Lake Como in 1 Day: all you need to know

From taking a tour of the historic centre of Como, to travelling across the lake to other towns in the region and learning about their history and culture, Lake Como has a lot to offer you on your day trip, which is why I'm going to tell you about some of the best things to do in Lake Como even if you're visiting for a short time.

If your day starts around 8:00, you'll have just over twelve hours to explore the entire town of Como and if you move quickly, you'll have time to visit other towns on the Lake, although in this itinerary I'll focus on showing you Como and Bellagio, mainly.

Assuming you arrived in Como the night before, your day should start around 7:30 with a good breakfast to give you the energy you need to start the tour off right. In case you are not staying in Lake Como, but in Milan, it will be enough to leave from that city around 8:00, to have a good tour of Como.

If the hotel or place where you are staying offers breakfast, take the opportunity to have something to eat before leaving. In case you want to eat outside your accommodation, the city of Como offers a wide variety of restaurants where you can enjoy a typical breakfast of the region.

Among the most recommended establishments are: Caffetteria 800 and Passion Como, both in the city of Como. After tasting the menu of these places, you will surely want to recreate the dishes, so to learn how to make them, I recommend you to sign up for a cooking class in Lake Como.

After breakfast, your watch should read around 8:00, you can stay a little longer, but remember that you only have one day to see as many places on the lake as possible, so every minute counts.

At 8:00 you will start touring the city of Como itself, walking through the streets and seeing some of the most interesting places in the city. If you have a little more time to walk around Como very slowly and you also want to know some culture and history of Lombardy, I recommend you to do one of the Lake Como tours.

Well, most of the places to see in this city are located in the historic centre, that's why I will show you some of the places that you can put in your route to know most of the city of Como in a couple of hours, before continuing with your walk around the Lake.

Boarding the Brunate Funicolare

Your tour of Como is going to start precisely at the Brunate Funicular Valley station, where you will board for a short ride of about 7 minutes that will take you to Brunate while showing you some of Italy's most beautiful sights along the way.

Once you arrive at the top, in the village of Brunate, you will enjoy a beautiful panorama that combines the city of Como, Lake Como and the Italian and Swiss Alps in the same landscape. This funicular has a long history, as it was built in 1894 to connect Como with Brunate. Since then, the funicular works as the first day.

The funicular runs every day from 6:00 to midnight, although in summer the timetable is extended to 24 hours. They leave every 15 minutes during the busiest days. In low season, the frequency is every 30 minutes. You should be in Brunate around 8:10am, bearing in mind that the journey takes only a few minutes.

Going up to the Faro Voltiano lighthouse in Brunate

As you arrive in Brunate after 8:00, you will have time to stroll around the town for a few minutes, see the panoramic views from the top.

After you have walked through part of the town, eaten a snack and enjoyed the view, it is time to venture up to the Faro Voltiano lighthouse at the top of Brunate. It's a 20-minute walk, which I recommend you do only if you are in good physical condition.

When you reach the structure, you will find a white lighthouse no less than 30 metres high that you can climb from 10:30 am, so in this case, you can only go as far as the entrance, from where you can also enjoy the landscape.

If you visit Lake Como in summer and climb the lighthouse, you can even see the Duomo of Milan, quite a spectacle. The entrance fee is between 1 and 2 euros. It will take you at least an hour and a half to do the funicular and lighthouse tour, so you will be back at the starting station around 9.30am to continue your tour of Como.

Visiting the Basilica of San Fedele

Considered one of the most beautiful churches in Como, the Basilica of San Fedele is located in the centre of the city, very close to the square of the same name. In the past, this was the city's corn market. It takes less than ten minutes to get from the Funicular station to the Basilica if you are travelling by private car.

History has it that it was built around 1120 to replace the previous building. Over the years, the Basilica had been modified many times until the side chapels were completed in 1808.

I recommend you to walk around it to appreciate the whole structure and take many pictures of the church from different angles. You will not stay in this church for more than 20 minutes, so around 10:00 you will continue to the next point of your tour.

Strolling around Piazza Duomo and the Broletto

After a short three-minute walk, you will reach Piazza Duomo, from where you will see the next two places to visit on your itinerary. By now your watch should be just after 10:00.

You'll start by walking through Piazza Duomo, which is nothing less than the historic heart of the city of Como. You will love its commercial atmosphere and the typical hustle and bustle of the city. I recommend walking around the square and taking in the scenery and the weather, especially if you are travelling to Lago di Como in winter.

Very close to the Piazza Duomo is the Broletto, the next structure to visit in this complex. It is a building dating back to 1215, which now houses the city's Historical Archives. It is also used as a centre for art exhibitions. If you visit Lake Como at Christmas, you'll love seeing the Christmas lights from the Broletto.

Enter the Como Cathedral

After spending time in the Piazza Duomo and admiring the Broletto, around 10:30 you will be in time to visit the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, also known as Como Cathedral.

At the entrance you will be impressed by the imposing Latin cross building, which is 87 metres long and 56 metres wide at its widest part. Visits to the Duomo start at 10:30, so you'll arrive just in time to enter the first group of visitors, and you won't stay inside for more than 30 minutes.

As well as being located in the historic centre of the city, its square is the epicentre of the city's development. And from the Duomo, you can continue along the lakeside promenade, which you can reach after about 600 metres, and which will, in fact, be the next stop on your itinerary.

Admiring the Tempio Voltiano

About a five-minute drive from the Cathedral is the promenade or port of Como, where you will park your car to walk to the Voltiano temple and take a stroll around the site. By this time it will be around 11:00, so you will be able to go in to see it, taking into account that it opens from 10:00. It is a great attraction because it is located on the shore of the lake.

Inside the museum you will see busts, bas-reliefs and other relics that belonged to the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta.

Not only will you enjoy seeing Volta's discoveries, but you will also be able to appreciate his neoclassical architecture, which is detailed both on the outside and inside of the building, with its mosaics and decorations. It will take you between thirty minutes and an hour to visit the museum, so you'll be back around 12:00.

From the Tempio Voltiano you will go straight to join the road around the lake, which will take you to Bellagio. This drive will take you no more than an hour. There are many ways to get from Como to Bellagio, you can go by private car, by train, by boat and by bus.

In case you want to go by boat, you have to keep in mind that the trip can take about two hours, but the scenery is incomparable. By train it will take you about an hour and a half, as well as by bus. The option that best suits your itinerary at the moment is by car.

Light lunch arriving in Bellagio

You'll be in Bellagio at about 13:00, and as you'll be hungry by this time, you can start your tour of the region by sampling some traditional Italian food in a Bellagio restaurant. I recommend a light lunch so as not to waste too much time.

An Italian pizza and a juice will be enough to start your tour of this beautiful town where there are plenty of places to photograph. La Bellagina Ristorante Pizzeria is one of those places where you can enjoy a good Italian pizza. You can also have lunch at Ittiturismo Ristorante Mella.

It shouldn't take you more than an hour for lunch, so you will continue your tour around 14:00. Keep in mind that you have little time to see the villages of the Lake in the middle of this one of the best excursions from Lake Como, but in case you want to take more time, you can do it.

Walk around the historic centre of Bellagio

Take a walk after lunch and wander the streets of Bellagio's historic centre, a place you'll love for the beauty of its streets. You're sure to be enchanted by the pastel-coloured buildings and wooden windows, which make for great photo opportunities. If you visit Bellagio, a walk through the steep cobblestone streets is a must.

If you want to bring back some souvenirs from Italy, a good place to shop is in the shops located in the historic city centre. There are two specific places I recommend you to visit: Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, whose attraction is its cobblestone floor and its colourful buildings.

You can't miss Salita Serbelloni, an iconic street in Bellagio from where you can see the mountains surrounding the town and Lake Como, especially in Lake Como in December, because it is decorated with lights.

Villa Melzi

About 10 minutes drive from Salita Serbelloni, you can find Villa Melzi, one of the most interesting icons of Bellagio and its surroundings thanks to its fascinating gardens.

The gardens are easily accessible and you will be delighted to find a wide diversity of flowers, plants, trees and shrubs. There are also sculptures and buildings of note, including the neoclassical chapel and the museum which houses archaeological finds.

The entrance fee is around 8 euros, while children under the age of 12 are free. By the time you visit this place it's sure to be around 15:00, so it's a great time to give it a quick 30-minute tour, bearing in mind that it closes at 17:30.

Lungo Lario Manzoni

Very close to Villa Melzi and about a five minute drive away, you will find the Lungo Lario Manzoni which is the promenade of the city of Bellagio. I recommend walking the entire promenade on both sides of the town, so you can appreciate the panoramic views from the lake.

One of the things you will like most about Bellagio's promenade are its clean and well-kept streets, its flowers, and the cleanliness of the lake water, all very photo-worthy. I recommend spending no more than half an hour here, so you should be leaving for Punta Spartivento by 16:00.

Punta Spartivento

Further away from the historical centre of the city, Punta Spartivento is an incredible place that you cannot miss in Lago di Como, because it is precisely the point that divides the slopes of the lake.

From Lungo Lario Manzoni to this place, you will get there in no more than five minutes, so you will be enjoying these beautiful views around 16:00. At this time you might want to try some snacks, so you can take the opportunity to have a bite to eat at the La Punta restaurant, which is one of the most highly rated restaurants in Bellagio. You can also enjoy the view while you eat.

As you will be travelling by car on this itinerary, I recommend this time of day to arrive and park, because they tend to fill up quickly, especially in the summer season. I recommend staying here until sunset. There is no better place in all of Lake Como to watch the sunset than here.

After watching the sunset and even having some dinner at Punta Spartivento, there is no better and more romantic plan than ending your tour on board a ferry that will take you back to Como in about 40 minutes. The ride is not only pleasant, but also allows you to see and take pictures not only of the lake, but also of the surrounding villages.

The evening departures of these boats usually take place until after 19:00, so it's the perfect time to return to Como, either to have a few drinks, or to sleep before returning home the next day. The boat ticket can be purchased online or at the Bellagio ferry station.

You board the boat right near Punta Spartivento, so you won't have to walk too far to enjoy this amazing boat ride on Lake Como at night.

Around 20:00 or 20:30 you should be back at your hotel in Como, resting up for an early departure to Milan and from there back home.