Lake Como (Lago di Como) is located north of Bergamo. It has the longest coastline, although it’s only the third largest lake in Italy (after Lago di Garda and Lago Maggiore). At the same time, it’s the deepest lake in the Alps and one of the deepest in Europe.
The most beautiful towns on Lake Como- Lecco
We go to Lecco by train from Bergamo. We buy tickets for the Bergamo-Varenna route at a price of 5.5 euros. The connection is not direct, so we decide to stop for a while in the town of Lecco. This can be done without a problem because the ticket is valid for up to 6 hours from the moment it’s checked on the train. We already remember that the ticket must be validated before going down to the platforms.
The train to Lecco departs from the resistance track. To find it, you need to go to the first platform, go to the right, and when you pass the station building, you will see an additional track. Reading many travel blogs before travel, we know which way to go, so we can easily find our train. We enter and sit on the left in the direction of travel. Thanks to this, we see Lake Como for the first time at the end of our route. If we were sitting on the right side of the train, we would also see interesting views – among others, charming Italian villages.
After leaving the train we head towards the lake. We go out to the square by the church with the Mario Cermenati monument and from here we have only a few meters to the water. Slowly we walk along the lake heading left. We feed swans, take pictures, admire the views … We didn’t expect that we would like it here. It was supposed to be only a short stop on the way to Varenna, and it turned out that the hour we spent here was a bit too little.
Lago di Como- Varenna
We go to Varenna. Here it’s necessary to sit on the left in the direction of travel to be able to enjoy the beautiful views of Lake Lago di Como from a moving train.
After leaving the platform, there is tourist information on the right side. We ask for a map of the city and ferry schedule. We also buy return train tickets, which cost 6.5 euros plus 1 euro for service. Unfortunately, there is no option to buy them in vending machines. After leaving the information we go towards the lake. We immediately see the ticket offices and buy tickets for the ferry to Bellagio. They cost 4.6 euros per person. No matter which direction you choose, the price is the same. We wait for a ferry. We want to visit Bellagio and Menaggio first, and finally leave Varenna. After a while we leave. We admire the beautiful panorama of the town of Varenna.
We slowly approach Bellagio. This town also looks wonderful.
Bellagio Attractions
The journey takes about 15 minutes. We get off and head towards the promenade visible on the left. For a while we rest there. We meet a group of Poles and talk about the trip. They tell us that they came here by rented car. They plan to travel around Lombardy and visit nearby Switzerland. We like their idea very much, maybe one day we will go on a similar trip. We ask Poles to take a picture of us. It didn’t work out well, but at least we have any souvenir photo.
Bellagio EXPLORING
We go further along the promenade and find a hotel. There is still no road, so we turn back and head towards the center. We go one of the narrow streets uphill. We find the former neo-Gothic Anglican church from the 19th century, now a private building, called Villa Gotica.
Just behind the villa we find on the map a descent down the stairs, where is a cove. We sit there for a moment.
Later, we go up the hill by a different path, and then go down again. The town is located in the mountains, so it puts our fitness to the test. After a while, we reach the famous Sebelloni stairs in Bellagio. Right next to them there is a small pastry shop where we buy ice cream. They are delicious, it’s a pity that there are no such ones in Poland.
We don’t go down the stairs, we just go towards the nearby church. This is the Basilica of S. Giacomo. After eating ice cream, we go inside for a moment, and then we head towards the ferries. Waiting for the ferry to Menaggio, I take a few more photos.
Ferries from Bellagio to Menaggio go directly to Menaggio or round the Varenna (where you can get off). We get to the latter and enjoy a longer cruise.
Travel by ferry to Menaggio
We reach Menaggio around 15:20, that is at lunchtime. We want to sit in a restaurant but they ask us out. Unfortunately, we are hungry again when there is a siesta. It’s hard. We go for a walk around Menaggio without a specific sightseeing plan. We pass the port, pass through the square with a fountain and a lavender shop, walk along the promenade.
Wojtek looks for pokestop on the map of the “Pokemon Go”, called Chiesa di S. Carlo. We decide to see what this place is. We go up the hill and by the way we pass another church – Chiesa S. Stefano Martire. We don’t like the church at the top. Much more interesting was the walk upstairs and the narrow Italian streets that we passed along the way.
After visiting the town, we return to the port. I leave my sister and dad at the ferry departure point. Wojtek and I go to the port for 10 minutes.
We return to the guys and sail away.
Sunset on Lake Como
We take photos of the slowly setting sun from the ferry. Around 17:05 we arrive at Varenna. We are hungry, so we sit in the nearest restaurant to eat something. When we finish it’s already 18:10 and it’s getting dark. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to see the Vezio castle and enjoy the panorama of Varenna from the top. I hope that we will be able to take a walk around the streets of Varenna, but unfortunately everyone except me wants to take the nearest train to Bergamo. At least I have a reason to come back to Lake Como one day and satisfy the hunger left after not visiting Varenna.
From the train I look sadly out the window at the lake. The low sun is still quickly captured between the trees.
This is the last day of the trip. After returning to Bergamo, we decide to go again to Citta Alta to admire the beautiful night panorama of the city. It turns out that we won’t make it to the last departing bus to our place of residence, so we decide to cover this path on foot. The evening is very warm and we are sad that this is the end of our adventure in beautiful Lombardy.
Lake Como- practical information
- The most convenient way to Lake Como is by regional train from Bergamo. The train goes directly to Lecco. From Lecco you can get to cities such as Varenna, Bellano and Colico. At the lake it’s worth using the ferry crossing option. The villages are located very close to each other, so you can see even a few in one day. We managed to reach four towns.
- How much time to spend at the lake? In my opinion, it’s worth stopping over Como for a minimum of 3 days. After one or two days you can feel a lot of hunger. The towns are really interesting, so you won’t be bored. A trip to Lake Como is a good idea for an extended weekend.
- Take comfortable shoes with you. Towns on the lake are located in the mountains. You will often go up and down. You won’t last long in flip-flops.
- When to go to Como? Preferably after the season – in September or October or before the season – in May. Italy is very warm from June to August. Temperature above 30 degrees won’t be conducive to sightseeing.
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