Visiting Lake Como for a weekend, short on time or just want to focus on seeing a few must do places in Lake Como and take it slowly? You’ve come to the right place. Discover 5 must do spots to explore on Lake Como.
1. Orrido Di Nesso – the waterfall bridge
Arguably the most Instagrammable place in Lake Como, Orrido Di Nesso (the waterfall bridge) is a popular must do place to visit on Lake Como. Visit via ferry, bus, car or private boat and spend an hour or so wandering around this quaint village, home to a beautiful waterfall, canyon and the popular bridge. To find this exact spot, read: How to find the waterfall bridge in Lake Como
2. Bellagio
One of the most well-known must do places in Lake Como is the village of Bellagio. Found in the heart of Lake Como (Google Maps location here), Bellagio is an incredibly beautiful village situated on Lake Como. You can stay the night here (recommended if you want to avoid the day trip crowds) or visit for the day or a few hours. Even in May (not peak season), this village was very busy so prepare yourself for a few crowds but it is worth it to explore the streets. While here we ate at Dai Viga pasta shop, where the fresh pasta was absolutely delicious and I also (couldn’t help myself) had a few slices of pizza from the many takeaway cafes that line the streets. I can’t find Dai Viga’s official website but you can see from their TripAdvisor ratings that they are popular.
3. Villa del Balbianello (The James Bond spot!)
Are you a fan of James Bond? Then you’ll want to visit Villa del Balbianello! And even if you’re not a fan of James Bond, then you’ll want to visit Villa del Balbianello! Known as the James Bond place in Lake Como, this spot was the setting for some scenes in James Bond’s Casino Royale – and it was also used in a scene in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones. Found in Lenno, we caught the fast boat from Como to Lenno to get to Villa del Balbianello in time for opening before spending the rest of the day at the above mentioned Bellagio village. Here you can wander through the gardens, which are truly stunning, admire the architecture and take in the views across Lake Como. This is another popular must do place in Lake Como so it will get busy quickly as well.
4. Cruise Lake Como
One of the easiest ways to take in the sights is to cruise down the lake. You can do this through private boat or simply get on the ferry transfers between the villages and take in the incredible views near and far as the ferry comes into dock (like the photo below!). You can find out more about the ferry times and tickets here. While cruising along be sure to also keep your eye out for George Clooney’s villa, which is situated lake side.
5. Como-Brunate Funicular
Wrap up your time in this gorgeous section of Italy with the Como-Brunate Funicular. Found in the town of Como on the southern side of the lake (the town you are likely to arrive into the area in as this town has a train station connecting to Milan), you can take this funicular to the top of the nearby mountain. The funicular is very fun (but also, at the risk of repeating myself, when we visited it was busy and we needed to factor in waiting time) and a great way to get to the top of the mountain – only 7 minutes travel time! We chose to visit before sunset and enjoyed dinner overlooking the region from the top.
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