10 TIPS TO TRAVEL TO LAKE COMO ESSENTIAL

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With this guide of tips for traveling to Lake Como We hope to help you organize your trip to one of the most famous and tourist areas of Italy that we are sure, you will fall in love as soon as you arrive.
Located in the region of Lombardy, in the north of the country, Lake Como has a spectacular alpine landscape that contrasts with the curious form of Y Inverted from the lake, where its ramifications have as a meeting point the town of Bellagio, one of the most touristic in the area.

Based on our trip to Lake Como, we leave you what are for us 10 tips to travel to Lake Como essential. We start!

1. What is the best time?

In this case we can delimit in a certain way what is the best time for a trip to Lake Como based on the weather and the closure of some infrastructure during some months of the year.

High season (June to August): these are the two busiest months of the year and also those that raise accommodation prices. Although you make sure the weather is good, overcrowding in some villages can be a bit overwhelming.
Mid season (April and May / September and October): for us spring and autumn are, without a doubt, the best times to visit Lake Como. The weather tends to remain stable, prices fall and there is not much tourism.
Low season (from November to March): during these months the weather is more unstable and some of the tourist infrastructures such as hotels, shops and restaurants usually close, so it is important to consider it before planning a trip at this time of year .

Remember that if you are going to travel in high season it is highly recommended to book flights, rental car and accommodation in time to have more options and be able to get more adjusted prices.

2. Entry requirements

If you are a Spanish or European Union (EU) citizen, you will only need your ID or passport to enter Lake Como (Italy). If you have another nationality, you need to check the entry requirements on the embassy page.
In addition to this documentation it is highly recommended to bring the European Health Card travel to Lake Como with which you will receive medical attention if you need it for free.
Despite this, we always recommend traveling with the best travel insurance to Europe, with which you will have the best professionals, the best medical centers and above all, repatriation included, if necessary in addition to many more extras.

We always travel insured with Mondo, with whom we carry a totally adequate insurance to the needs that we will have on the trip. Hiring your insurance here with Mondo, just for being a Street Travelers reader, you have a 5% discount.

3. Security

Travel to the Lake as it is totally safe Although as always we recommend, it is very important to apply common sense to avoid suffering any unpleasant setbacks. Remember not to leave valuables unsupervised, especially in crowded or touristy places. In case you are going out at night, it is worth asking at the accommodation if there is any area that is not recommended and also, it is highly recommended to have a copy of all your important documents such as ID, passport, insurance policy ... etc in the cloud so that in case of theft or loss, you can carry out the procedures in a much faster and faster way.

If you are going to rent a car, remember to check the traffic regulations, always wear your seat belt and, above all, do not exceed the speed limits.

Bellagio, one of the places to visit on Lake Como

4. How to start the trip to Lake Como?

The first thing before starting a trip to Lake Como is to look for the flight to this area of Italy. The best option is to fly to Milan, where many companies operate, including some low cost companies such as Ryanair or EasyJet. You can use this flight search engine to find the best options at the best prices.
When you have the flight, the next step is to book the accommodation. For this point we recommend you check this hotel search on Lake Como, where you can see all the options available at the best prices.

Although you can go to Lake Como from Milan perfectly by train, if you want to travel through other essential places to see in Italy, it can be a good option to rent a car to have total freedom of schedules and movements.

Another option, if you want to make a day trip, do not worry about transport or know the area with a guide in Spanish, is to book this Excursion to Lake Como and Bellagio or this Excursion to Lake Como.

Lake Como

5. Where to sleep?

Although there are hundreds of options where to stay at Lake Como, after our experience, we would choose two options:

Bellagio: This is one of the best known locations on Lake Como. In it you can find quantity of hotel and restaurant offer, although prices are also somewhat higher than in other locations.
Find your accommodation here in Bellagio
How: This is the largest town, the one with the greatest options and also the greatest offers. It is the one we chose when traveling to Lake Como and we opted for the B&B Al Porticciolo di Sant'Agostino located near the center of Como and the train station. In addition to its magnificent location, this bed and breakfast has parking, full breakfast and one of the best quality / price ratios in the city.
Search here for your accommodation in Como or your accommodation on Lake Como here.

Bellagio on a trip to Lake Como

6. Route through Lake Como

Although as we have said before if you do not have many days, it is totally feasible to make a day trip to Lake Como from Milan, whenever you can, we recommend you spend at least a couple of days to get to know the area better and also be able to stay in one of its villages and live closely this amazing place.

If you land in Milan to travel to Lake Como you can opt for public transport or rent a car, the latter option being the one that will give you more freedom of movement and schedules as well as allowing you to know this area from another perspective.
We leave you the post How to go from Milan to Lake Como so you can see in detail all the options to make this transfer.

Tips for traveling to Lake Como

Once on Lake Como, on the first day we recommend you to take a route through Villa Balbianello, Lenno, Bellagio, Brienno, Cernobbio and Como, which are some of the places to see on Lake Como as essential, the latter being the place where you can stay, if you want to do it in a town with greater offer and prices.
This first day, if you have rented a car, you can do the entire road trip and thus discover another perspective of this beautiful lake. In all villages you will find parking although if you travel in high season, it can be more complicated to find a place quickly.
On the second day, we recommend you take a boat trip on Lake Como that includes Varenna, Menaggio and Nesso, three of the most famous places you can see when traveling to Lake Como and we recommend you not to get lost.

In addition to these proposals, the boat passes through other towns that you can also visit if you have some extra hours or days.

7. Boat on Lake Como

This is, without a doubt, one of the best ways to tour Lake Como. Even if you have decided to opt for the rental car to get here, we recommend you enjoy at least one day of a tour of the lake to enjoy this perspective.
Although there is a jetty in all the villages, in principle the most common are Como or Bellagio. In any of them you can find kiosks that show all the information about the amount of options that exist and different routes available.
Something important is before taking any of the boats, look at the schedules, since there is a fast service that takes approximately 1 hour to make the Como-Varenna journey, while on the slow boat this journey is about 2 and a half hours. In our case we prefer the option of slow boat, to take advantage and stop in several villages, take pictures and enjoy the incredible landscape.

One-day tickets, which include the boat route on Lake Como, from Como to Varenna, getting on all the boats you want has a price of 25.30 euros per person and there is also a weekly bonus for 72 euros per person , which can be a very interesting option if you are going to be that time in the area.

Remember that you can also book this Excursion to Lake Como and Bellagio or this Excursion to Lake Como, both with a guide in Spanish.

Boat trip on Lake Como

8. Driving on Lake Como

We opted for rent a car to travel to Lake Como and we have to confess that we did not read many positive opinions about this decision, but after our experience, we can say that it was a success, especially if you want to know the towns of this area from another perspective and also, you want to make some escape to the surroundings or your flight has arrival or departure at infrequent hours.
Despite this, we must also say that this does not imply that you forget to make a boat trip on Lake Como, something we believe, is also essential in this area, since it allows you to enjoy unique views of the villages from the lake and the landscapes of the area. Even if you want to use only a car, there are ferries to cross the lake from one town to another and thus not have to go around it.

According to the driving in Italy It is important to consider certain aspects:

In Italy driving is a bit special. Not that it is dangerous or not recommended, they are simply somewhat more aggressive driving, so it is worth paying attention and always go with caution.
You will surely read that the roads on Lake Como are bad. We have found them very well, or at least correct for driving, so if you feel like renting a car, this is not an impediment. What is certain is that in some sections so narrow and there are many curves, but nothing that prevents driving.
The theme of parking on a trip to Lake Como, is probably the most complicated. In our case, the first day that we use the car, we do not pay on any occasion, since we always find a place in free parking, but we did see towns like Bellagio, in which the parking issue is more complicated than in the rest.
If you are going to rent a car, try that your accommodation has parking or, failing that, there is one nearby.
At the time of the car rental, check the documentation well, take photos of the car (pick-up and delivery) and above all, read before signing any document. We do not want to generalize, but Italy has been the only country in which we have been tried strain extras that we did not want in the documentation that we had to sign.

Varenna

9. Gastronomy on Lake Como

Although we know that it is definitely impossible to summarize in a single line all the dishes of Italian cuisine and especially that of Lake Como, we do want to leave you in this space some of the dishes we tried during the trip to Lake Como so you can enjoy them and have A slightly broader idea about this exquisite cuisine.

Pizzoccheri: pasta with a noodle-like shape that is served with sauce.
Antipasti: typical of Italy are some starters that usually include sausages, pates and pickles.
Risotto: typical Italian dish in which its main ingredient is rice.
Polenta: dish that is cooked with cornmeal, water and salt, and to which sauce, meat or other ingredients are added.
Cotoletta alla milanese: breaded meat.

Recommended restaurants

We leave you a selection of restaurants on Lake Como that we tried and we found them very adequate considering the quality / price ratio. Remember when traveling to Lake Como that the restaurant hours are normally until 3 p.m. at noon, but generally the kitchen closes at 2:30 p.m., so normally, after 2 p.m., no more tables are allowed.
If you want to eat or dine in one in particular, it is highly recommended to book, especially in high season.

La Fontana Bellagio: located in Bellagio, in this restaurant we order cod tartare with olive and two second courses of pasta plus soda, beer and two express for 53 euros, a price that we believe is more than adjusted, counting especially the place in the one found and the prices that are shuffled in this area of Italy.
Al Prato Varenna: located in Varenna, this is a place with a lot of charm. We ordered a lasagna and a plate of ravioli, which were amazing, plus two desserts and two coffees for 43 euros. A price that as in Bellagio, seems more than right and adjusted, considering what we ate and the place.
Riba Café: pizzeria in Lake Como where they serve very thin oval pizzas, which are very good. We ordered a couple of pizzas plus drinks for 31 euros.
Kazan Sushi: located in Como, if you want to change Italian cuisine a bit, this Japanese is a success. They have a variety of starters and rolls and the quality / price ratio is more than adjusted. We were a couple of times and paid an average of 40 euros with entree, several rolls and drinks.

Pasta dish in La Fontana Bellagio

10. More tips for traveling to Lake Como

Other of the best tips for traveling to Lake Como They are:

If you are going to travel by train to Lake Como we recommend you check schedules and even make reservations on this page.
If you are going to travel by rental car, it is advisable to take a GPS, either offline or online, to be able to orient yourself more easily.
Although in Italy the currency is the euro, we recommend using the N26 card to pay and the BNEXT card to get money, since they will not charge you commission and you will always have the current exchange.
You can find much more information on this topic in the post The best cards to travel without commissions
In Italy the voltage is 230V, the frequency 50Hz and the plugs are of the type F / L.

Do you want to organize this trip to Lake Como in 4 days for free?
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The best hotels at the best prices in Lake Como here
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Book the best tours and excursions in Como in Spanish here
Book the best tours and excursions in Milan / Lake Como in Spanish here
Rent your car in Italy at the best price here
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