One-Day Lake Como Itinerary from Milan

One Day Backpacking Lake Como Itinerary

Varenna (2 hours)

Our journey begins in Varenna, a small beautiful town located on the eastern shore of Lake Como. It is known for its picturesque setting, with views of the lake, and the surrounding mountains. Due to the town's access to a train station, Varenna is connected via daily trains from Milan which makes it a great place to start this itinerary.

Looking for a complete travel guide to Milan? Check out:16 Best Things to Do in Milan

The town has a rich history dating back to Roman times, and it is home to several historical and cultural landmarks, such as the Castello di Vezio, an imposing 12th Century villa with a beautiful view over the lake, and the Villa Monastero, a waterfront villa featuring terraced gardens and a mansion with opulent 1800s decor.

Other than the history, Varenna also has one of the most beautiful lakeside promenades out there. One of the highlights of Varenna is to stroll along the beautiful Greenway dei Patriarchi, a romantic lakeside walk that will take you to Varenna's beautiful old town.

Spend around an hour exploring Varenna and another hour visiting Villa Monastero before we head over to our next destination, Bellagio. Providing you take the 6:20 AM train from Milan and arrive in Varenna around 7:30 AM, you can spend around 2 hours here and then catch the ferry across to Bellagio at around 9:30 AM.

Bellagio (2 hours)

Bellagio or as it is sometimes referred to as the pearl of Lake Como is another cute charming little town located right at the center on a peninsula that protruded into the lake, essentially creating the lake's iconic inverted y shape.

The town is known for its picture-perfect backdrop of the Alps as well as its colorful narrow streets that are popular among influencers, crisscrossing up the hillside, surrounded by stunning architecture, cafes, and restaurants you can indulge yourself in.

Basically, Bellagio is the exact image of what you imagine Lake Como would look like. Cute, charming, fairy-tale-like, and beautiful, all in one. It is also probably one of the most crowded towns out of all but thankfully, we are there early in the day so it shouldn't feel as crowded.

Spend at least 2 hours visiting all the notable attractions in Bellagio like Villa Melzi D'Eril, a picturesque botanical garden and beautiful lakeside paths, Punta Spartivento, a beautiful observational promenade with a great view of the lake, and Basilica of St. Giacomo, a beautiful church located in the town's center before catching another ferry across to the western shore of Lake Como and to our next destination, Menaggio. You should be at the ferry station around 11:30 AM.

Menaggio (2 hours)

Across the lake from Bellagio, you will find Menaggio, another small charming town located on the western shore of Lake Como and it is known for its beautiful narrow streets, hillside town, and beautiful promenade full of lovely cafes and restaurants.

There is a nice walking trail in Menaggio you can take that will take you from the shore of the town uphill through the charming hillside area along narrow colorful cobblestone streets until you reach Menaggio Castle, a castle that dates back to the 11th century and located on a hill overlooking the town.

Other notable tourist attractions in Menaggio include Lido di Menaggio, a popular spot for swimming and sunbathing in the summer months, St. Stephen's Church, a beautiful church of architectural and historical significance, and Percorso salute Parco Val Sanagra, a beautiful park set against the Italian Alps. Or you can just relax here and have lunch before we continue our journey.

After spending 2 hours in Menaggio, it is time to visit the highlights of Lake Como, Villa Carlotta, and Villa del Balbianello, some of the prettiest lakeside villas you will see in Italy. To get there, you can take bus #C10 from the bus terminal at around 1:30 PM and get off at Tremezzo and you will be right at the entrance of Villa Carlotta in less than 15 minutes.

Villa Carlotta (1 hour)

Villa Carlotta is a historic villa built in the late 17th century, known for its elaborate garden design, the incredible view overlooking the lake, and one of the most beautifully decorated villas here.

The garden inside Villa Carlotta is incredible. Located right at the entrance of the villa, you will have to walk through it before you can get inside the villa. The garden features a wide variety of plants, flowers, and sculptures that will make you feel like you are walking around a medieval castle instead of a villa.

Inside the villa, you will also find a museum dedicated to preserving the history of the villa, beautiful art collections, and exhibitions you can enjoy. Inside you will also have a chance to glance over the balconies of the villa and see the beautiful garden of Villa Carlotta set against the backdrop of the lake and the Italian Alps.

There are 2 routes through Villa Carlotta, the long and the short one. Due to our limited time, I highly recommend you choose the short route which will take you through the highlights of the villa in less than an hour. The villa is open from 10 AM to 7 PM every day and the entrance fee is 15 EUR per person.

Once you are done with the villa, catch the same bus #C10 from the Tremezzo bus stop in front of the villa to go to our next destination, Villa del Balbianello. You should be done at Villa Carlotta by 2:30 PM - 3 PM.

Villa del Balbianello (3 hours)

Villa del Balbianello is probably one of the most well-known tourist attractions in Lake Como. This villa is the very place where they shot some of the Naboo scenes in the prequel Star Wars movies, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones as well as 007: Casino Royale.

Villa del Balbianello is an 18th-century villa that has been used for various purposes, including as a monastery, a hospital, and a private residence. It is now owned by the National Trust of Italy and is open to the public for tours as well as occasionally open for wedding photographers and film crews to shoot scenes.

Getting to this villa requires a bit of effort but I guarantee you, it will be worth your while. From Tremezzo, it will take about 10 minutes before you have to get off at Lenno, the closest town to the villa. Once you are here, you will then have to walk along the shoreline for around 30 minutes until you arrive at the entrance by around 3:30 PM.

One of the best features of this villa is its terraced gardens that feature a variety of plants, including rare and exotic species like Holm Oak or the Umbrella tree.

There are several paths and walkways throughout the gardens, as well as fountains, statues, and other decorative features with a mix of Italian and classical styles that you can check out.

Spend around 1 hour exploring the garden until 4:30 PM before you make your way back to Lenno to catch the bus to Como, our last leg of this itinerary. You should be at Lenno Bus Stop by 5 PM. The villa is open from 10 AM to 6 PM every day EXCEPT Monday and Wednesday which is rather random. Be sure to plan your visit accordingly if you want to go inside Villa del Balbianello. The entrance fee is 22 EUR per person.

Como (1+ hour)

It should take about an hour from Lenno before you arrive in Como at 6 PM. You can spend the rest of the daylight hours and explore this beautiful city or you can relax, have dinner, and take in the sights before heading back to Milan.

First and foremost, I recommend you check out Duomo di Como, a large cathedral located right in the center of Como's Town Square. The cathedral was built in the 11th and 12th centuries in the Romanesque style. It has a beautiful façade with a large rose window and three portals and is decorated with a variety of sculptures and reliefs.

Other notable things you can do in Como include visiting the Life Electric Monument, Tempio Voltiano Museum, and checking out another cool villa, Villa Olmo, an 18th Century villa featuring beautiful gardens and exhibitions which should be open until 11 PM in the summer.

Keep in mind that the last train from Como to Milan is around 10:49 PM and it will take about an hour before you arrive back in Milan so please plan your trip back accordingly. For an updated train schedule, be sure to check them out here.

Still wondering if you should visit Lake Como? Check out:10 Best Places to Visit in Lake Como

When to Visit Lake Como?

The best time to visit Lake Como is from June - September when the weather is nice and warm, perfect for all the summer outdoor activities you can do here. You can hike in some of the mountains in Como, go for a swim in Menaggio, or simply relax by the beach in Varenna.

Like most places in Europe, Lake Como does get overwhelmingly crowded in the summer months and I guarantee, it is going to get extremely hectic here, especially in popular towns like Bellagio and Varenna.

But in order to see most of the highlights of Lake Como in a day, you need at least 12 hours here and the only way to do that is to rely on the long daylight hours of the summer months and so if you want to visit Lake Como as a day trip, I highly recommend you stick to the summer months only.

Also DO NOT visit Lake Como on Mondays and Wednesdays if you want to visit Villa del Balbianello, the highlight of Lake Como since they are closed on those days. Many tourists don't realize this and they get extremely disappointed when they turn up and the gate and it is not open. To prevent that, be sure to avoid visiting Lake Como on Mondays and Wednesdays.

If you have more days to spare for Lake Como, be sure to check out our 3-day itinerary for Lake Como. By staying overnight you will have more time to chill and not rush through each attraction. You will also get to see these little charming towns at their best when it's not crowded by day trippers.

How to Get from Milan to Lake Como?

In order to get to Lake Como, you will have to first fly into Milan, one of the most popular travel hubs in Northern Italy, and from there, you can catch a 2-hour train to Varenna.

From the US, there are many direct flights from JFK that will take you straight to Milan in about 11 hours via Emirates, Delta, and American Airlines. You can browse through great direct flights from here.

From Europe, you have quite a lot more options here. You can either fly directly to Milan from places like the UK via Wizz Air, take a train from all the major train stations around Europe, or catch one of the many buses to Milan. Flixbus is highly recommended when it comes to bus travel in Europe.

From Asia, there are also many direct flights operated by local carriers from cities like Singapore, Seoul, or Tokyo or you can go with connecting flights which are often a bit cheaper. There are many flights from Asia that connect via middle east countries like Emirates via Dubai or Etihad via Abu Dhabi. The journey should take approximately 12 hours direct.

To find a cheap flight to Italy, I would recommend you use Skyscanner or Expedia to look for the cheapest route and schedule so you can compare and pick the best one.

Once you arrive in Milan, you are going to have to get yourself to Milan Centrale and catch one of the many trains to Varenna. The direct trains between these 2 places run between 6:20 AM to 9:20 PM every day and the journey should take about 1 hour and costs around 8 EUR. You can book the train ticket here.

If you want to maximize your time at Lake Como, I highly recommend you catch the earliest train from Milan and take the last train back. That way, you will have around 14 hours to visit all the cool places around Lake Como.

How to Get Around Lake Como?

For this itinerary, we are going to rely on almost all the modes of transportation available here in Lake Como starting with a train.

By trains: The trains run only on the eastern side of the lake, hence why we will start this itinerary in Varenna. There are many direct trains from Milan to Varenna so you shouldn't have any problems finding one. The trains here are fast and reliable and I have no complaints about them at all. You can buy a train ticket from here.

By Ferry: For traveling between smaller towns around the central part of the lake like Menaggio, Bellagio, and Varenna, you can take the ferry. We will be relying on ferries from Varenna to Bellagio and Bellagio to Menaggio.

It should take less than 30 minutes to travel between these towns and cost around 4.60 EUR per person per trip. The price varies the further you travel.

For the latest ferry schedule and online ticket, you can check the official website here. During the day, in popular towns like Menaggio and Bellagio, the queues in front of ticket booths can be extremely long so if you do not want to wait, I highly recommend you get your ticket online prior to your journey.

By Bus: For this itinerary, we will be relying on buses when we are going from Menaggio on the western shore to Como on the southwestern shore of the lake towards the end of our itinerary. Despite its unreliability due to narrow roads and traffic jams, it is still the only way to get around the western part of Lake Como without renting a car. You will likely be relying on buses once in this itinerary so you don't have to worry about it.

You can buy the bus ticket from the bus station in Menaggio and Como. The price varies depending on the length of your journey but expects to pay at least 2.60 EUR or you can also purchase a 24-hour bus pass from the bus station in Menaggio or Como at around 10.50 EUR.

By Tours: If you want to visit Lake Como from Milan in one day but do not want to deal with all the logistics, you can also go with an organized tour which will take you to all the highlights comfortably and conveniently, with its own private cruise, eliminating the downtime of relying on public transportation. I highly recommend you check out the cruise tour if you are short on time.

By Rental Cars: Renting a car and driving yourself is also not as great of an idea as it sounds. Highlighted in the bus section, due to narrow roads around towns in Lake Como, the traffic can be extremely bad throughout the day, especially on the weekends.

You might be stuck in traffic for many hours before you arrive at your destination and even then, you still have to compete for a parking space which is extremely lagging in most places. I've seen many people, looping around parking lots for hours before they found a place to park their cars.

That is definitely not something I would enjoy doing. But if you remain firm about renting a car, I highly recommend you start your day early and plan your visit when there are fewer tourists around like visiting during the shoulder or off seasons. To Rent a car, hit the link below:

Rent a Car in Italy

How Much Money Do I Need for a one-day trip to Lake Como?

From this one-day itinerary, we can calculate approximately how much money you will be spending here as follows:

Accommodation: 0 since you will be staying in Milan and visiting Lake Como only as a day trip.

Food: For a day, you can expect to pay around 48 EUR for food considering you eat out every meal. It will be cheaper if you pack lunch from Milan.

Transportation: For this itinerary, you can expect to pay around 44.55 EUR for transportation in total with around 20 EUR for ferry rides, 16 EUR for a roundtrip train ride from Milan, and 2.45 for a bus ride to Como.

Activities: Depending on how much you want to follow my itinerary you can expect to pay around 57 EUR for activities including Villa del Balbianello, Villa Carlotta, and more.

Total Budget for a day in Lake Como: 143.45 EUR

Is it Safe in Lake Como?

Lake Como is totally safe although it is always a good idea to keep your wits about when you are in crowded areas. Keep your belongings with you at all times, be aware of your surroundings, and trust your guts and you should be fine here.

Which tourist SIM card is best for Lake Como?

There are 4 major carriers in Italy, TIM, Vodafone, W3m, and Iliad, that offer prepaid sim cards tourists can buy while they are traveling in Italy. Unfortunately, with the rise of esims, having to be in the country to buy a sim card at a store is quite inconvenient and not ideal.

If you have a smartphone that supports esims, I highly recommend you take a look at this esim. They have a variety of data packages, price points, and durations for you to choose from ranging from 1 GB for 7 days costing only 5 USD to 10 GB for 30 days costing 22.5 USD.

The setup is fast and instant and you can buy it prior to your trip so you don't have to scramble your way to get one at the airport after a long flight. The data speed is also equivalent to what you get with a local sim card with 4G speed across the entire country.

Or if you are traveling to Italy as part of a bigger Europe trip, I highly recommend you get the regional Eurolink esim which will give you access to data from over 39 countries across Europe. I have personally used this esim on my 3-months trip around Europe and it has worked wonders.

For more information on esims in Italy, click here: Check Italy's Available eSim.

What to Pack for Lake Como?

As you may already know, I am an advocate of light traveling, and indeed, packing light for a journey like this is a unique art form. Here are some packing tips for your upcoming trip to Lake Como, Italy:

• Walking/Hiking Shoes: With all the walking and possible hiking during your travel, a comfortable pair of shoes is a must. I recommend the Timberland 3-Eye Classic Boat Shoes that are my go-to pair for long strolls and hikes.
• Breathable Shirts: Given the potential for hot weather, pack a few breathable shirts for your outdoor adventures.
• Shorts/Jeans: Anticipate lots of walking during your travels? Be sure to pack some breathable shorts and a pair of Levi's jeans for when the weather cools. For women, leggings are excellent for both hot and cold climates, so consider packing some as well.
• Outer Shell Jacket: An outer shell jacket is great for windy or rainy conditions. I highly recommend the Columbia Watertight Jacket (for women). It's lightweight, breathable, and even comes in a cool orange color.
• Microfiber Towel: A Microfiber towel is the ideal backpacker's towel due to its lightness, quick drying, and compressibility.
• Swim Suits: A swim trunk is a must-pack item if you are planning to visit Lake Como, Italy in the summer, just in case there is a body of water you can jump in.
• Camera: You should also pack a good camera for your trip so that you can capture all the beautiful experiences you might have. I recommend the Sony a7R V camera together with the Sony 24-70mm f2.8 GM II lens, which is probably the highest-performance camera and lens combination you can get right now.
• Power Bank: Keep your electronics charged on the go with a 20,000+ mAh Power Bank.
• Water Bottle: The Hydro Flask Trail Water Bottle is a great insulated water bottle to have with you in cities or on hiking trails. It is lightweight and can keep your water cold or warm for more than 12 hours. It's a total game-changer.
• Universal Adapter: You'll need just one universal adapter to plug in your electronics in any country you visit.
• Packing Cubes: Packing Cubes will help you save space in your backpack and keep all your belongings organized.
• Daypack: The Langly Alpha Globetrotter is my go-to everyday camera backpack. It's large enough to carry all my travel gear, and it comes with plenty of slots and pouches. Plus, it's stylish as hell!
• Large Backpack: You will need a large backpack to carry all of your stuff. I recommend the Osprey Atmos AG 65L backpack. With excellent weight distribution and a lifetime guarantee, you can't go wrong with Osprey.

For more information on what I pack in my backpack for this trip, check out: My Packing List: 60 Travel Essentials.

Further Reading for Northern Italy

I hope you found this Italian travel guide useful. If you want to read more about Italy, here is a selection of articles you might like:

• First time visiting Italy? Here are the 15 Best Places to Visit in Italy.
• Want to see the highlights of Italy in 2 weeks? Be sure to check out our 2-Weeks Backpacking Italy Itinerary.
• Want to travel around Italy for one month, from the Dolomites in the north to Sicily in the south? You are going to love this backpacking itinerary packed with information: One Month Backpacking Italy Itinerary.
• Looking for a complete itinerary for Northern Italy? Check out: 2 Weeks Backpacking Northern Italy Itinerary.
• Every trip to Northern Italy starts in Milan. If you are a first-timer, here are the 16 best things to do in Milan.
• Have a day to spare in Milan? Why not spend it in the hilltop fortress of Bergamo. Here are the 11 best things to do in Bergamo.
• Ah... Venice, the city of art, culture, and the birthplace of the Renaissance. You just can't visit Italy without seeing it with your own eyes. To help you plan a trip there, here are the 15 best things to do in Venice.
• Planning a trip to Lake Como but not sure where to begin? Check out: the 10 Best Places to Visit in Lake Como.
• For a complete backpacking guide to Lake Como, check out: The 3-Day Lake Como Itinerary For Those Without A Car.
• For an off-the-beaten-path place to visit in Northern Italy, you can't go wrong with Bologna. For a complete travel guide, check out the 10 Best Things to Do in Bologna.
• Want to explore the Dolomites but not sure where to begin? Check out: the 10 Best Places to Visit in the Dolomites.
• For a complete backpacking itinerary for the Dolomites, check out: the 7 Days Dolomites Itinerary For Those Without A Car.
• At the heart of sunny Tuscany lies Florence, one of the most beautiful cities to visit in Italy. If you are planning to visit Florence, check out: 16 Best Things to Do in Florence.
• Cinque Terre, known for its picturesque stacked houses on cliffs and coastlines, is the perfect destination for those looking to escape the bustling city life in Northern Italy. To start planning, be sure to check out: A Complete Guide to Backpacking Cinque Terre.
• Planning to visit Pisa and the Leaning Tower? Check out: 10 Best Things to do in Pisa.
• Siena, a medieval town in Tuscany, will transport you back to the Middle Ages the moment you step in it. If you want to visit Siena, here are the 10 Best Things to do in Siena.
• For a complete 7-day backpacking itinerary in Central Italy that will take you from Rome to Pompeii to the Amalfi Coast, be sure to check out: 7 Days Backpacking Central Italy Itinerary.
• Not convinced by my words? Here are 125 photos that will inspire you to visit Europe.
• To see all the articles about Italy, visit the Italy Travel Guide page.
• Traveling in Europe can be cheap, really cheap. These are the 12 Cheap European Countries to Visit.
• Looking for more travel guides for Europe? You can find more on my Europe Travel Guide page.
• Or if you want something more specific to the region, visit our Southern Europe Travel Guide, Western Europe Travel Guide, or Central Europe Travel Guide pages.
• For more of my travel guides like this, visit my Destinations page.