I have always wanted to visit Italy, it has been on the bucket list for a long time and it definitely did not disappoint! Having done more travelling further away from home, I haven’t done too many European city breaks but I will definitely be making sure to find time to go back to Italy soon – it was gorgeous. I went in August 2019.
We only had a long weekend – 3 days, so we wanted to go somewhere not too far to get to and we had heard the lakes were a must-see so decided on a trip to Lake Como. The weather was great, about 30 degrees every day but there wasn’t a lot of breeze on the lake so definitely opt for accommodation with air con!
How did we get there?
To get to Lake Como is pretty easy. We booked flights from London to Milan. When you arrive you can either hire a car from the airport and drive or pay for a taxi or bus. But the easiest way we found was to catch the train. The train leaves directly from Milan airport and you need to change at Saronno (20 minute train). From Saronno, you can go directly to Como Nord Lago station (40 minute train) which gets you into the centre of Como town. You can buy tickets for the train once you arrive in Milan airport, there is a desk.
Once you have arrived into Como town, it is easiest to get around to different towns via the ferries. These go throughout the day and into the evening, some are slow and some are fast services. We found they don’t really stick to their timetable that well and they can get pretty busy so arrive a little early to avoid being at the back of the queue.
Where did we stay and for how long?
Having had recommendations from friends, we decided to base ourselves in the town of Bellagio in the heart of Lake Como which we got to by ferry from Como town. There are lots of little towns spread around the lake including Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Lecco. Bellagio was in the middle and seemed to have quite a lot going on so we stayed there.
We hired a little apartment on Airbnb and it was very basic but absolutely perfect. It was right in the centre of town, a 30 second walk to the shops and restaurants which made everything very easy. I would definitely recommend looking for something in this area.
We only stayed for 2 nights due to holiday constraints from work but if we were to go again, we would definitely choose to go for 3-4 nights because we didn’t get time to explore Varenna or Menaggio which looked lovely.
What did we do whilst we were there?
Upon arriving into Como town, we thought we would spend the afternoon there and explore. The town is wonderful to walk around with pretty little streets and an impressive Cathedral known as the Duomo. Right in front of the Duomo are some restaurants where we stopped for some Aperol’s and snacks whilst we took in the view.
Also popular in Como town, is to catch the funicular (like a cable car but it’s a train!) up the mountain to the little village of Brunate. The wait for the funicular was quite long but we were glad we did it because the view from the top was incredible. We had some drinks at a lovely little restaurant called Albergo Bellavista where you can sit under the vines on the patio and look out right across the lake.
Once in Bellagio, we were spoilt for choice with restaurants and bars. The little town has so much to offer and every corner you turn, the prettier the little street seems to be! We spent some time wandering around and exploring the town, looking in all the little shops and stopping for coffee.
Of course whilst you are on Lake Como you want to have a swim! There seemed to be little areas (beaches – but not as your know them!) along the front where you could go in for a swim. When looking at Bellagio from the water, to the left of the town there is a big hotel with a private swimming area. If you follow the road up and round the back of the hotel you will eventually reach Restaurante La Punta (10-15 min walk). Here there is an small park with steps down to the water where you can swim.
Alternatively, you an walk towards the other end of the town. This way you walk along a long promenade right on the water, lined both sides with amazing flower displays. You will shortly arrive to the lido where you can pay to go in and swim but it did look very empty when we were there. If you keep walking you will reach the gardens of Villa Melzi. Walking through here was so beautiful! Immaculately kept gardens with stunning views across the lake. At the other end of the garden, you can cut back out onto the road where you can walk another 5 minutes and then take a right down a pebbley track to a ‘beach’. There is a restaurant that the locals call the Snack Bar and you can swim out to a platform here and jump in!
Whilst we were there, we also hired a boat to explore more of the lake. This was great fun and if there is a group of you, it works out to be good value. We hired it from ‘Lake by Boat’ situated by Restaurante La Punta. We paid 140 euros for 2 hours but this price is for up to 6 people and includes fuel and insurance and you don’t need to have driven a boat before. They give you a 5 minute lesson then you are off.
You can stop in the bay round the corner, switch the engine off and jump in for a swim. Being a lake, the water is so deep so it is difficult to anchor, so as long as you stay close to the boat you can literally jump in which is cool. Then we cruised around as the sun set and drove past a lot of the famous villa’s situated around the lake. We went past a villa from a scene in the James Bond movie and spotted George Clooney’s and Richard Branson’s houses! We hired the boat from 5-7pm which I would definitely recommend as the sun was setting and it was nice and quiet.
Adventures with H 