Como Guide: 16 Best Things to Do in Como + Itinerary

Como is the Lake Como base we would choose for practicalities, not because it is the prettiest town on the lake.

We visited in September 2025 and again in May 2026, and what we liked most was how easy everything felt: direct trains from Milan, plenty of restaurants, a proper historic centre, and boats leaving almost directly from Piazza Cavour.

That convenience is also the trade-off. Como feels much more like a real Italian city than the postcard villages of Varenna and Bellagio.

For most first-time visitors, one full day is enough for Como itself.

Only stay a second night if you want to add a cooking class, a longer boat trip, or explore Bellagio and Varenna without rushing.

If we only had one day, our priorities would be:

Get out on the lake, visit the Duomo, ride the Brunate funicular, and walk through the old town.

Below, we’ll show you what we genuinely think is worth your time, what we would leave for a second day, and which things to do in Como are actually worth booking.

Is Como city worth visiting?

Yes, but go in knowing exactly what kind of trip you’re getting.

Como is the main gateway to Lake Como and the easiest place to reach from Milan by train, about an hour, covering 48 km (30 miles).

It feels a lot more like a real city than paradise, with more restaurants, shops, and transport options, but less of the postcard charm you get in Varenna or Bellagio.

Stay here if:

• You’re visiting Lake Como for just 1 to 2 days.
• You want the easiest access from Milan, and you book ferry day trips from Como to Bellagio, Varenna, Colico, Gravedona…
• You prefer convenience, restaurants, and transport links over pure scenery.

Skip it if:

• If you want that postcard-perfect Lake Como experience, then go to Bellagio or Varenna instead.
• You’re planning a longer, slower trip and want a slow lakeside-village feel. Then we recommend going to the northern towns of Colico and Gravedona, where life stands still.

Our verdict: visit Como even if you stay somewhere else, but we would mainly choose it as a base for a short Lake Como trip, easy Milan access, or travellers who value restaurants and transport over village atmosphere.

For a longer romantic Lake Como stay, we would go to Varenna (the lovers’ town).

Not sure where Como sits relative to the rest of the lake? Our Map of Lake Como post explains the Y-shape geography and why the central towns are further from Como than they look.

Best things to do in Como at a glance

Best things to do in Como
🚤 Boat tour	Our top paid experience: get away from the city and see the villas from the water. Shared cruise from about $62 →
⛪ Como Duomo	Best free cultural stop: right in the historic centre and one of our favourite interiors in Como.
🚠 Brunate	Best panorama: ride the funicular early before the queues build.
🏘️ Old town	Best city walk: connect Piazza Cavour, Duomo, San Fedele and Porta Torre rather than treating them as four separate attractions.
🍝 Pasta class	Our favourite food experience: Como was our favourite of the cooking classes we’ve done around Italy. Check the class →
🛺 Golf-cart tour	Best easy overview: useful if you have limited time, mobility concerns or want to cover more than the centre on foot. Check the 2-hour tour →
🍷 Wine tasting	Best slower afternoon: local wine with cheese and cold cuts, right in Como. Check the tasting →
🏘️ Bellagio + Varenna	Best full-day extension: use a longer boat trip to see the postcard towns Como itself does not give you. Check the 4-hour boat trip →

Map of all Como attractions

Top things to do in Como

We’ve ranked the top things to do in Como first, so if you only have a few hours before your next Lake Como town, you can start at the top and work down.

1. Take a boat tour from Como

If you only pay for one experience in Como, we would spend the money on getting out on the lake.

The city itself is interesting, but from the water you finally get the villas against the green hills and mountains that make Lake Como look like Lake Como.

The important thing is that boat tours from Como now cover very different budgets and types of trips.

Shared prosecco cruise

Private wooden boat

We would choose this for:

• honeymoon/anniversary;
• couples who want their own boat;
• photographers;
• anyone who values privacy more than price.

Best if you want photos/video from the experience

The speedboat experience combines villa photo stops, Prosecco and a souvenir-video angle.

That makes it more relevant for:

• couples;
• social/content-focused travellers;
• a celebration;
• anyone who values the photos as much as the route.

We haven’t done this particular experience ourselves, so we would treat it as an alternative rather than our default boat recommendation.

2. Visit Como Cathedral (Duomo di Como)

The Duomo is our favourite free cultural attraction in Como.

Officially the Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta, it was begun in 1396 and built over centuries, blending Gothic architecture with Renaissance touches, and holds statues of Pliny the Elder and Younger, both Como natives.

It sits right on Piazza del Duomo in the heart of Como town. It’s completely free to visit (which is rare for a cathedral this size).

We absolutely loved the amazing ceiling with its golden/blue colors! It does make you stand still for a moment.

👉 INSIDER TIP: It’s also the perfect place to cool down a bit from the hot city center. It’s quite cool inside the cathedral.

Summary:

• ⛪ What you’ll see: Gothic-Renaissance interior with 16th-century tapestries
• 💵 Cost: free entry
• 📍 Getting there: in the historic centre, two minutes’ walk from Piazza Cavour and the ferry docks
• 💡 Our tip: dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered), no hats… or you may be turned away at the door

More information is available on the official Como Cathedral website.

3. Ride the Como–Brunate funicular

The 7-min ride itself is quite okay, but the main reason to take the funicular is for the view at the top.

👉 BEWARE: The queue. On summer afternoons, queues can go up to one hour (!), and there’s no online ticket to skip them.

Summary:

• 🚠 What you’ll do: steep funicular up to hilltop Brunate for panoramic lake views
• 💵 Cost: €3.10 one-way, €5.70 return ($3.40 / $6.30)
• 🕘 Hours: every 30 min, Sun–Fri 6:00–22:30, Sat until 24:00.
• 📍 Getting there: the lower station is a 10-minute walk northeast along the lakefront from Piazza Cavour

More information is available on the funicular ticket and schedule page.

4. Climb the Faro Voltiano (Volta Lighthouse)

The Faro Voltiano is a 29-meter-high lighthouse in Brunate.

It sits on top of Monte Tre Croci overlooking Lake Como and commemorates the centenary of the death of Alessandro Volta. Its tricolor lantern shines up to 50 km away.

Most people ride the funicular up, take their Instagram pictures at the top, and take the funicular straight back down.

If you keep walking uphill for 20 to 30 minutes, you reach the Faro Voltiano, a little octagonal lighthouse, and the 143 steps inside lead to the widest view of the whole trip, the lake splitting into its three arms with the Alps behind.

👉 BEWARE! The Volta Lighthouse has been CLOSED since April 2026 following a dispute between the municipalities of Brunate and Como. We’ll update our post when the lighthouse reopens!

If Faro Voltiano has reopened

If the lighthouse is open again when you visit, continue uphill for 20 to 30 minutes from Brunate.

The extra walk gives you the wider panorama, but we would not make the climb while the lighthouse itself remains closed unless you specifically want the walk.

Summary:

• 🔦 What you’ll see: octagonal lighthouse, 143-step climb, the widest panorama over the lake and Alps
• 💵 Cost: about €2 ($2.20), but suspended as long as the lighthouse is closed. The grounds themselves are free to enter at the moment.
• 🕘 Hours: high season (mid-Apr–Oct) most days except Wed from 10:30 to 18:30; closed in bad weather
• 📍 Getting there: 20–30 min uphill walk from the top of the Brunate funicular. The route is signposted
• 💡 Our tip: check the sky before you commit to the walk; it closes in with wind and rain

5. Walk from Piazza Cavour through Como’s old town

You will pass through Piazza Cavour whether you mean to or not.

We ended up back here every day because it connects the ferry docks, lakefront and historic centre.

Rather than treating Piazza Cavour, Porta Torre and the old town as three separate things to do, we would turn them into one walk:

Piazza Cavour → Duomo → San Fedele → Antico Quartiere Cortesella → Porta Torre.

Porta Torre is worth seeing while you’re already here, but we would not cross Como solely to photograph it.

👉 INSIDER TIP: Try the local pesce persico (lake perch) for lunch!

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🧳 Carry-on / travel duffel	🎒 Daypack	👜 Anti-theft crossbody bag
👟 Walking shoes: Men | Women	🥿 Walking sandals: Men | Women	👕 Breathable layers: Men | Women
🧥 Packable rain jacket: Men | Women	🧢 Sun hat	🕶️ Sunglasses
🔌 EU plug adapter (Type F/L)	🔋 Power bank	💧 Reusable water bottle
🧴 Sunscreen	☂️ Compact travel umbrella

6. Walk the promenade to Villa Olmo

This is another one of our favourite things to do in Como.

The path, officially the Passeggiata Lino Gelpi, curves from Villa Olmo toward the Passeggiata degli Innamorati with open water on one side and beautiful buildings on the other, and in the evening, once the day-trippers have gone, it’s quite beautiful.

Halfway along, you hit the Life Electric monument, a modern steel sculpture out on a pier by Daniel Libeskind, dedicated (like half of Como) to Alessandro Volta.

We would mainly treat Villa Olmo as the turnaround point for one of Como’s nicest lakefront walks while the villa interior remains closed.

The gardens themselves are pleasant, but we would not put Villa Olmo ahead of the Duomo, Brunate or a boat trip while restoration limits the visit.

Summary:

• 🌅 What you’ll see: curving lakefront walk, mountain views, boats, the Life Electric sculpture
• 💵 Cost: free
• 🕘 Hours: any time; best at golden hour and after sunset
• 📍 Getting there: runs along the waterfront from Piazza Cavour toward Villa Olmo

7. Explore Villa Olmo and its gardens

You don’t need a ticket or a plan for Villa Olmo.

The free lakeside gardens are actually where you want to be.

Wide lawns are running down to the water with the town framed across the lake.

Next door, the Lido di Villa Olmo is a summer swimming and water sports beach spot if you fancy a dip.

👉 BEWARE: due to ongoing restoration works, only the park is currently accessible. The reopening date has yet to be determined; we’ll update our post when the date is available.

Summary:

• 🌳 What you’ll see: neoclassical villa, free gardens, views over Lake Como
• 💵 Cost: gardens free; interior paid when open, but renovation is going on at the moment
• 🕘 Hours: park daily from 07:00, closing at 19:00 in winter and 23:00 in summer
• 📍 Getting there: 20 to 25 min lakeside walk northwest of the centre, or a short local bus

More information at the Villa Olmo Tripadvisor page.

8. Take a pasta and tiramisu cooking class

No trip to Italy is complete without one pasta you actually made yourself.

We have done this in Florence, Rome, and Lake Garda, but our favourite class was in Como!

There is something special about making your own pasta and tiramisu that gives you skills for years to come!

It’s also the perfect weatherproof backup if the funicular or lighthouse is closed for weather.

Summary:

• 🍝 What you’ll do: hands-on fresh pasta and tiramisu class, then eat it with Italian wine
• 💵 Cost: 89 euros
• 🕘 Duration: about 3 hours

Prefer ravioli or pizza?

The ravioli class lasts around two hours and focuses on making pasta dough, fillings, and shaping ravioli with wine.

The pizza class lasts around 2.5 hours. It takes place in a pizzeria with a pizzaiolo.

9. See Como by golf cart

Seeing Como by golf cart is the perfect way to get a proper overview of Como but don’t want to spend several hours walking the city and lakefront.

This makes the most sense for:

• travellers with limited time;
• families;
• mobility concerns;
• hot summer days;
• anyone who wants context rather than simply wandering.

We haven’t done this specific tour ourselves, so we would not put it ahead of the Duomo, lake or Brunate.

10. Join a local wine tasting tour

If you have already done the Duomo, Brunate, and lakefront, then go on a wine tasting rather than forcing another minor attraction into the afternoon.

This tasting takes place right in Como and pairs Italian wines with local-style cheese and cold cuts.

We haven’t done this particular tasting ourselves but heard it was an amazing experience for friends who did!

Summary:

• 🍷 What you’ll do: guided tasting of local Lombardy wines, a relaxed evening beyond the lake
• 💵 Cost: $58 per person

Book a wine tasting tour here.

11. Visit the Tempio Voltiano Museum

If you are wondering why Como is obsessed with Alessandro Volta. Then you should visit the Tempio Voltiano museum.

In short, Volta is the local who invented the electric battery and gave the world the word “volt“, and this lakefront museum is the best place to understand why.

👉 DID YOU KNOW: Even the main square nearby is named Piazza Alessandro Volta.

It’s a nice museum to fill up some time, but it shouldn’t be the highlight of your trip.

Summary:

• ⚡ What you’ll see: temple-shaped museum to Volta, original scientific instruments, and documents
• 💵 Cost: €6,50 for adults
• 🕘 Hours: 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30), closed Mondays [Medium confidence — 2026 listings]
• 📍 Getting there: on the lakefront in the park just west of Piazza Cavour, next to the Life Electric monument
• 💡 Our tip: pair it with the Life Electric sculpture and the lakeside promenade for one easy waterfront loop

12. See Porta Torre

Walk to the inland edge of the old town, and the streets open onto Porta Torre, a 40-metre medieval gate tower that has guarded this entrance to Como since 1192, built after the city’s war with Milan.

It’s the most beautiful piece of Lake Como’s medieval past, and you can still see parts of the old city walls going back to Roman times.

👉 KEEP IN MIND: You cannot enter the gate tower; you can only walk around it and take some pictures.

Summary:

• 🏰 What you’ll see: 40 m medieval gate tower (1192), remnants of Roman walls, Piazza Vittoria
• 💵 Cost: free
• 📍 Getting there: inland edge of the old town on Piazza Vittoria, five minutes from the Duomo

13. Wander through the Old Town streets

A hidden gem in Como is the streets of the Antico Quartiere Cortesella between the lake and Porta Torre.

You’re literally walking in the old town between silk-shop windows, tiny cafés, and the Basilica di San Fedele.

It’s such a nice feeling to walk in medieval-like streets. This is the part of Como that rewards slow travel, and it’s completely free.

Summary:

• 🚶 What you’ll see: cobbled lanes, silk shops, cafés, Basilica di San Fedele
• 💵 Cost: free
• 🕘 Hours: any time
• 📍 Getting there: the historic centre between the lakefront and Porta Torre

14. Explore the Silk Museum (Museo della Seta)

Como made its name in silk long before it made it in tourism, so of course you can have a look through history at how it came to be.

We have not done this ourselves, but others have told us it’s a nice activity to pass a few hours. So nothing special.

Summary:

• 🧵 What you’ll see: historic looms, dyeing machinery, silk garments, the story of Como’s silk trade
• 💵 Cost: €10 adult, €5 under-18 ($11 / $5.50)
• 📍 Getting there: near Como Borghi station, around a 15-minute walk from the historic centre

More information is available on the Silk Museum page.

15. Discover Como by electric bike

Como sits in a bowl of hills, which makes it more tiring to explore on foot than it looks (it’s almost never just flat).

An e-bike tour solves that.

Summary:

• 🚲 What you’ll do: guided e-bike tour through Como and along the lake, with a guide
• 💵 Cost: varies by operator [Low confidence — check the booking page]
• 🕘 Duration: about 3 hours

Book the Como e-bike tour.

16. Rent a Vespa and cruise the lake

Few things feel more Italian than a Vespa on a lakeside road.

We did this around Lago Di Trasimeno, and doing it around Lake Como has been a bucket list item for 5 years!

This guided tour runs about three hours from Como toward Tremezzo, stopping at overlooks and photo spots.

Summary:

• 🛵 What you’ll do: guided vintage Vespa ride from Como toward Tremezzo with scenic stops
• 💵 Cost: 80 euros
• 🕘 Duration: about 3 hours
• 📍 Getting there: central meeting point (confirm on booking)
• 💡 Our tip: only book this if you’re comfortable riding a scooter; the roads get busy in summer

Book the Como Vespa tour.

How many days do you need in Como?

One full day is enough for Como’s main sights.

With one day:

• boat;
• Duomo;
• Brunate;
• old town.

With two days:

• add one major experience;
• do not simply work down a longer attraction list.

Our choices would be:

• cooking class;
• Bellagio/Varenna boat;
• wine tasting;
• golf-cart/e-bike;
• longer lake excursion.

Day trip from Como to Bellagio and Varenna

One of Como’s biggest advantages is also one of its weaknesses:

It’s easy to reach, but the postcard villages are farther up the lake.

If Bellagio and Varenna are priorities, you have two choices.

DIY by public ferry

Best if:

• budget matters;
• you want flexibility;
• you are comfortable reading the ferry timetable.

Some slower ferry services take a long time, so check the specific route rather than assuming every service has the same journey time.

Guided/organized boat

Best if:

• you want Bellagio and Varenna bundled into the experience.
• you only have one day;
• you don’t want to plan transport;

A few more things to do in Como if you’re staying longer

We have not done these activities ourselves, but they have been recommended to us by friends!

Visit the weekly Mercato di Como. Fresh produce, flowers, clothing, and souvenirs.

Stop by Chiesa di Sant’Andrea in Brunate. A small church near the funicular station at the top.

Take a seaplane flight with the Aero Club Como. The Aero Club Como on the waterfront runs seaplane flights over the lake.

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🧳 Carry-on / travel duffel	🎒 Daypack	👜 Anti-theft crossbody bag
👟 Walking shoes: Men | Women	🥿 Walking sandals: Men | Women	👕 Breathable layers: Men | Women
🧥 Packable rain jacket: Men | Women	🧢 Sun hat	🕶️ Sunglasses
🔌 EU plug adapter (Type F/L)	🔋 Power bank	💧 Reusable water bottle
🧴 Sunscreen	☂️ Compact travel umbrella

Suggested one-day Como itinerary

Morning

Start at Como Cathedral, then walk through San Fedele and the old town before returning through Piazza Cavour.

Late morning

Ride the Brunate funicular before the afternoon queues build.

If the lighthouse has reopened and you genuinely want the extra walk, continue to Faro Voltiano.

Afternoon: choose ONE

Want the classic Lake Como experience? Take a boat trip.

Check the small-group Como cruise →

Prefer to stay on land? Walk the lakefront toward Villa Olmo and combine it with Life Electric / Tempio Voltiano.

Evening

Return to the old town for dinner.

If you’re staying a second day, save the cooking class, wine tasting or Bellagio/Varenna trip for tomorrow instead of cramming them into Day 1.

Where to stay in Como

Plinius Lifestyle Hotel (mid-range)

What’s very nice here is the breakfast, a made-to-order buffet with omelettes and proper coffee.

We were only a short walk from the Duomo and the waterfront!

Albergo Terminus (luxury)

The selling point of the Terminus hotel is the lakefront setting and its breakfast under Art Nouveau windows.

Check rates and availability here.

If Como feels too city-like, our Bellagio and Varenna guides cover more scenic bases on the central lake.

Best time to visit Como

Of the months we’ve personally visited, September was our favourite.

We still had warm weather, but Como felt easier than the height of summer.

May was also pleasant, especially if avoiding peak-season crowds matters more than swimming weather.

Getting to Como

Como is the easiest town on the lake to reach from Milan, about an hour by train, covering roughly 48 km (30 miles).

Trenord trains from Milano Centrale run to Como San Giovanni; the regional line from Milano Cadorna runs to Como Nord Lago, the Como Lago station right by the lakefront.

Flying in?

Milan Malpensa is the nearest major airport, about an hour away. Arriving from further afield? Our Venice to Lake Como guide covers that common route.

Final thoughts on visiting Como

Como makes the most sense when you choose it for what it does well: convenience.

It does not have the cliff-hugging village atmosphere of Varenna or Bellagio, but it gives you something those towns do not: easy trains from Milan, a proper city centre, plenty of restaurants and boats leaving directly for the rest of Lake Como.

If we had one day, we would get on the water, visit the Duomo, ride to Brunate and walk the old town.

With two days, we would add one bigger experience rather than another list of minor attractions, like the cooking class, Bellagio/Varenna boat trip, or wine tasting.

If you want the postcard Lake Como experience for several nights, move farther north.

If you want the easiest gateway to the lake, Como does that extremely well.

Written by Laura and Alexander, a travel couple who visited Como in 2025 and 2026 and traveled the lake by ferry.