All About Visiting Lake Como in Winter

Lake Como may have its bloom during the summer season, but it is still a wonderful destination to visit on clear-blue skies during the cold months. After having visited Lake Como in winter twice, we have come up with this short travel guide to help you arrange your trip. Find out what to see in Lake Como during winter and let’s see if we can convince you once and for all that this lake is magical all year round.

Why visit Lake Como during winter?

It goes without saying that winter is the low season around the lake – and this is actually the main advantage of including this destination in your winter travel plans. By visiting Lake Como during the winter, you will avoid the crowds of tourists and locals and have most of the places to yourself. You will be able to stroll around the small villages around the lake without having to fight your way through the groups of people, stop by some of the most incredible restaurants without plans or reservations and fully take in the beauty of the lake.

During summertime, finding parking places becomes quite a hurdle in some of the most popular villages, not to speak of the prices which go through the roof during this season. By visiting Lake Como during winter, you will find a much more peaceful atmosphere, perfect for a relaxing vacation or holiday.

Last but not least, another great advantage of visiting Lake Como during winter is the price. You can notice a significant price drop in comparison to the summer months, which is great. Luxurious accommodations get quite affordable and you will be able to have a very comfortable and relaxing holiday without overpaying.

Looking for a day trip to Lake Como?

Disadvantages of visiting Lake Como during winter

Since not everything is sunshine and butterflies, we need to also tell you the downsides of arranging a trip to Lake Como during winter. Since it is low season around the lake, most of the public boat transport is suspended. Now, bear in mind that Lake Como is enormous in size – it is the third-largest lake in Italy. Not all boat traffic is ceased, there are still certain lines operating during winter, which may be influenced by the weather. We recommend checking the official website of the Lake Como boat transport to see the schedule during the time of your trip.

Another downside is the unpredictability of the weather. While we strongly recommend visiting Lake Como during the winter if the forecast is good, the lake itself may be quite disappointing if the forecast is bad. Let’s be honest here – this is something that may affect any winter trip, not only this one. But we feel that we should be transparent and warn you upfront.

The best thing about visiting Lake Como is the beauty of the lake and the surrounding mountains, along with the small cozy, and picturesque villages around the shore. This means that this is a location where you want to be outdoors. If you have any flexibility in your schedule, we recommend trying to arrange a visit to Lake Como only if the weather seems promising so you will be able to enjoy the lake and its surroundings.

What to do in Lake Como during winter

To make sure you make the best of your trip, here is our list of what to do in Lake Como during winter. Have in mind that these are just some of the options of things to do and see around the lake – there are also many other activities you may want to try.

1) Walk around the lake

Being one of the most beautiful lakes in Italy, it goes without saying that the lake itself is one of the best attractions of the trip. We strongly recommend saving some time on your schedule to take a stroll around Lake Como and take in this very unique alpine view of the snowy slopes surrounded by deep blue waters.

2) Explore the villages around Lake Como

Lake Como is known as a luxurious destination given the number of villas and luxury houses built around its shores. During the winter, most villas are closed for a visit, but we still encourage you to take a day to drive across different villages of the lake and check out those villas. Driving around through those narrow roads among the colorful houses really made me feel like a scene in a movie.

The most visited villages around Lake Como are: Como, Bellagio, Lecco, Varenna, and Menaggio.

There are basically two options for going around the lake – by public transport (check the boat schedule on the website provided above) or by car. We strongly recommend the latter, as you will have more flexibility on schedule and will be able to make a stop wherever you wish.

Do you still need to rent a car for your trip to Lake Como? Get a quote with Discover Cars!

3) Go skiing on one of the slopes surrounding Lake Como

Since Lake Como is located in the middle of the mountains, it is possible to reach some incredible slopes with just a 1-hour drive from the lake. Whether you are an experienced snowboarder or not, you will find options for every level and quite attractive prices on the ski stations around Lake Como. Going skiing or practicing winter sports is a great option for a day trip if you are ever wondering what to do in Lake Como or even Milan during winter.

The main ski stations in this area are Piani di Bobbio, Valchiavenna, and Monte Sighiognola. The only one I have personally visited is Piani di Bobbio and I can recommend it without a shed of a doubt. We have put together an article with everything you need to know about skiing in Piani di Bobbio. I recommend spending at least two days there.

If you decide to go skiing don’t forget to get travel insurance!

4) Go up by the cable car to see Lake Como from above

If practicing winter sports is not your cup of tea, don’t worry as you will still be able to go up to the mountains to enjoy the incredible view of the lake from above. There are a couple of cable cars installed around the lake. If you are basing yourself in Como, we recommend going up on the Brunate cable car (called Brunate funicular in Italian), which operates all year round. The single return ticket costs € 5,70, but they also have other pricing options and discounts available.

Pro tip: During the holidays, they work on a special schedule where you can go up to see the view during nighttime.

5) Taste the local culinary and amazing Italian cuisine

For us, it is impossible to talk about travel without talking about food. The Lake Como region is full of local and typical restaurants where you will be able to have a taste of the regional cuisine while sipping on great Italian wine. Most restaurants will offer you several options of soups and stews during the winter season, dishes with polenta, and local wine options. One of the most popular regional dishes from Como is called pizzoccheri, which is made with buckwheat and cabbage. It is worth giving it a try.

If you are looking for a more high-end experience, we recommend going to one of the Michelin-starred restaurants around the lake. This region has quite a handful of awarded restaurants to choose from, most of them focusing on locally sourced products and regional specialties. If this is something you would be interested in trying, we recommend reserving a table at Pierino Penati. We had a 5-course meal during one of our visits to Lake Como and it was incredible.

6) Explore the local city center and the Christmas market

Last, but not least, we strongly recommend saving some time to visit the local Christmas market. Como is famous for hosting an incredibly adorable Christmas market, where the main square is illuminated with a show light during the evening. During the day, we also advise saving some time to visit the city center of Como – it is very cute and interesting, but fairly small so you can see it all in a half-day.

How to get to Lake Como

Lake Como is located only 50km away from Milan, towards the north. Check below the most popular options of going from Milan to Lake Como (for comparison purposes, I have used the city of Como as a reference in the lake, but know you can adjust the information if you choose to go to another city).

• By car: If you rent a car and decide to drive to the lake yourself, it will take you around 45 min on the highway to go from Milan to Como. However, keep in mind that the highway road has tolls. There are secondary paths you can take without any charges, in which case the trip will take you around 1 h. 
• By train: There are trains departing from the central station in Milan towards Como every couple of minutes. The trip takes around 40 min and the one-way ticket price starts from € 4,80. Check the timetables using the official Trenitalia website.
• By bus: You will also find several options of bus lines connecting Milan to different cities around Lake Como. However, the trip will take you around 1h30, so we recommend choosing the train over the bus. The only exception to this situation is if you will be going directly to one of the ski slopes with public transport. In this case, the bus is a very good solution as it will take you directly to your final destination, which usually cannot be reached directly by train.

Where to stay around Lake Como?

To make your trip easier, we recommend staying in one of the main cities: Como, Lecco or Bellagio. Each of them has benefits, depending on your full itinerary. Among all options, Como is the most well-connected city and the one that offers a better structure for tourists in our opinion. It is also the city that has the most attractions and restaurants open all year round, which is very useful for travelers visiting Lake Como during the winter.

Here are our top picks for an affordable and comfortable winter holiday in Como:

• Hotel Metropole Suisse – Unbeatable location and one of the best-rated hotels in the city. Definitely a top choice for accommodation in Como.
• SantAgata Bed & Breakfast – An old traditional house that was converted into Bed & Breakfast. In this accommodation, you will get modern rooms with breakfast included.
• B&B Convento S. Antonio – For people who love unique and original accommodations, this is a great choice. It is located in an old Convent dated from the XVII century, converted into Bed & Breakfast.

Does it snow in Lake Como during winter?

If you visit Lake Como during wintertime – between December and February – you will most likely see the surrounding mountains full of snow. As we have shown through several alternatives on this post, you can reach the mountains and experience some snow time quite easily from the lake.

However, around Lake Como itself, it is not that common to snow due to the effect of the lake. Even though the water keeps the temperature quite chill and humid, any snowfall usually melts quite quickly. We haven’t experienced any snowy days whenever we have visited Lake Como in the winter.

Additional tips for your Lake Como winter vacation

• If you plan on going out for dinner in a restaurant, we recommend reserving a table whenever possible. Most local restaurants in Como are really small, hosting up to 10 tables only, which means it gets full pretty quickly.
• There are dozens of hiking paths around this region offering incredible views of the lake and the mountains. Even though most of them are closed during the wintertime (and of course, we strongly suggest following the recommendations if they are), there are also quite a few local paths that can be taken even with snow. During our first visit to Lake Como in winter, we drove up to the little village of Pigra and found a small walking path with an amazing view of the lake from above.
• If you decide to rent a car for visiting Lake Como, be prepared to drive through narrow roads. This may be an understatement if you have already driven in other regions in Italy such as the Amalfi Coast, but here you will also find your share of narrow & windy paths. Choose a compact car and drive safely.

We hope these tips will help you plan your vacation in Lake Como this winter! If you have any other suggestions we may have missed, feel free to add them to the comment section.

Enjoy your trip!

Fê & Edo

Read more about Italy

• Milan in winter – what to do and see
• Milan – 2 day itinerary (with a map)
• 5 Best Lakes in the Dolomites & How to Reach Them
• Driving in Italy: A Guide for Foreigners