake Como on the recommendation of a friend and it was one the best pieces of advice I have ever taken!
Trust me! This place is...well there are just no words fitting enough! GO BOOK NOW!
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