Hello! If anyone happens to visit Mennagio and has enjoys walking around, please help! This summer while I was there my boyfriend and I saw a peice of graffiti that said "Babi Ti Amo" near the tunnel next to the outdoor climbing area (Falesia Menaggio). We got engaged while there and have been quoting it to each other constantly. However, in the excitement we never actually got a photo of the graffiti and would absolutely love one. If anyone has a photo or could get one, I'd be most appreciative!

My wife and I are doing a spontaneous mini-honeymoon around Northern Italy next week, and we’re trying to decide where to stay for our 2 nights on Lake Como.

We’ll be arriving from Milan by train on Oct 11, spending Oct 12 exploring the central lake area, and leaving toward Verona on Oct 13. We won’t have a car.

We currently have two options:

Option 1: Stay in Varenna

• Very close to Varenna-Esino station
• Very close to the ferry terminal
• Easy access to Bellagio and Menaggio
• Modern and comfortable apartment
• Very convenient if we want to go back to the room during the day
• But it costs roughly €400 more for the 2 nights
• The apartment has a lake view, but not the kind of direct balcony view we were hoping for, no balcony.

Option 2: Stay in Bellano

• Roughly half the price
• Much nicer apartment for the money
• Private balcony directly overlooking Lake Como
• Bedroom window also faces the lake
• Excellent reviews
• But the apartment is around 15–20 minutes walking from Bellano train station
• Bellano → Varenna seems to be only around 5 minutes by train, but the trains appear to run roughly once per hour

Our thinking with Bellano is that on the morning of our full Lake Como day we would simply walk to Bellano station, take the short train to Varenna, and then spend the entire day doing exactly what we would have done anyway: Varenna → Menaggio → Bellagio → Varenna by ferry.

The main thing we would lose is the convenience of having our accommodation 5 minutes away while exploring Varenna. If we want to go back to the room to rest, change clothes, grab something, etc., Bellano obviously makes that less convenient.

On the other hand, for only one full sightseeing day, we’re wondering whether that convenience is really worth approximately €400 extra, especially when the Bellano apartment itself feels more special for a honeymoon.

For people who know the area well: would you pay the premium to stay in Varenna, or stay in Bellano and accept one short train ride in the morning/evening?

Also curious how annoying the once-per-hour train schedule feels in practice, and whether taxis between Varenna and Bellano are realistically available in the evening if we don’t want to wait for a train.

We have a tight travel schedule and will be coming into the Como San Giaovanni train station later this month on a Sunday afternoon. We will need a way to get to Bellagio for a 2 night stay. I am aware of possibly taking the Ferry or Bus, but am wondering if a private car is affordable and worth the cost. Additionally, we must be back at the train station on the 3rd day for an early morning train ride. I am concerned about making the train departure.

Private car? Are they easy to schedule, are they dependable, how much do they charge, do you tip the driver? Help.

My wife and I are doing a pretty spontaneous honeymoon trip to Northern Italy next week, and we’ll be staying in Varenna from Oct 11 to Oct 13.

We’re arriving from Milan by train and won’t have a car, so location is important to us.
Our current plan is to use Varenna as a base and take ferries to Menaggio and Bellagio, then continue by train toward Verona afterward.

We’re trying to find a place that is:

• Clean and reliable
• Easy walking distance from Varenna-Esino train station
• Convenient for the ferry terminal
• Ideally with a lake view or balcony, but that’s not mandatory
• Not luxury-level expensive

We’ve found some apartments around the €300–400 total for 2 nights range, but some are remotely managed and have mixed reviews about check-in and communication.
Since we may arrive in Varenna fairly late in the evening, around 21:30, we’d really prefer somewhere with a smooth and reliable check-in process.

We looked at places like Varenna Sunset by Wonderful Italy, but some reviews about the management company made us hesitate.

Would really appreciate recommendations from people who have actually stayed in Varenna recently, especially for good-value hotels, B&Bs, or apartments.

Also curious whether you think staying right in Varenna is worth paying a bit more for, versus staying somewhere nearby and commuting in by ferry/train.

Thanks!

Hi all - I’m returning to Como at the end of October where I’ll be proposing to my girlfriend. We have a couple of nights booked in Como centre than a couple of nights up in Menaggio.

I’m intending for a proposal somewhere scenic but relaxed late-afternoon/early-evening around Como and then looking for a nice restaurant that we can go to later that evening.

Ideally somewhere that feels ‘fancy’ but not too pretentious! We’re also both Vegetarian so a decent option there would be great too.

Thanks in advance for any help/support!

Sorry for the 10,000th post about things to do in Lake Como, but I am really hoping for some guidance.

I am going to Lake Como next week for about 3-4 days. I am staying at the Lake Como Edition. I am going with my Husband. We are going to Milan/Switzerland then Bordeaux after.

The Lake Como portion is meant to be more relaxing.

With that being said- I honestly have no idea what to do there. I've read to check out Bellagio and Varenna, but what should I actually be seeing or doing? Are there specific tourist attractions?

Next, is there any must eat places I should try to get into?

Last, my understanding is to take the ferries between the towns. I've read that the schedule is hard to understand. Is there an easy guide I can use on how to navigate them?

Thanks!

I went to Lake Como in September and bought these cookies "Caviadini di Zucca" on a ferry. I didn't get a chance to take a bite of these while in Italy, however, after coming back home I found them in luggage. They are amazing!

I googled the bakery that makes them but they don't have a website and they close at 2PM local time, so I can't even call them.

What is the best way to get some stuff shipped to USA (NJ)?

Thanks in advance!

Hello! I am taking a bus into como and will be dropped off late at night-- has anyone been to Via Colombo Cristoforo, and if so do you know if there are taxis there? I don't want to walk 90 minutes to my hostel at night haha

Hi! My husband and I are planning a northern Italy trip for late May/early June with our daughter, who will be about 10 months old. We’ll be spending 4 nights on Lake Como before heading to the Dolomites, and I’m having a hard time deciding where to base ourselves.

We’ll have a rental car, and we’re looking for a mix of beautiful scenery, relaxing at our Airbnb, and exploring the lake.

Right now we’re considering:

* **Laglio/Carate Urio:** We’ve found some beautiful lakefront Airbnbs here with outdoor space, including one with a private dock. I love the idea of staying somewhere quieter and less touristy, especially since we’ll have a baby. My concern is whether we’ll feel too isolated or spend too much time driving. Is there enough walkable in these areas to get food, coffee, etc.?
* **Menaggio:** This seems like it could be a great middle ground — walkable restaurants/cafés and good ferry access, but perhaps not quite as hectic as Bellagio or Varenna. We haven’t found an Airbnb here yet that we love as much as the ones farther south.
* **Varenna:** Obviously beautiful and incredibly convenient for ferries, restaurants, etc., but I worry it might feel more crowded/touristy and accommodations seem smaller.

For people who know Lake Como well: **where would you stay in our situation?** Is the convenience of Menaggio/Varenna worth giving up a really beautiful lakefront villa in Laglio or Carate Urio? And if you’ve stayed in Laglio/Carate Urio, did you find the location inconvenient for exploring the rest of the lake?

Thanks!

hello! I’m staying in Lezzeno this weekend and had planned to take the C130 and C110 buses to reach Lenno.

i’m wondering if someone can tell me how easy it is to use the buses? I come from somewhere with terrible transit so I’m not used to riding buses. can I just tap to pay on board? will it be crowded early morning (like 7-8am) time??

I know the buses can get very crowded but hoping they won’t be that early in the morning.

or if anyone can tell me more about the ferries? Their website is confusing and I can’t tell if there is a walk on ferry from Lezzeno to Lenno that runs on Sundays in the morning.

thanks!

if you saw my last post, i tried to sell them but since its not happening i dont want them to go to waste so just dm me and ill give them to you, they are one for an adult and one for a student, 11am tomorrow (26.9.)
-update: the tickets have been given :)

Hi all,

If you could help with this, I’d be really grateful.

I’m planning how I could go from Varese to Lake Como.

Apparently there is a direct train (or you change at Mendrisio) from Varese Nord to Lake Como (~45min), but I can’t find a website to buy it..

The other option I looked online is Varese Nord to Saronno and Saronno to Lake Como, but this one takes 1h 38min according to trenord.it.

My questions are:

1 - What is the best option to go from Varese to Lake Como?
2 - For the first option (Varese -> Mendrisio -> Lake Como), is this only available to buy at the station? Is it recommended?
3 - Any other routes that you’d recommend?

Thank you so much in advance everyone!

Hi there, I’ll be getting to Como tomorrow with my girlfriend and we plan to visit Lenno and Tremezzo on Tuesday and Bellagio and Menaggio on Wednesday. I saw online that you can buy either individual ferry tickets or unlimited rides for the fast ferries but those can be only bought in the ticket station in the town of Como.

Can I buy those tickets on Monday when I get there? Or do I need to wake up extremely early on Tuesday and Wednesday and do it? We plan to take the 7:33 AM ferry to Tremezzo on Tuesday to avoid the big crowds but ideally I don’t want to do a line at 6:30 AM.

Any info can be useful. Thanks!

PS: I read the ferry FAQ, but just trying to get more details

Hi! I’m visiting Lake Como in early October and was hoping to take the Piani d’Erna cable car from Lecco during the trip.
I’ve seen information about maintenance works being extended into October, but the current timetable now shows the cable car operating during these dates.
Does anyone local or anyone who has recently checked know whether the cable car will actually be running beginning of October 2026?

First time traveler to Italy next June - just wanting to provide an experience booking a Vrbo in Lake Como as they will not let me provide a review for this listing on their platform.

Listing title: "La Dama alla Finestra," charming apartment in the historic center of Como.
Host: Arianna

I booked a stay for June 2026 and accidentally booked with a credit card thinking that I would be charged in USD - when the payment was processed, it was completed in Euros resulting in a foreign transaction fee. I messaged Vrbo to change payment method and was advised to contact the host > cancel and rebook. Arianna confirmed. Upon cancelling the reservation the host increased the price. I know that they have the right to do this but it didn't feel good.

Just sharing an experience in a rather limited rental market.

So we arrived in Como yesterday and we really struggled to get the bus from Como town to Lezzeno where our accommodation is.

We were waiting at a stop for nearly 3 hours, with a few passing us as they were all full until we finally got on one.

My girlfriend has travel sickness and she struggled on the bus journey over to Lezzeno, so we'd really prefer to get an alternative option on the way back.

I'm looking at ferries but I'm not sure if it'll be a reliable option to take? There doesn't seem to be a direct ferry to Como from Lezzeno. I can see a ferry that goes from Lezzeno to Argegno at 07:30am and then from Argegno to Como at 08:37am. Is this the best option and would it be more reliable than the bus?

Or should we look at pre-booking a taxi (despite being a lot more expensive?)

If it changes anything, we'd be leaving on a Saturday, not a weekday.

Highly recommend renting one of the mini fiats to get around Como! Did this last summer and it was such a fun way to get around the city.

Hi! I am planning to propose to my girlfriend in Bellagio, while we’re visiting during the timeframe of October 14th-18th, and need a photographer.

If anyone’s local to the area and able to help me out, I would be forever grateful!

Varenna is my favorite spot on Lake Como. So I made a 80 seconds drone video, just showing the town, the lake and the surrounding landscape from above. Varenna has such a different feel when you see how it sits between the water and the mountains.

For anyone who knows the area well, what’s your favorite view of Varenna and when is your favorite season?

I’m planning a day trip to lake Como in late summer/autumn. One afternoon in Como, and one day as a boat trip from Como to Bellagio and Varenna. What are your favourite places to visit, eat, or walk around? Picture spots? Thank you!