Lake Como, set against the foothills of the Alps, is in the Northern Lombardy region of Italy. It’s home to the most stunning 19th century villas and picturesque villages. If you share my love for cobblestone streets, church bells ringing, guilt-free gelato, shopping boutiques, ferry rides, hiking (hence guilt-free gelato), wine tasting and eating the most amazing Italian food – then you’ve found your next destination. Lake Como is full of history, charm and romance – and the views are truly out of this world!

One of the pros about visiting Lake Como is its accessibility from a major city. It’s about one hour North from the center of Milan by train, two hours North from Milan-Malpensa Airport. Bonus: Milan right now is one of the cheaper European cities to fly into from the U.S. I ran probably 10 different cities through Google Flights and found Milan to be a very economical choice. Although Milan was never at the top of my bucket list, it was nothing to sneeze at either. Shopping in the fashion capitol of the world, anyone? 

Travel route to Lake Como (Bellagio): We had a limited amount of time to spend in Lake Como so to make the most of it, we traveled from the U.S. to Milan and took the train straight there. From Milan-Malpensa airport, we bought tickets and took the train to Milan Central station. It’s around 50 minutes in duration and runs every half an hour (16 euros/per person). Travel tip: be sure to get your tickets validated. We traveled by train often and only had someone check once, but it’s a hefty fine if you do not do it. Just look for a little yellow machine and insert your ticket before boarding. Another tip I’m sure you’ll see on every travel site you visit is not to accept help from anyone unless in official uniform. Just be cautious as these friendly people are trying to pickpocket you. I found Italians to be more welcoming than I expected, but you won’t find any kind samaritans at the train station. Next stop, Lake Como! 

We got off the train and bought tickets at Milan Central to Varenna-Esino. This is the only leg of the trip to Lake Como that took us a bit longer than we expected. But I’m here to help with that! If you know what you are doing, it’s a painless process. When you get off the train you’ll see dozens of self-service ticket machines. We could not find tickets to Varenna-Esino. We tried three, four different kiosks hoping to strike up some good fortune but eventually asked someone working a booth. Okay, that took three times too. Disgruntled, she pointed downstairs. So, we made our way downstairs and found there were more options on those kiosks as well as there are actual people behind a desk (like what you’d find at the airport) who can help navigate you if you’re still having trouble. Head back upstairs to check the lovely board with departure times to find which train you are boarding and you’re officially en route to Lake Como! The train ride to Varenna-Esino is 1 hour in duration and runs every half hour to hour (under 10 euros/per person). Traveler tip: sit on the left-hand side for spectacular lake views!

Now that you’ve arrived to Varenna, you’re just a 10 minute ferry ride from Bellagio. From the train station, you’ll need to take a 5-10 minute walk down to the ferry. I don’t remember the exact route, but you can bring it up on your phone, follow signs, or the dozen people in front of you doing the exact same thing. It’s easy. This part is nothing to worry about! Once you make it to the ferry station, purchase a ticket to Bellagio (10 euros/per person). Some of my favorite views came from this short 10 minute excursion (pictured below). No stops along the way, just a quick ride to one of the most charming towns in all of Italy!  

Bellagio: We didn’t explore every little lakeshore town, but I can still confidently tell you Bellagio (known as “the pearl” of the lake) is a must-see. We simply did not have enough time here so my review will be brief, but you can bet we left vowing to return together again soon. Traveler tip: if you want to explore Bellagio bag free, you can store your luggage at the tourist office in the ferry station at no cost. 

Bellagio is picture perfect. Stunning waterfront hotels, winding cobblestone streets, brightly colored buildings adorned by flowers and around every corner there’s more gelato. What’s not to love, right? We spent most of our day just exploring the streets, stopping in little shops along the way. Bellagio is known for their silk, so you’ll find beautiful hand-made scarves that are nothing short of a masterpiece in a little shop called Azalea. I also recommend checking out Nene Bellagio, a women’s boutique with a great selection of Italian-made clothing. 

The best surprise for us was stumbling upon Basilica di San Giacomo. It’s an old church built in 1075 rich in history. It’s free to enter and won’t take more than 20 minutes. It was truly a highlight for us and an inspiring place to rest. We ate at a little pizzeria called Torre del Borgo that doesn’t have the best reviews on yelp or Trip Advisor but is conveniently positioned right by the church and we were pushing starving. The service was okay, but we loved the pizza. The best of our trip, actually! I think what makes me most sad about having such limited time in Bellagio was not getting to try a variety of restaurants. They have everything from cheap eats to 5 star dining experiences. I don’t think you can go wrong here in the food department! 

Later in the day, we stopped by Aperitivo Et Al wine bar for a tasting of some local wines. They were so attentive to us and made the experience worthwhile. We enjoyed a break from the sun and came away with a few bottles to share with family back home. I highly recommend this place. Enjoy some pictures below of our day in Bellagio!

Villa del Balbianello: We took a private tour from Bellagio the next morning to Villa del Balbianello. It’s regarded as one of the most beautiful villas on Lake Como and I have no objections. We booked the service ahead of time through Bellagio Water Limousines. You won’t find a single negative review on Trip Advisor for them and here’s why: they do it right. The wife (originally Australian) does all the organizing. While many of the things we did on this trip took planning on my part, she made everything effortless for us. From booking tickets, to finding the boat – they take the hassle out of everything. The husband is captain of the boat and a great lake guide. You arrive to Villa del Balbianello and have an allotted time for an organized tour and free time later to explore the grounds. The tour itself was really interesting and not too long for our preference at least. When the tour was finished, I spent the entire time running around taking photos because I did not want to forget a single detail. Words and pictures do not do this magical place justice. The experience was worth every penny. 

Lezzeno: We actually stayed in Lezzeno which is less than 10km from Bellagio but more budget friendly and less touristy. We booked a b&b that sits on the lake which is a different feel than you’ll get in Bellagio. Now in full disclosure, if we were coming back to this gorgeous place, we’d stay in Bellagio. The benefit of staying in a town other than Bellagio for our first trip to Lake Como was getting to see more for less. We knew we’d spend a full day exploring Bellagio but this afforded us the opportunity to experience a place we wouldn’t spend a whole day exploring. We loved being right on the lake in a town of few tourists and nothing beats the incredible dinner views there. The biggest negative to staying in Lezzeno is the limiting ferry schedule to and from Bellagio (I believe it runs just twice a day). But, if you’re not relying on public transportation, you’re just a short drive away. Perfection. 

Accommodations: Nest on the Lake or Hotel Villa Aurora // Dining: Crotto dei Pescatori and Aurora Restaurant

Other areas of interest: If we had more time in Lake Como, we would have taken advantage of the many scenic hikes it offers. We made friends with another American couple at our b&b that took hikes to different churches and explored more of the neighboring towns than we did. They highly recommended it and with a little research, I bet you could find numerous trails with breathtaking views. Here’s a link to get you started. 

There are also other villas to tour around the Bellagio area, the most well-known being Villa Melzi. It’s about a 350 meter walk from the Bellagio ferry. It came highly recommended by numerous people. Here’s a link to a few others villas to explore. 

Lake Como is one of those magical places I could travel to over and over again. We’ve traveled to plenty of destinations we don’t need to travel back to. This is not one of those places. We’ll be back someday simply because we haven’t had enough of it. Until next time, Lake Como! 

Milan is a global capital for fashion and home to the national stock exchange. The city is rich in art, history, design and culture. If you thought our time in Lake Como was short, you’ll be especially disappointed in our attempt at experiencing Milan in just one day. We gave it our best shot though and honestly, we did not leave feeling like we rushed through the city. Let me be clear, in an ideal world, you want two full days to explore but we accomplished most everything we wanted to see and do! 

The biggest miss was not seeing Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” mural at Santa Maria della Grazie convent. This is something I read we needed to book well in advance. As it turns out, even three months in advance was not long enough when booking for the end of May. We were really disappointed, but now we have good reason to explore Milan again in the future. On to the things we did do and enjoy! 

#1 The Duomo di Milano is without question a highlight of the city. Anything that takes nearly six centuries to complete, you can pretty much bank on being absolutely amazing. The rooftop was our favorite part of the overall experience. You can get some really incredible photos of the city and the gothic inspired detail is truly stunning. My only reservation with this experience was the amount of time it took to enter the cathedral. We went ahead and bought “skip the line” mobile passes here. Logistically, it should be pretty easy, but in total I bet it took almost 3 hours. To be fair, the ticket states to use the ticket you must “swap your voucher for a paper ticket, even if you print your voucher”. Also in the defense of the ticket company, it suggests going early in the morning or late in the afternoon of which we did not do. We slept in that morning #noregrets. You can bypass the excruciatingly long line into the cathedral, but not before hitting the tour operators desk to print your vouchers. This is the mind-numbingly slow part. You have to take a ticket, then wait for that ticket number to be called to get your voucher printed. Remember, even if you print the tickets, you still have to do this step. This took at least 2 hours, but once the voucher is printed, you can bypass another line into the cathedral which is a huge time saver. Until a better system is in place, there’s not much you can do but plan for it to be a lengthy process. If you are really proactive, you can shoot for early morning like they suggest and perhaps the process would be much quicker. This experience is without question worth it, just plan accordingly! 

#2 Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is the shopping district located directly beside the cathedral and one of Milan’s best known landmarks. You’ll find designer shops like Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. From the marble floors to the glass vaulted ceilings, it’s a great place to people watch and very quintessential Milan. For those of you looking for more affordable shops, if you head back to the square you can see stores like Zara, Sephora, even the Gap. They are all within walking distance so no need to hop on any public transportation. From there, we worked our way over to the Brera district. 

#3 Brera district was by far my favorite area of Milan to stroll through. The pace is much slower here and the cafes are great. It’s easier to window shop through this district and honestly it’s the most picturesque area. It’s just North from the cathedral and a very easy walk with good shoes. If it weren’t for convenience (with us staying just one day) I would have preferred to book a hotel in this area. Brera district is also home to one of Milan’s famous museums, Pinacoteca di Brera. It was our intention to go inside the museum but by the time we made it (thank you “skip the line” pass fail) we had just enough time to snap a few pictures and move on to our cooking class! 

#4 Take an authentic Italian Cooking Class for a real taste of Italy. This is something my husband and I were equally excited for. Someone welcomes you into their home, teaches you a few of their favorite recipes and then serves up a 4 course meal with wine over candle light. Sounds amazing right? It truly was thanks to the most gracious host, Aurora. There may be plenty more to do in Milan, but I’d suggest this class without hesitation. The menu consisted of fresh pasta, eggplant parmesan and tiramisu for dessert. We were paired with one other couple and thoroughly enjoy being Aurora’s dinner guests that evening. At the end of the night, she printed certificates for us and offered to send us the recipes via our emails. Talk about a lasting memory! 5 star experience, for sure. 

Accomodations: As previously noted, if I were staying in Milan for an extended period of time, I’d wish to stay in the Brera district. Hotels are a bit more pricey, but it’s a beautiful area of the city to stay. We elected to book a hotel within walking distance from Milan Central to eliminate a taxi service as well as it was more budget-friendly. For this purpose, Starhotels E.c.h.o. was a lovely place to stay. It was very clean, modern and had a decent sized breakfast buffet. It is also located conveniently close to the subway - just a few stops from the cathedral. My favorite part of the hotel was the rooftop view which you can access by going to the gym floor. All in all, we had no regrets with these arrangements. 

For those of you wanting to stay near the Milan-Malpensa airport, perhaps for a long layover, you must consider booking Emanuela’s b&b in the area of Castelnovate di Vizzola Ticino. It’s just a short 10 minute drive from the airport, but a true hidden gem of Italy. There is a Sheraton and Crown Plaza at the airport for those of you feeling less adventurous, but with zero hesitation I recommend Emanuela’s place instead. 200 feet from the b&b is a charming and authentic restaurant offering great ambiance and delicious food. It was one of our favorite dining experiences in Italy! The room is beautifully decorated, the home charming and the breakfast simple - but good. At $50/night, I simply cannot imagine a better experience. Emanuela also offers free transportation service to and from the airport. I highly recommend the b&b experience. Enjoy some pictures below of our day in Milan! 

Other areas of interest: We got mixed reviews on the Navigli district, but most say it’s an up and coming area with good restaurants. Another landmark we wished to explore is the La Scala Opera House. Great reviews from multiple people and I think it would make a great cultural experience. It’s on the list for next time! 

Of course, there are many, many more things to do and see in Milan, but this is the course we took. Exploring Milan and Lake Como was an unforgettable experience and the perfect beginning of our anniversary trip. Up next, I’ll be sharing a guide to our final destination, the gorgeous island of Santorini, Greece!