Colico Guide: The Best Things To Do In Colico (Lake Como’s windy town)

Colico sits at the northern tip of Lake Como, where the lake widens, the wind picks up, and the postcard villas give way to forts, nature reserves, and kite sails cutting across open water.

If Bellagio is the lake’s fancy front room, Colico is the wide-open back garden, less fancy, more wind-blown, and built for a different kind of day out.

The first thing we noticed when we pulled into Colico was the WIND. Not the gentle lake breeze you get in Varenna or Menaggio, but a proper wind that had the water moving and half a dozen kite sails in the air before. It made it clear that this was a different part of the lake.

This guide covers the best things to do in Colico, from kitesurfing on open water to WWI forts with views that most Lake Como visitors never see, and we’ll be upfront about who it’s for and who should look elsewhere.

Is Colico worth visiting?

Yes, but only if you know what you’re coming for.

Colico sits at the northern tip of Lake Como, and it has a completely different character from Bellagio, Varenna, or Menaggio.

👉 Keep in mind: there are NO BIG VILLAS or postcard old towns here. Instead, you get strong wind, open water, forts, and nature reserves. If a packed list of boutique shops and lakefront villas is what you’re after, this isn’t that town, head to Bellagio or check our full list of things to do in Lake Como instead.

It’s also one of the more affordable bases on the lake, and A LOT LESS CROWDED than the central towns.

Stay here if:

• You’re into water sports like kitesurfing, windsurfing, or sailing.
• You want lower prices and fewer crowds.
• History and nature interest you more than villas and gardens.

Skip it if:

• The classic postcard Lake Como look is the whole point of your trip (visit Bellagio)
• You’re relying entirely on ferries (a car makes the northern lake much easier)

How long to spend in Colico

A half day is enough to see the town itself, walk the promenade, and have lunch.

A full day lets you add one fort and Piona Abbey without rushing.

Two days is the right call if you want to do a watersports lesson, a proper hike in the mountains, and still leave time to sit and watch the wind do its thing over the lake in the evening.

👉 Want to see exactly where Colico sits relative to the rest of the lake before you plan your route? Check our Map of Lake Como post.

👉 DID YOU KNOW: With just under 8,000 inhabitants, Colico is the largest town on the upper Lake Como and lies at the foot of Monte Legnone, which at 2,609 meters is the highest mountain on Lake Como.

The best things to do in Colico

The activities below are the main reasons to come to Colico.

Summary of the best things to do in Colico

 

Best things to do in Colico
🪁 Kitesurfing or sailing	Thanks to the Breva wind, Colico is the most consistent kite and windsurfing spot on the lake, with schools based here rather than in the central towns.
⛪ Piona Abbey	An 11th-century Cistercian abbey on a peninsula, with a Roman-Gothic cloister dating to the 13th century, a quiet counterpoint to the watersports energy nearby.
🏰 Forte di Fuentes	An open-air ruin built in 1603 to block the Grisons, later destroyed by Napoleon’s army. Free to visit, no guide required.
🎖️ Forte Montecchio Nord	Italy’s best-preserved WWI fort, with fully intact armament. Only open weekends and public holidays (daily in August), guided tours only.
🚶 Town centre and promenade	Start at Piazza Garibaldi and stroll the promenade lined with cafés and restaurants, a great spot to watch the kitesurfers.
🦅 Pian di Spagna Nature Reserve	A protected wetland reachable in 20-25 minutes on foot or by bike from the centre, home to herons and other waterbirds. Free entry.
🗼 Fontanedo Tower	A medieval village at 500 metres altitude, reachable via a mule track from Villatico (about a 40-minute walk). Quieter, with better views than the promenade.
🥾 Hiking routes	A gentle two-hour walk past old restored watermills (Via dei Mulini), or for more elevation, a stretch of the ancient Sentiero del Viandante along the eastern shore.

Try kitesurfing or sailing

Colico is one of the windiest parts of Lake Como, thanks to the famous BREVA WIND, a thermal wind that builds through the day and makes the northern tip one of the most consistent spots on the lake for kitesurfing and sailing.

It’s why the schools are set up here rather than further south.

We haven’t done this ourselves, but we’d highly recommend trying it out if you’re even a little bit into watersports. This is genuinely what sets Colico apart from the rest of the lake.

Check local kitesurfing schools like Kitezoo.

👉 DID YOU KNOW: You can even do horseback riding on the lake in Colico?

See Piona Abbey

Located on a peninsula just outside Colico, this Cistercian abbey is one of the most beautiful places on the whole lake.

Founded in the 11th century, its Roman-Gothic cloister dates to the 13th century and is considered one of the best examples of Lombard Romanesque architecture on the lake.

The combination of cloisters, gardens, and lake views makes the Abbey of Piona feel completely removed from the wind and watersports energy just down the shore, a nice contrast if you’ve spent the morning on the water.

See opening hours and visitor info.

Follow this trail to get to the abbey!

Visit Forte di Fuentes

Built in 1603 by Pedro Enríquez de Acevedo, the Spanish governor of Milan, Forte Fuentes was constructed to block any expansion by the Grisons, who controlled the Valtellina and Valchiavenna valleys to the north.

Napoleon’s army destroyed most of it in 1796, so what you’re walking through today is an open-air ruin rather than a complete fort, but the remains of the barracks, governor’s house, and chapel are still visible, and the setting above the Pian di Spagna plain is genuinely striking.

It’s a less fancy experience than Forte Montecchio Nord; there’s no guided tour and no armaments in place, but that’s also what makes it a more flexible stop.

The Sentiero dei Forti hiking route connects both forts, and Forte di Fuentes is the natural first stop if you’re doing that loop on foot.

👉 Tickets and opening: Forte di Fuentes opens Saturdays and Sundays from Easter to early November (check visitcolico.it for more information).

Adult entry is €8, children aged 6 to 17 pay €4, and children under 5 enter free.

If you’re planning to visit Forte Montecchio Nord on the same trip, the combined ticket is €15 for adults and €8 for children, which is better value if you’re doing both in a day.

Visit Forte Montecchio Nord

Montecchio Nord Fort is the only Italian military fort from the First World War that has preserved its original armament completely intact, and one of the best-preserved WWI forts in Europe.

It was built to defend against a possible attack through Switzerland from Germany or Austria-Hungary during the Great War, yet it was never used in combat during either World War.

The only cannon shots ever fired here came on 27 April 1945, against a column of Italian-German forces retreating up the opposite shore of the lake after Mussolini was handed to the partisans at Dongo.

From the fort, you can see Lake Como, the Valtellina, and the Valchiavenna simultaneously, which is hard to match anywhere else on the northern lake.

👉 One practical thing worth knowing before you plan around it: it is only open on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays from March onward. Visits are by guided tour only, no self-guided access.

Tickets: Adult entry is €10, children aged 6 to 17 pay €6, and children under 5 enter free.

👉 Which fort to prioritise if you only have time for one: Forte Montecchio Nord is the more complete experience: the intact armament, the guided context, and the 360-degree views make it the standout.

Forte di Fuentes is the better pick if you want something open-air, more flexible, and easy to walk between the Pian di Spagna reserve and the Sentiero dei Forti trail.

If you have a full day, buy the combined ticket and do both.

Check current opening days and book a guided tour.

Walk through Colico’s town centre and lakefront

Start at Piazza Garibaldi and stroll along the promenade lined with cafés and restaurants, a relaxed, local-feeling spot for an aperitivo by the water, and a good vantage point for watching the kitesurfers if the wind is up.

We sat on the promenade for an hour in the afternoon and watched the kite sails cut back and forth across the water.

Explore Pian di Spagna Nature Reserve

A large protected wetland area at the confluence of the Valtellina and Valchiavenna rivers, between Lake Como and Lake Mezzola, home to herons and other waterbirds and one of the more important biodiversity reserves in northern Lombardy.

It’s reachable on foot or by bike from Colico’s centre in around 20 to 25 minutes along the flat lakeside path following the Sentiero Valtellina along the Adda River.

Entry is free, all itineraries inside are flat and accessible, and it makes a natural add-on after the fort without needing to get back in the car.

The flatter northern shore and the Pian di Spagna nature reserve are great for cycling, and guided Lake Como bike tours and e-bike cycling tours take the climbing out of it.

Several stretches link straight onto the Greenway and the Sentiero del Viandante.

You can try out this 3.5-hour e-bike tour visiting three lakes!

See the Fontanedo Tower

The medieval village of Fontanedo, with its homonymous tower, sits at 500 metres altitude on a hill surrounded by chestnut trees.

It can be reached on foot from Villatico via a mule track following the CAI Colico AF signs, a 40-minute walk that is straightforward and suitable for most fitness levels.

The Fontanedo tower was restored in 2019 and is open to enter.

The viewpoint looking back over the lake from up here is noticeably better than anything you get from the promenade, and the walk is quiet enough that most visitors driving straight to the forts miss it entirely.

Go hiking around Colico: we recommend the Mills Route (Via dei Mulini)

We did this walk on a morning when the weather was quite good, starting from the edge of town and following the stream uphill through a narrow valley.

The path is well-marked and not technical, but it climbs steadily, and the trees keep it shaded for most of the way up.

The restored watermills come at intervals.

We were back in town in just under two hours, which left the afternoon free for the promenade and an aperitivo.

If you want something longer with more elevation, the Sentiero del Viandante is the bigger commitment: an ancient mule path that runs the full length of the eastern shore, with watchtowers, old stone villages, and serious lake views.

We didn’t do the full route from Colico, but we picked it up for a section above town, and it’s worth it even as a short out-and-back.

Where to stay in Colico

We recommend a few places to stay in Colico:

• 🏖️ Seven Park Hotel Lake Como: an adults-only, beachfront hotel with pools, a wellness centre, and lake views, a relaxed luxury pick.
• 🛏️ Hotel Risi: a simple, family-friendly base right on the lake, a five-minute walk from the centre and directly across from the ferry terminal.

Search hotels in Colico here.

Go with Seven Park Hotel if a beachfront pool and an adults-only atmosphere are the priority.

Getting to and around Colico

By car and where to park

A car is useful in Colico, more so than in the central lake towns. The forts and Piona Abbey are spread out, and the northern lake doesn’t have the same dense ferry network as the Bellagio-Varenna-Menaggio triangle.

The easiest parking is along the lakeside promenade on Via Lungolario Polti, a short stretch of blue-line (paid) spaces right next to the ferry pier.

These fill up quickly in summer, so arrive early if you’re here in July or August. Blue lines in Colico typically cost around €1.50 per hour during the day.

If the lakeside spots are full, there is additional parking near Piazza Garibaldi, the main square, within a 5-minute walk of the pier and most of the promenade restaurants.

Both Hotel Risi and Seven Park Hotel offer free private parking for guests, which removes the problem entirely if you’re staying overnight.

One thing worth knowing: Colico does not have a ZTL (restricted traffic zone) the way Bellagio and Varenna do, so driving into the centre is allowed.

By ferry and where to catch it

Colico has a single pier, located on Via Lungolario Polti, right on the lakefront promenade.

It’s hard to miss.

Tickets can be bought at the pier or in advance at navigazionelaghi.it, and booking ahead is recommended in peak season (June to September).

Key ferry journey times from Colico:

• Colico to Bellagio: €9.50 one-way on the regular service or €14.00 on the express. It takes 2h10 minutes to reach Bellagio.
• Colico to Varenna: approximately 30 to 40 minutes on a regular ferry, shorter on express
• Colico to Como: about 1 hour 40 minutes on the express service

Note that Colico’s ferry runs all year round, which is one advantage over Gravedona, where the service is more limited outside of the April to October season.

By train

Colico has its own train station with direct connections south to Lecco and Milan (approximately 1.5 hours to Milan) and north to Chiavenna.

The station is a 10-minute walk from the pier and the promenade.

Frequently asked questions about Colico

Is Colico worth visiting on Lake Como?

Yes, if watersports, forts, or nature interest you more than villas and postcard towns. It’s a different kind of Lake Como experience.

Is Colico good for kitesurfing?

Yes. The Breva wind makes it one of the most consistent spots on the lake for kitesurfing and sailing, which is why the schools are based here rather than in the central towns.

Is Forte Montecchio Nord open every day?

No. It opens weekends and public holidays from March, with daily opening only in August. Check the schedule before visiting.

How many days do you need in Colico?

A day covers Piona Abbey and one of the forts. Two days lets you add a watersports lesson and a hike without rushing.

Should I visit both forts or just one?

If you have a full day, the combined ticket (€15 adults, €8 children) covers both Forte di Fuentes and Forte Montecchio Nord and is worth it. If you only have half a day, Forte Montecchio Nord is the more impressive: intact armament, a proper guided tour, and wider views. Forte di Fuentes is easier to combine with a Pian di Spagna walk. Verify current pricing at visitcolico.it before going.

Where should I stay in Colico?

We don’t have a confirmed personal pick yet, but well-reviewed options include Seven Park Hotel Lake Como (adults-only, beachfront) for a relaxed upscale stay, or Hotel Risi for a simpler, family-friendly base by the ferry terminal.

Final thoughts on visiting Colico

Colico isn’t the Lake Como of postcards, and it isn’t trying to be.

It’s the windy, affordable, outdoorsy corner of the lake, the right call if forts, nature, and watersports matter more to you than villas and gardens.

If that’s the trip you’re after, Colico is genuinely worth the detour north.

Written by Laura and Alexander, a travel couple who’ve spent time across Lake Como’s towns, from the central triangle to the quieter northern towns of Colico and Gravedona.