Published: August, 2018
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Lake Como, Italy

Lake Como is the kind of place that once you go once, you are hooked - a place that you continue to see in your dreams and channel in your mind when you need an escape.
— Allison Handy
  • More about your Oliver Guide:
  • Trip type: Adult, Group getaway, Solo, Beach
  • Activity level: easy
  • Ideal length of trip: At least three, four to five is ideal.

to & from

The lake is about an hour or so by train from the Milan airport. Or if renting a car and driving, it’s about an hour to an hour and thirty minutes, depending on which part of the lake you are staying on. We had a car rental as we were visiting multiple locations throughout the region. We never used the car once we arrived, so if going to/from Como, the train to Como from Milan airport would be super easy.

Where to Stay

There are so many towns along Lake Como and it can be up to an hour driving or boating in between them, so understanding the geography is pretty critical. I’ve heard it described as imagining Lake Como like a pair of high-wasted jeans. The town of Veranna at the waistband on the right, Menaggio the waistband on the left, Bellagio where the crotch would be and Cernobbio at the left ankle and the town of Como on the left foot. To be honest, we never even saw the right leg of the lake on our whole four-day trip.

The two iconic Lake Como hotels are Grand Hotel Tremezzo (almost directly across the lake from Bellagio) and Villa d’Este.

If the goal is truly to escape, then Casta Diva Resort & Spa is your spot. Much quieter and less touristy (Grand Hotel Tremezzo and Villa d’Este can be a bit of a scene in the middle of summer), however the tradeoff for the quiet, tranquil retreat is that you cannot walk to anything. You must board a boat or get in car to go anywhere from the hotel.

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