Captained classic-wood boat day
A morning on a 1960s mahogany Riva or a modern Cantiere replica. Coffee on the Tremezzo lakefront, a stop at Villa del Balbianello, lunch at La Punta in Bellagio, swim stops between.
Lakeside Elegance
Lake Como Luxury Villas
Lakefront gardens, antique speedboats, and mornings where the mist lifts off the water like a curtain.
Lakefront gardens, antique speedboats, and mornings where the mist lifts off the water like a curtain. Lake Como is the most refined of the Italian lakes, the one where Alpine drama meets Mediterranean ease, and where the villas have been the same villas since the 1600s.
Stay here and the trip is decided by the water: dawn coffee on the dock, a boat at ten, lunch on the Bellagio promontory, a swim off the back, a long sunset at the villa.
Our Lake Como villa rentals run from a four-bedroom house near Bellagio to a fourteen-bedroom estate in Blevio that sleeps 28, from about €11,200 to €71,000 a week.
Where to Stay
Choosing your corner of Lake Como
Lake Como is shaped like an upside-down Y, and the shore you choose decides how your days run. These are the stretches where our villas are.
The Como end: Blevio and Torno. The eastern shore just north of Como, across the water from Villa d'Este. Gated estates with private docks, the old town of Como ten minutes away, and Milan about an hour by car. Villa Maria Taglioni, Villa Maria Serena, Villa Splendora and Villa Silvana are here, and Villa Gala sits on the lakefront promenade in Como itself.
Cernobbio and Laglio. The western shore of the southern lake, home of the grand hotels and George Clooney's village. Good restaurants, frequent ferries and the shortest drive from Milan. Villa Lucia and Villa Traversi.
The center of the lake: Tremezzo, Lenno and San Siro. The western shore near where the three branches meet, with Bellagio, Varenna and Villa del Balbianello a short boat ride away. Villa Cleo is a five-minute walk from Tremezzo; Villa Camilla is in San Siro.
Above the lake: Pigra. High in the hills above the western shore, cooler in July and quieter all summer. Villa Peduzzi has four and a half acres of gardens, a treehouse and a children's playground.
The upper lake: Pianello del Lario. A more local Lake Como, with public beaches and lakefront houses at gentler prices. Casa Meridiana and Villa Angelica sit right on the water.
Near Bellagio: Vassena. Ten minutes by car from Bellagio, for couples and small families. Villa Oliveto.
Best Villas
Best villas on Lake Como
Lake Como
Villa Lucia
4 Beds·3 Baths·7 Guests
From €13,355 / week
Lake Como
Villa Oliveto
4 Beds·4 Baths·8 Guests
From €11,200 / week
Lake Como
Villa Traversi
4 Beds·3.5 Baths·8 Guests
From €22,500 / week
Lake Como
Casa Meridiana
6 Beds·6 Baths·12 Guests
From €13,250 / week
Lake Como
Villa Angelica
6 Beds·6 Baths·12 Guests
From €24,875 / week
Lake Como
Villa Cleo
6 Beds·6 Baths·12 Guests
From €28,375 / week
Lake Como
Villa Maria Serena
6 Beds·6 Baths·12 Guests
From €31,000 / week
Lake Como
Villa Camilla
8 Beds·9 Baths·16 Guests
From €39,875 / week
Lake Como
Villa Maria Taglioni
8 Beds·7 Baths·16 Guests
From €56,000 / week
Lake Como
Villa Peduzzi
8 Beds·6 Baths·16 Guests
From €62,500 / week
Lake Como
Villa Silvana
8 Beds·8 Baths·16 Guests
Rates on request
Lake Como
Villa Splendora
9 Beds·9 Baths·16 Guests
From €50,000 / week
Lake Como
Villa Gala
11 Beds·9 Baths·26 Guests
Rates on request
Lake Como
Villa Maria Taglioni Estate
14 Beds·13 Baths·28 Guests
From €71,000 / week
Experiences
Activities & experiences
Villa del Balbianello private tour
The most cinematic of the lake's villas, reachable only by water. The gardens, the loggia, the rooms exactly as they were when the last owner left them.
Dinner at Mistral or Il Gatto Nero
Mistral at Villa d'Este on the water for the Michelin night out. Il Gatto Nero in Cernobbio above the lake (long the favourite of George Clooney and most of his neighbours) for the more local one.
A morning at Villa Carlotta or Villa Melzi
Botanical gardens that have been the standard for two hundred years. Azaleas in May, lemons in June, oleanders in July.
A Como Como silk workshop in Como town
Como has been Europe's silk capital since the 1500s. A morning workshop at a family silk house — printing, weaving, or scarves — at one of the producers our concierge knows.
A day in the Bernina Express direction
Take the boat to Varenna, the train up to Tirano, and the Bernina railway up into the Swiss Alps. Lunch at altitude, back to the villa by dinner.
Travel Advisor
Let our specialists plan your trip
From the right villa to private chefs, boat charters, and bespoke experiences, we take care of every detail.
Beyond the Villa
Day trips
Milan
One hour by car or train. The Duomo rooftop, a Last Supper booking, lunch in Brera, then the train back.
Bellagio
The peninsula village. Lunch on the lakefront, the gardens at Villa Melzi, a walk up to Punta Spartivento where the lake forks in three.
Varenna
The most painted village on the lake — pastel houses, narrow stepped streets, the romantic Walk of Lovers. Best by ferry, best for lunch.
Lake Lugano & Switzerland
Twenty minutes north over the border. Lunch in Lugano, a swim at one of the Swiss lakeside lidos.
The Dolomites at Sondrio
Two hours northeast. Alpine driving, a glass of Valtellina red, lunch at altitude, back by evening.
The Bernina Express into Switzerland
A full day. Train through the Engadin and over the high passes to St Moritz. Most beautiful in autumn.
Climate
Average monthly highs
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42°F | 47°F | 56°F | 63°F | 71°F | 78°F | 83°F | 82°F | 73°F | 61°F | 50°F | 43°F |
Source: long-term monthly averages for the region. Sea temperatures stay comfortable for swimming May through October.
Where it is
Lake Como on the map
Travelers Ask
Frequently asked questions
Lake Como is a deep, glacier-carved lake in northern Lombardy, fifty kilometres long and at its centre split into two arms — the Como branch southwest, the Lecco branch southeast, with Bellagio at the meeting point. The villages along the water — Bellagio, Varenna, Tremezzo, Cernobbio, Lenno, Menaggio — are stacked into the hillside above the water, each with its own ferry stop, its own piazza, its own personality.
The lake is famous for the great cliffside villas with gardens running down to the water: Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo, Villa Melzi in Bellagio, Villa del Balbianello in Lenno (the wedding scene in Star Wars Episode II, and a Bond villa as well), Villa Pliniana, Villa Olmo, Villa d'Este. Some are still private, some are museums, some are hotels. The villa stays we book are the ones in the same neighbourhood — sometimes the same gardens.
The food on the lake leans Lombard rather than Mediterranean. Risotto al pesce persico (perch from the lake), missoltini (sun-dried shad), polenta uncia, lavarello. The famous restaurants — Mistral at Villa d'Este, the Bellagio terrace at Villa Serbelloni, La Goletta at Villa Sola Cabiati — are extraordinary; the trattoria across the piazza in Lenno or Bellano is often just as good.
Lake Como is also the best base in Italy for a quiet luxury holiday with serious driving distance to other places: Milan in an hour for a day-trip, the Dolomites in two, Switzerland fifteen minutes north, even Venice in three.
May, June, and September are our favourite months — pool and lake-swim weather, long evenings, settled sun, and gardens at their best. July and August are stunning but busy. April is beautiful for the azaleas at Villa Carlotta and Villa Melzi. October is quiet, the lake turns moody, and many villas stay open through the third week.
Lake Como has a microclimate softened by the lake — warmer than the rest of Lombardy. Monthly highs run from around 42°F in January to 83°F in July. Swim weather (lake or pool) is reliably mid-May through late September. The lake holds its heat into October, but the air cools quickly after dark.
The lake leans Lombard, not Mediterranean. Risotto al pesce persico with butter and sage, missoltini, polenta uncia, lavarello, agone. Restaurants worth booking ahead: Mistral at Villa d'Este, the Veranda at Villa Serbelloni, Il Gatto Nero in Cernobbio, Crotto dei Platani in Brienno, Il Sole in Ranco, La Punta in Bellagio.
Mostly by boat. The public ferries run between every lake village; private water taxis are quick and our concierge books captained boats for full days. Driving the lake road (the SS340) is slow and frequently jammed; we don't recommend a self-drive. Bellagio, Varenna, Tremezzo, and Lenno are all within a short ferry hop of each other.
It depends on the trip. Bellagio for the centre-of-everything peninsula. Tremezzo and Lenno for the great-villa side and walking access to Villa del Balbianello. Cernobbio for the southern Como-side closeness to Milan. Menaggio for a quieter base. Varenna for the prettiest village and easy train into Milan. We match villas to the rhythm you want.
Milan (1 hr), Lake Lugano and Switzerland (20 min), the Dolomites at Sondrio (2 hr), the Bernina Express into Switzerland (full day), Stresa on Lake Maggiore (90 min).
A car is helpful for arriving and for off-lake day trips, but inside the lake we recommend boats and ferries. Parking at the lake villages is scarce; the SS340 road is winding and slow. Most of our Como stays come with private driver service for evenings out.
Our Lake Como villas run from about €11,200 a week for a four-bedroom house near Bellagio to €71,000 a week for a fourteen-bedroom lakefront estate in Blevio.
Villa Maria Taglioni Estate in Blevio sleeps 28 in two sister villas, and Villa Gala on the Como promenade sleeps 26. For 16 guests, look at Villa Maria Taglioni, Villa Splendora, Villa Silvana, Villa Camilla and Villa Peduzzi.
Villa Peduzzi in Pigra has a children's playground, a treehouse and large lawns. Casa Meridiana in Pianello del Lario is twenty meters from a public beach. Villa Cleo in Tremezzo is a short walk from the village and the Lenno ferry.
Como is about an hour by car from Milan and from Malpensa airport, and Varenna is about an hour by direct train from Milano Centrale. Villas at the southern end of the lake, in Blevio, Torno, Cernobbio and Laglio, are the quickest to reach.
Explore
Other destinations
Each region is hand-picked, walked, and slept in by us first. See which one is calling.
