Lake Como

As you depart from Venice and drive to Lake Como, there is a stop you may want to consider if time allows. This is the Shakespearean town of Verona. Here you can walk by the famous (and still used) Arena di Verona, as well as Juliet’s Balcony and the Gothic Scaliger Tombs. And if you haven’t had enough gelato, add a stop at Gelateria Amorino for a gelato cone shaped like a flower.

The rest of the drive will vary depending upon where you are staying on the lake. Bellagio is famous for its shops and restaurants – or the more secluded resort options include the Grand Hotel Tremezzo and Villa D’Este.

We chose the Grand Hotel Tremezzo for its floating pool in the lake; slightly larger resort for kids activities; and ease of accessing Bellagio during the day by ferry. However, there are options up and down both sides of the lake to fit a variety of budgets and/or number of travelers in your party. If you are staying on the west side of the lake, please take your time driving as it is similar to the Amalfi Coast (not quite as bad though) with small lanes and busy traffic.

We also did not pack our time at Lake Como with activities as we like to spend our last few days of vacation relaxing. However, if you are looking for unique activities in Lake Como, below are a few options we considered in the area –

- Private Boat Tours of the lake – sightseeing (just the lake or a tour of famous residences)
- Lunch on the island of Locanda dell’Isola Comacina and their exorcism of fire (to ward off evil spirits)
- Boating or hiking excursions into Switzerland

We chose to spend our first afternoon by the “Beach” – a sandy area built by the resort for the floating pool. And that night, the hotel even had a copy of the movie “The Tourist” with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie – set entirely in Venice – to remind us of our previous two days.

The following morning, we drove a few miles down the street to Villa Balbianello and purchase the self-guided pass for the gardens. You can take a tour of the villa, but the gardens are what attract most visitors. This particular Villa is most famous for Hollywood scenes such as the wedding of Anakin and Padme in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones; or the hospital where James Bond recovers in Casino Royale. But more than that, it is an amazing garden to tour and simply be awed by the views of the lake. Be warned, parking is very, very hard to find in this area so picking something further out may be better than trying to get close and getting stuck trying to turn around.

On our way out, we stopped at the Dino Market to pick up snacks and wine. We only mention this at is amazing to see bottles of Italian wine at such low prices (no import taxes). So much so, we found a few bottles of Chianti we purchase back in the U.S. for less than the price of a bottle of water at some hotels.

Back at the hotel it was wood-fired pizzas for lunch at the restaurant by the upper pool, as well as exploring the grounds and trail leading up to Bobo the bear – a photo op placed at the highest point on the property. For dinner, we made our way down the street to a hotel restaurant at the Ristorante n26 Tremezzo. The food was good – but what we really enjoyed was the one-man karaoke/band entertainment which including songs ranging from Lionel Richie to the Scorpions – all while enjoying drinks looking over the lake.

The next morning, we took the ferry over to Bellagio to explore the small, picturesque town. As soon as you arrive, the flower lined promenade is a great stroll and leads to a tour of the gardens of the Villa Melzi. Or you can simply wander the small loop around the town – visiting stores for Murano glass jewelry, silk ties and more. And, one of our favorite stops was the small street side restaurant, Bellavita, to pick up a bit of street food to enjoy on the steps of the café or around the corner on a bench. We do recommend trying an Arancino – or fried rice ball filled with meat sauce – along with a cold drink.

After a few hours, it was just a ferry ride back to the hotel for more pool time and then a final dinner on the patio at the La Terrazza to enjoy wine; meeting other visitors to the hotel; and their Risotto with Gold and Saffron (literally a piece of gold leaf on top – see our Venice notes regarding the gold leaf artisan of Venice) and Chateaubriand. Who knew steak was so prevalent and good in Italy? Especially when you have had pasta for so many meals.

Finally on our last day, we had planned to stay the night at the Sheraton Milan Malpensa at the airport as most flights are early in the morning, so this gave us one more day to relax by the lake (and jumping into the freezing water – because you are in Lake Como after all). We also found from other travelers this is very common as it allows you to check in your rental car and relax right in the airport.

At the airport for dinner (and after so much pasta), the decision was unanimous – McDonald’s!! It was then off to sleep for our flight home at 7:00 the next morning and the twenty hours of travel.

For notes on our entire trip to Italy, here is our two-week Itinerary. And, if you are just starting to plan your trip, we have created four “how to” guides – Planning, Preparing and Packing, Getting Around and Driving and finally Once You Arrive.

We also have detailed notes for each individual destination for Positano, the Amalfi Coast and Capri; Rome and Pompeii; Tuscany, Siena and Florence; the Palio di Siena; Venice and Lake Como. We would love to hear if you found any of these pages and notes helpful – or if you have any feedback you would recommend for other travelers.