r/LakeComo

Hello everyone,

I will soon propose my girlfriend at villa del balbianello. I booked off the villa for 2 hours. I want to recreate the star wars scene and propose her on the spot.

I do have some practical questions:

1. Where do people stay when they visit villa del balbianello / lake como?

2. What company do you guys recommend to book a private taxi boat to bring us to the villa?

3. For the people that also booked the villa for a private session: When you arrive, do you need to show any papers or anything (because my gf doesn’t know I booked the place. So will the surprise be revealed immediatly when i arrive there? Like meaning that there will be a administrator that i have to do paper work at first?)

Thank you for your help.
I appreciate it very much.

I’ve booked tickets to take my mum on one of her dream trips next week: Lake Como, followed by a road trip through Switzerland.

She’s around 70 and doesn’t cope particularly well with extreme heat, so naturally I booked everything first and started worrying afterwards 😂

For anyone who’s in Northern Italy or Switzerland right now, or has been very recently, how is it actually feeling? Particularly around Lake Como?
I’m also wondering how everything is looking after the hot weather. Are the waterfalls and rivers still flowing properly? Are the lakes noticeably lower? A huge part of this trip is the scenery, and I’d hate to promise my mum beautiful waterfalls only to present her with an impressive collection of rocks 😭

Would also love any tips for doing Como and Switzerland with an older parent in summer.

Places that stay cooler, scenic drives, easy walks, quieter spots, anything you think is genuinely worth doing.

And please tell me I’m overthinking this 😂

Hi! I’ll be in Lake Como from September 16–19 (3 nights) before heading back to Milan, and I’m trying to decide whether to stay in Varenna or Bellagio.

I don’t mind busy or touristy areas — I actually prefer being where things are happening. I like having lots of restaurants and cafes around, exploring during the day, and going out at night for dinner/drinks or just being somewhere that still has some atmosphere after dark.

I know Varenna is easier for getting to/from Milan by train, while staying in Bellagio means taking the ferry from Varenna. I don’t mind the extra travel since I’ll be there for three nights.

For anyone who has stayed in both, I’d love your thoughts:
- Which would you recommend as a base for 3 nights and why?
- Is Bellagio easy to get around and well connected by ferry?
- Which has more restaurants, things to do, and nightlife/evening atmosphere?
- What are the biggest differences between actually staying in Varenna vs Bellagio?

Would especially love to hear from people who have stayed overnight in either/both rather than just visited on a day trip. Thanks!

We are travelling to Como from the UK on Saturday. It’s my understanding that it’s difficult to predict the weather in Como due to its own microclimate. We are frequent visitors to Cornwall where it is very similar.

The weather apps are predicting rain for most days next week. I’m not bothered if it rains, but what I’d like to know is if it’s likely to rain as continuously as the apps are suggesting? Is August usually a rainy time of year in Como? Is it like Cornwall where predicted rain can miss completely or stop as soon as it starts?

I’ve got things planned to do that work for whatever the weather brings, but I’m wondering if it’s not worth booking things in advance that rely on better weather and to see on the day?

Many thanks in advance ☺️

Hello,

I will be visiting Lake Como in early September for a few days, and I’d love to know what the best way is to get to the airport in Milan (LIN). Private transport? Or train? What are the names of the stations?

Thank you!

We are a group of six friends vacationing in Dervio this weekend. Where can we have lunch on Ferragosto without spending too much? We’d like to eat meat, but our main priority is keeping costs down.

We are in Varenna this week and wonder whether to stay put in Varenna or get the train to Bellano on ferragosto? Which town will be busier? Will the train be crazy? Thank you.

Our Airbnb doesn't have towels and we would love to go swimming.

Going to Lake Como in the first week of October and looking for options for private transportation from Como to Bellagio (ferry times don’t work for me and have heard that the bus is horrible for people with motion sickness). As of right now, the best price has been Connecto Transfers. Has anyone had any experience with them? Are they reliable? Thanks!

Looking to rent a boat in Menaggio. We’d like to go to Nesso bridge tomorrow morning and drive around and swim…maybe 2-3 hours. there’s just two of us. Is it best to link up with a group? If so, how should we meet them or is it done through a booking site. It would be for tomorrow.

Hi everyone!

My family and I will be visiting lake como next week and I’m confused about the ferry schedule. It looks like I can take the fast ferry from como to Bellagio at around 8:40. If I’m not mistaken, I can only buy the fast ferry ticket in person.

From Bellagio to Varenna I can buy a ticket anytime.

From Varenna to como is where I’m getting confused. I tried checking the official website and it looks like on the 20th the last ferry is at 15:30 and it takes 3 hours! Does no other ferry leave Varenna to como after 15:30?

Can anyone help me please? Thank you so much! We want to visit all 3 places in one day ☺️

Im planning to travel to Como in september, and in one of the days to walk from Piazza Cavour to Villa Olmo, however i dont think my family will manage to also walk back as it is a long walk, and on Google Maps it suggested i take the C110 line back from the "Como-Borgovico" station to "Como-Lungolario Trento" station.

How can i pay for 3 tickets on this bus? is there a stand that sells tickets nearby the Villa Olmo area or an app that accepts paypal payments?

Also if any of the locals here think i should take a different line back to Piazza Cavour i would love to hear your recommendations! <3

Please lmk

I’m planning to go to lake como Villa balbianello in December and was curious how busy is it? I plan to get the photography permit and hire a photography for a public proposal and photoshoot after.

Will it be super busy the week of Christmas December 20-27? The private area for 30 minutes for 600 euros isn’t worth it to me, unless that includes photography permit as well.

Planned base camp will be como city, any recommendations out there?

Will be traveling to Milan on December 20, landing in Italy on the 21st. We plan to stay in Como or Varenna for 21-22/23rd because I plan to propose at balbianello on the 22nd, then Milan for the rest of the days. (Would it be better to make Milan a base hub? Besides Como/varenna, I think we definitely want to take one day trip somewhere else from Milan)

A local photographer I booked said I NEED a car, even if I plan to train, bus or ferry, that a car is a must for travel. Is this true? I thought local transportation was fairly easy and frequent or is it just because December weather may change outcomes?

We (20yo) are looking for a place near bellano to meet friends and drink together, any place or advice would be really cool !